The Sistine Porch

I had about two thirds of a tube of caulk left after I finished the last of the door sealing yesterday. It was the first time I had used this particular brand, which meant that after I snipped the top and loaded it into the gun, I struggled and tried to get the goop flowing, to no avail. Instead, I ended up rupturing the bottom of it, not realizing that this brand also has an internal foil seal to break. Oops. Regardless, the result was that I couldn't just plug the top and save the rest for a rainy day. Rather, I had to use it or lose it.

Since I've had a couple minor (and one major) leaks in the porch ceiling this summer, I've been meaning to replace a couple rotten boards and seal the gaps in the whole ceiling. I took the leftover caulk as the perfect opportunity to start sealing some of the gaps between the beadboard. Up on my ladder, I could reach things just fine, but I found myself realizing that Michelangelo was on to something when he lay on his back to paint the Sistine Chapel. In the hour or so that I was working, I did maybe a fifth of the porch ceiling, since I had to keep moving the ladder. At moments I would reach too far directly behind my head and momentarily feel a bit dizzy. Eek.

But I didn't realize the true extent of my work until this morning, when I woke up with aching triceps. Who knew that caulking the ceiling would be such a great workout? I've got least four or five more workouts ahead of me before winter sets in.