Friends in High Places

Come November, Jim and I will have lived in this house for eleven years.  Eleven years!  As an Army brat and then a pastor's wife, I've never lived in any other home this long.  As previous posts will attest, we have lived with less than lovely environs.  We've just  been biding our time and saving our money.  Soooo, last year we were able to tackle a major renovation.  Now we are just working on the little things like replacing the front door, replacing siding and the finishing touches like curtains and furniture.  All in good time.

We live in farm country and have open fields of corn and soybeans surrounding us.  This leaves lots of open space for the wind to visit and take a few shingles with it with each blustery blow.  This morning, we had a roof.  But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and homeowners often go awry...that God, that God shur is a funny one, yes siree-Bob.

This is what our roof looked liked this morning .  Take note of the red tree in the background.  You'll see why.  This view is a few years old.

                                                                                                      This is what our roof looks like tonight. Oh, and don't mind the lovely plywood.  That's just another part of the finishing touches we have yet to get to.  First, we think about a new roof, then we think about replacing the siding.  Priorities, you know.

There's a wee bit of a leak through the roof which soaked a bit of the insulation in our attic and allowed water to drip through the ceiling in our hallway and master bedroom closet.  That would be the new ceiling and closet.  You know, the one we spent eight months sleeping on the basement floor for last year.  Um, yeah.


I think I'll have a little bit of the giggle-fits.  Slap me!  Slap me!

Okay, I'm better.

And this is the little garden in front of the house...

                                                                                 

...and our front yard. Jim found some of our shingles in the cornfield across the way and said that the wind was so strong that the shingles sheared stalks of corn.  Yikes.   That's a mighty wind!

Red tree NOW. 

I would like to put a plug in for USAA (United Services Automobile Association).  We have our homeowners and auto insurance through them, as well as our one and only credit card.  I cannot
praise them highly enough.  These services are available to people who are in or who have served in the military and their families.  We qualified for their services because my dad was a member.  One of the wisest choices we've ever made and now our children are members, too.  You can find out if you might be eligible here.  Anyway, while we were hearing and watching our shingles go the way of Dorothy and Toto during tonight's storm, I called USAA.  It was after hours, but I got connected to their emergency services.  An adjuster will be out Monday or Tuesday, but we were instructed to contact a local company dealing in emergency services to have them come put a tarp across the roof.   My new friend and USAA employee, D.J. Perez, told me to "make sure my family was safe first" and then take whatever measures were necessary to prevent further damage.  Oh, and I should save the receipt for the emergency services.

Fortunately for us, we called White House Cleaning and Restoration.  "Hello, Houston, we have a problem".

                                        This is Jeff, my new hero. 
 

Within 30 minutes, one of his guys was on our doorstep to scope out the situation.  In a few hours, the backup crew will be here with the tarps and they will get right to work.  It's 10 pm right now, so these gentlemen will be working in the dark.  God bless 'em.  And so now, we wait. I figure now is as good a time as any to write this little adventure down (stress relief, you know?).   Oops!  10:24 pm and they have arrived!

 

In the shadow of a half moon which you could see better if I had a better camera! (and if I were a better photographer).

After the storm.  

Dear God, 

Are you trying to tell us something?

I think you have a great sense of humor.

Thank you.

Amen.

Is a double rainbow the same as a pinky-promise?

12:29 pm - Jim calls down to me..."Hey, Jan?"  

Me:  "Yeah?" 

"The guys just left".

Me:  "And?"

"It just started raining again and there's a storm as bad heading here from Chicago".

Somebody up there must really love us.

Thank you, God, for new roofs and friends and for USAA and for letting it all work out so we can still leave on vacation Sunday and also attend a memorial service for a friend in Vermont.  Amen and amen.

(I would ask that we all keep in our prayers the families and individuals in Oklahoma, Tennesee and Arkansas who have not been as fortunate as we have.)