How many muscles does one have?

Far more then you can think of. And much more then you usually notice when sitting behind the computer, navigating your mouse, clicking buttons in Skype, talking on Skype or typing chats, documents. Or vacuum cleaning, mopping, dish washing etc. Also more then when walking the dog!

Normally you do not notice ‘muscles for daily use’. Some are in the automatic gear, you do not even think about using them. At least I don’t. I don’t tell them “start moving” when I want to use them.
Well…. I didn’t up till now.....

Over the weekend I have been the female equivalent of Bob the Builder.
On Saturday I finished painting what needed to be painted at the attic and set up the work-bench and sawing machines.
I measured all the laths for the slope roof to which I will fit the boards and started sawing, some by hand and some with the machine. Soon they were ready and I drilled little holes for the screws of which I fitted some already in fore. This makes it easier to handle the screw-auger when holding the lath against the roof at the same time.

My cousins from Noord Holland, visiting Mum, also came to watch my building activities and offered me help moving furniture when I wouldn’t reach my goal; sleeping in my new bedroom before Christmas.
I thankfully accepted their great offer but still want to move in time (there is also an office to move before Christmas).

I finished just in time for dinner with Mum who baked pan-cakes. Gosh, was she tired but she enjoyed it so much and the pan-cakes were delicious.
Home again I left the attic for what it was and spent a quiet evening with a book and film.

The real building job started on Sunday. Up early, I started fastening the laths. Some needed to be altered as the roof of my little house is extremely oblique, nothing with the same size fits at once.
I started with the top section and slowly worked downwards. A few extra around the window and early afternoon this job was finished.

Then I set up the laths for the side boards which was more work. I made little pieces of wood to fit the laths on the floor and used firm screws to fit them to the beams. Again I was working mostly upside down in the narrow area of the roof.
Around 4.30 PM, nearly finished, I felt so tired that I asked myself what on earth I had started. All of a sudden the electric wires entangled my feet, made me stumble, tools dropped from work-benches without a reason and little pieces of laths and beams popped out of the floor right where my knees were. Just to pester me….. But then again I could see the end result, got myself together and finished the sawing and fitting.

After clearing away all the machines and tools, I looked at the result and was quite happy with what I saw. Again less on my long “things to do” list.
I walked the dog, had a light dinner with Mum and felt less tired. So, when home again, I painted the door in the first layer of the final white paint and the doorpost in the last layer.

Sitting at my comfortable settee around 9 PM, I wondered what I was doing by trying hard to keep my eyes open and it didn’t take long before I was in bed for a long night of sleep.

Yesterday was a busy day at the office but even though I managed to continue working on my attic during the evening and finished one side of the door and put up insulation material between the laths for the side boards.

Today the boards arrive from which I have to make fitting boards. I hope I can start sawing tonight already and hope to paint them white for the first time before the weekend.
A friend is coming on Sunday to help me fitting the boards in the ridge of the attic. I don’t think it is safe to do that on my own: pushing against the boards, I will also push away my stairs. And I don’t want to hurt more muscles.

Right now I already have to tell them what to do: “Will you please move in the right direction so I can put my arm in my sleeve?” Or: “Can you do something to make my knees bend when I want to sit down? Please….???”