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Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Moving along

(Random studio pictures)

Sometimes I think I am being tested, then other times I think no, it's just life, and life can be tricky any time at all.





A few months ago, we had a huge wind storm, and there was a lot of banging on my roof.  Apparently, the cap on the chimney came apart.
In addition, I started having  this issue in my upstairs hallway, with creosote stains coming down the walls.  I knew it was a chimney issue, and I assumed it was related to the chimney cap.

So I called in the chimney people.  They were quick to respond, and very pleasant, but their news was so not good.

First of all, the person I trusted to put the chimney cap on, L's brother in fact, did the worst, and cheapest, job possible.  So far, the chimney people, and a roof contractor have seen it, and were both blown away, that anyone would do that.
Secondly, the ridge cap, put on years back by another contractor, was not a real ridge cap at all, and thus leaking, as was the crappy flashing job around the chimney.

The bottom line is:   

The chimney is over 200 years old, dangerous, and cannot be used at all, ever.
The chimney needs to be repointed, and permanently capped, the roof ridge cap and flashing etcetera all needs fixing.
To vent my oil furnace out the wall requires something called a side slip vent that is very pricey.

My plumbing and heating guy, who has not steered me wrong in 20 years, suggests ditching the oil furnace, and for $4400 getting a new gas furnace that can vent out the wall, is cleaner, more efficient, and will save me lots of $ in fuel in the long run.
So furnace is coming tomorrow.
Got the quotes from the roof guy, and while I am sure they are fair, they stopped me in my tracks.
$8000 for all the roof work.

And I didn't mention the plaster damage in the upstairs hall......from the water pouring down.....that's another $1900...


Don''t bother adding it all up....it's nauseating.




Then yesterday I had no water.  I panicked thinking I needing a new well pump, since mine is about 44 years old.   That would be a $2000+ price tag, and I am hemorrhaging money at this point.   But the well people came yesterday, and it was not the pump, but a pressure switch on the side of my water tank in the basement.  $278.
The upside of that is that after years of having crappy water pressure in this old house, I now have incredible water pressure, which I am thoroughly enjoying.


Then the other night, the hose that connects the toilet upstairs, to the water line, sprung a huge leak, and water was spraying everywhere.
It just never ends.



All this has been overwhelming, but I realized, doable.  The hardest part is not having Bill here to do it all with me.  That is so true about problem being half as bad when you have someone to share it with.  It sounds cliche, but in reality, it has a bite.


As I sit here bemoaning the bad things that have
befallen me, once again, the little voice in my head, tells me to stop.
It reminds me of ALL the things I have to be thankful for.

My personal opinion, which I have probably shared with you all before, is that we Americans are spoiled.
Spoiled rotten.
For the most part.
We have so much, and yet it is never enough.  
We spend our lives acquiring money, and property and 
STUFF.
We forget what is important.



I know all these problems won't last, and I know that they really aren't 
tragic.  I just have to muddle through them as best I can, and I have to look around me, and practice gratitude for all the amazing things in my life.
Above all, I am grateful for my serenity, an inner strength, that I believe we all have, that gets me up every morning, and pushes me into the new day.

Onward!








6 comments:

  1. I can totally empathize with you. My husband died 6-1/2 years ago and while I am quite capable I sure do miss him telling me it'll all work out. I have had a well pump go, before that the pressure tank sprung a leak (on a Sunday night of course) and the septic pump croaked. It seems every time I turn around something needs fixing. Thankfully I have put together a good group of handy people I can trust. I agree that we are terribly spoiled so every single morning I do a gratitude list - my family, my friends, that I'm able to do a lot more home repair & maintenance stuff than most 70 year old women and of course that so far I have been able to afford the repairs. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and take a deep breath.

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  2. I am so sorry for your repair woes. Old houses attract them, though they needent attract unscrupulous builders. It happened to us, too. We contracted to have the roof raised and the men who did it shorted us one row of plywood on the new room, and merely tacked the sheet of roofing over the open rafters. Took us some time to find an honest contractor to climb up and discover the reason mold was growing on the north walls of all the rooms affected.

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  3. Goodness! That's a lot going on! Even if it all can be dealt with, it is still stressful. But you are so very right! We need to be grateful for all we have and how fortunate we are. That is so true. I hope things will be taken care of well and quickly.

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  4. Sometimes storm damage is provided for in your homeowners insurance.

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  5. I guess it never rains, but it pours takes on a new meaning when the roof is leaking...

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  6. You are singing my song. It gos on and on like some crazy TV drama. I can pay for all the divese items that need repairing or replacing but why, I ask you why all at once?
    I will get through it all and I hope that you do as well. Take heart and we will survive !

    ReplyDelete

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