The bedroom with lovely afternoon light.
This, of course, is not from yesterday, a day in which we had rain of Biblical proportions. A constant deluge from morning until night – so much rain that our culvert flooded, our shed, though covered with a tarp, still leaked, and all of our work on the roof above our door was revealed to be useless.
All I can see right now are dollar signs. Don, a more cheerful and hopeful person than I, says everything will work out. Don’s childhood was so hard that he was forced to cope with things – he had to be a survivor. Consequently, nothing fazes him for long. I envy that.
I, on the other hand, worry way too much. We balance each other, which is a good thing. But right now, I’m seeing new roof for the shed, new roof for the house. A pandemic. No work. You know the drill.
Both of us acknowledge that so many people are coping with far worse things. Perspective helps. But I don’t mind telling you I’m a bit panicked here at the cottage.
We will consult with someone about the porch roof over the front door. Maybe there’s a temporary fix until we have more funds on hand. We now readily admit figuring out where the water is coming from is beyond our capabilities. But at least we tried!
In the meantime, Don’s knees are really bothering him from kneeling on the roof two days in a row, so I have ordered him to take it easy.
Right after we moved in 15 years ago, there was a rain that everyone who was a longtime local called a “100 years” rain. Our chimney leaked, the basement was flooding and water was pouring out of a pipe in the basement wall and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from – we had rubber boots on and were crazily trying to stop the water. And all the while it was endlessly pouring. We finally stuck a broom handle in the pipe and it stopped.
That’s what yesterday was like.
We’ll probably get our tree tomorrow instead of today.
I am reminded of a song from Mame:
Haul out the holly
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again
Fill up the stocking
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again nowFor we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Hasn’t snowed a single flurry, but Santa dear we’re in a hurry…
Can’t think of a better lyric for this year, can you?
I did work a bit on the dollhouse yesterday and I took some delight in being able to stand up at my new work table to work on the second story. Very satisfying!
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
Just this morning, I was singing that song. Our tree is up. We have snow this morning.
Lovely! I wouldn’t mind some snow right now, Linda!
Stay safe.
Oh no! I’m sorry there’s no improvement in the leaky roof problems, especially since you worked so hard on it. I like Don’s attitude. I wish I could be more resilient like that.
Take care
I wish I could, too.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
Prayers…no words…
Thank you, Brenda.
Stay safe.
yesterday i went to the bank. i was in a bad mood (hypocrisy at work, too much going on, also pain), but the drive-up teller was so upbeat, i thought her cheerfulness sounded fake and as she spoke, i felt myself frown. it just felt so different and far away from my own feelings … but i thanked her for sharing her happy attitude and then she said, “God has a way”. her words have been been repeating in my ears ever since. because God does have a way for me. He has ways for you and don and everyone else here, everyone in the world. :) i don’t know how your roof repairs will get done and i don’t know how i will get through laying on my back for an hour or more for the mri my doctor has ordered (and about which the thought of just made me cry … for different reasons, claudia, i am relating to your panic) but i do know God is with us all, for us all and has good plans for us all.
hugs and prayers … better days are ahead.
kathy in iowa
I know that, too. I keep repeating that God is my source and that we will be directed in some way. Then I panic. Then I repeat. And so it goes.
I’m so sorry that you have to get the MRI, Kathy. Bless you, you’ve been through so much this year. I pray for some relief from your pain and for all to be well.
Stay safe.
we’re only human, right? and 2020 has been such a wretched, cuss-worthy year.
thanks for your support and prayers, claudia. they and you are much, much appreciated. will keep you posted unless i hear more whininess in my voice.
hope you and don have an easier, drier day!
kathy in iowa
Thank you, Kathy. Take care of yourself. xo
really glad that you know that, too, about God! :)
kathy in iowa
xo
ps … the cheery bank teller knew nothing about my day … but God often uses people’s words to encourage and nudge us along, to remind us of His truth. :)
kathy in iowa
I can only echo good luck with the MRI, Kathy. Church Services are closed here so the congregation have been creating one each week via Zoom. Last Sunday one of the songs played was God will make a Way by Don Moen via YouTube, I wasn’t aware of him previously but how apt are his words for these difficult times.
hej, dee dee.
