Mr. Fix-It had to work on the roof this weekend. (Yes, he really can fix anything if he puts his mind to it!) To get to the peak of our roof, you have to go out of one of the bedroom dormer windows, onto the porch roof, and put a ladder against the top slope and climb up. The top peak is scary steep.

He asked me to come out and hold the bottom of the ladder for him. I asked him to provide a rock climbing harness. He refused. (Rather ungraciously if you ask me.) So, figuring it was in all of our best interest for him not to fall off the roof that day, I dragged myself out there onto the burning-my-skin-through-my-jeans shingles and sat on the bottom of his ladder. We were working in that little sliver of roof space between the left

Speedracer comes and pokes his head out the window asking about a snack. I hollered at him not now, go back inside, and close the window! Apparently he checked out after “not now” and I heard someone at the window a minute later.

Before I could holler close the window again, out pops Coal.

Yep. Out the window. On the roof. Of our house. Oh. My. Gracious!!

The little imp wasn’t even nervous. He trots over to me, licks my leg, then proceeds to run back and forth a couple times across the porch roof. Not the slightest bit nervous.

I, on the other hand, was hyperventilating.

And Mr. Fix-It was growling “Don’t you dare get off that ladder for that dog!”

The Cowboy pokes his head out and I said “Go get the leash!” (Ok, “said” might be a little mild. It might have come out somewhere between a squeak and a scream.) Instead of listening he starts calling the dog, who thinks it’s a game and immediately goes into tongue-lolling-dog-laughing-keep-away mode, then walks over to the edge and looks down. Completely unconcerned. He actually stood there for a moment with his furry little chest puffed out and his tail wagging like it was all great fun.

I think he might have been contemplating jumping. Just for the fun of it.

Truly.

The only thing he’s even remotely afraid of is the dark. He’s been leaping stumps, logs, tables, and truck tailgates since day two of his life here. He learned UP and OFF faster than SIT. I was already calculating whether he would fall into the shrubs (hopefully) or would go for distance and break all four of his legs right in the front yard (most likely).

I managed to squeak out his name, and he walked over, happy to have found me after I disappeared out the window 5 minutes earlier. I grabbed his scruff, trying to wait for the Cowboy to bring the leash I had asked for and trying not to move off the ladder. He started whining and crying and trying to get away. Mr. Fix-It reminded me that the shingles were probably burning holes in his feet and I gritted my teeth and let him go and pointed at the window. “GO HOME!”

He yelped when I let go and turned right around and jumped back through the window.

And Mr. Fix-It hollered at me “Don’t you dare get off this ladder to shut that window…” (And a few others unpleasant and unkind words about my dog which I am totally ignoring.)

Ya know those moments that last forever, and then it’s only been, like, 2 minutes? Yeah, that.

If you’re contemplating life with a cattle dog, just know, it will never be boring.

How are things around your home place? Are you a busy bee lately, or taking a break to enjoy the end of summer?