Cordelia's Mom, Still

The Make-Over Begins

Posted on July 16, 2015 by cordeliasmom2012

Thank you, God, for sending us that horrendous winter storm, which resulted in significant damage to my home and thus pushed me past the “maybe someday soon we should update the house” line of thought into the “well, as long as we’re having the ice damage repaired, let’s do those other upgrades we need” decision.

You will recall that we started with new windows last month. Now we began the major repair/update work:

The contractors are at the door!

1^st day: The drywall/painting contractor was late, which made me a bit nervous. But he did apologize when he got here (assistant called off), and went right to work. Two hours later, the huge hole in the bathroom ceiling had been fixed, and you’d never know there had ever been a hole there. Incredible work! Now I was really excited to see what he could do with the rest of the house.

BATHROOM – before: isn’t it ugly?

In the middle of the day, I needed to use the facilities, and of course mine was occupied (there’s only one bathroom in my house). So, I drove over to Bon-Ton – they have a nice, clean restroom. And while I was there, I naturally had to buy a few more of those shirts and bras that I really love and which only Bon-Ton carries. Let’s just add that to the tally of the construction costs, shall we?

KITCHEN – before: not great, either

Day 2: Well, we started off OK. The drywall contractor began removing the ratty paneling in the kitchen, and I was very happy to see that the east wall under the paneling was in good shape. But then, I noticed the drywall contractor up on a ladder inspecting the kitchen roof. Oh, oh, that’s not good! He had pulled off the paneling on the north wall and discovered the wall and the insulation underneath were absolutely saturated – and extremely moldy. Which means – my new roof that was installed in 2013 has failed already.

This is what we found under that paneling.

Do you have any idea how upsetting it is to see your house like this?

Humidifiers were brought in, and we all hoped the moisture was from the original ice dam and would dry up, allowing the kitchen work to continue.

Meanwhile, we tried to find the roofing contractor who installed the roof – my husband even drove over to the office address where we had originally found him – and it appears he has gone out of business. With the impending 4^th of July holiday, the chances of finding a new roofing contractor this week were slim to none.

BATHROOM – during: Teddy Rosalie loves hiding in the medicine cabinet – but it’s not there, is it ?!

But at least the drywall guy was able to finish the ceiling repair in the bathroom, so the bathroom schedule wasn’t skewed.

Day 3: The bathtub installers arrived at the same time as the drywall guy. While the bathroom guys worked upstairs, the drywall guy did some work downstairs but couldn’t continue in the kitchen. The kitchen wall was still saturated, indicating that the leak is an ongoing roof problem and not the result of the ice damage. My husband and the drywall guy went up on the roof and hosed it down, and sure enough the water came right into the kitchen. Big time bummer! The drywall guy left for the day.

One of my long-time clients is a HUGE roofing contractor (you know, one of those mega-companies which advertises on all the local TV stations). I’m generally uncomfortable asking any kind of favors from clients, especially those who tend to charge more than other companies. But this was an EMERGENCY. My client’s office manager pulled a crew off another job, and that crew was at my house within the hour. Shingles were removed, something or other was done underneath to correct the roof pitch, and the shingles were put back on. Problem solved. (Although it was recommended that we might want to re-do that particular portion of the roof even though it had only been installed 2 years ago. That’s an issue we’ll deal with another time – if I have any money left.)

Meanwhile, the bathtub installers continued to work their magic. At the end of the day, the bathroom walls had been repaired and the tub was in place. One more day would be needed to do the tub surround, faucets and finish work (the wall behind the surround needed to dry overnight). I couldn’t wait for the tub work to be done – it’s so hard to wash up in the bathroom sink! And I refused to go to my mother-in-law’s place to shower, even though she offered.

Cody after a full day of construction

Poor Cody was totally tuckered out. Bad enough she has to deal with Teddy Rosalie and Vlad the Vampire, but for three days, she’s had STRANGERS traipsing through the house – and couldn’t do a darn thing about it.

Tub is in! Looking better. (But now floor is gone.)

Day 4: Bathtub and surround installed – and they are beautiful! Should have done this years ago.

And now I have a new handyman – one of the bathtub crew moonlights, and is trying to start his own handyman service. We have lots of little jobs we can no longer do ourselves. Everyone needs a good handyman!

