And . . . yesterday, today, tomorrow

 

The deconstruction crew arrived yesterday, were here again today, and will be back tomorrow.

Leaving us with this

Hopefully, all the deconstruction a/k/a wrecking will be completed tomorrow.

Then we will move on to the next steps of reconstruction.

For those of you who have asked, and those who are wondering, all the crews have communicated well, worked hard and efficiently, been professional and personable, and (so far) everything has gone smoothly.  Very smoothly!

The invoices submitted (so far) have been 100% covered by our insurance.

We have a ways to go, so continue sending all those positive thoughts.  They've been working great so far!  We appreciate them.

And so do our resident house spirits.  ❤

Pub Day for the new Louise Penny - YAY!!!

 

Sick of the world news?  

Me, too!  

Here's an idea - download the new Louise Penny!  

Clearing the air of some misinformation going around.  Not EVERYONE has been disappointed or upset about Louise Penny's recent novels.  Speaking only for myself, I enjoyed them. AND, I actually do know other people who liked the books that so many are claiming to have disliked to the point that they'll never read another.  Bless your hearts.  Your choice, of course, but why on earth assume the whole world hated them when that is simply not true.

And so it goes . . .

 A recap of what's happening at our house since the water heater flood.

The water mitigation people have come every day to check moisture levels since they put the monster dehumidifier downstairs.

Last Friday they came in a small truck and moved some of the smaller stuff out.

 It's all going down the mountain to Hickory.  The original idea about having a pod placed here on-site was scratched.  The off-site facility is being used instead.

This morning these guys showed up with hopes that everything will be hauled off today.

There's another truck parked in the carport.

Things that we didn't want moved away have been boxed up and put in our sunroom.   Along with some coats that we may need before things come back home.

P

For someone who thinks of home as a place of peace and harmony, this is hard.

But.

We do what we have to do, right?

Send some good thoughts guys, we have a very long way to go.

Yes, I DO know it will all come together. 

I DO know this will end and the results will be a cleaner, nicer looking space.

I do know that.

And I know that Donald and I are pretty upbeat, positive people.

That, however, does not mean we're not allowed to feel some frustration with the situation.  It is, after all, a very natural human reaction.

We're allowed to voice those frustrations.   Indeed.  And sometimes loudly and with spice.

Remember Leslie Gore?  

She sang a song about it being her party and she would cry if she wanted to.

Smart girl, that Leslie.

Being a Pollyanna ALL the fucking time is tired and phoney.  Which is my way of saying what Psychology Today says, "Pollyanna syndrome is not a clinical diagnosis, but a descriptive term used in psychology to characterize a rigid positivity bias. Individuals maintain upbeat attitudes regardless of circumstances, often to the point of denial."

Psychology Today

So.

Y'all I can only tell you, if you're part of my life, you're gonna hear all the many sides of me.  I am what I am.  

Sweet and Tart.

Sorta like rhubarb.

Mark Pryor - May 8, 1967 — October 8, 2026

 https://www.funeralfolio.com/obit/mark-a3zv

I did not have an opportunity to meet Mark Pryor.

Almost though.

We just missed one another in Paris a few years ago when he was there, along with his family, doing a book signing.  Donald and I were arriving as he was leaving.  

But I always felt sure I would have an opportunity to meet him a some point.  Somewhere. 

If not Paris, perhaps a Bouchercon.  Although, Bouchercon, truth be told, has sort of fallen off my travel plan radar recently.

He was extraordinarily gracious when I dropped him a note being as much of a fangirl as a gal can be.  If there's anything I do enthusiastically, it's fangirling.

This was after reading his first Hugo Marsten novel, The Bookseller.  I was immediately hooked and have since gleefully read every word Mark Pryor has written.

We sporadically exchanged a few emails over the years.  I loved his work.  We shared a love of Paris, and politically aligned opinions.

Although I did not know him personally, I feel sad to know the world, specifically his much adored family, has lost a good man.

If you haven’t read any of his Hugo books ( who is also a good man), now might be a good time to try one – The first in the series is my recommendation. The Bookseller.

and lift a glass to Mr. Pryor while reading it.

A book recommendation

 

For those of you still following our water heater disaster news, I have no real news.

The mitigation man comes daily to measure the levels of water remaining in the walls and there is still water in the walls.  That's all I know.

No moving on to the next steps of removing everything until this issue resolves itself with the help of the monster dehumidifier.

In the meantime, Donald and I are slowly packing up breakables into boxes we're bringing upstairs and storing in the sunroom.  Since I am a magpie kinda person drawn to pretty things, there are a LOT of breakables.

BUT.

Aside from all that - along with the madman living in our White House (and, seriously, the man is, IMO, certifiably fucking nuts.  And dangerous).

I have a book to recommend.

Those of us who read a lot have learned over the years that certain books just somehow find their way into the lives of the readers who need them at the perfect time.

I read across all genres, but I tend to stay away from books and authors who advertise as "laugh out loud funny."

I enjoy laughter as much as anyone, but, to me, many of a these books just seem to try too hard.  

I prefer a more natural approach to a laugh - a line the writer surprises you with; one you just did not see coming.

This book, THE MIDLIFE BIRTHDAY CLUB by Rachel Hanna, did make me laugh out loud.  It also had me dripping tears down my face.  Sometimes both those things happened all on one page.  And i loved it all.

Because I am a big fan of Southern Fiction, and of Women's Fiction, I have read and enjoyed Rachel Hanna's work.  

THE MIDLIFE BIRTHDAY CLUB, however, spoke to me in ways that I am not even going to try to explain.  Let me simply say that I found it be one of the most moving novels I've read and quite special.  It'll be included in my list of favorites for this year.

