The Work

Arrived on Wednesday to begin The Work. And, as I write this, I’m listening to Bach’s Mass in B minor, which seems appropriate. And drinking a double espresso, which does as well. One of the hamlet’s two resident cats just waddled by (there is no lack of tasty tidbits hereabouts, whether the human servants are around for kibble or not). This cat has been a fixture at La Bu for years, even living on and off in the house when it was being cared for by a fellow gardener and man-about-nature. Now days, the cat climbs up the south side of the roof, wedges his portly self against the top of a Velux window ledge and sleeps away the day, the sun and lack of wind (and occasional clucking sounds of approving and bemused house apes) providing all any cat needs anywhere. He will be about over the next few months to supervise les travaux as they progress.

In preparation for the new roof, or rather to clear what decks I can of other things that might become Obstacles for a smooth job, I moved and stacked another couple of stères of wood this afternoon. The morning was spent talking to many shopkeepers as I’d show them a picture of what it was that I needed to jump into next week (because, as you might imagine knowing me, while I have a fantastic and wide-ranging culinary vocabulary, I’m not up on the French for a Dremel 4000-3/34 120-Volt Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit) and asking Je cherche pour quelque chose comme ça, avez-vous ça? All madly successful, although interrupted by a call from the guy delivering my insulation who “happened to be in the neighborhood and wondering if he might stop by three hours early.” No one ever happens to be in the neighborhood, but I’d rather Franco-German logistics be early than never show at all.

On Tuesday the roofers arrive. While they tear off the top, I’ll be knocking down every wall that isn’t stone on our second floor, taking four bedrooms down to two, and taking the ceiling to the roofline. While there are, of course, the usual concerns of electricity and plumbing (including waterborne heating) to be aware of and careful with, the thing I’m most looking forward to is what comes out of the ceiling with the 25 years of worth of insulation, snakes, ferrets, mice, rats, and owls (most of which will hopefully be dead, or evidenced by other things, but some of which may in fact be in the midst of a nice winter hibernation and therefor quite unhappy about their world falling out from underneath them) that will come down with the plasterboard from the last renovation. I’m going to be dressed as if I’m wandering into the world of Contagion, and hopefully our neighbor Charles will be quick enough on the trigger to keep me from being consumed in some post-nap snack.

After that’s done, the reframing, rerocking, and painting commences, with new plumbing and electrics going in at somewhere around the appropriate time. If you’ve been paying attention to previous missives, when I say I’m doing this myself, you might find yourself shooting coffee through your nose. It’s okay. There’s YouTube, a cadre of helpful and some even experienced neighbors and friends, and a boundless and hopefully not misplaced sense of optimism. I do have good insurance.

Otherwise, La Bu is in that beautiful state of winter rest, with only some of those 1800 bulbs beginning to make themselves known. Two days of sun are slated to give way as they must in this part of the world and during this time of year, to rain tomorrow. Thankfully, I’ve plenty of wood, and a YouTube queue that is a master’s course in how not to screw your hand to the wall. Stay tuned.