(And of course, the kids next door found it necessary to harass my contractors over the fence. Guess Ho-Mommy is too stupid to realize a “no contact” advisory includes our contractors and visitors. But then, she was too concerned with sunning herself in the backyard while the guys were working in the bathroom upstairs, most likely in hopes that they would watch her out the window.)

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Story to be continued. Do I have a “new” house now, or has fate been unkind? Join me tomorrow to find out.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com

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Images by Cordelia’s Mom

Posted in Pets, Teddy Rosalie, That's Life | Tagged Cody, construction, contractors, Puppy Cody, renovations | 21 Comments

Ignore the Stupid Old People

Posted on July 15, 2015 by cordeliasmom2012

While the stupid old lady (me) was undergoing all those household renovations (come back for tomorrow’s post, hint hint!), Teddy Rosalie decided it would be best to just stay outside and watch the pears ripen.

(This post is in response to Marilyn Armstrong’s Serendipity Photo Prompt #14 – Stupid Old People.)

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com

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Image by Cordelia’s Mom

Posted in Photography, Teddy Rosalie, That's Life | Tagged Marilyn Armstrong, pear tree, pears, serendipity, teddy bear | 10 Comments

Houses And Other Needy Things (Re-Blog)

Posted on July 13, 2015 by cordeliasmom2012

Today is re-blog Monday. My post(s) later this week will deal with my current house renovations – while you are eagerly awaiting that, you might enjoy the one about my house-ownership nightmares in 2013

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The toaster oven died this morning.

Now, I realize that is a minor annoyance for most people. After all, if you’re used to having a toasted bagel in the morning, being forced to have a cold bagel instead is not a great way to start off a hectic workday, but it is not a crisis situation.

However, in my case, this is just one more setback in our already unsteady financial situation.

I blame it all on the dog and my mother.

After having to replace our hazardous front porch last year, we were digging out financially and holding our own, when the 12-year-old dog became ill and had to be put down. It took over $1,000 of our minimal savings, by the time we took him to the emergency vet, had x-rays, then ultimately had to have him euthanized and cremated. I don’t regret the cost – we loved that dog, and his ashes are currently residing in a place of honor in our living room.

But then, my elderly mother became seriously ill, necessitating two overnight trips to visit her in the hospital and the nursing home, which were in a town a couple of hundred miles away. I don’t have credit cards, so all expenses for the overnight stays had to be paid in cash. Not a lot of money, and again, I am glad I went, because my mother died while I was with her – and I would have been devastated had I not been able to spend those last few days with her.

The little devil in my brain has been whispering that if my dog and my mother had not died, none of the following would have happened:

The dryer broke and could not be repaired, and the washer began showing signs that it would soon be suffering death throes, so it made sense to replace both of them at the same time – another $850.

Were we done then?

Nope, the microwave died – that was only $60 because we only use a small tabletop model, and Walmart was having a sale that week. And the iron stopped heating – another $30.

Meanwhile, it turned out that my mom did, in fact, have a very small estate, and the executor made a distribution of about $2,000 to each sibling.

OK, so the cost of vet bills, the hotel stays, the washer & dryer, the microwave, and the iron were pretty much covered.

Wouldn’t you think fate would be satisfied?

Nope.

The smaller dog got sick and we had to take her to a doggie specialist 85 miles away – $105 (that vet gave us a break because we had traveled so far to see him).

The filter on the fish tank failed – $40. I suppose I could have let the fish die since they’re only guppies, but heck, they’re still living creatures, right? And I did save them from being “feeder fish” at the pet store. And it’s so cute when every single one of them comes to the top of the tank when they know it’s near feeding time.

The weather got chilly, and the furnace croaked out. We had three different reputable contractors tell us that not only did the furnace need to be replaced, but since the hot water tank was just as old and could leak at any time (thereby flooding the basement and ruining the new furnace and the new washer/dryer), it would be best to replace that, too. In the process of replacing these items, it was discovered that we needed a dedicated electrical line for the hot water tank. And then, it was discovered that the main water shut-off to the house was corroded, about to go, and had to be taken care of immediately.

Total by the time that was all completed? About $4,800.

Done yet? Not on your life.

It rained, and rained, and rained. The ceiling in the master bedroom began to leak.

Granted, when we moved into the house almost 20 years ago, the home inspector told us we had about 5 years left on the roof. So we were 15 years over that estimate.

