Sometimes we wonder if we are somewhat cursed as a family. Whenever our life seems to just become a bit better, disaster strikes us at the most inopportune time. We strive to overcome these setbacks and eventually we do but it takes a lot out of us and we wonder how further ahead in life we would be if these things do not happen.
Friday Evening
So it was on a Friday evening just three days before Andrea was due to enter the hospital to give birth to Patrick and I was sitting down in the living room reading my paper while Andrea took a bath upstairs. A few minutes later, Madeleine came downstairs to wish me good night but she greeted me with not a smile but an expression of horror. I could not understand what she was trying to say bu then she grabbed me by the arm to show me what she saw.
Turning the corner to the hallway between the foyer and the living room, I saw what she saw and what she walked through. Before us was a deep and spreading pool of raw sewage that was coming from the downstairs half bathroom. Our toilet had seemingly exploded.
I knew there was no time to waste so I went to the garage to get the shop vac to start sucking up the sewage. I must have sucked up 40-60 gallons of sewage and depositing it outside. The affected area was large and everywhere.
After getting the immediate situation under control, I put in a call to the local Roto Rooter to send someone out. My thought was that the whole problem was a clogged drain and when Andrea drained her bath, the water had nowhere to go but out of the downstairs toilet. So a quick run with the drainage snake to break up the clog would take care of the cause of the problem is not the aftermath.
So the plumber came out, checked that the clog was not on the city line thus was on my property. We went down to the basement garage to where the clean out valve was located. We positioned garbage cans around the valve to catch the outflow of sewage when the valve was released and believe me, it was a lot of sewage that came out. Pushing the cans out of the way, the plumber looked down the pipe and did not like what he saw.
He did not see a clog or obstruction down the pipe. What he did see was that the pipe had broken clear off from the outside pipe to the city line. Dirt from the ground above had settled into the area where the pipe should have outflowed and this was the obstruction that blocked the flow.
The plumber told me that the problem was outside of his means to fix and that I would need a specialist plumber to fix the problem. He said that if the problem required to dig up the pipe with a backhoe, the expense could run into the thousands of dollars. In any event, I could not use the plumbing in the house except for emergencies until the problem was fixed.
So here was my problem. I had no plumbing. My wife was supposed to go to the hospital in three days. I had to travel to South Carolina the next day to pick up Andrea’s mother to bring back to Winston-Salem.
Saturday morning
Despite the events of the night before, I decided I need a good rest to take on the day. My first call of the day was to my insurance company to put in the claim. They mentioned to me that they had on retainer, companies that specialised in disaster recovery such as home flooding. Then I put in a call to a friend of the family who is a contractor for some advice on dealing with this situation. He did give some advice but then also volunteered to come over to give Andrea some assistance on this matter while I was on the road.
With plans in motion, I set out for South Carolina. I did not want to do the road trip with so much to do at home but Andrea wanted her mother to be with her for the birth.
So our friend came over and started the process of removing carpet and vinyl flooring. A little later, the disaster recovery team continued the process as well as bringing in dryer to start removing the moisture in the plywood flooring and spraying all surfaces with anti-bacterial agents. The dryers were to be in the house all weekend and they were incredibly noisy. As well, it was advised to Andrea that since she was pregrant, it was not advisable to be in the home during this time. As we had no plumbing in any event, we knew we had to go to a hotel that night.
Saturday Evening
Like I mentioned before, we seemed to be afflicted with more than our share of bad luck. Looking for a hotel room proved more of an ordeal than we imagined because this was the weekend that the Furniture market was taking place in High Point and consequently, hotel rooms all over the Triad were booked solid. Mind you, I was still on the road when all of this was happening. I kept in touch with Andrea on the day’s progress via cellphone so I could not help her in figuring out where to find a hotel. She had to use the old fashioned Yellow Pages. Eventually, she was able to find a room on the North Side of town so I had to gather all of the family together including Andrea’s mother, luggage and other accessories when I arrived back in Winston late that night. It was about 9:30 that evening that I was able to settle down and relax.
So it was a most trying 24 hours that we experienced in our lives. But it was only the start of things for us.
It has been a long time since I wrote any of my Daily Notes. So what would I have written during my prolonged absence?
Wake Forest Football took a major hit this year. That 5 game losing streak with games lost by the closest of margins did not do justice to the performance that Riley Skinner has put in for the past 4 years taking the team to 3 bowl games including the Orange Bowl in his freshman year. He has put in records that will take years to break. So it has been disappointing. Part of the problem was the loss of so many seniors from last year on defence. That defence made the difference in so many games over the years and proven to be irreplaceable in many ways. But that is life in college football. A constant turnover of players year in, year out but it is the programs and traditions that keep several schools competitive year every year. Wake is not there yet and next year will bring many unknowns especially at quarterback. But the team has something to look back on as it builds for the future.
The neighbourhood coffee shop, Confluence Coffee closed shop after 15 months in business. Continual losses made the shop a drain on the resources of the church that was maintaining it. It’s a pity for it was a good place to go but then again I never went there frequently like many others and that is what lead it to its demise.
