Post Thanksgiving News

"Grateful in the Storm"

Where do I begin?

Well lets see...

* a wind storm on the night of November 16th ( a Wednesday) took out a tree and some power lines a couple blocks away from me, right in the parking lot of a local propane dealership...sparking a fire that had the authorities on thier toes for the better part of the day.

Thankfully there were no explosions! Although the power was out all day.

* The following night, I discovered wet carpet in my bedroom, alerting me to a leak in the hot water heater.... and since it was midnight when I noticed it, there wasn't a darn thing to do but try to sleep and deal with it in the morning. I went to bed prayerful that it was not a pouring leak...and was thankful to find the next day that it was a slow drip, and that a pile of laundry on the floor in the closet had absorbed a good part of the water... but still, we do have particle board floors (I'm in a mobile home) that may need replacing.

Thankfully, the bathroom, which did get wet, will dry sufficiently enough that ServiceMaster won't have to replace the floors in there too. (I'd be up a creek - excuse the pun - if they had to pull out the toilet and shower too!)

* That all happened the day before my 52nd birthday. I seriously thought I was going to have a lousy birthday, but thankfully, my best friend saved my rear and took me out for dinner and a movie to get me away from the chaos for awhile. Thank You Lory!

* The insurance company couldn't get here til Monday ...and then Monday we got 6" of snow and they had to postpone, so I had to run fans and a heat 24/7 all weekend and pull up the carpet and get the wet pad out.

Thankfully, I was on a waiting list for a local low-income service to come in and do weatherization, and they called Friday morning, and came out that very day and put in a new hot water heater, so my water was only shut off for the day.

And, thankfully, those guys were really nice and helped me pull the carpet pad, and shift my living room furniture around, and move my bed out to the living room.

* Then, after the snow storm, we had temps drop lower than we have seen them in these parts in many years... we hit 11 degrees the night after the snow storm! Thankfully, I kept a drip going in the faucets and the pipes didn't freeze, and the power stayed on. Praise God!

* Thankfully, The insurance company finally got over here on Wednesday night (Thanksgiving eve), and the poor guy was under the house looking for the wet spots for over an our in the cold and snow...brrr! He set up dehumidifiers and fans all over the back end of the house... which have to run constantly until everything is dried out, and they say that may be a week. *sigh* Trying to sleep with all that racket is a real chore. They have to come in every day and check thier equipment while it's here, so I have guys in and out all the time, and thats gunna get worse before it gets better.

* The weatherization crew is due early Monday morning, and I have no idea how they are going to juggle doing what they need to do with the insurance companies crew in here tearing floors apart.

* and I have no idea how I am going to pay for the utility bill, which I know is going to be astronomical.

Thankfully, I have faith in God. He's always taken care of me.

And this too shall pass!

And, I was picked up by friends on Thursday who took me to the church with them for Thanksgiving Dinner...which was really nice, and I came home with a huge plate of great food...and the girl-dog and I had a feast the next day on that. :)

And, Thankfully, we woke up Friday to a warming trend which had melted most of the snow, making it possible for me to finally get my van out of the steep driveway.

It's been a heckofah week.

Lord, give me patience. Help me sleep. Give me your peace. Help me pay the utility bill. Keep my loved ones safe. And please, please, I need a reprieve! Please keep anything else from going wrong. Thank you Lord for always taking care of me. ~ Amen.

If ya'll haven't checked out my store at Zazzle, I'd sure appreciate it if now was the time ya did. And I don't feel a bit guilty for askin'. http://www.zazzle.com/RanchLady

Hugs and Blessings to ya'll this Holiday Season.

Maybe I'll acctually have my house back together even nicer before Christmas, ya think?

~ RanchLady