We cleaned our gutters for the first time ever. We never did it in the house we lived in from 2001-2007, and I’m a bit unclear on whether there was some reason we didn’t have to. We’ve been here for almost a year, since June, and had never done it here either. The gutters were packed full with thick, sludgy, stinky composty leaves. You had to dig in and pull the gunk out by the handful. How many of our family does it take to clean the gutters? Four: one to climb the ladder and pull out the leaves, one to hold the ladder and lift up the bucket, and two four-year-olds on Bucket Brigade to run the bucket to one of our several garden-waste enclosures around the yard. The Bucket Brigade was initially enthusiastic, then Iris’s interest flagged (she started delegating to Celie more than working), and Celie’s soon after.
Sarah climbed on the roof but it was too scary to get onto the top level. She wants to ask Jack to install a little handle thing to facilitate safe climbing onto the top.
It rained all the next day and it was satisfying to hear the exotic sound of water flowing down the gutters.
Ivan Kreilkamp 