Today is the fourteenth day of construction being done on our house.
Today was much like any other construction day.
Today is February 4, 2014 - Tuesday.
Had to get up early this morning to get ready before we had to head out to the camper. We thought there would be a lot going on today, so my dad took off from work, but that wasn't the case.
Some guys came to put insulation back in the attic. Progress. We also thought that the roofer guys were coming to put the tin/metal/whatever on the roof, but that didn't happen. Supposedly they couldn't do it today for some reason that sounds ridiculous - something about some kind of board needing to be put in place first...I don't really know. It's kind of stupid.
Anyway.
We had a few things to do in town so we left a little after noon. The guys were gone when we got back, but as we were getting out of the car, a couple guys showed up in a van to unload some materials or something that will be needed for the work on the roof. That was about 4:00.
They didn't stay long, just long enough to unload whatever they were unloading. However, one of them tried to stick his hand through the fencing in the front yard, where my retriever was out there barking his head off. Is that really a smart thing to do? If a large dog is barking and barking at you, should you really stick you hand in the fence and try to pet him? Um...no. No, that would not be a wise decision. Especially if you haven't asked his owner whether you can pet him or not. Whether he might bite you or not.
Fortunately, I happened to be walking to the camper to get my laptop and saw the guy trying to pet my dog. When he saw me, he started walking away. Yes, that's my dog. No, I didn't give permission for you to touch him. Yes, you should walk away now. Thank you very much!
I guess we'll see whether the roofers actually show up tomorrow. It's only Tuesday and I already can't wait for the weekend so I can sleep in some more and and not have to worry about strangers in our house and men trying to pet my dog while he barks ferociously at them.
Showing posts with label Journal Entry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journal Entry. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Day 12 and 13 of Construction
I'm a little late with writing this. Stuff has been going on pretty much all the time. Busy. Bleh.
So, on January 29, (I think) which would have been Wednesday, the drywall people came to patch up the holes in the ceilings. It took two days, and, honestly, there are still things that didn't get done. But what's new, right?
It did, indeed, snow on the night of January 28th. Plenty of it too; nearly 3 inches, which, for us southerners, is a lot more than we're used to.
On January 30, Thursday, we were out in the camper again after coming back home from taking the sister to work. I had planned on writing this blog post then, but, alas, my laptop charger was in my bedroom, forgotten and unreachable. My battery only had 10% power left. So much for that.
Also on January 30th, the metal/tin/whatever was delivered to our house. At this very moment it sits, lonely, in the driveway around the back of the house, longingly waiting for the roofers to make it part of our house. At least, if metal had feelings, I imagine that's how it would feel. Just spit-balling.
Once again, no idea of the plans for construction this coming week. The forecast, as far as what's been predicted, looks rainy and, possibly, more snow. There may be three days or so that permit work to be done on the house. The insulation has to be put in, the metal/tin/whatever has to be put on the roof, the window has to be installed. And then, of course, there's still the matter of the siding that got melted off the back of the house, the counter that got burned and ruined, and the cabinet that got sliced from the outside with the firefighters axe or whatever it was; it was sharp, so, that's really all that matters.
Note: As a reminder, these posts are mainly a way for me to keep a record of what's been happening with the repairs being made on the house. If, for whatever reason, you find this interesting, that's great! If not, that's fine too. Just don't give up on me so soon. I promise to post more uncomfortably honest blogs that make you wish you hadn't read them, but somehow couldn't help it. ;)
Stay tuned!
So, on January 29, (I think) which would have been Wednesday, the drywall people came to patch up the holes in the ceilings. It took two days, and, honestly, there are still things that didn't get done. But what's new, right?
It did, indeed, snow on the night of January 28th. Plenty of it too; nearly 3 inches, which, for us southerners, is a lot more than we're used to.
On January 30, Thursday, we were out in the camper again after coming back home from taking the sister to work. I had planned on writing this blog post then, but, alas, my laptop charger was in my bedroom, forgotten and unreachable. My battery only had 10% power left. So much for that.
