Patching Roof

A little dampness got through to the ceiling during a recent storm, so I went up on the roof today for a little patching.
The repair itself was pretty straightforward. Any seam in the shingling that looked even slightly suspicious got a thick layer of patching compound. This patch stuff is like thick, presumably toxic black pudding, put on with a trowel. It's not very smelly but I'm storing the can of leftovers in the outside locker just in case.
I was unsure about going up the ladder at first, but with the mother-in-law holding on to the bottom step, it was actually quite stable. Of course, I made sure that she wasn't mad at me about anything first ;-)
This ladder is my first new one. I've never had to go ladder shopping before, and I nearly went with the most economical option, but noticed that it was rated to only 200 pounds. It seems adequate for me but I haven't been 200 pounds for decades. I'd feel pretty foolish if anything happened just because I wanted to save a little money - even if someone other than myself would be at fault, still the use of an insufficient ladder would've struck against me.
Instead I got slightly more ladder than I needed. I noticed immediately that it felt much more solid than the cheap one. When I was up in the air with nothing but that ladder to keep me there, the extra cost was worthwhile for peace of mind alone! I now have a New Rule: Any equipment that keeps you from being dead, don't go with the cheapest option!
I enjoyed the different view of our neighborhood. There's nothing profound to say about that, except that  looking at houses in terms of their roofs, instead of their streetfronts, if like looking at our friends in terms of their hats, instead of their faces.