Roofing and Screw Worms

Wednesday the shingles and other roofing stuff were delivered to the roof.  That required a giant crane.  Here is a short video.

It was unfortunate timing.  The delivery company is swamped because it's roofing season, so everything was deposited on the roof prior to any tear off being done.  One guy handled all of those packages of shingles by himself.

This guy drives the crane with a body worn controller.

So that was yesterday.  Today there has been incessant pounding as they take off the old roof.  They're having to move the packages of shingles as they advance on their location.  They're picking them up, and dropping them in the new location, which makes the house shake and rattles the glasses.

Mid-day we were able to get a ride to the lake in.  The climate was interesting, cloudy, sunny, and windy with a cool air mass.  We guessed correctly on the clothing and kept it all on.

We recently learned the following.

Located in the far eastern part of the state, Spokane and the surrounding Inland Northwest are among Washington's notable eastern tick areas, especially for Rocky Mountain wood ticks and western dog ticks. The region's dry climate, rolling hills, and open pine forests create a favorable habitat for Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni) and western dog ticks (Dermacentor similis).  One illness associated with tick bites in this region is tularemia. Symptoms include a sudden fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and a skin ulcer near the bite. Early treatment of tularemia with appropriate antibiotics is essential. 

We are not walking through tall grass anymore.  It's safer just to stay in paved areas or wide gravel paths.  There had been discussion of new mountain bikes for riding trails up here, but I think that's off the table.  Riverside Park, which is where we ride, was specifically called out in the linked article.

Screwworm has been detected in Texas, USDA confirmed - marking a serious threat to US cattle and other animals Larvae of the parasite were found in the umbilical cord of a 3 week old calf. Screwworm was eradicated from the US in 1966.  Unfortunately, screening and surveillance was discontinued and now they're back.  This is not good. 

Meriweather Farms posted this: Three counties in Texas have declared local state of disaster declarations on the New World Screwworm: Kinney, Jim Webb and Uvalde Three others are pending: Webb, La Salle and Val Verde The reasoning behind these declarations is because they feel they are not getting the federal nor state support needed to combat this crisis Its long past due for the President to declare a National Emergency Declaration so local officials on the front lines are getting the support they need.

If the inspector shows up in a timely fashion, tomorrow will be putting on the new shingles.  They'll be running a compressor and using a nail gun.  It will be good when this is over.