Hovel Sweet Hovel….an Update

Just when I was hoping to get through the rest of the year without spending anymore $$$ on home repairs and just go broke covering Christmas presents, my handyman informs me that I probably need to get the siding of my house over my sundeck replaced because some of it’s loose and the wood is rotting behind it causing rain to run down the flat roof on my sundeck to my chimney and drip down my newly repaired tile in our office; which could lead to a leaky roof again. OH JOY!  Nothing major yet has happened….but before the bad weather comes……blah, blah, blah……you know the rest.  Whoopdie Do!  Let’s see what my ‘guilt-free’ options could be……

 

So for the last two days…and counting….I have been working to the melodious tones of excruciatingly loud hammering and shouting….lots and lots of shouting. (Rich, my handyman is a little deaf and his son, Keith, has to shout across the roof to him; and he shouts back….I’m not sure why.  I’ts  like a comedy act.)  My computer room is literally right next to where they are working…only to be separated by the stairs going down to my living room.  I can hear every whack of the hammer and every loud shout going on.  It’s not so bad when I’m just working on the computer…I can tune most of it out; but it’s really amusing when I get a phone call.  Hey, I can deal with it for another day; which is what it will take to finish.  They’re doing a nice job; and they are really nice guys that always do their best and I feel are fair.  One thing I have always trusted all my life…married or single….is my feeling for people…my intuition; and Rich and his son are really good people.  Very hard-working, down-to-earth…’what-you-see is what-you-get.’

 

So, it looks like I’ll be adding a little more $$$ to the Homeowner’s Loan my husband and I took out a few years before he passed away….the one I’ve been trying to pay off…and not add any more to; but I guess that’s what it’s there for.  God knows I’m not about to go through any more leaky ceiling days.  Been there…and done that.  Thank You.  I'm sure the siding on the rest of the house won't look quite as nice as the new stuff by comparison; but you know...somehow I think I can live with that for now.  I think it's called 'priorities';  something I'm becoming quite good at...especially with this old house.   ~Joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PET PEEVES THAT DOGS HAVE ABOUT HUMANS

'1'

Blaming your farts on me.....not funny... not funny at all !!! 

   

 

 

 

 

'2' 
Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG 

 

 

 

 

'3' 
Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out.  Exactly whose walk is this anyway? 

 

 

 

 

'4' 
Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose.  Stop it! 

 

 

 

 

'5' 
The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. 
You fooled a dog!  Whoooo Hoooooooo what 
a proud moment for the top of the food chain. 

 

 

 

 

 

'6' 
Taking me to the vet for 'the big snip,' then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back! 

   

 

 

 

'7’ 
Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests.   Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

 

 

 

 

 

'8' 
Dog sweaters.  Hello ??? 
Haven't you noticed the fur? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'9' 
How you act disgusted when I lick myself. 
Look, we both know the truth.  You're just jealous. 

 

 

 

 

 

Now lay off me on some of these things.  We both know who's boss here! 
You don't see me picking up your poop do you? 
EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY.  A DOG ALWAYS OFFERS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  CATS HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT! 

Comments

[Nancy]

Joy,

Just as I was reading all the bad news about your leak and you having to get new siding and all,my cursor landed on that black cat and all I heard was this loud purring.

It struck me so funny;that damned cat being so happy in the midst of your house troubles.

So,if that was MY cat there would be no Fancy Feast tonight,just dry old Nibbles and Bits or something like that till she learned to show a little concern for you......

[kenju]

Sorry about the house repairs, but you know, it's always something!!

Love the dog quotes.

[Rain]

It does seem like repairs come along at the most unexpected and unwelcome times. Not much way around them either. Glad yours will be done soon and you have someone trustworthy to do them

[Val]

I hear ya. I've been giving serious thought to selling and getting a condo but then I realize that I may not like the neighbors and they are pretty close in a condo. Plus now my home is only worth half of what it was worth 2 years ago. Its a dilemma every woman has, along with the fear of getting taken advantage of because most of us know nothing about home repairs or auto repairs. If I had a young girl now, I would seriously try to get her to take these subjects in school. I fear my next major purchase is going to be a new roof....its been quite a few years since I've had that done. Big hugs Joy...I know this is stressful. xo

[Kay Dennison]

Argh!!!!!!!!! I don't own my place -- I just live in fear of Miss Ruby needing repairs. I'm glad you seem to be handling it well. It sounds like you have excellent help and that's a blessing!!

[jen]

Wish I had a handyman. Oh well, better to get things fixed now before they cause worse problems and the timing's always off ey?

[Darlene]

I always say that trying to keep this old body and an old house going is getting very expensive. I feel for you, Joy, as I just got a lot of minor repairs done when the heat pump started acting up. Before I had that fixed (Do you know those guys get $75 an hour here?) one of the toilets and my shower faucets started leaking. It's never ending.

The dog jokes are hilarious and if you have ever owned a dog you are sure that's what they must be thinking. I love the cute puppy photo.

[Junie Rose]

Ahhh-Joy- so sorry you are having more house repair problems!

:) all of those doggy jokes were really funny!

Junie

[Alan G]

Well I don't envy you but we've all been there I suppose. Every now and then I get the urge to sell my house and move into some maintenance free/worry free apartment or something, but in the long run, repairs and all, living in my house is the cheapest way out since it is paid for. So I guess I'll just spend the rest of my days here.

I am thinking about getting one of those Wal-Mart caskets though for my living room. I may have to get rid of my couch to make room however.

Loved the little doggie quips...

[cassie-b]

Cute doggie comments. Thanks for the chuckle.
I think that every house is ready to take any extra dollars from your pocket.

Glad you have someone you trust to do the work.

Cas

[Tara R.]

We have a few home repairs to do too, but have kept putting it off. I'm not looking forward to the noise or the expense.

The dog comments are so true... we have dogs and cats. With the cats it's more like they are just tolerating us.

[chancy]

Buddy really, really agrees with the doggie comments. He says they are all true.

I am glad the repairs are over.

[Cop Car]

Joy--You are smart, smart, smart to take care of your problem before it gets bigger/worse. Kudos! Sorry to have missed my regular rounds, lately. Good to "see" you.

Val--Thirty-some odd years ago, I fought (verbally/logically) the Superintendent of Schools to get our daughters into shop classes. I learned a lot of things from my electrician father; but, they didn't have that advantage and I felt they needed to know more about using tools than I did. I won, by the way!

Alan G--I gotta come see your living room after you install your new purchase from Walmart. Wow! You and Abbigail (from the original NCIS).

[Paul Nichols]

Well, don't keep me in suspense. How's the fix-it project going? Those guys still there yelling at each other, or does the whole place now look and feel safe and secure? Hope so.

Your dog stuff reminded me of a dirty joke. One of the funniest I ever heard, but...

(PS I wasn't listening on purpose.)

[Merle]

Dear Joy ~~ I am so sorry that you have more expense before Christmas,
but we have to do these repairs or
things get worse.
Peter arrived this evening (Wed) and we are both on our computers.
He is pretty tired after his long trip, so we won't be up too late
(not like you) I try to get to bed by midnight, but often it is later. Take care, Love, Merle.

[joared]

I nearly went into shock when I read you were once again dealing with "water-in-the-house" syndrome -- even if it was just a bit by comparison to your previous indoor swimming pool conversion. I'm still haunted with nightmares of you running around your coffee table to combat the problem. Am glad you're getting this new challenge to sanity (designed to empty the pocketbook) resolved before you resort to even more drastic measures than you took before.

It's about time we heard what the dogs are thinking and gained a little perspective from their point of view.