thanks for your support and for the suggestion about that song. will check it out.
pretty much the same for my church … online services only. not the same, but at least there’s that option (for most people anyway).
hope you and your family are well and safe and stay that way!
thanks again for your kindness.
kathy in iowa
Sweet Kathy in Iowa, wishing you the best with your MRI & its outcome. I had to have one this year too. I had a good outcome from the neurosurgeon who I saw. However, staying at home with little activity due to self isolating was a big part of my problem. I am sending both you & Claudia huge hugs. This year has been bad for my closest friends: life changing diagnoses for themselves, family & pets, one thing after another that needed expensive repair or replacement in their homes, no contact with extended family, of course, expensive dental services, some resulting in more services & pain. 2020 sucks. I wish I had Don’s positive outlook too. ONE DAY AT A TIME is all I can handle. (((( ))))
hej, mary scott.
glad you have that good outcome! will pray that continues for you, your family and friends.
agree about movement/ exercise … i love to walk/jog. just getting tougher to do for being cold, dark as night by the time i get home from work and this crummy back pain. hoping and praying that back problem gets resolved soon. still need a new plan for winter!
good to have plans, save for the future, etc., but still need to live each day as we get them … one at a time.
stay safe and well!
and thanks again, mary!
kathy in iowa
Thinking of you, Mary and sending love and support. This has been a tough, tough year.
xo
Stay safe.
Oh I agree.
xoxo
Good luck with your MRI, Kathy. They can give you something to help you relax in the tube.
Also, pack your mind with happy memories. That is what helped me get through my 3 MRIs this year. Whenever I started to feel uncomfortable, I would focus on one of my happy memories and I would feel myself relax. That and thinking of music that went with the pounding beat of the machine. Sending healing thoughts your way.
hej, ellen d …
first, sorry you’ve had to go through three mris this year. hope they were helpful, led to answers and relief for you!
thanks for your kind words and suggestions. i’ve had two mris in my life (knee, head). the second one meant my head was way in the center of the machine (the first time, for my knee and about 25 years ago … not at all) and even though it was “open”, i learned i had a bit of claustrophobia. :l i can deal with that. now it is the pain (and anxiety about that pain) that i need help with. i have a good doctor that i can trust, which helps. i just want the mri done and the problem and the pain gone! trusting that will happen. in the meantime, thanks again for your kindness.
hope you and your family are well, safe.
kathy in iowa
Good luck with the MRI Kathy! I know they can be difficult….think positive thoughts. I will too! ;)
Yes, good luck, kathy! I had an MRI last year and I am terribly claustrophobic. The Dr prescribed one Prozac. I have never taken it before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. I took it one hour before the MRI and it truly wasn’t bad. It must have been just enough to take the edge off of the feeling of being enclosed. The headphones/ music helped a lot, too. You can do it!! (or maybe that isn’t your issue and I am just being presumptuous!!)
hej, donnamae.
thanks for your kind good wishes … much appreciated!
i want the whole world to get better. and i want this mri done and to get better, too.
how about you? doing alright?
i hope you and your family are safe and well and stay that way.
thanks again.
kathy in iowa
Yes…all good here. We had a couple of scares, co-workers possibly infecting my kids or their spouses. But, we are all healthy! Thanks for asking! ;)
scary! glad that you’re all well and i pray you all stay that way.
kathy in iowa
sorry you’ve had to deal with that, chris. hope you are in every way healthy (happy, too) and you stay that way.
i’ve had two mris in my life. for the one on my knee, my head was not inside the machine at all so it wasn’t a problem. the second one was for my head so it was in the center of everything. even though it was an “open” mri (and i had a prozac and could listen to happy music), i felt a bit claustrophobic that time.
this time, i am not worried about being in the machine. more music, a prozac will hopefully work well on that again. what i am terrified of is the pain. i can’t get anything off the floor or low shelves, stand or sit for long, wear tie shoes or even reach my feet …. without notice and many, many times a day and at night, the pain is so sharp that it literally knocks the air out of me, my knees buckle and i am yelling cuss words and crying … at home, work, the grocery store ….
it’s scary for being my back, but hopefully the mri will happen soon, provide the right information that brings a solution. until then, prayers are much appreciated. as are ideas for secret swear word substitutes i could use (especially when socially-distanced with my family, at work and at the grocery store)!
