Last Day In The 5th Wheel -- Lat day of November, that is

We got a call yesterday morning and the guy on the other end identified himself as a delivery driver and said that our furniture would be arriving in about 30 minutes.  

We have bought quite a bit of furniture to replace what was ruined by the flood, but the delivery was on hold until we had someplace to put it.  We are definitely not ready to receive it yet - probably won't be for another month at least. While Honey talked to the driver, I called the furniture saleslady.  Between us we were able to get the delivery turned around and sent back to the warehouse.

That was the most excitement we've had in days.

Two Months

We have now been living in our 5th wheel trailer in the back yard for two months, and the end is nowhere in sight.  We met with our contractor this morning, and he confirmed that he will definitely not be through with the house before the first of next year.
All things considered, it really hasn't been all that bad, but even a big trailer starts to get very small after a while.

Nautical Ditty

When an eel bites your thigh,

And you bleed out and die,

That’s a Moray!

Beyond the Fringe

Anyone under the age of 60 or so may have missed out on Beyond the Fringe, a British production starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in some of the most outrageous comedy ever produced.  Here's one of my favorite sketches from the pair....

  

Shopping Spree II

Went to Star Furniture yesterday to get some replacement furniture for the house.

 We bought the sofa and love seat pictured above along with a matching recliner - 

They are all top grain leather with electrically adjustable head and foot rests.  The color is Ocean Blue.

Then we got a TV stand to replace the old entertainment center - 

We also purchased a small dining room table and chairs -

And  a set of desks for the office -

We've still got more stuff yet to buy, but this could become addictive. Spending money like drunken sailors is something we've never been able to do before. 

Shopping Spree

Yesterday, Honey and I went on a shopping spree.  

We needed lots of new appliances for the house and both Lowes and Home Depot had just started what they are calling "pre-Black Friday sales."

We had been to both stores in the past few weeks but were holding off because the house wasn't ready and we had been told to expect price drops about now.  

We went to the Home Depot in Porter and worked with a salesman named Bob.  We bought a new refrigerator (with an ice maker), a dishwasher, washer and dryer, a new microwave and a new kitchen stove.  

I think Honey is most excited about the new range.  When we got our last range we got a ceramic top electric range because she wanted a convection oven, and back then nobody made a gas range with a convection oven option.

Our new Samsung range is gas, with a self-cleaning convection oven, and it features a long oval burner in the center of the stove top with a removable griddle.

Once we had all the items selected, I told Bob that Lowes was offering rebates and in-store coupons based on the amount of stuff you bought, and asked if they were doing anything like that.  He said no, but asked if I had ever been in the military.  I told him I had, but didn't have a copy of my DD-214 in my pocket.  He replied that if I knew what it was that was good enough for him, and he gave us an additional 10% discount on the entire purchase!

We were already congratulating ourselves over the great buys we had made when we stopped by the Hobby Lobby in Humble to pick up two mirrors we had selected for our bathrooms. We walked in to discover that yesterday all mirrors were 50% off - icing on an already excellent cake.

Harbinger

I don't suppose it actually qualifies as good news, but maybe it portends good news to come.  
We learned yesterday that our insurance adjuster has completed her report and forwarded it to the carrier.  That means that we should know in the next few days how much money we'll have to finish fixing the house.

Ouch

I had a Mohs procedure done on my arm yesterday. This is a surgical procedure to insure that all of a cancerous growth is removed - in my case it was a squamous cell carcinoma.

With the huge bandage they put on, it looks a lot worse than it was.  The surgeon removed a chunk of my arm about the size and shape of a poker chip.  They do a frozen section while you wait, then go back and remove some more if all the edges aren't clear. It took a couple of hours, didn't hurt, and I drove myself back home after.

When I say it didn't hurt that isn't entirely correct.  It woke me up about 2 a.m. but most of the soreness was from holding my arm in unusual positions trying not to make anything worse.

The good news is that they got it all - the bad news is I'm back where I was after the cataract surgery with strict orders not to lift anything heavier than a loaf of bread.

Birthday

November

November is here and there has been very little progress toward getting us back in our house.  Plumbers came and rerouted some pipes so the tile people can get started on  our bathrooms next week.  
Otherwise, nothing to report.
We get up each morning, spend a little time on the internet, check email, and read - I'm running through books like crazy - and by noon we're out of anything to do, anything that actually needs doing, anyway.  
Really, in terms of what needs doing, nothing is all that different from living in our house - but it certainly feels different, and it's getting on our nerves.