It was March when a 50 cent washer forgot what it was supposed to do and dumped 500 gallons of hot water onto our brand new laminated floor, destroying base boards, sheet rock, closets, etc.
After the call to the insurance company,their disaster team came out made an assessment and told us we would have to move out for a few days. I think I have shared that with you earlier. Well just a bit of a refresher.
We finally got the sheet rock IN and the asbestos OUT. The dishwasher which was one of many items removed from our house and placed in our completely cluttered garage was finally hooked up again after sitting out for the better part of two months.Piece by piece the inside of our home is taking shape.
Our garage is filled to the max with all of our books, chairs, accessories etc. We have been walking on cement floors half the time while stumbling over the remains of the peeled up laminated floor the rest of the time. We have decided to have the laminated floors replaced with tile and that process should begin by the end of August. Hopefully by Halloween our home will be like it was before the deluge.
This bothers Sheila much more than it bothers me. She had a master plan for every square inch of our home and when the floors were finally put in 18 months ago Sheila felt that things were just right. We were both happy with the result.
Sheila took the tsunami disaster harder than me. I mean it is going to cost us an arm but not a leg and we are OK with that. Anything that will add value to the home for when our daughters take over is a plus. But to me as long as there is a place to sleep and a place to read a sears catalogue and a nook to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich what else does one need? My good friend Ross Redding likes to tell the story how I spent the night in a very tiny wicker chair on a tiny porch in mid July after a gig in Downieville.
When Sheila gets a bit down trodden I mention how more than 1/2 or the population don’t have what we would consider adequate homes. We are so blessed here in the US. I can sit out in my pool and worry whether or not the tile man will be on time or not. Over a nice dinner Sheila and I can discuss how one new addition immediately leads to another and the another. This is sort of like a “Mr. Blanding’s Builds His Dream House.” unfortunately I am no Cary Grant. Maybe a Wallace Beery though.
Maria and I spent two weeks in Pico in the Azores and as promised I will share that with you when things get settled down here. Did I mention that our youngest daughter is about to give birth within the next few days? Sheila is in Woodland as I type this being On Duty should she be needed. This new birth will give us four wonderful completely different grandsons and one charming granddaughter. It seemed like only yesterday when our first grandson was born. He will be in sixth grade next year. You know time does not fly by it warps by so fast we don’t even know it is happening.
Off to the Gallo Theater tonight with my Cousin John, big fancy Attorney for the city of Modesto. I am so proud of him. I feel he is like a brother to me. My old friends Flo and Eddie of the Turtles, Chuck Negron from Three Dog Night, Members of the Cowsills, etc. will all be there singing to us old folks. I am glad they have free parking for the wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and oxygen tanks at the end of each row.
Until August: Read a book, hug a child, pet a dog, stroke a cat, eat a bar of chocolate, and say a little prayer for those in need.