thanks for your support and for listening.
stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
.. well you sure have my prayers, kathy, and I hope you get a good result so that the problem with your back can be sourced and treated; you don’t need all this suffering – – I’ve had I guess three MRIs in my life (back, neck, skull-brain) and for me it was just important to keep my eyes closed (I once, on one of these procedures, was given a weighted ‘blindfold’/eye mask to put over my eyes and I found it very soothing) and put my thoughts in any other place than where I was (one of the worst tests I ever had was what seemed an hours-long test for gallbladder and I was so achy from being flat on my back on what seemed like a narrow hard surfboard with no cushioning/support for my bad neck [and my arms so cramped by my sides that the feeling went out of them] that I was weeping toward the end of the test; gosh what we sometimes have to go thru for answers, but thanks to God indeed FOR answers and my experience largely is that the people conducting these tests are well aware of the patient’s fears and frailties after you’ve filled out all the forms, so my expectation and prayer for you will be that you’re given compassion and tenderness, and that your MRI will go quickly and smoothly for you!) ..
thanks, vicki, for yours support and prayers. :)
sorry you’ve had to go through stuff like that.
while i think i have a little bit of claustrophobia, i am not worried about that part of the mri at all. it’s the idea of laying on my back for an hour. i can’t do it for two minutes now on my bed (i tried testing myself) and was screaming and swearing, feeling like my spine would snap. woke up one night on my back … more screaming and crying. how could i do it for an hour on a metal/plastic machine? it’s just bad and i cry at the thought of it. found a seated-or-standing mri up in minnesota (haven’t found one in iowa) and am going to see if i can do that (i could stop the car every 30 minutes to take a little walk …) because i am, to be blunt, terrified.
sorry if that’s saying more than you, claudia or anyone else wanted to hear. :(
thanks to all for caring, praying.
let me know if you want that fiesta saucer. it’d be easy to sanitize, plus i’m using something else under the plant.
keeping you all in prayers.
kathy in iowa
.. kathy, just be very forthright in telling the technician of all your pain and maybe there’s something they can do to pad the hard surface..?…they don’t want to hurt you; they want to be able to complete the test for you; can you ask your doctor about any medicine/drug you can take before the MRI to try to dull your pain, just to get you thru the procedure..?..as long as it doesn’t affect your ability to drive ..
.. dear, again, I thank you for thinking of me, but you keep your saucer for your plant or another purpose (I already have an entire set, service for 12[!!], of plain-white ceramic/stoneware [I don’t know how to describe it; they’re heavy in the hand; very sturdy] including saucers, plates, cups, bowls, etc. which was bequeathed to me by an auntie and is entirely copycat Fiesta) ..
.. and I wanted to say something else, too, about your Christmas decor in the basement – – my good friend is single and age 70, lives alone, and things come up she just can’t do, so she did make acquaintance with a couple of people in her immediate/new neighborhood so that she has somebody to call when she’s in a pinch – – she needed an extension ladder for things going around the home inside & out, and the neighbor picked it up for her (brand-new ladder, on a good sale at the hardware store) after his workday as he has a pickup truck, and she then offered the ladder to him anytime he needs it, since he doesn’t have one of his own; also, when he helped her take down her outside Xmas decorations last year, she took them a honeybaked ham as thanks (they’re meat eaters) ..
.. people often like to feel useful and you can make it worth their while as long as you don’t make a habit of always being the neighbor who’s wanting to borrow something or making them into a continual honey-doer since clearly they have their own lives, too; I’m just wishing you could have your special holiday things around you for comfort, as I know what it is to miss things which are packed away, because that’s been my life for too long as my husband I live through not one but two house remodels when rooms need to be emptied so they can be worked on; the little keepsakes/treasures are just no good to us if we can’t enjoy them by having them in our midst and to catch the eye!
Yes I have had many MRi’s and what I try to do is remember scripture that God is in control.
The technician can play music but the pounding drowns out the sound.
