Ref on roof, redux

"Is this the same roof I was working on before?," Ref was asking. "I think it got steeper."

You can barely see him up there, grappling with the other end of the post to anchor it for a scaffold. Mr. B's s up fairly high steadying it, and below him, out of the frame, is Nathaniel, wrestling with the lower bracket.

They're getting ready to shoot the planks on the south side of the house, which at this hour of the day is the hot side, believe me. The sun is merciless.

We've had a few slow days, mostly because carpenter Ken was heading back to resume work on the project but had an unfortunate accident -- Ref caught him scamming. It's a complicated story, but Ref sums it up pretty well: "I told him I was born at night, but it wasn't last night, and he might as well turn around and go home."

So Ref's put an ad in the paper, seeking carpenters and helpers, looking for labor that's skilled and honest.