Wednesday, September 27, 2017

work commences


Finally sat down yesterday and made a list of 'formulas' for my color samples for the drowned feathers and rocks and just now realized I didn't do any for the sand. I have 24 opportunities, which I thought would be plenty, and quickly realized that wasn't enough. I could cut out more fiber blanket forms but I don't know where my template is or if I even kept it. I think I did. I'm pretty sure I did but what box it is in I have no idea. I haven't found it in the places I thought it might be. I could make a new template but all the cardboard from which I make such things drowned in the flood. So I guess I'm going to have to reconsider some of my formulas.


Work on the house commenced Monday and continued yesterday. Poor Rocky. He's got too much work and he's doing his best to get them all moving forward. I understand. I understand because I have been in that situation. Not fun. Makes you not want to answer the phone. He's been here with a helper he is training the past two days. Rocky's a good man. I haven't heard him raise his voice once with his helper, just explaining what he wants.

that's Rocky on the ground, he's spent most of the last two days under the house replacing the seals and floor joists

The other thing I did yesterday was finally take the long handled nippers and the stump killer and cut down and treat the stumps of all the trees growing along the fence line in front of the shop yard on the ditch side just on one side of the driveway. Minimum 15 trees...hackberries, pecans, and a tallow. Mostly hackberries. I avoided the poison ivy which has taken hold in the ditch and on the fence as best I could, used gojo hand cleaner with cold water, then soap with cold water and I hope like hell I don't get a rash. I still have to do the fence on the other ditch side of the driveway and the shop side of both sides of the driveway but I need more stump killer. Maintaining that ditch would not be such a chore or downright impossible if it wasn't so deep and so steep and now still lots of debris from the flood.

just some of the trees

FEMA has not called. It's been two weeks since I went to the convention center and conferred with the representatives there and they told me my inspector would call within one week to set up an appointment so I guess I'll be back today to find out what's going on. Several of my neighbors have already gotten their grants. Paltry amounts, really, considering how much damage but none of us had flood insurance and while technically we are in the 1,000 year flood plain and no one living here can remember when or if it ever flooded, that makes a big difference with FEMA. Have flood insurance? You get the big bucks. Don't have flood insurance because no one ever thought it would flood here? Too fucking bad. The two awards given people that I know of whose whole house flooded got $13,000 and $12,000.  And if you don't have flood insurance and you get money from FEMA and then don't get flood insurance, if it happens again, they won't help you.  

And Trump is basically telling the Puerto Ricans 'fuck you' cause you aren't real Americans and there's a big ocean and you're in heavy debt to Wall Street because I welshed on our deal.  Such a guy, that Trump.

A few random photos...

pampas grass blooming


squirrel in the magnolia tree with one of my pecans


sparkly totems


big garden spider





9 comments:

  1. Big orb spider. Look at the zipper in that web. I wonder if it's coming or going.
    You have done a lot, the grounds are looking nice.
    The woman who bought my house loved my explanation of top of the hill = flood proof. After your fifty inches of rain, she stood on the back deck and calculated how soon the creek in the ravine would fill with water and begin inundating the back yard, the front yard and spill over into the opposing ravine or run down the hill. She calculated the basement might flood. She won't tell the next owner it's flood proof.

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    1. she's been here about 6 weeks, maybe longer. getting more rotund so I guess she's got an egg sac going.

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  2. Ellen, I wonder if you realize how much you've done and accomplished in the last month. It's truly amazing. I am in awe of you.

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    1. don't feel like I've accomplished much considering how busy I've been.

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  3. I guess spiders will remain long after we humans are gone. They seem indestructible.

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  4. Good luck with your FEMA quest.
    I was wondering the other day how people who'd been impacted by weather these past weeks have been faring. I wonder if the West Coast fires got eclipsed by the Texas disaster, which then may have been eclipsed by the Florida hurricane, and then along came Puerto Rico, which is truly, truly in trouble.

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  5. fun to see what survived. FEMA is Slo-o-o-o-o-o-w.I spray gasoline on the ivy, they make a specific Roundup for it, but gas is cheaper

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  6. That is a very impressive spider. I hope the FEMA thing gets sorted out quickly. $13,000 doesn't sound like chump change to me, but I know that won't go far when you've got to restore such extensive damage.

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  7. I love that spider! And the squirrel... I hope FEMA gets their act together for you!

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.