still have 9 lives left

it's summer.
what does that mean?
it means that every tom, dick and mary on my route is having some kind of home improvement project done.
for the most part, that's no big deal.
if the driveway has been resealed, you walk around it.
if the house is being painted, you try not to walk into the ladder as you're fingering through your letters.
these are not life or death issues.
when it comes to roof projects, that's another story.
first of all there is usually a heap of crap all over the lawn: old shingles, new shingles,nails pointing skyward,tools, lunch boxes, boom boxes. crossing the lawn feels like you're playing a twisted game of contractor hopscotch.
then there's the roofers themselves.
if you can see them up there, you cross your fingers and hope that they can likewise see you.
you run up to the mailbox as fast as you can, hoping that they will wait till you're gone before they toss down the roofing debris.
sometimes they are so involved in their work, or their conversation, that you feel it's necessary to give them a little shout. hopefully they can hear you above the boom box.
many times it comes down to saying a quick prayer, putting your head down and running like hell...

over the course of my career, i have faced this scenario hundreds of times.
i came upon roofers yesterday. i knew they were up there but couldn't see them. i could hear their voices coming from the back side of the house.
normally, that would be enough to make me feel safe, but for some reason, as i approached the mail slot, i had the distinct feeling that i was going to get nailed(no pun intended).
i crammed the mail through the slot and hadn't stepped more than two strides off the property when i heard an incredibly loud sound about 10 feet away.
still no roofers in sight, but on the ground where i had just been standing seconds before was a tool belt with a nail gun that had somehow fallen.
it could have been lights out for the mailgal.
another day,
another bullet successfully dodged.