Medically this has been a difficult year for me and my husband but through it all God has never left us.
hej, linda.
so sorry that this has medically been a tough year for you and your husband. i hope and will pray that things are much better for you both.
thanks for your kind words and the reminder that God is in control. yes, He is!
hope you are safe and well.
thanks again.
kathy in iowa
When it rains, it pours, Claudia (literally). Hope you can work it all out soon so you can stop worrying. Too stressful! You and Don are lucky to have each other.
We are. We’d double that luck if we had work!
Thanks so much, Ellen.
Stay safe.
That is a wonderful pic of your bedroom. That comforter/covering is such a delightful color…it suits your cottage.
Yes.,,you will find a way. A solution will present itself. At least if you get someone over there to look things over, you will know what you can and cannot do. Keep thinking those positive thoughts! …and stay safe! ;)
We’re working on that now, Donna. We’ve asked a friend who was in construction for a reference.
Stay safe.
Your bedroom looks lovely and cosy, Claudia. I agree if you can prioritise getting advice about the porch roof as it might be something simple like one of the flashings. I know plastic is a no no these days but if you could put your most precious items in the shed in plastic storage containers away from the leaking roof, I would be tempted to ignore the shed until better times are here.
Stay safe
They are in plastic containers Dee Dee. We have tons of them!
We need to go in and clean the floor and then we’ll arrange things in the part of the shed, which is most of it now that we’ve tarped it. Just two corners are troublesome.
Thanks, Dee Dee.
I get up every morning and find my “sea legs” and get moving. And sometimes it doesn’t help at all to think that “others have it worse.” When that happens, I pray for all the others and then deal with my problems. I try to find my core, along with my sea legs. It will get better. Humans are a problem solving species. All of my problems I have now, and your’s also, will be solved. Then we will get a new batch. It would really help me to sit with a girlfriend and have tea and talk and talk. I miss that. Find your core and get your sea legs. That is my only advice. Your posts help me very much. Many prayers for you and Don!
Good advice, Tana, and much appreciated!
Stay safe, my friend.
I have been singing and singing that familiar song! I know for sure that I do need a little Christmas. Or maybe a bit more than a little.
So sorry about the roof and hopefully you will be able to find someone willing to come out to do some checking for you. Glad it is outside so you do’t have to worry about people coming in the house. So many things we now have to think about and plan for that previously we didn’t even have to consider.
On a happy note, I had 2 Bluebirds at the feeders this morning and a beautiful red-headed Woodpecker. All so pretty and at the same time!! I decided they were the Bluebirds of happiness. We will see how that plays out…. take care and have a peaceful day.
Oh, I love bluebirds and I rarely see them here except toward the end of winter – as if they’re traveling through.
Bluebirds of Happiness sounds perfect to me!
Thanks, Chris.
Stay safe.
What a lovely room. I don’t know if I’d ever want to leave it! It’s all grim, isn’t it? How many times have I yelled “enough is enough!” this year. It only makes it slightly better that you are not alone. Only VERY slightly.
I’ve been singing “We Need a Little Christmas” a lot these days. One of our traditions with friends is each year picking a holiday song, setting a $25 limit and finding gifts for the other couple that fit. We did that song a few years ago and not surprisingly, the gifts included the CD of the musical, the book Auntie Mame, a holly garland, candles (for the window), carols (CD) at the spinet, a string of lights, you get the idea. We should maybe consider a do-over. (I’m thinking “Hard Candy Christmas” from “Whorehouse” is a contender for 2020.
Take care, my friend. A lot on the plate means a lot of stress.
It does. I’m going my best to keep busy today. Tomorrow I have to decide on dental insurance. I almost don’t care anymore. But I have to do it. The list of bad things that have happened this year just keeps getting longer.
Stay safe, Jeanie. Stay well.
No solutions to 2020 problems, I’m afraid. Heaven knows we’re all too burdened with stress. Leaving it all to a higher power, whenever I can. That said, I just love your little chenille(?) Scotty dog. He made me smile.
Exactly. I’m doing the same. Much love to you and Fred.
Stay safe.
The perfect song! December first! The first day of the last month of 2020. I’m ready to celebrate Christmas in a simplified manner. Enjoy the New Year Eve as we say goodbye to this crazy year. Then A New President! YES!
We just have to do our best to be in the moment this December. Enjoy the wonder of Christmas. And then – know that the Inauguration is right around the corner.
