Sunday, August 26, 2007

cleaning the gutters

A couple of years ago (after a few episodes of John almsot killing himself on an old, rickety, wooden ladder) we had shields put on top of our gutters so that we would not have to clean them again. Unfortunately, the birds in our neighborhood thought the shields made the gutters the best place to build their nests - so the gutters were quickly packed with anything and everything the birds could find for building material.
John and I spent a good part of yesterday - like 5 hours or so - cleaning the gutters and doing other yard work. The kids, of course, were there to help (or hinder) the process as much as they could. Keep in mind it was 98 degrees outside with a heat advisory warning due to the temperature and the humidity too.
So there we were. John and I versus the birds. I held the ladder while John climbed it and - armed with screwdrivers and pliers - began the difficult task of pulling the bits of debris out of the narrow opening between gutter and shield. When he finally emptied a section of all of its junk he used the hose to spray the remnants down the downspout. At one point while John was pearched at the top of the ladder and I was using all of my concentration to keep the ladder from tipping over, Samuel got ahold of the hose. I turned my head just in time to see him grin a huge, mischievious grin, and spray James at point blank range. James let out a wail and came running to me. Samuel then pointed the nozzel in my direction and sprayed me in the back holding the stream of water on me until I was thoroughly soaked.
It was very funny (and wet!) and such a John thing to do! Samuel has officially cemented his role as John's mini-me.

1 comment:

Monique said...

Haha, well, that's a nice way to cool down while you guys are cleaning the gutters. It can be pretty tricky to work during the heat. Sometimes, it's hard to get motivated during a hot day!

-Monique Snead