There is an ugly, moldy tarp attached to the garden house. I’d been pretending not to see it for weeks. But now, trash pickup was on the horizon. The sun was shining, and the winds had slowed. A perfect chilly fall day to head to the garden.

I’ve been cleaning up corners of my neglected land for months. But before long, the roof project took over, and I left the rest be. Now, it is time to tackle the trash before the owners of the land come to pick up the piles for me.

When I adopted this neglected land, I didn’t know how to build a roof. I didn’t know how long it would take. I didn’t even know what most of the parts where called. But slowly, I figured it all out, learned new skills, and built a roof. But let’s start where we left off last time.

The cold, dark days of living in Northern Germany are approaching fast. What sunshine hours we still get are spent in the garden. I haven’t started any of my dark-day projects. The apartment is essentially on hold.

Time is running out on the roof. I need to finish it before temperatures fall, before school starts, before the rain returns. Two lovely friends had helped me finish the wood, but now I was back to two hands. Two hands, and a whole lot of motivation.

I’ve missed a deadline for the roof. One side of the roof has been closed for a while now. But there was still the second side. There, I hadn’t even taken off the old roofing material. And the wood was only the first of three layers.

Friends were coming to help with the second layer. But I didn’t finish in time.

It’s time to make some progress. The start of the semester is approaching fast. I long decided that the garden isn’t allowed to add stress to my life. Still, some things need to get done. Other things just help to clear the head.

I was almost done with the first half of the roof. When I put it in, I realized the hut was a lot more off kilter than I’d thought. I’d have to do it all again.

The terrace in my abandoned garden is falling apart everywhere. As I needed a flat surface for a workbench to continue the roof repair, it was time to tear it up and build a temporary new one.

When I adopted this abandoned piece of land, I knew the roof would be a major project. Some days, I think this roof will be the end of me.