Also on January 30th, the metal/tin/whatever was delivered to our house. At this very moment it sits, lonely, in the driveway around the back of the house, longingly waiting for the roofers to make it part of our house. At least, if metal had feelings, I imagine that's how it would feel. Just spit-balling.
Once again, no idea of the plans for construction this coming week. The forecast, as far as what's been predicted, looks rainy and, possibly, more snow. There may be three days or so that permit work to be done on the house. The insulation has to be put in, the metal/tin/whatever has to be put on the roof, the window has to be installed. And then, of course, there's still the matter of the siding that got melted off the back of the house, the counter that got burned and ruined, and the cabinet that got sliced from the outside with the firefighters axe or whatever it was; it was sharp, so, that's really all that matters.
Note: As a reminder, these posts are mainly a way for me to keep a record of what's been happening with the repairs being made on the house. If, for whatever reason, you find this interesting, that's great! If not, that's fine too. Just don't give up on me so soon. I promise to post more uncomfortably honest blogs that make you wish you hadn't read them, but somehow couldn't help it. ;)
Stay tuned!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Day 5 of Construction
Day 5 of Construction
January 13, 2014 - Monday - 9:43PM
Another morning where I awaken to the sounds of hammering coming from overhead. I was scared a man would fall through my ceiling, however unrealistic that may be. Of course it didn't happen. That doesn't mean it couldn't.
After realizing that I wasn't going to be getting more sleep any time soon, I got up, reluctantly, and went in the living room where the others were sitting on the couch, all wrapped up in blankets.
We sat there talking until one of the guys came in the back door, saying they needed to get into the attic.
Uh...okay?
So he went in the other room, where the opening to the attic is in the closet, but came out after only being in there for a minute or so. Yep, forgot the ladder. I don't think these particular guys (the attic guys) have been here before. The first guy didn't even know which room the door to the attic was in until we told him when he started going in the opposite direction.
After he and another attic guy disappeared into the space above our heads, my sister decided to take a shower (which, I myself was skeptical about, worrying that they might could see through the fan thinger that's in the ceiling of the bathroom). Luckily she got finished before we had to skidaddle right out of our own house.
See, what happened was that my dad had been told by the head construction person that they were going to be working on the outside of the house, on the back porch, so we didn't really need to be out of the house. Apparently these other attic people didn't communicate with the construction crew or Dad; the attic guys had to finish spraying some type of sealer in the attic, the kind from the other day that I guess never got completed. So, they "suggested" that we not be in the house while they do that.
So.
So we were all rushing around trying to get our things together and carry dog kennels down to the basement so the dogs could stay down there, away from whatever fumes were expected to make their way into the house. None of us had had any breakfast and my sister was the only one to get a shower. After taking care of our kitties, we all walked to the neighbors' house, where the rest of us got to take showers and get something to eat. Thank God for neighbors who let you use their shower and eat their food. Amen.
The walk wasn't too bad, except that there was mud everywhere. I could feel my sneakers sinking into the squishy earth with every step. It could have been worse though. It could have been raining. Or snowing. Or frigidly cold. But the weather was nice; around 58 degrees.
That's about it for the construction that was done today. I'm not too sure what they actually did outside, other than take the tarp off the hole in the side of the house, remove the plywood that was covering the window hole, and make a big mess in the kitchen where junk was coming in through the "window." They did re-cover it with one of their sheet type things, fortunately.
As far as I know, the electrician is supposed to be here bright and early tomorrow morning to put all the ceiling fans/lights back in and hook up the wiring so that we can install ceiling fans in the bedrooms that don't yet have them.
Well, it was nice sleeping in yesterday morning. I shall miss it this week.
January 13, 2014 - Monday - 9:43PM
Another morning where I awaken to the sounds of hammering coming from overhead. I was scared a man would fall through my ceiling, however unrealistic that may be. Of course it didn't happen. That doesn't mean it couldn't.
After realizing that I wasn't going to be getting more sleep any time soon, I got up, reluctantly, and went in the living room where the others were sitting on the couch, all wrapped up in blankets.
We sat there talking until one of the guys came in the back door, saying they needed to get into the attic.
