Just When ----3

As we wait around to have our home restored, it seems that we also have to keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.  We have learned that, like Mrs. Marcos, Hurricane Imelda has a Hell of a lot of shoes, and they just keep on coming.

We had very heavy rain yesterday, at a rate in excess of an inch per hour, and last night as we prepared for bed, Honey discovered a wet spot.  Water had dripped in from the crank in the ceiling that raises/lowers the TV antenna.

Luckily, it was just a small spot and I was able to soak up the water that was still in the crank with a rag. We're washing and drying the sheets, etc. this morning.

I grabbed what I thought I might need and climbed up on the roof this morning.  We have more rain expected with a cold front coming in this evening, so I really didn't have a choice.

Here was the problem - 

The weather-proof boot that is supposed to seal the opening where the coax comes through the roof was out of place, about an inch and a half or so up the cable from the nipple it was supposed to fit over. No idea how that happened, but at least it was a quick and easy fix.

Just When You Thought --- 2

In my last post, I mentioned the broken gray tank on our trailer.  That was over a week ago, and all I know at this point is that our repair guy is having a Hell of a time locating a replacement.  I know there are repair kits available, but he tells me they never work well.  I'm about ready to try one anyway.

Otherwise, nothing much has changed.  

I've occasionally spent some "woe is me" time - like last week when I should have been driving to Austin for my grandson's wedding, and instead was sitting in my opthmatologist's chair having a suture removed from my eye ball. Things like that can warp your day.

Still, we are faring better than our next door neighbors. She took him to the ER Saturday, and they both ended up being admitted to the hospital.

All things considered, maybe things aren't so bad after all.

Imelda - Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse

Repairs on our house have begun, but we're a long way from completion.  So far, they've only done sheetrock replacement and tape and float.
We are still in our 5th Wheel, and things were going pretty well.  Then yesterday afternoon, we heard a loud bang, followed by a big thump.

The support holding up one of our grey water tanks - the one for the bathroom sink and shower - broke and the tank dropped.  I had just emptied the tanks, so there wasn't much water involved, but it will be sometime today or tomorrow before we know what it will take to fix it, and whether it is covered by our extended warranty plan.

Imelda Update

Remember Imelda?  

Unless you got flooded like we did, chances are you have moved on to other things and that little hurricane is no longer on your mind.  We, on the other hand, can think of little else.

It's the fourth Thursday since the storm hit, and we are living in our fifth wheel trailer in the back yard.  Most of our earthly possessions - at least what we could salvage - are stacked in our garage.  

The contractor completed removal and replacement of sheetrock, and began taping and floating yesterday.

Dealing with the flood insurance folks has run the gamut from delightful to frustrating to infuriating.  The latest is a letter stating that they were denying the cost of sheetrock removal and replacement in our garage, because they paid for that after hurricane Harvey, and we had failed to provide proof that we had had the repairs done.  Well, they never asked us for proof!  

Of course we did have it done, but all the records we had saved after Harvey were destroyed by Imelda.  Luckily, that work was done by a neighbor and he will be giving us a duplicate invoice this evening.

On the bright side....

Sitting outside the camper with her first cup of coffee this morning, Honey spotted a buck grazing over by the drainage ditch. We have a little superstition about that. During our travels, any morning Honey saw a deer always ended up being a great day.  Here's hoping the same rule applies when camping out at home.

Lots of Updates

It's been a week since I posted anything.  Not because I had nothing to report, but because we have been so damn busy. 

My second cataract surgery - originally scheduled for the day we flooded - was finally done yesterday afternoon, and everything went well.

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I have lost eight pounds hauling junk to the street over the past few days, but my hauling days are over. I have strict orders from the surgeon to not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for the next few weeks.

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The other day we were sitting in our Coleman camp chairs outside the camper taking a much deserved break.  Honey looked down and there, coiled up within two inches of her right foot, was a Copperhead!  It wasn't the biggest snake we've ever seen, about 10 or 11 inches long, but my darling wife considers all snakes poisonous and 10 feet long.  She managed to lift both feet up and hold them while I went a found a shovel, and only put them back down after I had dispatched the critter to viper Valhalla, collected the carcass and threw it into the woods. 

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We got our first check from the flood insurance folks, and we did find a contractor  He began demolition on the house this morning.  They are taking out all the sheetrock to a level of four feet.  He explained that it would prove cheaper in the long run to do it that way.