As the holiday season of 2018 comes to an end. It makes me think of all the wonderful people in my family’s life. How much love I have for the simple moments in life. A dear friends birthday celebration during this hectic time was so needed by all that came. A card game played on Christmas Eve with your husband, mother, sister and nieces (plus Noah! 🙂 had us all in stitches, even though I completely lost the game….. Lastly having a sweet moment on a lazy Christmas Day at a local Chinese buffet sitting with my little family and realizing this is what LOVE IS, what MY love is… egg drop soup on a dark night…. With no one complaining and everyone happy….
I would like to say that everything has been rainbows and sunshine at our Amana home but that would be a lie…. I have come up with new saying “A bat in a Bucket” situation. This situation is not a normal one…. it’s when all of your homes’ issues decide to take a crap on you at once…. I’ll get to that in a bit, as its at the bottom of my timeline…. OH yes, we have timeline for our issues.
The first issue started when we got our new roofs. Everything was great loved the crew, the look and the comfort of having a new roof on all three buildings. Well a month or 3 later my husband was in an attic of the old shop. Water was coming down from around the chimney. What?!? Unbelieveble this never even happened with the old roof (as we had inspections done before). A check on the other 4 chimneys yep all leaking water so much in the one on the house we had to get a BUCKET and towels. Calls was made some *fixed it* right away, but, to make a long story that”kinda makes me sick to my stomach” to think about, we still have a leak. We are trying to get this problem fixed either the roof or chimney issue and taking care of it the right way. With us doing all the legwork of course. I guess our old house, our problem. Right?Sigh…..
Living in a little village surrounded by the corn fields and woodland, sounds like a beautiful sanctuary from the normal hustle and bustle. Which it is very quaint including some great neighbors to have small chat with at our local post office 200 feet from my front (only) door. But one thing I haven’t considered with cornfields and woodlands in a small populated area… Animals a lot of Animals.
We have the occasional pack of coyotes and bobcat running through the dark village at night. A thought that makes me want to get a spiked jacket for my cockapoo…. when it goes out for her quick pasture run… or a run on my neighbors compost pile…. did I mention she is white… well most of the time. What I never realized how destructive an animal can get in the yard. Case in point. MOLES my Dad says, “Don’t listen in anyone else on facebook, it’s Moles,” lol. No pictures of the front house damage, tho, that includes tunnels and small holes apparently that is supposed to be ground hogs… oh, vey. Moles and ground hogs… animals 2 – tePoel’s 0.
Christmas Day! One of the Best Days.
My heart was full from the night before with family and the morning with my husband enjoying Five Farms Irish Cream Coffee and my girls opening up their gifts.LOVE…. Until later Isobel comes running in to our room ” Mom, there is mouse poop all over my room upstairs!” ….Eye roll…. Went upstairs ( not living in yet as hoping to start gutting next month)….Found this….
The search for this mystery animal lead us up to the leaky roof/chimney. Checking for any sign of an animal damage or poop. Didn’t see a whole lot of evidence up there. Just a few more seed things. Evan and I were more concerned with the leak and checking on any more damage( some mildew/mold now growing on north side of roof). He mentioned the water in the bucket still and the towel. I looked in the bucket to see the level of rain. And to what do my wondering eyes should appear but a dead bat in a bucket of rain water from the new roof/old chimney! animals 4.5-tePoels 1
It has taken me a few days to calm down and not want to just runway from all this combined challenges that has been pop up, without an easy answer, to fix any of it. Self doubt and worry builds. Did we made the right decision to move? Are we ‘old house’ people, really? Is this house safe for us to raise our family in? Did I mention I am a worry wort?
I took a deep breath and made more calls and some appointments set. I had to laugh at the shit show we have had. But nothing is as wonderfully summed up as a dead bat in a water bucket from our leaking roof/chimney. Shit upon shit…. No one has said this would be easy and I knew there would be challenges, BUT we haven’t even dug into the walls yet. Maybe thats the easy part?
I am sure I will have more “Bat in MY Bucket” moments in Our Amana Home. But I will also be sure to enjoy and look out for the simple moments that fill my heart and soul along the way.
Life is about the journey not the destination…. I have to remember that. 🙂
Elisha
