This
isn’t about walls. It’s actually about roofs. Sort of. More about
working alone. And… well…
There
are certain projects that I won’t take on when no one else is
home. Two good examples would involve anything that uses chainsaws
or ladders. Because if I’m going to get attacked by a chainsaw
or fall off a ladder, I’d prefer to have someone around that could
call for help. And those preferences essentially explain how being
on the roof led to this essay.
Was
talking to a friend of ours the other day. Seems that about two
weeks ago, he was out clearing a roof of some snow.
(For
those that don’t know, a snow rake is an actual thing. Seriously.
Look… go Google it. We’ll wait for a second.)
(You
back? Cool. Let’s head over to our friend at the house clearing
the snow.)
He
was up on a ladder using a snow rake. And, he was experienced
enough that this should have been an easy enough job for him.
Pretty basic stuff. But there was a bit of ice that the rake was
catching on, and he pulled a bit harder than he should have to
get it to give, and…
…and,
the rake came free after a particularly good tug, which in turn
shifted his balance incredibly quickly in such a way the additional
momentum and direction of movement began the process of the ladder
moving away from the house.
It
was roughly an 8-foot fall onto the concrete walkway. The only
injury I’ll mention was his concussion.
(Yeah,
there were a couple more. He’s doing ok now, but still feeling
it. Friend is a dedicated guy though. Got up, finished the roof
and shoveled a deck. Only after completing his job did he go home
and shut things down for a while.)
Point
of the story is not to get you wondering whether or not you should
be raking your roof. To be quite honest, if you’ve never need
to address the presence of snow on your roof before that’s probably
a really good bit of information you should apply to whether or
not you need to be raking snow off it in the future. (Yes. It
can help. But many experts seem to believe that for sloped roofs
people will normally never reach a point where it’s necessary,
and an inexperienced hand can do significant damage with the attempt
to clear it. Theory of more harm than good. Investigate wisely
before attempting.)
For
me, the story just reinforced a few beliefs I have about power
tools and assorted home projects. I’ve already mentioned two of
them… chainsaws and ladders.
I
have this fear about handling chainsaws. I’ve used them many times.
Have even owned a couple, with one in my possession right now.
I simply don’t like how easy it is to get lazy with it or tired.
Those aren’t the perfect words, since I don’t truly mean getting
lazy. But I’ve shared chainsaw stories with many people. And one
thing we all seem to have in common is that every story reaches
a moment where a person is working on a project and encounters
a distraction or a feeling of casual overconfidence. Next thing
you know, jeans are torn and someone is looking up at the skies
thanking the heavens it wasn’t worse. (And, scary reality, that
isn’t the only result. Many times it is worse.)
So,
when I wander into the yard with one and the intention of firing
it up, I do so by telling my wife I’m headed outside with the
chainsaw. It’s nice to have someone around for an emergency if
needed.
A
few years ago, we had a problem on our roof. My wife was at work
when I spotted the issue, and I decided to check it out. I figured
it was pretty basic. Sunny day. I was just going up to check on
something and not planning any real work or activity. As I came
off the roof, my footing wasn’t perfect, and if I had pushed any
harder when placing it on the ladder I would have knocked it over.
Didn’t have my phone. No other clear way of getting down. I have
no clue what I would have said to my wife when she eventually
got home and found me on the roof seven hours or more later. But
I learned my lesson… no more ladders and roof exploration on my
own.
A
few people are chuckling right now at this, and I get it. In my
lifetime, I’ve known some guys that can be multiple stories in
the air, on an unfinished roof, bouncing around on ceiling joists
and crossbeams like a mountain goat. And if I was using chainsaws
and ladders professionally, for hours each and every day, my thoughts
would likely be much different. But I don’t, and they aren’t.
Much
like my experience with the falling ladder that would have stranded
me, hearing about the snow raking adventure reinforced my opinions
and practices. Often times, when facing a task with warning labels
all over it, you’re probably better off not trying this at home
(unless someone is there to call an ambulance).