Uh...okay?
So he went in the other room, where the opening to the attic is in the closet, but came out after only being in there for a minute or so. Yep, forgot the ladder. I don't think these particular guys (the attic guys) have been here before. The first guy didn't even know which room the door to the attic was in until we told him when he started going in the opposite direction.
After he and another attic guy disappeared into the space above our heads, my sister decided to take a shower (which, I myself was skeptical about, worrying that they might could see through the fan thinger that's in the ceiling of the bathroom). Luckily she got finished before we had to skidaddle right out of our own house.
See, what happened was that my dad had been told by the head construction person that they were going to be working on the outside of the house, on the back porch, so we didn't really need to be out of the house. Apparently these other attic people didn't communicate with the construction crew or Dad; the attic guys had to finish spraying some type of sealer in the attic, the kind from the other day that I guess never got completed. So, they "suggested" that we not be in the house while they do that.
So.
So we were all rushing around trying to get our things together and carry dog kennels down to the basement so the dogs could stay down there, away from whatever fumes were expected to make their way into the house. None of us had had any breakfast and my sister was the only one to get a shower. After taking care of our kitties, we all walked to the neighbors' house, where the rest of us got to take showers and get something to eat. Thank God for neighbors who let you use their shower and eat their food. Amen.
The walk wasn't too bad, except that there was mud everywhere. I could feel my sneakers sinking into the squishy earth with every step. It could have been worse though. It could have been raining. Or snowing. Or frigidly cold. But the weather was nice; around 58 degrees.
That's about it for the construction that was done today. I'm not too sure what they actually did outside, other than take the tarp off the hole in the side of the house, remove the plywood that was covering the window hole, and make a big mess in the kitchen where junk was coming in through the "window." They did re-cover it with one of their sheet type things, fortunately.
As far as I know, the electrician is supposed to be here bright and early tomorrow morning to put all the ceiling fans/lights back in and hook up the wiring so that we can install ceiling fans in the bedrooms that don't yet have them.
Well, it was nice sleeping in yesterday morning. I shall miss it this week.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Day 4 of Construction
January 9, 2014 - Thursday, 10:50AM
Day 4 of Construction
Not much was different this morning than the past mornings of this week. Got up (unwillingly). Showered. Gathered my things; laptop, The Book Thief, notebook. Put my dog on a leash and made my way out the back door and through power cords, angled boards holding beams in place, and hoping my dog and I didn't step on any nails as we walked out to the camper.
Thankfully it isn't too cold today. Not nearly like what it was on Tuesday. It's probably around 40 degrees at the moment. But since it's been so cold of late, we haven't been able to get running water in the camper; the pipes would freeze. That means no use of the sink, toilet, or shower. So, unfortunately, if we have to potty, we have to either hold it or go to the neighbor's since we can't really get back inside our house while they're working on it.
Today the men are setting the new trusses in place, which requires the use of a ginormous crane. Every time I've seen a huge truss swining through the air, I get really nervous, worrying that something will happen and it will fall onto our house and smash it to pieces.
So far so good.
Though it is getting old having to wake up super early every morning and rush to get ready and haul all my stuff out to the camper, I am glad to be seeing some progress. It's been a long time coming, that's for sure. We've been living with a hole in the back of our house for two months now. I'm not sure when that will get fixed, but we're getting there.
The only thing I really hate is being cold so much. Throughout most of the day, some part of me is cold. Hands. Feet. Ugh. I wish I was like Elsa (from Frozen) and could say that the cold never bothered me anyway. But that's not the case, unfortunately. I don't have magical powers to make it snow, or to create a magical snowman who comes to life, or to build a super amazing ice castle. Oh well, we can't all be magical cartoons. That's life.
I suppose that will do for the time being.
Later - 7:50PM
Well, looks like (as of right now) I will get to sleep in tomorrow morning. Win!
I don't think the construction crew is coming back until Monday, due to rain throughout the weekend, starting tomorrow. Luckily they were able to get the roof on today (though it isn't finished). From what I heard it has been water-proofed and covered, so we shouldn't get rained on in our beds or anything. At least, I hope not.