And the roof had to be done NOW, before winter set in. Every single contractor we called said that because we already had several layers on the roof and there were now holes, the roof could not be repaired – it would have to be a total tear-down and re-roof.

The first estimates came in at between $6,200 and $8,000 (thank God it’s a small house). But we didn’t have $6,200-$8,000. So we shopped around.

We were already into Fall, and here in Buffalo, NY, snow can come really early. I cringed every time it got windy or looked like rain.

Finally, we found a young, recently established roofer who had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. He was able to do the roof for $4,600 and got it all done in ONE DAY by bringing in 10 men to do the work.

I had to borrow $1,200 from a relative to meet the cost of the roof.

OK, so now we’ve GOTTA be done, right?

Nope, my car developed: (1) first, a flat tire, and (2) transmission issues. Thank heavens, the tire could be patched (only $15), and the transmission repairs were covered by the warranty.

So – NOW we’re done?

Nope, the toaster oven died this morning.

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I’m almost afraid to go home after work today. There are still a few items in my house that haven’t been repaired or replaced in the last few months. I don’t want to jinx myself by telling you what they are.

And Christmas is coming, as is tax season.

And – I still have to pay Cordelia for all her blogging advice. Thank heavens she lets me pay her with food and drink!

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ADDENDUM: Immediately after scheduling the above for publication (and I mean, within days), I was driving home on a dark, rainy night and ran over something I couldn’t see, shredding another tire. New tire – $170. Please — am I done yet?

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As always, I love to hear from my readers. You may either comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com

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Images by: j valas images, and Alice Chaos, and Mark Purcell, and SalFalko, respectively

Posted in Re-Blogs, That's Life | Tagged broke, finances, getting by, houses, money, needful things, poorhouse, repairs | 23 Comments

“It’s going to be a really bad summer for you.”

Posted on July 9, 2015 by cordeliasmom2012

Bring it on!

Like hell it is.

You will recall the alleged ball-over-the-fence incident on Saturday before Father’s Day. If not, read the story here.

Sunday (Father’s Day) was quiet.

On Monday, my husband convinced me that we needed to talk to the Town Police about what happened, in light of the fact that I had told the patrol officer on Saturday that I had not heard the neighbor pounding on my door for 15 minutes, when in fact, I had. On Saturday, I was so afraid that he would break the door down that I decided not to admit having heard it, for fear he would get back at me for dissing him. Thus, we went to the police station and relayed this information to the desk sergeant. We were advised that should it happen again, to tell the neighbors that they are not welcome on our property, which includes the front steps, porch, driveway, front and back yard, and that if they did not leave immediately, we would have them arrested for trespassing.

Monday evening was quiet.

Tuesday – after work, we took Cody for her usual walk. Upon arriving home, we discovered a heavy basketball in the middle of our backyard in an area where it could only land if it had deliberately been tossed over the fence while standing on a ladder. The ball had not been there earlier. Within 2 minutes of our entering the house, a pre-teen was knocking on our door. This was a kid we had never seen before who did not live in our neighborhood, but apparently was visiting next door – and the poor kid wound up being sent over as the sacrificial lamb. My husband was not happy. He became The Angry Adult. He told the kid in no uncertain terms that the police had told the neighbors not to throw crap in our yard anymore and to go back next door and tell the adults that no one is to come knocking on our door ever again – but that we would throw the ball back when we were ready to do so.

Which I did, about 20 minutes later – unfortunately, the only part of the fence where it is easy for me to toss balls back is right in the “jungle” side yard where my neighbor hasn’t mowed in several years.

Yes, those are maple trees growing from spinners that landed in my neighbor’s un-mowed site lot. We have since cut those branches back on our side of the fence.

Sure enough, not too long afterwards, Psycho Dad from across the street was knocking on my door. I was just getting out of the shower, so my husband waited for me to come down before he would answer. Psycho Dad got pissed when we didn’t respond IMMEDIATELY, and began pounding on the door. I started dialing 911, but then hubby decided to open the front window and confront Psycho Dad that way. Hubby merely told Psycho Dad that we had already thrown the ball back, and then closed the window.

I was not happy. The police had advised us to read the riot act to the neighbors, and hubby had not done so. Hubby and I had words. I took Cody out into the backyard.

