Burning it up

As Walt said, the floor of the attic was covered with flattened cardboard boxes. I assume the previous owner put the cardboard up there to serve as extra insulation. We've lived here nearly seven years, but in that time we never went up there to do any cleaning. Since the roof itself has no insulation, it was always either windy, freezing cold, or burning hot up there.

All the cardboard that we threw out the attic window
burned hot and fast. The ash is still smoldering today.

Yesterday we finally picked up all the sheets of cardboard and threw them out the window. Then we had a bonfire and burned them all up. No trip to the recycling center was necessary. We are happy that we don't have strict rules about burning such waste in our back yard. It's one of the joys of living in the country.

Callie found a stick to chew on while the fire burned.

The contractors are here and are starting the work as planned. We know them, or at least the two principals. The general contractor is named Jacques, and the man who is going to do most of the actual work, with at least one if not more assistants, is also named Jacques. But Jacques II is also known as Coco. He did tile work on our front terrace last summer.

Walt and Callie watching the cardboard burn

We were lucky yesterday. The sun was warm and the sky was blue. A light wind was blowing from the south and southwest, which is the perfect direction to take the smoke away from our neighbors' houses. It all blew out over the vineyards that lie to the north and northeast of our property.

I noticed that the rhubarb is coming up out in the garden.

For me, yesterday afternoon was not only the right time for a bonfire, but it was also a chance to go out and inspect the garden. The tilling needs to be done, but I hope the ground has a chance to dry out a little first. We have had some heavy rains over the past few days.