Downsides To Having Your Roof Worked On By A Buttload Of Guys:
1.You have to get up at the crack of dawn.
2. They make a bunch of freaking holes in your ceilings.
3. It's really really noisy.
4. They run you out of your house.
5. You worry that a random man will fall through the ceiling of the bathroom while you're bathing.
By the time all this is over I may have some more stuff to add to this list.
Right now I'm not sure what the schedule will look like for the remaining work that needs to be done. They still have to get the tin for the roof and put that on. And then there's the roof of the back porch, which is nonexistent at present. So that will have to be rebuilt. I'm not sure if the same people will be doing that or not. Then, of course, there's the matter of repairing the damage they've done to the inside of the house. It looks pretty horrible.
Well, I think that will do it for today. I am looking forward to a nice long weekend of somewhat normalcy and hopefully a little extra sleep. And a lot less noise. Oh yeah, sounding good already.
Day 4 of Construction
Not much was different this morning than the past mornings of this week. Got up (unwillingly). Showered. Gathered my things; laptop, The Book Thief, notebook. Put my dog on a leash and made my way out the back door and through power cords, angled boards holding beams in place, and hoping my dog and I didn't step on any nails as we walked out to the camper.
Thankfully it isn't too cold today. Not nearly like what it was on Tuesday. It's probably around 40 degrees at the moment. But since it's been so cold of late, we haven't been able to get running water in the camper; the pipes would freeze. That means no use of the sink, toilet, or shower. So, unfortunately, if we have to potty, we have to either hold it or go to the neighbor's since we can't really get back inside our house while they're working on it.
Today the men are setting the new trusses in place, which requires the use of a ginormous crane. Every time I've seen a huge truss swining through the air, I get really nervous, worrying that something will happen and it will fall onto our house and smash it to pieces.
So far so good.
Though it is getting old having to wake up super early every morning and rush to get ready and haul all my stuff out to the camper, I am glad to be seeing some progress. It's been a long time coming, that's for sure. We've been living with a hole in the back of our house for two months now. I'm not sure when that will get fixed, but we're getting there.
The only thing I really hate is being cold so much. Throughout most of the day, some part of me is cold. Hands. Feet. Ugh. I wish I was like Elsa (from Frozen) and could say that the cold never bothered me anyway. But that's not the case, unfortunately. I don't have magical powers to make it snow, or to create a magical snowman who comes to life, or to build a super amazing ice castle. Oh well, we can't all be magical cartoons. That's life.
I suppose that will do for the time being.
Later - 7:50PM
Well, looks like (as of right now) I will get to sleep in tomorrow morning. Win!
I don't think the construction crew is coming back until Monday, due to rain throughout the weekend, starting tomorrow. Luckily they were able to get the roof on today (though it isn't finished). From what I heard it has been water-proofed and covered, so we shouldn't get rained on in our beds or anything. At least, I hope not.
Downsides To Having Your Roof Worked On By A Buttload Of Guys:
1.You have to get up at the crack of dawn.
2. They make a bunch of freaking holes in your ceilings.
3. It's really really noisy.
4. They run you out of your house.
5. You worry that a random man will fall through the ceiling of the bathroom while you're bathing.
By the time all this is over I may have some more stuff to add to this list.
Right now I'm not sure what the schedule will look like for the remaining work that needs to be done. They still have to get the tin for the roof and put that on. And then there's the roof of the back porch, which is nonexistent at present. So that will have to be rebuilt. I'm not sure if the same people will be doing that or not. Then, of course, there's the matter of repairing the damage they've done to the inside of the house. It looks pretty horrible.
Well, I think that will do it for today. I am looking forward to a nice long weekend of somewhat normalcy and hopefully a little extra sleep. And a lot less noise. Oh yeah, sounding good already.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
January 8, 2014 - Day 1, 2, and 3 of Construction
Day 3 of Roof Construction
January 8, 2014 - Wednesday
At this moment I am sitting in a 32 ft. camper, eating apple sauce. It is 9:11AM.
