Scarier Than the Macau Tower, Removing Ice From the Roof

For years I have been sing the praises of owning an old house dating from 1845, loved it, the creaks, the uneven wide pine floor planks, all of it. Today I was reminded about the downside, the quirks and things that just never seem to work. I was sitting at my desk in the office when I felt water drop on my head. Then on my computer, not a good sign. I was really into finishing some writing that I need to get done ASAP. Instead I spent the last several hours climbing ladders in deep snow, it was scarier than my jump from the Macau Tower. Swinging a hammer trying to break up the ice that formed on the roof, my next course of action was to heat thousands of pots of water to melt through the ice. All too soon I looked like an ice sculpture myself. Still the incessant sound of dripping water sends me into a tizzy, Chinese Water Torture couldn't be as bad. It is time to pack up all the office equipment under a tarp and take the laptop into the living room. Time to build a roaring fire and get busy writing, to leave all 2008 trips finished and get ready for 2009. I will much prefer the sound of crackling wood than that horrible drip!No wonder I sometimes ache for the road, I've yet had a leaking ceiling in a great hotel.