Russian on the Roof

Last March and April, we had several windy rainstorms, and I found various shingles blown off the roof near the front of my house. There was roof damage that needed attending to. I dallied. 

In May, I went up on the roof, but I couldn't repair the damage. The pitch was too steep there. I could hold on for dear life with both hands, but I couldn't free them up to fix anything. 

I talked to the landlord of the apartments next door. He said, "Why not hire someone to do that work? Maybe a middle-aged man (by which he diplomatically meant old man) such as yourself shouldn't be on the roof." Upon reflection, I agreed. I put the call out on Angi.com for roof repair. 

I used Angi once before for electrical work, and I wasn't that pleased. It was a kind of a shot in the dark to call on them again. 9The next day I received a text that Aleksandr would be accepting the job. The following day, I received a text that Igor would be accepting the job. The following day, I received a text that Sergei would be accepting the job. I was getting nervous. 

I was pleased with Sergei's approach to the job. He made a harness for himself, attached a rope to it, draped the rope over the roof ridge, and attached it to the porch balustrade, which freed his hands to do the repair. This was clever. I learned that Sergei had been a civil aviation pilot in Russia, so he was both motivated and smart. (The Russian diaspora in Sacramento is so large!) 

I eventually need to replace the roof. I've had one (expensive) quote already. Sergei says he has a friend who does roofs. So on Monday, I'll talk to Vladimir about roofs.