Photo by Helena Ericksson (click for link)

Hubby followed, then went to the front gate and called Psycho Dad over (Psycho Dad had been next door playing with Ho-Mommy’s son and his friends). The conversation started off amicably enough – male bonding type handshakes, exchange of first names, etc. Then, hubby said, “Listen, I received a report that you were pounding on my door when I wasn’t home on Saturday and upset my wife.” Psycho Dad began twitching, his eyes began skittering. The conversation went downhill rapidly:

PSYCHO: Report from whom? From her? (pointing to me standing a few feet behind my husband.).

PSYCHO (to me): You can come up here, you don’t need to be afraid of me.

ME: I’m not afraid, I’m a witness. (I then joined my husband at the gate). I heard you pounding on Saturday, it sounded like you were trying to break my door down.

PSYCHO: You heard? So you lied to the cop?

ME: No. I said I didn’t hear it because I was scared. But then we went to the police station Monday evening and told them what really happened.

Psycho Dad wasn’t thrilled to hear that.

Psycho Dad began to rehash the whole what-are-we-supposed-to-do-if-a-ball-comes-into-your-yard discussion that we had on Saturday. I reiterated that they could wait until we threw it back, but that we would eventually throw it back.

Meanwhile, Psycho Dad’s eyes were flashing and he was bouncing on his toes like he was about to enter a boxing ring.

Finally,

ME: Listen, the long and short of it is – you are not welcome on our property. If you so much as step one foot past that front sidewalk, I will have you arrested for trespassing.

PSYCHO: Oh, I’m not allowed on your property? Well, then I’ll just send the kids over. You can’t stop them from knocking on your door.

HUBBY: That’s endangering the welfare of a child.

PSYCHO: What do you mean?

ME: Failure to supervise.

Now, granted as you’re reading this, it probably seems mild and somewhat civil, but you weren’t there. Psycho Dad was yelling and waving his arms and twitching all over. I reiterated that if he comes onto my property ever again, he will be arrested for trespassing, and that goes for Ho-Mommy and the kids as well. (And no, I did not refer to her as Ho-Mommy, although I surely was tempted.)

PSCHO: Oh, you’re going to call the cops? I’m a cop. I have friends on the force, and no one’s going to come when you call.

[Psycho Dad is a customs officer at one of the international bridges – a peacekeeping position, but not a true cop. He only has limited authority on the bridge itself, unlike real cops who risk their lives every single day.]

HUBBY: You’re not a cop.

PSYCHO DAD: Well, what do you think I do?

ME: You work at the bridge.

PSYCHO DAD (speaking to me as if I’m a 2-year-old): And what do I do at the bridge?

I swear at this point Not CM, or the devil himself, took over my personality because my response was:

ME: You’re a toll collector.

Photo by Alvaro Tapia (click for link)

Psycho Dad went absolutely ballistic. He began screaming, “You people are assholes, and you’re going to have a really bad summer!”

Hubby and I looked at each other, and we both pulled out our cell phones. Which one of us would call 911 first?

Psycho Dad (who claims he has friends on the force, so why is he concerned?) immediately began speed-walking back across the street, screaming “You people are assholes!” the entire time. Not CM (or the devil himself) made me call after him, “That’s nice language to use in front of those kids.” He screamed “Fuuuuuuuuck yooooouuuuu!”, went inside his house, and turned all the lights off.

This is a guy who has a federal job in which he is required to carry a gun. Should we be concerned? I certainly think so.

We immediately called 911. A very nice patrol officer arrived. At the point where we told the officer that Psycho Dad claimed to have friends on the force, the patrol officer simply stated, “Well, I don’t know him, and this is going to be finished tonight.” We told the patrol officer that we wanted no contact from any of those neighbors, but that should a ball come over, we certainly would throw it back the next time we were out with Cody, which usually is every few hours.

Ho-Mommy and Psycho Dad were advised of our wishes, as was evidenced in the police report (“Neighbor acting in threatening manner – ongoing problem – neighbors advised that complainants wish no contact.”)

Just in case, this isn’t the end, hubby went and spoke with the DA who covers our town. The DA reiterated that should there be any future incidents, we should immediately call 911, at which point Psycho Dad will be arrested and the DA can step in.

I’m feeling much better now. Things have been quiet the last few days.

What started out as a big game of “Lets harass the old people so that they’ll move and our friends can buy their house cheap” didn’t work out the way it was planned.

Never piss off Cordelia’s Mom – it usually doesn’t go well.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on m Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com

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Top image and side yard photo by Cordelia’s Mom. Click on other photos for credit links.