After a restless night of very little sleep, (perhaps two hours total, if that) I awoke at about a quarter after 7, took a shower, gathered some of my belongings, and headed out into the cold, to the warmth of the camper, which is our temporary home during construction (at least during the day; we're still sleeping in our house at night).
Looking out the window in the small back room, I can see our horse pasture, which is actually where the camper rests. I can also see cars drive by along the road and clumps of trees here and there.
The sounds I hear are not pleasant. Banging, hammering, sawing. Needless to say it's very annoying. However, be that as it may, I am glad that our house is being repaired from the fire damage that was done back in the beginning of November, and I'm grateful there wasn't more damage than there is.
Looking out the front window, I can see several men on top of our roof, throwing wood and other materials down into our front yard, where another man stands watching, or maybe I should say supervising.
We've got our three dogs out here with us, and, to my surprise and admiration, my dog is being so good about everything that's been going on. I was expecting him to act out and get into things, which would be understandable since his schedule has gone down the crapper just as much as the rest of ours. But I'm really pleased with how good he's being. He's so chill, not seeming to mind at all that life has been flipped upside down. Again. Maybe he's getting used to it. If so, he's doing a better job about it than I am.
Today we have some things to do, some errands to run. My sister has to work later, so I'm not sure what we'll do after that.
As far as I know, construction will most likely take up to two weeks, maybe more. Thankfully the weather is supposed to be warming up slightly as the week progresses.
That is all for now.
Later - 5:22PM
Another day has nearly passed, along with another hole in the ceiling. This time in Mom's and Dad's bedroom. I'm beginning to wonder if these people really know what they're doing. How often do multiple holes happen in roof construction? And we're only on Day 3.
But finally we're back in the house. Thank heavens!
It doesn't feel nearly as cold as it was yesterday. Of course, it hasn't been half as cold out as yesterday either. I'm extremely glad about that.
A few people are still out on the roof right now, spraying some kind of sealer, which I'm told helps to seal the smell of smoke in the wood that isn't being replaced. As it's getting darker by the minute, I'm guessing they'll be leaving any time.
We will be heading out again in about an hour or so to pick up the sister and her man. They decided to see a movie (Catching Fire) after she got off work. Unfortunately my presence wasn't welcome on the date, so I came back home earlier and took a nap in the camper. It definitely isn't a Tempurpedic, but it will suffice.
Tomorrow will most likely consist of the crew putting the roof back on, or as much of it as they can get done in a day's work.
As of now, we are planning on going to see 47 Ronin at the cinema, which I'm still debating on whether I want to watch it or not. I may decide to see something else. If you've seen it, is it good? What did you think of it?
I suppose that will do for today's entry. Headache. Gah.
Day 2 of Construction
January 7, 2014 - Tuesday
I woke up to loud, obnoxious banging coming from above me. I knew what it was, but I thought I wouldn't be hearing it this morning. We'd thought the construction crew wasn't coming because of the frigid temperatures, literally below freezing; about 15 degrees, no higher than 25 throughout the day. But, unfortunately, there was a miscommunication, and they showed up to work before we were ready, and had to rush to get out to the camper.
I had enough time to take a power-shower (a very fast shower) and grab my things and my dog and head out the door. As I was getting out of the shower, about to get dressed, I realized that there was no curtain on the bathroom window, and men were climbing onto the roof from right outside. So, finding a sheet in the linen closet, I climbed onto the bathtub in my towel and managed to cover the blasted window and preserve my dignity.
It was so freakishly cold outside that by the time it took to walk to the camper, my fingers and face were basically flash-frozen. Thankfully it was nice and warm inside the camper, though once the heat cuts off it doesn't take long to get chilly again.
Most of the morning was pretty uneventful. I read a chapter or two of The Book Thief, got on Facebook, and checked my email. But then things started going downhill when Mom realized that part of our electric-rope horse fencing had broken loose and she went out, braving the cold to try to come up with some way to repair it temporarily until Dad got home from work to fix it.
