march comes in like a lion goes out like a lamb march 2, 2026 Monday

[CathyS]

Every once in a while, I will dip my fries in mayo. The first time I saw that, I thought it was weird, but they are good.

It's beautiful looking day. It's cold, but not too windy and it isn't snowing. As a matter of fact, most of the snow has melted into the ground.

PSW just called to say she is on her way.

[Twins' Mom]

Feel better Nancy.

I always feel better after a workout. Tired perhaps, but better spirits and better physically. I had the female trainer who does a lot of good stretching alongside the strength work.

I stopped to pick up a prescription on the way home too.

[blessedw2]

hello again - busy morning - electrician is here
played with the dogs
cleaned the kitchen
ordered groceries
put away groceries
helped mom get up
helper came and washed her up which was nice
made her a nice breakfast
kind of figured out a menu. lol I got tomatillos that are the size of a cherry - I guess I will get some in the summer - we can't grow them here - and put them away in the freezer.
helper put mom down for her nap
I need to figure out veggies for tonight.
(trying to cook through my pantry)

[Nancy]

Soup for lunch w/ PB crackers
We've walked.
I hear an ambulance.
Glad for the sunshine.

I took a rest break after cleaning out a desk and cleaning off the dining table.
I broke my news fast watching CE class now.

Got the trash ready to go out in the morning to the street.

[lucylee]

It has been a beautiful, mild, sunny day here... but emotionally, March is certainly coming in like a lion.

So -- first thing this morning, the Roof Maxx people called and they are coming to do a free inspection and estimate tomorrow. DS said he would come over and I think my contractor/carpenter friend will come over -- he is interested in what they do and wants to find out more about it.

THEN... while dfriend and I are eating lunch, dmom calls. She has talked to roofer who did my house and my grandmother's house (which also has a leak) and she is going to have him come out and look at grandmother's house. In the course of the conversation, she tells him what I am considering (the spray-on restoration) and he says: "Don't let her do that. She will just be throwing away money." He also offered to come look at mine and give me an estimate.
Sigh.
I went to the insurance office and asked them about the restoration thing, and they know nothing more than I do about it -- they have only seen it advertised on tv too. I told them what the roofer -- I will call him R -- said to dmom, and they said, "Well if R says that, I'd believe it. If he says it, you can trust it..." and on and on, singing his praises.
Finally I said, yes, I knew his reputation, my dad used him all the time when dad was general contractor, but R put this roof on and there are currently seven places that have shown leaks.
Ins. agent said he could understand that... and I didn't have to be in a big hurry about this, to get a couple prices, or more, and use somebody I felt good about... his only recommendation was that it be somebody local so I know I can get back in touch with them later if problems arise.

THEN I asked him, the insurance agent, about metal vs asphalt shingles.
He said metal is more durable, based on the prices set for insurance, and that after this terrible storm, "if we have had 100 claims filed, only 2 or 3 have been metal roofs." (Of course, I'm sure that there are fewer metal roofs still in our area, but in the mile or so from my house to town, there are 10 or 12.)
He said he had a metal roof once, and he thought it interfered with his cell phone reception and internet, but he thinks the phones have improved, because so many people are building these "barndominiums" and most of them are all metal.
That is a fear of mine, since I cancelled the land line phone.

So now I am more confused and more nervous that I was. Like I said, this is just a decision that once it is made, it can't be changed.
I guess I am leaning toward staying with shingles, and probably using the same roofer -- AFTER I tell him how disappointed I am in the problem of the leaks around the dormers, fireplace, etc. Maybe sealing products have improved over the past 16 years?

[lucylee]

Costumelady -- no, I do not get anything from dh's retirement or social security. I made more $ than him anyway -- he had a BS and taught 25 years; I had a Master's degree and taught 30. He and I each agreed to take our full retirement when we could, without leaving half to a survivor, because it would have cut our monthly checks so much if we had done otherwise. If he had the higher SS check, I would be drawing some from that, but since I had the higher check, that remained the same.
As I mentioned earlier somewhere, we do have a sizable CD that will come due in October, and I am currently getting approx $500 a month from that. I dread seeing that interest change! But I will easily be able to pay for a new roof out of that if I follow dmom's advice and take some of it for the roof and put some in a savings account that I can access easily without the high penalties CD's carry.
I have no house payment, no car payment, nothing like that... it's just these high dollar emergency things that make my head spin.

