I’m Really Sold on the New Shingrix Vaccine – Just Look How it Helps Get Rid of Shingles

OK! I know what you are thinking… “Where did that come from”? Perhaps from the deepest recesses of this cluttered mind. Two unrelated events:

1. We finally decided to get our shingles vaccination. Kind of a dry run for the upcoming Covid vaccine. In any event, getting a vaccination in Covid times is an adventure. Precise appointment times, masks, verbal consent signatures and an injection, right through the bandage. Cool right? A few hours later, our arms hurt like Hell. Good thing we opted to get the shot on the opposite side to the one we sleep on. Two days later, all was better. Still one more shot to come and hopefully the Covid vaccine somewhere in there too.
2. Tuesday night, just as my Patty was reading a text from son L who lives 15 km West of us, wondering if they should go shelter in their basement, our house shook thunderously, rain flew horizontally, snow swirled and the wind howled. Suddenly, there was the loud sound of something hitting the house. What the H— was that? Turns out, we had a snow squall yesterday, with wind gusts up to 107 k/h (66 m/h). Looking out the upstairs window, I could see pieces of roof shingles laying on my deck roof. I tried to tell myself they must have come from the neighbour’s house, but when I ventured outside in the dark, I could see the awful truth. They were from MY roof. With the thought of more flying shingles and the sounds of the howling wind, there was very little sleep last night.

This morning, with the return of daylight, I went out to assess the damage and found shingles in my yard and that of the neighbour. I had to walk to the end of my street to see the upper roof and it was a sad sight indeed. The manufacture warranty against wind damage expired 5 years after installation (2012), so it would be an insurance claim. Now, all I have to do is find a roofer who can visit to quote. They are all rushing around to other homes and businesses who are in the same boat.

Here are the scenes of destruction.

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We went out for a little walk today after the wind died down to about 60 k/h (37 m/h) and it was interesting to see the damage around town. At first, it was just tree branches and leaf debris. But, then we started to see missing shingles and dangling flashing. Hopefully, the winds die down soon, so we can get some sleep tonight.

Staring North into the teeth of a 60 k/h wind

Could have been hazardous walking here last night

Looks like a calm scene, but its not

Tree debris

No leaves left on the tree right now

The “calm” after the storm

It was at this point, we opted to turn so the wind was at our backs

The power of the wind on someone else’s house

Wind tree pruning job