After managing to tie it up enough to keep our miniature horse safely inside, and freezing herself completely in the process, she went in the house and discovered a gaping hole in my sister's bedroom ceiling. Apparently, from what I was told, something happened and one of the guys nearly fell off the roof, and somehow the result was a giant hole in the ceiling. As unfortunate as that is, at least the dude didn't fall off and get seriously hurt. That would probably have been worse than a hole.
We stayed in the camper until the evening when the crew had finished for the day. It was cold and dark out and, to make things worse, our house was extremely cold as well. Even though our outdoor wood furnace was working overtime, it didn't reach any higher than about 65. Big difference when we're used to 75 to 78. Especially after coming in from outside and trying to get warm. We even had the oven on with the door open to let more heat in, though the house wouldn't really retain it, since part of our roof was missing.
Dad decided that we'd be better off getting Mexican takeout for dinner; its quick, it's delicious, and we didn't have to cook it. Needless to say, my sister, her boyfriend, and I were the ones sent to pick it up. And then, as if we needed another obstacle, the car wouldn't start. Awesome.
I called Dad from the car and he came out to see if he could find out what the problem was. Finally he did something that I don't understand and it started! Hallelujah!
It took a while for everything to heat up and we were able to turn the heat on, which helped but wasn't nearly as warm as it would normally have been had we not been having such a freaking cold night.
Once we had the food in our possession, (which smelled amazing, making me realize I hadn't eaten lunch) we stopped by the store for shampoo and then returned home.
My room was the warmest in the house, which was great for me, but not so much for everyone else. Mom decided to sleep in my room, being cold all day and not too keen to attempt sleeping in her bedroom, which was the coldest. I was more than willing to share, though I don't think she slept very much.
I'm hoping that these weeks of construction and restoration will go by quickly and that we'll be back in our house as soon as possible.
Day 1 of Construction
January 6, 2014 - Monday
The morning of day 1 was pretty awful. We all got up around 7 or a little before, thinking the construction crew would be here around 7:30, which is what they'd told Dad. It was messy and rainy and we weren't sure if they were going to start today or not. I don't think they knew either; they sat in their vehicles at the end of our driveway for the longest time, probably waiting to see what the weather was going to do. Finally they drove up and began working on the roof. We headed outside to the rented camper, our temporary home.
This was also the day we were planning to meet up with my sister's boyfriend, as he was coming to visit us, but at this point in the day, we didn't know for sure whether we were going to be able to make it or not. The weather channel predicted heavy snow in his area, and they weren't sure if it was wise to make the trip or not, since he lives a few hours from us. We waited and waited and after a couple hours he texted and said it was on. Hallelujah!
We decided that the best thing to do would be to put the dogs in kennels in the basement where there would be a bit less noise, though still more than enough hammering, banging, and God knows what else. Although, it was rather difficult to actually get in through the basement door because the construction crew had left giant walls of plywood leaning against the side of our house where the basement is. We ended up having to yank the plywood wall away and let it fall to the ground. They'll never know it was us, we said. They'll think it was the wind, we said. (They were on lunch break at the time, gone somewhere to eat.)
After getting our pets settled we headed off to meet the sister's man.
But first, something very important: Lunch. That's right folks - Chick-fil-A!
The food of zombie slayers.
The trip didn't seem very long now that I had chicken and waffle fries inside me.
On the way home a stop was made for chinese food because we were all tired and exhausted and no one felt like cooking anything. (I promise we usually eat much healthier than this.)
When we arrived back home we saw that the entire roof was gone from the back porch, so I guess the crew had made quite a bit of progress.
I stayed up too late, thinking I'd be able to sleep in since, I thought, the crew wouldn't be here the next day due to the frigid temperatures. How wrong I was. But, looking on the bright side, I did get the conclusion finished for my "Series of Events" short story, which will be up on the 5th of February. If you haven't read the posted chapters yet, what are you waiting for? Go check it out!
I'm really happy to have finished it, since often time I will have a great idea for a story and get excited to start it, but then something always comes up and I neglect to complete it. Hopefully I will work to do better about that this year.
January 8, 2014 - Wednesday
At this moment I am sitting in a 32 ft. camper, eating apple sauce. It is 9:11AM.