Stay safe, Linda.
I am feeling your pain…but that gorgeous golden light you capture so beautifully in photos is really helping to perk me up :)
And—-up lights? Hmmm, will have to research these.
Tana above who mentioned tea and talking with a girlfriend, sigh. Really miss those moments too! SO much!
Porch roof leaks aargh, and nearing the end of an elderly car, yes, I really am feeling this exponentially now…and around and around it all goes…again…
Stay well, hug each other a lot, and revel in that incredible afternoon light!
Xo from the city
We will, Naomi. That’s all we can do! Thinking of you and your family.
Stay safe.
Wow, it’s a lot. Maybe there will be an easier fix to the front door. We thought for sure we’d have to re-roof the house in 2019, but then I called out the roofer again, he (the owner) and his right-hand supervisor both walked the roof on two separate occasions, photographed it and mulled; then they said, nope, you’ve got five more years. Although I don’t like to push things too much and then have to react for not being proactive, I thought I’d melt on the spot because I had no idea how we could possibly come up with the money to pay for the roof last year and it sure couldn’t be this year either. So, they did nothing, but even if they’d done a little SOMEthing, it was under $1000 which sure beat $20,000. Just tell them the truth, in my opinion.
If it’s any comfort, I worry about money every single day of my life. I didn’t want it to be that way in my later years. I do a lot of juggling with the bills. Was amazing to read a headline that said it was the best Cyber Monday sales ever, and all I keep thinking is, “Who has money?” In THIS economy? With jillions of people out of work? But of course I know the answers because I’ve got friends with money, and they certainly have a less-stressful life because of it.
This morning I went to close up the dishwasher and the door wouldn’t shut. I was like, “What NOW?” It was brand-new this year! Turned out to be something minor but I was ready to melt down; like you, thank goodness for the husband who is calmer, saw there was a loose screw (inside the dishwasher; not the one in my brain!) and another missing one, but he figured it out and fixed it with no understanding why this would happen on a newer appliance but, you know, at the time, we went cheap; so, you get what you pay for; but as long as it cleans our continual sink-full of dishes (too much cooking at home!!!), I’m happy. I remember all the MANY years I never had a dishwasher … or my own washing machine/clothes dryer … so, I’m lucky and thankful.
And each time I mope and groan (especially lately about my neighbors; ugh), Husband says, “Think of everyone with huge problems; this isn’t a huge problem; you can cope with it; count your blessings.” Right. That BALANCE. Maybe he and I are complete opposites for a reason!
BTW, I love the golden glow of your upstairs bedroom; so nice to have a chair by the window. Lovely. Your home is a treasure. But it’s because you’ve made it that way, Claudia!
Send some rain my way, please; SoCalif is dry as a bone. Despite what I just said about juggling the bills each month, I recently couldn’t resist (which is why I probably juggle bills!!) and bought a couple of pieces of Fiestaware (darn-good retail sale price; just little stuff; like the tiniest ‘dip’ bowl; I’d love bigger pieces but, you know, Fiesta’s too pricey which is why I miss shopping the thrifts during Covid because I’ve picked up most of my Fiesta pieces secondhand), so I got out what I have (not a lot, maybe 15-20 pieces but so much wonderful color!) and it’s just sitting there for now on the countertop, but I love looking at it because the tones are warm & cheerful and I must need the colors, almost like Christmas-tree lights, perhaps because the outdoor landscape is so dry and dead beyond the windows (as in the mountains in the distance). Oranges are full on the trees in December, so I do have favorite orchards I like to visit (about 9 miles from here) because the orange trees leafed out in all their green glory are their own ‘Christmas’ tree, with plump oranges for ‘ornaments’ on the branches, making a bright spot in the otherwise thirsty, gray-brown world.
I’d be happy to have dry as a bone. Truly.
We will definitely tell them the truth and see what can be done. Even if it’s just the roof over the porch and the shed roof. We could leave the rest of the house until later.
Thanks, Vicki.
Stay safe.
My fingers and toes are crossed that you get good answers quickly that won’t cause you an arm and a leg. (What’s with the body parts ‘sayings’?!!)
Again, Claudia, you’ve got a lot going on. Take care with yourself. It’s STRESS.
