You know what's not fun? Coming home from work tired and climbing up a stepladder and straightening and rehanging badly bent guttering with a battery drill and an assortment of hand tools anyway, 'cos it has to get done.
Remember the video I posted semi-recently, showing a streaming waterfall over the fallen-tree-limb-created low spot in the guttering here at Roseholme Cottage? As of Monday, I still hadn't fixed it and there's a pretty good pothole where it hits the ground. By the time I left for work, I had a little stream of water running into the basement at the base of the wall, nearly in line with the pothole.
Looks like Tropical Storm Isaac (or has he regained hurricane status again?) will grind to a halt over Indiana by the weekend, probably worn down to nothing but a big ol' knot of rain, so it was time to go do whatever I could to get the gutter back to running water to the downspouts. I pushed (with shoulders, thus the ow -- I can feel the effects all down my right arm but especially at the shoulder joint), bent and rebent the gutter with pliers and crowbar, and finally added a couple of long gutter screws and spacers. It's....better. It may still be a bit low-ish at the hit spots but it's not nearly as bad as it was. I barely beat the sunset -- then had to get the ladder back out to reclaim a pair of electrician's pliers I had left in the guttering.
Guess I'll find out how well it worked.
ROBERTA
ReplyDeleteTUMERIC (AN EXCELLENT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY)
FOR ACUTE PAIN 2 CAPSULES EVERY TWO TO FOUR HOURS
FEEL BETTER!
Hah, no 'outside the box' thinking these 'Merican engineers nowadays!
ReplyDeleteI too had a waterspout caused by a damaged gutter. (This is Britain remember, there wasn't the danger of a 'pothole. There was the danger that the foundations would be undermined and the house slipped down the hill into the lake). As a member of the masculine gender I immediately rushed to gather what was needed (my pack of cigarettes and a pint of what I fancied). After much careful cogitation (about a week) I solved it by siting a large water-barrel under the deluge.
So, no 'new house boat' and I have a supply for those periods without rain (that's three minutes every other summer, if we're lucky). Two problems solved without any aching muscles or lost equipment.
See, you should'a gotta man in! (running away very quickly ;-) )
Poor supply of barrels in the 'States, even in these days of craft-brewed beer (or what passes for the stuff this side of the Great water).
ReplyDeleteSo the problem must go back to the very pint of which you wrote: we're not drinking them nearly enough!
I can offer sympathy for the pain, but the downpour from Isaac has not even reached 34 degrees north yet.
ReplyDeleteI expect it will get to 39'42 just in time to ruin Labor Day weekend.
And the hopes of the fair and exposition concessionaires who hoped for a good holiday to carry them over the winter. I suspect a number will be wearing smaller clothing by spring.
Stranger
Feel better. Home maintenance is taking it out of me this year too.
ReplyDeleteSomeday I'll have the money to trade back for all this time. Right?
Speak with mr b. He could maybe accomodate with a modern, nalgene pickle barrel, which can be camo'ed in any number of ways. I have one and will be getting another to place under downspouts, to add to my watering budget without adding to my water bill.
ReplyDelete