After a restless night of very little sleep, (perhaps two hours total, if that) I awoke at about a quarter after 7, took a shower, gathered some of my belongings, and headed out into the cold, to the warmth of the camper, which is our temporary home during construction (at least during the day; we're still sleeping in our house at night).
Looking out the window in the small back room, I can see our horse pasture, which is actually where the camper rests. I can also see cars drive by along the road and clumps of trees here and there.
The sounds I hear are not pleasant. Banging, hammering, sawing. Needless to say it's very annoying. However, be that as it may, I am glad that our house is being repaired from the fire damage that was done back in the beginning of November, and I'm grateful there wasn't more damage than there is.
Looking out the front window, I can see several men on top of our roof, throwing wood and other materials down into our front yard, where another man stands watching, or maybe I should say supervising.
We've got our three dogs out here with us, and, to my surprise and admiration, my dog is being so good about everything that's been going on. I was expecting him to act out and get into things, which would be understandable since his schedule has gone down the crapper just as much as the rest of ours. But I'm really pleased with how good he's being. He's so chill, not seeming to mind at all that life has been flipped upside down. Again. Maybe he's getting used to it. If so, he's doing a better job about it than I am.
Today we have some things to do, some errands to run. My sister has to work later, so I'm not sure what we'll do after that.
As far as I know, construction will most likely take up to two weeks, maybe more. Thankfully the weather is supposed to be warming up slightly as the week progresses.
That is all for now.
Later - 5:22PM
Another day has nearly passed, along with another hole in the ceiling. This time in Mom's and Dad's bedroom. I'm beginning to wonder if these people really know what they're doing. How often do multiple holes happen in roof construction? And we're only on Day 3.
But finally we're back in the house. Thank heavens!
It doesn't feel nearly as cold as it was yesterday. Of course, it hasn't been half as cold out as yesterday either. I'm extremely glad about that.
A few people are still out on the roof right now, spraying some kind of sealer, which I'm told helps to seal the smell of smoke in the wood that isn't being replaced. As it's getting darker by the minute, I'm guessing they'll be leaving any time.
We will be heading out again in about an hour or so to pick up the sister and her man. They decided to see a movie (Catching Fire) after she got off work. Unfortunately my presence wasn't welcome on the date, so I came back home earlier and took a nap in the camper. It definitely isn't a Tempurpedic, but it will suffice.
Tomorrow will most likely consist of the crew putting the roof back on, or as much of it as they can get done in a day's work.
As of now, we are planning on going to see 47 Ronin at the cinema, which I'm still debating on whether I want to watch it or not. I may decide to see something else. If you've seen it, is it good? What did you think of it?
I suppose that will do for today's entry. Headache. Gah.
Day 2 of Construction
January 7, 2014 - Tuesday
I woke up to loud, obnoxious banging coming from above me. I knew what it was, but I thought I wouldn't be hearing it this morning. We'd thought the construction crew wasn't coming because of the frigid temperatures, literally below freezing; about 15 degrees, no higher than 25 throughout the day. But, unfortunately, there was a miscommunication, and they showed up to work before we were ready, and had to rush to get out to the camper.
I had enough time to take a power-shower (a very fast shower) and grab my things and my dog and head out the door. As I was getting out of the shower, about to get dressed, I realized that there was no curtain on the bathroom window, and men were climbing onto the roof from right outside. So, finding a sheet in the linen closet, I climbed onto the bathtub in my towel and managed to cover the blasted window and preserve my dignity.
It was so freakishly cold outside that by the time it took to walk to the camper, my fingers and face were basically flash-frozen. Thankfully it was nice and warm inside the camper, though once the heat cuts off it doesn't take long to get chilly again.
Most of the morning was pretty uneventful. I read a chapter or two of The Book Thief, got on Facebook, and checked my email. But then things started going downhill when Mom realized that part of our electric-rope horse fencing had broken loose and she went out, braving the cold to try to come up with some way to repair it temporarily until Dad got home from work to fix it.
