2805 Cleaning gutters

Worst home maintenance job in the world. Glad I don't do it! When we sold our home of 34 years, my husband was happy to say good-bye to the giant oak tree that didn't finish dropping its huge leaves until February. But the worst job was cleaning gutters. He would sit on the roof (metal), brace his feet on the guttering, and scoot around with a pail and yard bag. Metal roofs are hot in the sun and cold in the shade. A few times we tried a gutter cleaning company, but all they did was scoop it, drop it, and drown it. So then we had muck on the side of the house as it splashed going down, and clogged down spouts. That's history now. We love those yard and roof crews at the condo.



But there's still the cottage at Lakeside. This is a photo, taken this morning, of the late summer gutter cleaning. There will be a late autumn (if he can beat the snow) and a late spring cleaning also. Last year he came up with our son-in-law in the late fall and there was an early snow. They worked terribly hard, but much of the debris had frozen, so the mess was waiting for him in the spring. Although this is a one story house, it has a high foundation and an extension ladder is required. The tree behind him is a magnolia, which is magnificent in bloom, the few years we've seen it.

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