New tarps on the polyhouse

Terry fretted all week about getting new tarps on the polyhouse. Day after day was just too windy. Finally, he saw a window of opportunity from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. Saturday morning, he spread the tarps on the drive way, found the middle, and rolled up each side to the midpoint. After lunch, I went out to help him.

Two tarps rolled from both sides to the middle and tied with string

First, we hauled a tarp back to the polyhouse and laid it on the south side even with the east end.

Tarp and ladder positioned to be hoisted to the roof

Then I climbed up a ladder so Terry could hand one end to me. I held it while he climbed up the wooden supports in the middle. I had the easier job, as I just had to tug and hold while Terry scrambled like a monkey around the pipes, shelving, and assorted stored items. Eventually, we had the middle of the tarp aligned with the ridges.

We untied the strings at each end and let the sides fall. Or not. Each roll flopped over once and stopped. My range of motion was severely limited, fixed as I was on the ladder. It was up to Terry to scramble around again to get the tarp to unroll. He got to the ground, found his drill and screws, and started securing the tarp with lath. I stood on the ladder holding the tarp as tight as I could. I would like to mention that the day was not entirely windless. Occasional gusts lifted the tarp and set it down in a new position. Grr. I suppose as long as I was not carried aloft with it, I shouldn’t complain.

The tarp is secured by lath (strips of wood) and screws

With the end and bottom secured, we got the tarp as tight as we could using the strings Terry attached to the free ends. Once again, I didn’t have much to do except keep the tarp from blowing away. Terry did all the work of tying the tarp down.

Terry pulls the tarp tight, being careful not to bump his head

And ties the string around the polyhouse's wooden frame

All tied down

I got a little break then while Terry finished putting lath along the bottom.

I joined him after about an hour and a half to hoist up the other tarp. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work, since it was going to overlap the first part by a good bit, and there wasn’t any way to get underneath it. Terry had it all measured out, though. He knew exactly where the edge needed to be. I stood on the ladder holding the west end of the tarp while he secured the east end of the tarp. Then I pulled and held while Terry put lath on the end. My legs were shaking before we were done. Ladders are not meant to be stood on for long periods of time.

Terry excused me to go back in the house. He worked for a long time getting it so it would stay where he wanted it. He did the final bit of work today, after a day of rest. It’s hard work, and he’s not a young man anymore. But it’s done now!

Done!

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to keep busy to keep my mind of my dad. One of my projects was to make ravioli. The last time I made lasagna, I couldn’t remember how much ricotta I needed, and I erred on the side of too much. I had not made ravioli in many years. It was a good thing to keep my hands busy. I started by rolling out long sheets of dough.

A long sheet of dough

I aliquoted the filling on the dough.

Aliquots of filling

Then folded the dough over the filling and pressed the edges together, trying to get out all the air.

Dough folded over and pinched

Finally, I cut them apart. Most of them are in the freezer.

Ready for the freezer

Like putting the tarps on the polyhouse, it was something I could see at the end of the day. It made life seem less pointless, somehow. Whatever gets you though the day.