After managing to tie it up enough to keep our miniature horse safely inside, and freezing herself completely in the process, she went in the house and discovered a gaping hole in my sister's bedroom ceiling. Apparently, from what I was told, something happened and one of the guys nearly fell off the roof, and somehow the result was a giant hole in the ceiling. As unfortunate as that is, at least the dude didn't fall off and get seriously hurt. That would probably have been worse than a hole.
We stayed in the camper until the evening when the crew had finished for the day. It was cold and dark out and, to make things worse, our house was extremely cold as well. Even though our outdoor wood furnace was working overtime, it didn't reach any higher than about 65. Big difference when we're used to 75 to 78. Especially after coming in from outside and trying to get warm. We even had the oven on with the door open to let more heat in, though the house wouldn't really retain it, since part of our roof was missing.
Dad decided that we'd be better off getting Mexican takeout for dinner; its quick, it's delicious, and we didn't have to cook it. Needless to say, my sister, her boyfriend, and I were the ones sent to pick it up. And then, as if we needed another obstacle, the car wouldn't start. Awesome.
I called Dad from the car and he came out to see if he could find out what the problem was. Finally he did something that I don't understand and it started! Hallelujah!
It took a while for everything to heat up and we were able to turn the heat on, which helped but wasn't nearly as warm as it would normally have been had we not been having such a freaking cold night.
Once we had the food in our possession, (which smelled amazing, making me realize I hadn't eaten lunch) we stopped by the store for shampoo and then returned home.
My room was the warmest in the house, which was great for me, but not so much for everyone else. Mom decided to sleep in my room, being cold all day and not too keen to attempt sleeping in her bedroom, which was the coldest. I was more than willing to share, though I don't think she slept very much.
I'm hoping that these weeks of construction and restoration will go by quickly and that we'll be back in our house as soon as possible.
Day 1 of Construction
January 6, 2014 - Monday
The morning of day 1 was pretty awful. We all got up around 7 or a little before, thinking the construction crew would be here around 7:30, which is what they'd told Dad. It was messy and rainy and we weren't sure if they were going to start today or not. I don't think they knew either; they sat in their vehicles at the end of our driveway for the longest time, probably waiting to see what the weather was going to do. Finally they drove up and began working on the roof. We headed outside to the rented camper, our temporary home.
This was also the day we were planning to meet up with my sister's boyfriend, as he was coming to visit us, but at this point in the day, we didn't know for sure whether we were going to be able to make it or not. The weather channel predicted heavy snow in his area, and they weren't sure if it was wise to make the trip or not, since he lives a few hours from us. We waited and waited and after a couple hours he texted and said it was on. Hallelujah!
We decided that the best thing to do would be to put the dogs in kennels in the basement where there would be a bit less noise, though still more than enough hammering, banging, and God knows what else. Although, it was rather difficult to actually get in through the basement door because the construction crew had left giant walls of plywood leaning against the side of our house where the basement is. We ended up having to yank the plywood wall away and let it fall to the ground. They'll never know it was us, we said. They'll think it was the wind, we said. (They were on lunch break at the time, gone somewhere to eat.)
After getting our pets settled we headed off to meet the sister's man.
But first, something very important: Lunch. That's right folks - Chick-fil-A!
The food of zombie slayers.
The trip didn't seem very long now that I had chicken and waffle fries inside me.
On the way home a stop was made for chinese food because we were all tired and exhausted and no one felt like cooking anything. (I promise we usually eat much healthier than this.)
When we arrived back home we saw that the entire roof was gone from the back porch, so I guess the crew had made quite a bit of progress.
I stayed up too late, thinking I'd be able to sleep in since, I thought, the crew wouldn't be here the next day due to the frigid temperatures. How wrong I was. But, looking on the bright side, I did get the conclusion finished for my "Series of Events" short story, which will be up on the 5th of February. If you haven't read the posted chapters yet, what are you waiting for? Go check it out!
I'm really happy to have finished it, since often time I will have a great idea for a story and get excited to start it, but then something always comes up and I neglect to complete it. Hopefully I will work to do better about that this year.
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