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Cold Work

Two weeks ago when I first noticed them I could hardly believe it.

Stacks of shingles and rolls of paper appeared on the roofs in the apartment complex next door. I checked the calendar. Yep!  Winter.

Perhaps it goes back to when and where I grew up.

Roofing. Construction in general. Stayed a seasonal occupation.

From the first mild days when snowbanks melted and turned ditches into streams until crisp nights dusted trees in frost. That’s when cement was poured – with an extra eye toward rain or not – posts were set, walls went up, and roofs protected from the weather. Yes, after the roof was on and the windows and doors installed the inside work continued longer.

But this! I expect the construction season to be longer here – 400 miles due south of my childhood home – but it’s still a season. Isn’t it?

No longer do the workers contend with heat and sun in the long days of summer.

Now they wear parkas and gloves, and use extra caution due to ice.

Extended Seasonal Work
Extended Seasonal Work

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