Yes -- so happy that "normal" is now "normal" in your laundry room, Cathy!
Harriet, I think there has been a controlled burn in the forest near me, also. I haven't really noticed it but some people on fb have mentioned it.
I hope dd14 feels totally back to normal soon, LadyM!
I should have gotten outside today but there was no time until after I picked up dgrands after school. DGD is still acting like a different child. Very happy, calm, and THANK GOODNESS -- ds was back home tonight! He's been gone 12 days, and she was really missing him. He'll be gone again tomorrow, but will be back home by tomorrow night. She was thrilled to see him walk in the door.
Twins, we are (were?) probably still on page one because I hadn't weighed in. I have had quite a day and will write my novel soon...
I do miss Lynlee and others we've lost along the way. Does anyone know anything about EmptyNester? And of course, Harmony... Sunny (who still checks in but not often enough!
) Kathryn is often in my thoughts...
BUT I am glad for the new ladies who have found us and several who give us a more international way of looking at things! Now there is almost always someone awake at the same time as I am!
I'm a day behind on our topics -- today I am claiming a gold medal! I have finally colored my hair!!! But let me tell y'all, it was a hard morning getting it done.
LOTS of people demanding me to be thinking.
During the first three and a half hours of my day, I fielded 13 phone calls.
-- Daunt called shortly after my alarm went off. Didn't I think we should send flowers or something to her aunt/my great-aunt's service? Yes, of course. Would I take care of that? She and her daughter would pay me their part and probably my mother would want to go in on it. Yes, yes, of course.
-- Talked to dmom about this... yes... of course... and since I cannot stay for funeral (school pick-up) dmom would go to daunt's house and they could go together. (This makes me nervous, talk about the blind leading the blind. Dmom may trip and fall and daunt may not remember where the funeral is. I'm exaggerating, but only a little.)
-- Back and forth between these two, clarifying their time, cost of the throw (which we decided was better than flowers.
-- Called the florist, ordered a throw. (Those things cost $75 around here now.)
In the midst of all these calls...
-- Dsisil is calling to get dcousin's number to see if dcousin can bake a cake for dbil's bday party Sunday and
-- I texted dcousin
-- (Another) Dcousin whom I ate with yesterday is calling to fuss about goings-on at her/my old church
Surprisingly, I did manage to color my hair and take a shower in the midst of all this.
Went to town.
-- Post office.
AND THEN THE BIG EVENT OF MY DAY --
-- Insurance office - to inquire about the possibility of getting an adjustor to come out and look at my roof. *Did I tell y'all dgd noticed another leak, this time in my kitchen. Right where we come in the back door. It is probably where the roof makes a break at the "L" shape where the carport joins the house. Found out my deductible is -- are y'all sitting down --
$20,000 for wind damage, which they are almost certain it would be.
YES. Y'all read that right.
$20,000. Four zeros.
If anyone has any thoughts on how to come up with a bunch of money, I welcome your suggestions. I can't start working in a saloon like the woman on Tales of Wells Fargo last night. Much too old for that sort of thing.
SMH.
One of my 13 phone calls was to call the insurance agency back and ask them why my deductible is that high and why I even HAVE coverage on my roof if that is what it is. SMH...
Well, of course it's that high so the payment is lower. And of course I cannot do anything to change the deductible until this is repaired. She is sorry she can't be more helpful. I do have approximately 4000 sq. ft. of heated space plus a two-car carport and a porch that is about 8' x 40'. What kind of fools built this house I can't tell you,
but one of the designer was 23 years old and her husband was a 33 year old whose parents had never worried about money in his life. We did not have to borrow money from his parents to build, (because he lived at home till he was 28 and basically saved every penny he made) but the land was free (his parents gave it to us), and I think we just had a feeling everything would always be okay.
So here I am, in the anger stage of grief, thinking WHY did he have to leave me with this mess???
The roof is approx. 15 years old, and I am going to call our carpenter friend tomorrow and see if he will come out and look at it. Perhaps it can be patched? It is on the back of the house and won't matter if it doesn't match perfectly. I think I still have some of the original shingles so he can do as well as possible.
Still, the fact remains that it will not last for the rest of my life and I just HATE dealing with this!
Dmom recently had her roof re-done (metal) but the man told her he would do it for the same price as shingles. Hers was around $8000 for probably about half as much area as mine.
I do not have $15,000-$20,000 laying around looking for a place to spend it and I doubt if roofers offer payment plans.
Perhaps I should get a bank loan?
In October, I will have a CD come due, and dmom has already advised me to break it up, to put some in a more accessible savings so I can spend it without such a penalty... but ooohhh... I hate to do that. I get a good monthly check from the interest on it right now.
So far, I am living without that extra money, actually -- I basically set it aside, "hiding" it from myself in the back of my checkbook. I did break into it last August, after having a car repair over $800, and the roof repair in the study, which was over $1000. But this "emergency" savings fund is not even half of the cost of a new roof.
OTOH... I am driving a 2018 Tahoe, and it is not going to last for the rest of my life, either. So I do need to break up that CD and use it for some of these major expenses.
Heat units... I have two and I don't even remember how old they are!
I also need new shutters on the front windows (six 6' windows). These are just decorative shutters, but they have the louvered slats, and the slats are beginning to fall out on at least one of them.
And the shrubbery desperately needs new mulch and could use a professional pruning again.
My mother is a great believer in the stock market. She and ddad started saving and buying stock when it was offered to them through their workplaces, I think. Years and years ago. But at 64 years old, I do not think I want to get into something that is not guaranteed. DH was always very opposed to anything that carried a risk of losing any of the principal. So that is why we have always used regular bank CDs for savings. Dmom says the stock market always comes back if you wait long enough, but at 64, and fast approaching 65, how long do I have to wait? No... I think I will stick with dh's philosophy on that.
So here I am... mad and sad and completely at a loss as to how I should handle this! Of course, I haven't even talked to carpenter friend yet. Again... forecasting grief as MamaPiano used to say. I miss her too.
I will go to the funeral visitation tomorrow, but will not be able to stay for the service because of school pick-up.
I will call the carpenter tomorrow.
I will not worry about this until I talk to him.
I am thankful that my house and car are paid for.
I am thankful that ds is home safely (for one night at least).
I am thankful that dgrands are happy and healthy.
I am thankful for a lot more things but I try to list three a day.
Sorry this is so long --
From James Clear today:
A famous quote from mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal reminds us that a great deal of the work is in the revision:
"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time."