Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Ice on roof


When the ice rolled down in the front of the house it found space to spread out.

The first time it came down in the back I thought an earthquake caused the mountain behind the house to come through the roof. The noise was frightening and the shaking violent. It broke the plate glass of the guestroom window. As I walked into the room the glass shards were strewn all over the bed and the floor and furniture. What luck that my brother was not visiting that weekend. It was his bed. No way to get to the window from the outside so I blocked the opening from the inside. I learn my lessons rather quickly sometimes. The following Fall, $400. later for the new double pane window, I had my brother block it from the outside with a sheet of wood. It was a good idea but was it really necessary? The block of ice that came down did not touch the wall.

All that but, I miss the house sooo much. I was already 60 years old when I bought it and spent 14 years fixing and loving it - my soul was happy there but my body got tired and could no longer keep up with all that came with it, pleasures and work.

I wonder if the woodpecker is missing me and if the trees have room to breath or if the undershrub or whatever it's called is strangling them. One uphill acre full of little areas I built such as 'Amen' where I wanted my ashes to be - a rock that looked like a bicycle seat which I painted and named 'Kat's seat' - another rock that I painted 5 lucky seven's on and spelled 'Nick's outlook' on it. Nick is the very nosy slot machines lover husband of my dear friend and from that area uphill he could sit and observe the comings and goings on my patio and the area around the house. And, I'll stop here - why torture myself? Bad enough that I need to drive by it twice a month and more when I pick Moselito up for his home weekend.





 
 

9 comments:

Halle said...

The thickness of that sheet is impressing me, and I've seen similar things in my own home.

A fabulous record of that memory.

Easy to feel your sadness at leaving such a lovely home.

Rouchswalwe said...

Oh! That is a powerful image. Saying goodbye to a beloved house is one of the saddest and most difficult things in life. I admire you. My mother held on to her house too long, to the detriment of her health and well-being. Oh, but I understand.

Roderick Robinson said...

We are lucky. The best house (including the three we lived in in the US) is the one we presently occupy. This has to do with a quirk in the British property market.

From 1972 (when we returned from the US) until 1998 we lived in Kingston-upon-Thames, twelve miles south-west of London. There the value of houses rose more quickly than elsewhere. In 1998 we moved to Hereford, 140 miles west of Kingston - from a 1930s three-bedroom semi-detached house to a new detached four-bedroom house. The difference between the selling price and the buying price allowed us to pay off the mortgage, all legal fees and still have enough for new carpets, etc.

Oh the exquisite feeling of having three loos instead of one. A view of Hereford cathedral across land that cannot be built on. The whole of wild Wales to explore.

Just one snag. In the interim the value of the Kingston house quickly rose to three times what we sold it for, and twice the value of our Hereford house. We could never afford to go back. On the other hand we have enjoyed fifteen years of greater comfort - a factor as one ages.

But it doesn't stop one dreaming, does it?

Ellena said...

Yes HALLE, and 4.5 years later I still have to pinch my forehead and say "stop torturing yourself" when starting my "if only I..." thoughts.

Ellena said...

Rouchswalwe! In hindsight the timing never feels right because we don't know the answer to us saying goodbye earlier or later. Always sad.

Ellena said...

RR!I don't buy Loto tickets but I always say "if I ever win the Loto, I'll offer them 5 times the amount they bought my house for". As I write this I wonder if I would.
3 loos!! wonderful as long as one is not the one who has to do the housecleaning.

Missie  Rice said...

Sorry, Moi, but as much as I know how destructive the mass of snow can be to your roof, I can’t help but be amazed for a moment. :* It was like being inside a cave. Do you always have this thick layer of snow? But I see you’ve moved. It would certainly work for your convenience if you’d increase the pitch of your new house’s roof. :)

Elizabeth Hoffnung said...

I agree with Missie! A mass of snow on your roof is a serious problem. It can damage and can even break your roof. Anyway, moving to a new place was a hard but wise decision. Always choose safety above anything else.

Unknown said...

Experiencing the movement sounds really scary! Good thing no one got hurt. Ice dams may look attractive but they are very dangerous to our roof. How's your roof, by the way? I hope the snow and the ice dams didn't damage your roof. If so, I hope it has been fixed immediately.

Penelope Dingee