I hope you'll give it a try.  I hope you'll enjoy it.  Let me know, please!

And, Hey You!  Don't stay home from the polls simply because politics is disgusting right now.  

I understand.

But, honestly, our country needs to be put back on track.  

We can help.  We need to help.

Happy Reading ! ! !

Note: FTC Disclosure Notice: Dear FTC - I purchased a digital copy of this book fromAmazon.com. No other compensation was offered or accepted.

Not our typical Sunday

Okay.  So.

#1

The car is still banged up and sitting here at home while patiently awaiting the parts that the collision center has ordered to do the needed repairs.

#2

 The water mitigation people came yesterday and put a big heavy duty dehumidifier downstairs.

Things are a mess.

Tomorrow I will be boxing up breakables and bring them upstairs.  

It's already a mess up here too, so a few boxes won't make a diddly damned bit of difference.

The water guys will be back to move everything else out.  Everything.

Don't know when they'll be here or any clue as to how long all this is going to take.

One step st a time.

Or as Dr. Loewy, a former boss at Georgia Tech, used to say, "You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time."

But.

Today was the day Donald worked on those two home organizing projects.  Remember those?  They got backed up in the order of things.

Delayed but not abandoned.

#3

First the kitchen -

This week I'll spend some time organizing things, putting some things into small labeled baskets, and eliminate some kitchen clutter.

#4

And then I get to do the same in my little bathroom with my new cabinet Donald hung for me today.

Since I love organizing things, these two projects are going to be fun for me.

Having a very handy husband who enjoys measuring and hammering and nailing, etc. is a big big big plus.  

But i know he is ready to move on and get to projects of his own that he's put on hold.

Who knew one stupid hot water heater could throw things into so much disarray.

I am spending some time chatting with our house spirits during all this, thanking them for keeping us safe, asking them to please be patient while we get their home back into order and return to our usual peace and quiet.

We will eat the elephant one bite at a time.  And things will, once again, be smooth sailing for us here in Meat Camp.

BUT!!!!!

We can't be too sure of the rest of the country.

So, y'all

VOTE ! ! !

Vote   Vote   Vote 

Don't think you'll ever win a battle with water

 

Water will always get its way.

Whether it's a hurricane, a flood of nature, or one caused by a water heater.

Water wins.

Here's our latest.

The insurance company sent a water mitigation person to see us.

He was here for a few hours and did a terrific job inspecting everything.

What we know so far -

The damage is extensive.

His team will come and pack up everything.

They will move everything from downstairs outside to a pod they will be  providing.

Carpet will be pulled up.

Because the water seeped up the walls, some of them will need to have the drywall removed.

All this to facilitate clean-up, including whatever unhealthy biological stuff may have started growing.

We'll be getting a call from them letting us know when to expect a packing and moving crew.

It's gonna be a mess for awhile, and then it'll be alright.

Send good thoughts.

And, oh yeah -

Don't Forget to Vote!!!!!!!

Deer vs. Car, Water vs. The Entire Downstairs, and oh yeah - Don't Forget to Vote!

 Driving home last Sunday evening on one of our dark, windy, mountain roads a deer ran into our car.

Everyone, including the deer (thank goodness) were okay.  The car was jam packed with our luggage and some random stuff from shopping trips and a project Donald is working on that he brought home with him to complete.  

The car needs some work

The stuff in the car went flying.

Thankfully, Annabelle was tucked safely in her cart.

We were pretty shaken, but happy that the car was able to get us those last couple of miles home.

We usually have a small herd of deer sleeping in our back yard, so I opened the back door and called out that their Uncle Buck had had a bit of a mishap, but was okay.  He'd probably be here pretty soon.

I love our deer and I was upset that this had happened.  They know our place is a safe place for them and I felt like we had let them down.  (don't judge me . . .  🙃 )

Happy to be home, I had a cup of coffee and turned in.

Donald, however, couldn't settle until the car was unpacked.  Where he got this energy after a 9 drive home is a mystery to me.

Like I said, it has been a week.

Some of the shopping I did was specifically for some items to help me do some organizing.

Our house is small.  A lack of space is problematic.

Having that long drive home from Birmingham gave us time to talk about some possible solutions - focusing on the kitchen.

Donald has a real aptitude for these types of projects, and he enjoys them.

On our first full day home, last Monday, we ignored the suitcases needing unpacking, measured a kitchen wall, agreed on some shelving, and off Donald went to Lowe's Hardware.  

For a guy who normally hates shopping, he is like a kid in a candy store once he gets into a place like Lowe's.

When he returned home a few hours later with shelving, brackets, etc., it was to discover that our entire downstairs was flooded due to a failed water heater.

Y'all.

What.

A.

Mess.

Bless Don Barley's heart.  He has worked really hard all week cleaning up the mess downstairs.  First using his shop vac to get up all the water which took a couple of full days and nights.  Then ran the carpet cleaner a few times to get rid of the odor.  Our carpet cleaner died, so he bought a new one to finish the job.

Moved a bunch of stuff in order to dismantle and remove old water heater.

Brought in and hooked up new water heater.

We both lost track of how many trips he has had to make to Lowe's Hardware.

So.

Things in this little house are a mess.  

In the process of getting back to normal, but we're not there yet.

The insurance adjuster has already sent a check to cover the damage to our car, now we just need to get that taken care of.

Another insurance adjuster will be coming out to look at all the water damage caused by  the hot water heater.  

This is going to require a LOT of work. 

 There are many  bookshelves, filled to the brim with books, that need to be emptied, removed, and replaced.

Nasty carpet pulled up and replaced.

The kitchen organization project is on hold, of course, with the new shelving still in the car.

Send good thoughts!

And - early voting is beginning in some places - - - 

Don't Forget to Vote!!!!!!!