Today is filled with many commemorating posts of the attack on 9-11-01. Some are very thoughtful and others have images that remind us of what we lived through at that time. Perhaps there is something missing though.

This evening I urge you to take a few minutes and talk with your kids about the value of remembering this great event.

That day I was working on a job as usual and I got a call from my partner, who was making sales calls, and he said, “turn on your radio. Something happened in New York. Not sure what it was!”

The next several hours consisted of these three things. “Let’s keep working. Keep an eye out in the sky. I better call my wife again.”

As the day unfolded we realized, like the rest of the world, that two planes, hijacked by terrorists, had been flown into the World Trade Center towers and a third landed in the side of the Pentagon, and last, but certainly not least, a forth plane had been taken over by perhaps the bravest of all the heroes in the 9-11 story, the passengers.

You see that day, a few men in the passenger seats of that forth plane that was headed for the White House, were talking to their wives at home and quickly saw what the fate of their hijacked plane was going to be and decided to intervene, or should I say interpose! They decided that as they had the power to do good they must do it! They acted on the law of interposition. They interposed themselves into the story to save the lives of others at the expense of their own lives! These men had a quick discussion and decided to charge the cockpit and overtake the terrorists. Perhaps many of the details of this story are still unknown, but one wife heard, through the open phone line, the now very popular saying, “let’s roll!” With this statement the men charged and crash landed the plane in an open field before reaching the White House.

Now we can chose to read this and enjoy the blessing of these brave men and get back to what we were doing or we can remember what ancient script tells us in the Biblical book of Deuteronomy chapter 6 which says, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

This brings me back to my first line in this post, “What’s so important about remembering 9-11?” The thing that I believe is the most important is to share these stories of great trial and fear, telling our children how good God was to save us from worse disaster and how brave these men were that interposed for the good of others! Use these times to teach your young boys about bravery and sacrifice and your young girls about trusting and praying for their men when duty calls them. If you really want to add another element to your time around the table, look up the term interpose and unpack it’s rich meaning. After all without it, the United States would still be British!

So again I urge you to share with your family and please share this post so that others might be inclined to share with their families!

To a peaceful and gracious family and home!

DO remember that water always runs downhill.
It sounds a little too simple, doesn’t it? It may be, but it will serve you well, none the less. Identify the highest point above the damaged area and start your emergency tarp there. If you start the tarp over the ridge above the damage, for instance, the rain will hit the tarp and run off in both directions.

Shown over the ridge that is above the damage

DO remember that there will likely be lots of wind!
You have to prepare for the worst. There are tarp nails that you can get to help hold the edges of the tarp down, but most of the time they will just rip out without some help. Try wrapping the edge of the tarp in 1 x 2s. Place the board on the edge of the tarp and wrap the tarp over the board with both hands. Again remember that water will run downhill, so wrap the tarp in the direction that allows the water to run over the board easily and doesn’t form a dam.

These are better than standard nails or screws

Wrap the edge of the tarp & use long nails that go through the boards & tarp into the roof rafters.

DO cut out for pipes or objects sticking up on the roof.
Cutting out for a plumbing vent is not all bad and can be quite helpful if you tape it up correctly. Make the opening as small as you can and use a waterproof tape like Gorilla Tape or the equivalent. First tape the tarp with a layer of tape lying flat, then add layers of tape moving up the pipe until you think you have good wide bonding surface on both the tarp and the pipe.

Waterproof tape

DON’T be hasty & get hurt
When you’re on the roof, often in wet conditions, the stakes are high! If you slip & fall you could regret even trying this whole thing. It’s not worth a serious injury! The first thing you should do if your roof is too steep to walk on is to install a safety board at the bottom edge of the roof. You can do this with roof brackets or just nail a 2 x 4 down to the roof. This will act as a stopping point if you slip. Also, throw a saftey rope over the roof and tie it to something immovable on the other side. You can tie this rope around your waist while you are working. Untie and it becomes a leader rope for climbing up & down. You can also lay a ladder on the roof and either hook it over the peak or set it on the safety board at the bottom. Whatever method you choose, remember to be safe!

Adjustable roof bracket, available at Lowes

Safety board at bottom with a ladder for working

Boards are angled on the roof to allow good water flow & a step board at the same time

So there’s a few of our tips for tarping your roof. Do you have others? Leave a comment here and add to the community! Share/like this to help others know the facts! Remember, the truth will set you free…

All the best to you as you fight back and conquer those spring storms! We at House Repairs Yourself truly wish that these posts can help YOU “bring your family home”!

If you are looking to paint your walls this summer, you might want to try eco-friendly paint. The paint market has evolved immensely in the last few years, and there are several paints now on the market that carry low to zero V.O.C.’s…

Zero VOC paint

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