working on the house, with help

Smitty came by on Monday, to see what needed to be done to fight for my insurance.

i thank You, God.

This morning, he returned with his pressure washer, ladder, and electric saw.

I was having breakfast, but was out there with him by 11 AM.

"What can I do to help?", I asked.

"Clear out the growth at the right side of the house so it could be cleaned" was the response.
And that's what I did until 3:30 PM...

in the heat of the day...

bending and tugging and sawing...

getting my gloves snagged on sticker vines...

again and again and again...

with my back aching from so much effort.

But no complaints from me.

My brother was there helping and I was going to show him that I was putting in the effort.

I did take several brief respites to drink water and sit on the couch for a few minutes...

but then I was right back at it.

Whew.

So was he, taking a break only to go buy more bleach.

He knows I want to put the cost only my Home Depot card, as I'll get a year to pay it off.

Before he left, he had started making a list of items.

Good.

He also cut down the oak tree that had grown back from the stump left years ago.

I had told him about the scary rat in the shed and he made sure it had no access to my attic space.

He even trimmed the neighbor's oak, with its limbs overhanging the left side of the house and the driveway.

Good.

I might even get some grass there now.

And just look at how much better the siding and fascia look there!

There's just one place that needs paint.

Good.

In fact, he concentrated his pressure washing on the fascia.

That included the soffits and the band boards.

Much of that had been replaced back in 2018, when Smitty, Tony, and Zach had come over to help me out.

They had used vinyl composite materials to make for easier care in the future, as it never needs to be painted.

However, it had gotten mildewed and mold since then.

Would it clean up or need to be replaced?

It came clean!

So did the deck, which had been improperly built by the Ansleys, with the beams too far apart.

That's why it has a hole at the other end, where my right leg broke through a rotten board with no support under it.

He noticed the beams were wrong when his foot almost went through a rotting board near the door.

Now, he's talking about laying another deck on top!

That would be wonderful.

I miss being able to eat dinners on the deck.

I haven't been able to do that in too many years.

I've been tasked with clearing off the other end so he can pressure wash that and see the damaged area.

Good.