Labor Day Weekend

On Saturday morning, the flesh was willing but the mind was weak. There was something important we needed to do…

To help us think, we tuned the TV to classic rock. A few beats and gyrations later, the shoes were on and we were admiring work the crew did downstairs during the week. Hearing music through the floor also alerted us to the need for excellent insulation. Nothing less relaxing than being in a house where activities on one floor are audible in another area.

Then the labor began. We had already replanted any flora we wanted to save. So only slag plants would be in the new deck’s way. To keep the crew focused on the activities we cannot do, Matt dug out the raggedy rose bushes, which served primarily as deer food, while I carried away and stacked slate from the first section of walkway.

On Labor Day, we removed all the remaining items from the deck: basil, grill, bird feeders and weather station elements that became favorite roosting spots. Then we took off the pricey cable railing in hopes of finding for it some creative reuse.

When it was gone, I gasped: “Scary!”

“I like it,” Matt proclaimed. “Maybe we can put a net underneath to catch anyone who tumbles from the deck, leaving off the railing so nothing blocks our view.”

With each step, the deck began to shimmy and shake... The next morning, I saw that the corner support beam was beginning to collapse. Luckily, September 2 was to be the deck’s last day.