Tuesday, July 07, 2020

The Manly Task


I had some drains installed in my backyard a few weeks ago. A big pile of dirt left over to back fill around the house and spread over the yard. I started out with a Home Depot bucket. After about 20 buckets I determined I was going to have about 450 to go so I went on down to Home Depot and got a manly wheelbarrow. It helped considerably.
So with all the dirt spread nicely over the clay in my backyard I turned my attention to my gutter. The one with the low spot. The one that spills tons of water over the edge every time it rains. And every time it rains more of my beautiful topsoil I have spread goes down the drains.
I sent a text to my handyman pal to come over and fix my low spot in the gutter. Low spots in gutters are way too technical for me. I had a low spot in a gutter years ago that I spent a decade trying to correct and all I ever did, all I ever succeeded in doing, was to punch holes in the gutter and the fascia of the house.
But my handyman pal never texted me back. With storm clouds on the horizon and my beautiful topsoil at risk I stopped at Home Depot and bought the big long nails and ferrules that are supposed to correct a sagging gutter. Once more, into the fray. .I watched several YouTube's. I got on the ladder and installed two ferrules. No appreciable difference. I installed another. My God, is my gutter sagging even lower? We are heading the wrong direction here.
So I determined that instead of trying to correct a sagging gutter I would just install a downspout at the low spot. Genius!
But could I actually pull it off? Do I have the manly skills necessary? Of course not. But I was fucking desperate. Back to Home Depot I went. I got the little downspout thing, some pookie (that's like a sealer), and a 2 inch hole saw.
Let me tell you my friend, it's been a long time since I was so determined. A long time since I was so focused. I was either going to succeed or completely ruin my gutter. My gutter that spilled water every time it rained. What did I have to lose really?
And I found myself strangely aroused. I was hard for it. A manly household task. Performed from the top of an 8 ft ladder!
I drilled a 2-inch hole. I took my hacksaw blade and made some slits. I took my needle nose pliers and bent the gutterslits in order to Fashion the oval shape necessary for the downspout thingy. I was into it big time . I didn't even take a break . I applied the pookie and a couple set screws and I think I'm in business! I'll find out tomorrow when I screw up the downspout.

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