In the summer of 2023, I made a trip to the island place to install some solar panels that HA had picked up on her previous trip. The place hadn’t had solar since we’d had the roof replaced and the roofing company had taken down the old, decrepit panels that had been on the roof. The problem was, I had arrived all alone and only a year before I had broken my arm and my hand hadn’t recovered from weeks in captivity. I had more panels than would fit on the roof, I wasn’t really comfortable putting a big load on the 110-year-old roof anyway, and I had no business climbing on a roof with a non-working right hand and nobody here to hold ladders or otherwise spot me. I couldn’t dig trenches with only one hand, but I devised a way I could mount the panels using t-posts and wire rope that I could do mostly one-handed and was close enough to the old inverter that I wouldn’t need to dig trenches.
They worked well in the spring and summer months, but were too shaded during the winter to generate much power. They were intended as a temporary measure, and though I think the mounting technique is pretty cool, we needed a lot more energy. So now that the new array is going in, I had to remove the panels so that they could become part of the new system.
I had secured them against the eventuality of a tropical hurricane, so removing them was no small feat. Still, I was left with a farm of ugly t-posts. I tried pulling one out, but I was pretty tired by then (and I’m still suffering a bit from lack of thyroid hormone). The posts were driven in deeper than they would be for fencing, and seemed really resistant to coming out. I thought about asking the guys doing the trenching if they could use the excavator to pull them, but I didn’t want tracks across my front lawn.
HA asked what I thought was the best way to pull them, and I described it to her. She asked for the Big Hammer. I warned her that they would be difficult to pull out, but I thought if she could do a few of them that would make my life better. I went to help with the trenching down at the studio, and when I came back all the t-posts were gone.
Now, HA is an amazing human being. She’s gorgeous, sure, but she’s also tall, strong, and resourceful. I try not to underestimate her, but she still consistently surprises me.
Thank you, HA! I love you.
—2p