Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Fun with ladders Ask any roofer, deer hunter, house painter, arborist or handyman if he has ever had a close call with a ladder and you'll get a hair-raising story, I'm willing to bet. Two of my acquintances nearly died as a result of a fall, one of them is still a paraplegic. I've had a few narrow escapes from danger while working or playing in trees and on rooftops. The latest happened last night. We have an ice dam problem when the snow on our roof starts to melt, so we try to keep it cleared. The problem has become worse since we had our house re-roofed a few years ago. I'm not blaming anyone, but if you live anywhere near me and need a roofer, I can suggest some names to avoid. Anyway, when I left for the NW Chicago Sports Show in Arlington Heights last Thursday, you may recall Shivani was pulling snow off the roof with a roof rake. (If you live in the South, ask your uncle in Minnesota to explain what that is.) Well, when snow melts on a roof because of inadequate insulation, the water runs down under the remaining snow, then freezes when it hits the open air. This continues when conditions are right until a ridge of ice builds up. Then, when more snow melts, the water backs up under the shingles and runs down a wall or drips through a ceiling, creating a nasty mess. Sunday night, we noticed a new water spot in the dining room, so Monday afternoon I went out to investigate. Sure enough, just below where Shivani had raked the roof clean, there was an ice dam in several places. We get an uneven ice build up because our insulation is not only inadequate, it's also uneven. (See roofer, above.) So I put my biggest wooden stepladder up on the garage (east) side of the house, grabbed a snow shovel and climbed up. The worst ice was on the west side, so I went over the peak and began shoveling from the peak down. I cleared most of the upper half of the roof on that side, then moved down to push the accumulated snow off the bottom of the roof. Problem was, the lower part was one sheet of ice. Naturally, I started to slide, so I quickly lay down to lower my center of gravity and slid to the edge. I managed to wedge the shovel against the gutter, while I assessed the situation. I didn't think there was enough snow on the ground under me to risk sliding off the roof, so I tried to creep sideways to a patch of dry shingles. Each time I moved, I slipped an inch or so farther down the roof, so I stopped that manoeuver. About then, I wished I had worn the ice creepers designed for ice fishing and doing dumb stunts like the one I had just pulled. I could feel I was getting colder, which meant that the ince under me was melting. Soon, I'd slide down it like a kid at a water park. I remembered I had the tiny Leatherman Micra tool Jamie Kieckhefer gave me several years ago, and which I carry everywhere. I managed to fish it out of my pocket and opened it to the scissors. Using that as an ice pick, I dug into the ice dam and hung on. Then I began kicking the roof to get Shivani's attention. There was no response, so I shouted her name. She opened a window and said "What?" "I need help!" I said. While I waited for her to arrive, I listened to the great horned owls that were starting their evening song and thought I was at least better off than the Tsunami victims. I was somewhat in control of my fate. As long as I could hang onto the Leatherman, I probably wouldn't fall. About ten minutes later (She later told me she didn't think I was in trouble, just that I needed help removing snow...), she came out and saw my predicament. I knew she couldn't move the ladder by herself, but there was someone home next door. "Go get Mark or Tina to help you bring the ladder around," I said. "If I try to move, I'll slide." She ran next door and came back with Tina's 13-year-old daughter, Tiffany. They ran around to the front of the house and came back with the ladder, then struggled to get it upright and under my left foot. It was just long enough to reach the gutter. With Tiffany under the ladder, holding it tight against the roof, Shivani climbed up to me. It took us a few minutes, but she managed to get my left foot on the top step. I then dug in a little lower with the Leatherman and eased myself down so my right foot was hanging over the edge, and she pushed it in place over the second step. Once I was secure on the ladder, I sent her down so we didn't both fall in a heap. The whole ordeal lasted maybe 20 minutes. When I got down, I gave both rescuers a big hug and told Tiffany she had saved me from at least a broken bone, if not worse. I promised to get the rest of the snow off the roof from the ladder, without climbing on the roof. Today, my shoulder and arm are still sore from holding my weight. My fondness for my little Leatherman has grown considerably. I think it's time to bite the bullet and hire a roofer who knows how to do the job right and get the roof fixed next summer. I've had enough fun with ladders for awhile. Later... 9:30:37 PM    comment []

Hunters donate record pile of venison to food pantries Many Wisconsin hunters are still complaining that there were no deer in their little section of heaven, but DNR preliminary totals indicate that when the Metro Zone bow season ends on January 31, Wisconsin hunters will have killed over 500,000 deer this season, making it the second-highest total on record..  Some of those deer went to food pantries, in fact more than ever before, so the folks running that program are very happy, as are the folks who will receive that venison in their food packages. Here's a message I just received from Lee Dudek, of Paul's Pantry in Green Bay (home of the former world-champion football team).  Lee sent me the final numbers for the 2004 Wisconsin Deer Donation Program.  You'll find a couple links in this message, in case you want more information.  It looks like the actual document was not attached, but I'll bet you could get a copy from Laurie Fike. Later... Hello Once Again!   Below is a report on the final tally for the Wisconsin Deer Donation program 2004! (Hunt For The Hungry's total is included in the Statewide total)   Thanks again!  Lee Dudek, Hunt For The Hungry   www.huntforthehungry.com     Hello all, We have a new record for deer donation in Wisconsin for 2004!  Hunters provided nearly 500,000 pounds of venison for food pantries by donating 10,938 deer to feed needy people across the state.  A huge network of volunteers partnered with DNR, USDA Wildlife Services, Hunt For The Hungry (2,957 donated deer), 53 participating counties and 121 processors to make this program a big success. The record number of donated deer means many food pantries will be distributing venison throughout winter and into the spring.  Pantries around the state continue to report high demand for the ground venison and were very pleased with hunters' efforts in 2004. Chris Johnson and his crew at Johnson's Sausage Shoppe in Rio led the state by processing 639 deer.  Al Feucht and staff at Brandon Meats & Sausage in Brandon handled 426 deer and Bill Stuesser and staff at Cedar Creek Meats in Appleton handled 366 deer.  There were many processors who processed 100 to 200 deer for the program. Thank you all for helping make the 2004 program such a success! <<WDD04ProcessorTableFinalTally.doc>> Laurie Fike Wildlife Damage Abatement & Claims Program     WM/6 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 101 S Webster St PO Box 7921 Madison  WI  53707-7921 608-267-7974  fax 608-267-7857 web:  http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/damage/   8:54:11 PM    comment []