Well I've relocated across state to my parents house until my house is rebuilt after the fire.
ServPro was fired after I informed Allstate they let my house flood and there is mold everywhere.
Now the contractor I am going to use for the rebuild is also doing the demoliation and not ServPro, so that is good on many different levels.
Other idle musings:
1. My parents are bordering on being hoarders I’ve realized. Not been to their house in several years. They always come to me, stay with me, since my brother and their only grandchild is only a few miles away and I have a lot of space. As somebody somewhat OCD and who likes order and organization, it is kind of freaking me out. There is not a single surface that isn't filled with something. My father collects books and M&M stuff (yeah, didn’t know that was a category of products — but clearly it is). Mom stuffed bears. The pics I will eventually post would hurt most folks heads.
2. On the good news front, since my father bought the house across from where they live, which my great-great-grandfather built, just for his books, I have my "own" space. And they are giving me space. As a 48 year old dude, never married, I need my space. Not had a roomate sine like 1993. I am both used to and enjoy being alone.
3. I have faith in the contractor we've hired, but starting to worry me. My brother knows him. He has to know my parents have money. He is suggesting things that are way outside what I want to pay. Sure my folks might help a little here or there, they are wonderful people, but everything is like $2,000 or $5,000. I told him my adult life is basically project management. I respect him up-selling me and offering suggestions based on his experience. And I will differ to it the way my best clients do with me. But when I do it I provide a framework and an estimate. Instead of telling me this or that in a house that still looks like it was "firebombed," how about you provide me with blueprints and estimates.
4. Along this line he suggested I only finish one of my two floors. Again there is some logic in this. I have a five bedroom house. I have WAY MORE house than I need. I could live on the top floor. Where my office and kitchen is. Also two other bedrooms and the living room. But even with 30+ percent depreciation on the structure itself, he is talking about doing nothing on the first floor. Not even drywall. This seems insane to me.
5. My parents have about the most wonderful grocery store in a small rural town of 12,500 in rural southern Illinois. My little grocery store where I live (moved from DC and used to Eastern Market or Fresh Fields), I was heard the first time going into it saying, "I feel like I am shopping in a third world country." From a food point-of-view my parents are pretty simple and frugal. They shop at the other, discount store. Here I am able to get good grains and rices. Cheeses. Humus. Breads. They have 7+ pre-made salads in the deli. Not everything is meat :).
6. THEY HAVE SIDEWALKS ON EVERY STREET. In my town they don't. When you walk about 10 miles a day as I do, and you have to keep your head on a swivel worried about getting hit by a car, my gosh this is so welcome. THEY HAVE SIDEWAYS!
7. I've always planned on adding a Little Free Library to my front yard, just never done it. I just saw my first one in person. In my "good deed" of the week in a day or so I will take a box of books to them. Saw my father in many instances had 2-3 of the same book, figured if he didn't recall he had the book, so in a used bookstore bought it again, he'd never notice them missing :)!
8. I am not that close with my mother’s sister side of the family. Long, long story. But more than anything they are very religious. Honestly IMHO (and it is my opinion of course) they attend a church that is just a step up from the minister (or whatever they call them) from snake handling. They think they can prey away cancer. And aunt has cancer and only months to live. Cousin died 14 or so months ago for 8-10 so minutes, eight months pregnant. Terrible heart problems now. Her kid, Jonas, who survived having seizures. I’ve found being able to talk to them face-to-face we are able to find common ground we couldn’t find online. They openly said yI don’t respect their faith when we first talked this week. I said nope, if my mother told you that, it isn’t accurate. I don’t believe what you believe. I am not a religious person, an atheist. I tend to worship Mother Earth. You God/Christ. I also practice PMA, or positive mental attitude. I don’t think you can pray away cancer, I will be blunt about that, but I do think if praying for you is like me thinking positive thoughts, that can help your health. We might not be as far apart as you think. That went over very well. Also said I hope you will respect what I think, and for as long as I recall I’ve never passed judgement on those that think different thoughts then myself on this topic, because if I did then way would you respect what I think. I want respect both ways. There was agreement on this pretty much across the board. This made me very happy.
9. Being able to buy almost everything you own, just the basic stuff, from scratch again is an interesting thing. That I could get a wallet that also holds my Field Notes. Cool. A key-chain that is also a survival EDC (Every Day Carry) thing. Cool. Instead of my Fitbit or a $500 Casio a Samsung Gear smart watch. Cool. The list could go on and on.
10. I am more than a little “metro sexual.” The amount of money I spent on cloths and shoes is embarrassing. I guess I could make Allstate pay this or that for the high-end cloths I normally buy. I saw no reason to do this, so mom took me to a few Goodwill type places. I also had spend most of my savings on a new phone, computer, and stuff like that. I was poor and too proud to ask my parents for money. 20 years ago I spent $225 for some Keen sport sandles. Wore them for 20 years. I got some Keen hiking shoes for $4.50, almost brand new. Abercrombie & Fitch shorts for $2.50. And some flat out cool tee-shirts, like Batman and The Green Lantern for $1.50.
So things are going as well if not better than I could have thought. I wouldn’t say “life is good,” but my gosh it could be so, so much worse.