3 May 2012

Put the ⅝” Advantech backing on one of the door frames… which added considerably more poundage than I was expecting.  Think I’d better use three hinges on each door instead of the two I had planned on.  Then put some Home Slicker on the shed south wall, finagled the insect screen into place at the bottom, and started laying shingles.  The critically important trick is, of course, to lay each course exactly level, with each shingle spaced exactly 3/16″ from its neighbors, and each course exactly 5 1/16″ apart.  That’s a lot of exactlies and no close enoughs.  Started out trying to use my level and quick square to position the shingles… and quickly ran out of hands. Then dawn came to Marblehead… and I snapped a chalk line between the story board marks at the end of each row and, le voilá, positioning the shingles could be done quickly and easily with one hand, leaving the other hand free to handle the pneumatic stapler.  By quitting time had five courses done and very sore knees.  Then scurried around like crazy for an hour trying to get Delores presentable before Marty and Merry arrived for the grand tour and barbecued spareribs with all the fixin’s.  As always, good food, good wine, and great company.