Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia
As Long as You Have a Roof Over Your Head....or Not

This morning the local weather dude said we'll have some rain today. Since Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne blew by this area, thousands of Florida residents cringe when they hear the words rain or wind. That’s because lots of us have roofs that are so incredibly damaged. Our shingles are gone and we are living under exposed wood roofs. If you flew over this area you would see so awful many roofs covered in blue tarps. It's been since the first of September that many of us have lived in these conditions. Just after the first hurricane, I began calling roofers. Most roofing companies in this area had no phone service due to the storm and the ones who had phone service were swamped with calls and pleas for repairs and replacement roofs. Then we had two days of heavy rain as Ivan was reborn. Next came the second hurricane. We were in hurricane hell.

Then there was the insurance company's involvement. Getting estimates on roof repair for the insurance company's satisfaction was another hurdle to overcome. How can you get an estimate for repair cost when you can't even talk to a roofing company? It was oh so frustrating. It was a nightmare.

But there is now a light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday afternoon the roofer that we finally contracted with called and told me that they will deliver our shingles and all that's involved on Saturday. Next Tuesday or Wednesday they will remove our old roof and place the first cover on our roof. When the inspector ok's that, then they can re-shingle the roof and we'll be done. So you say, that's no big deal. Yes, it surely is a big deal because once this roof is repaired we can repair and repaint the interior and then we'll get our new carpeting. That's a very big deal!

Since the last storm, much of our belongings are still in big black plastic bags sitting around in our house. Large parts of our carpeting have been removed because it was soaked from the storms and we have plastic runners placed over the bare concrete. Folks, this isn't a pretty scene. When I am getting ready to go somewhere I dig through the contents of the plastic bags to find shoes, purses, etc. There was no use to unpack the bags because even though we had the tarps on the roof, leaks could still occur. Also due to all the repairs that are yet to be done inside, all my things in my closet would need to be removed to protect them from damage. It's a major mess, trust me.

No one can have any idea how happy I am today. As I told a friend last night, I feel like someone has offered me a kidney just in case I ever need one. I'm that kind of happy about getting a new roof. I know you'll probably think this all sounds kind of pathetic and I understand, but in my world it's big time good news. Even the email that I received last night from an ex-commenter on this site didn't faze me. Stevens sent me a message to F myself. Well, F him, cause even his nasty message didn't and couldn't wipe the smile from my face. Who would have ever guessed in August that I would be this happy in November! It’s all about the roofing, baby!