Once
or twice a week… definitely once or twice a month… I like to walk
around the house and yard.
It’s
something I began doing on my own. Years after it began, I was
discussing my habit with my father, and he admitted to doing the
same. He also shared a story about how my grandfather told him
to start doing it when he bought his first house with my mother
decades ago.
It’s
just a general walk. Nothing really prepared or special. I don’t
have a checklist. And I couldn’t tell you why, but each one seems
to just naturally evolve into a certain focus, and usually a focus
that I never expected.
I
might notice some bees setting up flight patterns into a bush.
Perhaps some flaking paint around a door frame. I’ve found deer
tracks and loose window screens and mushrooms in the yard. I’ve
found other things.
No
two walks are ever really the same. Some lead to grabbing a paint
brush, and others t breaking out a wheelbarrow.
A
short time ago I made one of my first rounds since the true threats
of potential snow faded away. We may still see some snow, and
I’m actually kind of expecting more snow. But, with at least a
small amount of hope in the air, I was wandering around the yard
looking at things to do because the weather was improving. Things,
for instance, like pulling down the snow fence.
That’s
when I spotted it.
A
broken shingle.
Not
just a torn or ripped or damaged shingle. A well-worn, if it was
still on the house it would have been years overdue for replacing,
broken shingle.
It
was a weird discovery, but probably not for any of the reasons
you might expect. First, it has nothing to do with my house or
shed. I’ve looked, and everything seems in place and just fine
in my areas of responsibility. Second, this isn’t my first encounter
with such shingles in my yard.
Last
year, around the same time (while making a similar first-of-spring
trek), I began finding some broken shingles scattered around the
yard. They were on the lawn, and in the driveway, and in the drainage
ditch. So, seeing them again this year is slightly concerning.
But… and this is where we hit the funny twist…
It’s
not concerning for me. And, I have no clue who should be concerned.
We
have a couple living on one side of the house that are a bit older.
Their family helps out with things like snow removal. And, though
the husband is out there occasionally riding a mower across parts
of his property, a landscaping company arrives two or three times
during the summer to cover the entire lawn in one swoop.
For
us, however, there are a couple of trees in their yard that I
pay attention to. Not because the trees are any concern. It’s
the leaves.
When
the fall arrives and the leaves hit the ground, they get left
for a few days. In turn, being windy around here quite often,
those leaves make their way into our yard. So, I’ve asked if it’s
ok, and every so often I’ll head over and drive my mower around
their trees in a proactive effort to pick up the leaves while
they’re dry and easy to clean up (as opposed to wet and heavy
and against the side of our house).
For
our purposes here, it’s the thought that counts and not the clearing
of leaves. Because I want to bring this back to the roofing tiles.
I’ve looked. Been in the neighbors’ yard and looked. And on their
house and side garage, there are no damaged shingles. Some worn
spots that probably indicate a new roof is in order, sure. But
nothing that explains all of the pieces in my yard.
And
so, in walks and drives around, I’ve tried to occasionally take
it slow and check out other nearby houses…
Nothing.
I’ve got nothing.
Last
year, I couldn’t find a house that seemed to be missing sections
of roof shingles. I didn’t see brand new and perfection, mind
you. I just didn’t see large portions of exposed roof where shingles
had been torn away.
And
now, as I walked around, more pieces were found.
When
I was a kid, the driveway at our house was breaking up. We eventually
got it replaced, but for a year or two, every so often the kids
would end up at the end of the driveway reassembling a jigsaw
puzzle of sorts. I hate to admit it, but I even have foggy memories
of breaking pieces apart and checking things out. (Probably contributed
to it falling apart faster than it did on its own. Anyway…)
Over
the years, at a few places where I’ve lived, I’ve seen signs around
the community of wear and tear and so on. Trees falling down (or
snapping in a storm). Stone walls collapsing. Chipmunks moving
in. Occasionally I was out making repairs in my own yard. At times
I helped out on a project for someone else. And other times things
moved along without any input from me.
For
the most part though… I had a bit of a feel as far as the pulse
of what was going on. Not this time. Someone’s roof is in need
of repair. But, outside of a magical start in Kansas and a tornado
I’m unaware of sweeping past, I’ve got no clue which one it is
and I really can’t click my heels together any more to investigate.