Oh -- you asked about life insurance -- no -- we stopped dh's insurance when it increased in price from $100/year to $100/month.
I have life insurance on myself that I pay nothing for. (Woodmen of the World, I think they have changed their name to Woodmen Life now? My grandfather started this for me when I was very small and it was paid in full by the time I was 21, I think. I don't remember dh and I ever having to pay any on it.)

So yeah... that's it.
DH taught social studies, world history, etc... and coached for most of his years in education.

[lucylee]

I am so thankful for the SEARCH feature here on this board!
Our roof was last replaced in Sept. 2010.
First noticed a leak that was getting worse in dh's closet, which backs up to fireplace -- Feb 2019
Dormers started causing trouble in Sept 2020
This continued through 2021, vinyl siding man came in Nov 2021
Continued till sheetrock completely broke through and water was dripping July 2024
Noticed leak in kitchen Feb 2026
New leak in study (not connected to dormer) and new leak on back of house Feb 2026

Now would YOU use the same roofer??? I just don't know.

[Nancy]

There are different life lengths to roofing materials that are composite.
When I had mine done it was the 25 year length one.
The ex-sil said it should last my life time.

[I do not have dormers.]

I have done the dishes, they are drying and I'll put them away later.
Next I have to get on the stat bike as I do not have all my steps in I need to do that
before bed. I can do it in 10 + min.

[Harriet]

Feel better, Nancy.

I am slowly getting back to normal from med today - maybe the side effects weren't as bad afterward this time. During - wow. I just put on a brave face because if you complain, they get worried and just keep you longer. Ended up in the bathroom toting an IV pole, but I've gotten pretty good at those acrobatics and didn't need the nurse to accompany. Walking back such a distance to the other building was about all I could do, but holding hands helped, and a chair to wait for car. Back home I literally had water and couldn't have anything else. Just went to bed for a late 3-hour nap. The evening has been queasy but okay. HRH boiled potatoes.

Doctor showed me the screen with bloodwork and says it looks better, gave me a few numbers, but I can't see it (I mean, literally eyes won't see her screen - I do believe her). She had some insights on why I have felt more normal lately that I hadn't thought of, so pondering all that. She's okay with eye operation and has given me her card plus her own office's fax number to give surgeon if he wants me to have blood products the day before. The possibility is that he is so backed up that maybe my numbers would be above his limit when he can finally operate. But not so far.

Some gardening is a yes for the year, but I must be masked, gloved and the only reason I might get away without goggles is that I wear eyeglasses anyway - she is going to watch my bloodwork about that. We discussed that even a purchased bag of potting soil can still have mold spores, for instance. Another speech about no herbicides, but she's preaching to the choir about that.

We are settling in for a quiet recuperation week. Mentally need it - I will probably not have any physical symptoms left by tomorrow. HRH missed an online meeting, and I felt awful about it but he says being free of the long drive on Wednesday is worth a lot.

lucylee, the metal roof we put onto our larger house corrected leaks at the "troughs" of places where roof angles met, literally because metal roofs have trough-like or gutter-like joins at those places. Over time, the pretty metal roof we chose is now not as attractive - color has changed to gray-brown, which isn't so bad, just not what we planned. Cleaning companies bailed on us over that job - didn't want to take it on. It's not damaged at all after all these years. Around the fireplace there, the metal roof parts for that application seemed to do the trick, too. Sometimes we had the feeling we got better cell phone reception at the windows, but was that previously? Not sure if it still would happen.

Here at this shingled house, the leak has been specifically around the chimney, and a much larger metal topper thingie for the top, plus better flashing around where the chimney meets the roof, has seemed to fix it.

[lucylee]

Thanks for that info, Harriet. I hadn’t thought about the cleaning involved with metal. Sigh.
I am sooo nervous about this whole process!
I’m getting nervous tonight thinking about strangers realizing I live alone. I’ve done better than I expected about being scared since I’ve been alone, but this now is just making me crazy.