Damn auto-correct. “…that won’t COST you” (not cause you).
I’ll also say a little prayer that the rain will stop and that you have some dry times before snow starts in (in earnest). You need these home maintenance problems resolved soonest (when the weather is calmer!) so that you can rest your mind and have ease at Christmas. I feel particularly badly for you and Don to have put in SO much work to get the shed in order, that you STILL had a leak there, which I can imagine felt so deflating. But don’t let these things make you feel defeated; you’re in control; you’ll get them fixed. They’re inanimate ‘objects’ and they don’t rule!
We have more rain coming in a day or two. Then, maybe snow next week. I’d actually welcome snow at the moment!
Thanks for your supportive words, Vicky. They made me cry a bit, which tells you how much this has been weighing on me.
xoxoxo
Well, feel my virtual hug. I’m so glad you resolved the dental thing. Cross that off the list!
So much worry, Vicki. I’m so tired of it!
xo
It sure is. I’m constantly stressed at the moment.
hej, vicki …
no rain here to push your way so will add that to prayers.
glad your husband could fix the dishwasher … whew!
do you collect a certain piece or color of fiestaware? and new or or vintage only? i have one white saucer (probably part of the re-issue so not a vintage treasure) that i put underneath a plant and you can have it. if you’d like it, please let me know and i will gladly send it to you.
hope you stay safe and well, can spend time in a grove and get some oranges!
kathy in iowa
hi, kathy; hope you’re doing okay with your back (I haven’t read all the comments yet); on Fiesta, I go for the high colors; I am not a ‘neutrals’ person although I’ve been in people’s homes of neutrals (white, beige or grays; shades of brown, etc.; both color and textures which can include natural basketry and white stoneware) and been spellbound by how beautifully serene it is .. anyway, you are the sweetest, as always, to offer your white saucer but it’s probably best under your plant than trying to send me something during Covid and with now the rush at the post office and shipping issues already occurring due to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas; but I so appreciate that you thought of me; thank you; and, kathy, you be careful out there, as I know you’ve always continued to work at your job and it isn’t without Covid risk; the medical peeps are all saying that if you’ve already suffered with Covid, as have you, that they still don’t know how long you can be immune (too much yet unknown on the virus); not to be scared, but maybe because you work with geriatric patients (don’t you?), you’ll be among the first after frontline-medical workers to get one of the vaccines (I hope so!); in the meantime, have a fine Wednesday and thanks again for your thoughtfulness .. you’re such a kind woman!
So sorry about all your rain/leaks issues. Yes get a reliable someone to look things over. About 10 years ago, we tore off a 4 Seasons room that was in need of repair and just looked ugly. The plan was to build a porch in its place. One thing led to another and now it is a small room that I cherish. Two years ago, it began leaking. My contractor came back, did a fix and the leak would return. went on and on, Finally, the ceiling sheet rock was torn out, trying to find the leak.
A garden hose and 2 ‘experts’ found the leak. That fix didn’t take either.
One morning they arrived with ladders and a spray can. I swear this shrieks of Shark Tank. They sprayed it on – this was perhaps April or May – and there has been no leak since. It must be pretty reasonable as one of my cleaners said he’d used the same thing. (I’m western NY and we get those soaking rains just like you)
Ask the roofer about it. I have no idea how long it lasts. At least it will buy you some time.
Good luck!!!
A spray can of what, Carol? I’m curious! If it’s a possibility, I’d sure like to know what it is.
Thank you.
Stay safe.
perhaps she is thinking of “flex seal”? a spray sealant, comes clear or black, seen on commercials … maybe with a guy in a canoe cut in half, then put together with this stuff …?
just a thought.
hope you have a nice night.
kathy in iowa
I’ve seen the commercials. Maybe I should spray some on the part of the roof in the front that’s leaking…
It’s a rubbery spray that when dries provides a thick coating over the shingles. It is impervious to rain and in my case wind that probably lifted the shingles in the first place. Ask your hardware person. In face I’m headed to the hardware in the next couple days and will get more information. If my roof is any indication, it is a miracle!
Oh, I’d so appreciate the name of the product, Carol. Thanks for checking into it for me!! I feel hopeful again.
Stay safe.