Downtown Winston-Salem has been quiet of late regarding new developments but it looks like some new things will be happening on Trade Street at Seventh with a new restaurant. But it seems that with each new entry in the local market, someone else leaves like the Camel City Cafe at the Stevens Center.
On politics, alot of things are happening. Health care seems to be slowly moving forward. Whether it becomes a reality before the New Year depends on the political will of the Democratic Senators. It can happen if they remained united.
As one war winds down, another starts to heat up. There is no doubt that President Obama will be making a firm commitment to the war Afghanistan. The question is what exit strategy will be employed. There can not be a blank cheque here.
I missed not taking autumn photos this year along with the Ballonfest. Missed out on other events as well. Will have to pick it up next year. Xmas parade coming up this weekend, though.
One more year and Madeleine will be in kindergarten. She is growing up fast.
Been a few months since downgrading my cable television to the bare minimum. Not really missing much other than the HD quality. Been renting from Netflix to make up some of the difference. I have plenty to catch up on especially as I have not been to the theater at all in months.
I think this has been the wettest autumn I have ever seen here in Winston since I moved here in 2002.
… and that is all I wrote.
Quiet start to the week. Hot one too with temperatures probably hitting near 100°F(40°C) when factoring in the humidity. Mowing the lawn even after 7pm proved to be an ordeal. After getting through half of the yard, my tshirt was drenched. I figured that was a good point to stop for the evening. Resuming the mowing this evening.
Not sure if I want to keep on doing this year in, year out for 6-8 months of the year. I would really like to rebuild the backyard to eliminate most of the mowing and make it low maintenance but I hesitate though in going through with it. It is a big back yard making it ideal for young children to run and play, to let their imaginations run wild. If there was an open field nearby where they could do the same, then that would have take care of that need but being a subdivision, public spaces are rare. We’ ll see for the future I guess.
Looking forward to Bookmarks festival on September 12th. No real big names this year so far but Justin Fox, columnist for Time Magazine, will be there promoting his new book, Myth of the Rational Market which is getting stellar reviews. It is going to be downtown this year which should make for some interesting venues. I expect the lawn area on Civic Plaza to be utilised to some degree.
Speaking of things to do on a weekend, Saturday is Fan Fest for Wake Forest football. Every year, I promise myself I would go but never able to because something comes up. So far, I have kept my calendar free this weekend so we shall see if I get there.
A long time ago, 8 years to be exact, life was sweet. I was earning extremely good money as a software developer and Andrea was working as an assistance activities director and our combined salaries was over six figures. We had money in the bank, able to eat out every week, did not have to worry about buying anything we needed as we could definitely pay for it. We even bought bought two brand new cars.
But things happen and ever since then it has been a hard scrabble trying to get by. Getting laid off, moving to a new state to find work, medical issues, pregnancies and buying a new house for a growing family all have contributed to our current situation now.
When you have a one income family, the luxury of having a fallback position is obviously not there. Before, the second income provided us with the buffer to do the things we want to do outside of what we need to live. But since Andrea no longer works full time, my income alone carries us.
Of course, being in the profession I am in, I am reasonably well paid. Supposedly above the median income for this area. But the past few years we have taken on a lot. Losing a second full time income, buying a new home and the expense of moving and furnishing that home, medical bills galore arising from Christen’s hospitalisation and Andrea’s pregnancy with Nicholas. Of course now, being pregnant with Patrick means another hospital bill, one even more than before given changes in our company’s health plan: about $8000 out of our pocket.
It is overwhelming.
So to meet the bills, current and future, we find ourselves now adopting a much more frugal lifestyle.
So the first thing is look at what we cut back on. Some things are fairly obvious like do not eat out as much. So now, we eat out at a good restaurant just once a month now, around the time I get paid. On occasion, we may pick up a meal at Wendy’s or McDonalds; if we extend ourselves, perhaps at the K&W cafeteria.
Then are the decision of whether we need it or don’t in terms of the value it gives us for the price we pay. So it was that our cable service is now reduced to the bare minimum. No more HD channels for awhile; indeed it is just 10 local channels now. Also, goodbye to the cell phones. We hardly ever use them and as our contract obligations have been fulfilled, we switch to a prepaid plan. Between the cable and cell phone cutbacks, we found $110/month.
There are a few more tweaks we did like dropping the monthly fee plan at our bank. As I get direct deposit into my account, I do qualify for a no fee account but it does mean that I now have to pay for new checks, wire transfers, the ATM surcharge at other banks’ ATMs and so on. Just got to make sure that we use online payments, cash back at the grocery and a few more adjustments and we will be okay.
For the utilities, we are on fixed payment plans so that we can make more predictable budgets without the wild swings in costs during the seasons. of course that means paying $65/month for the natural gas bill in the summer time but as it builds to a credit balance, it means I do not have to pay out $200 in February for the heating cost.
But for actually savings, we can not do much more. We moderate our heat and AC consumption, lights are turned off and so forth. We do not water the lawns and use the economical mode for washing clothes and dishes.
The sad thing about our cutting back on our utilities cost is that we contribute to the problems that the utilities are not earning enough money now so they are asking for rate hikes for water and electricity now. Fate simply conspires against us.
We do not drive as much anymore. One thing we used to do as a family once a month was go on long drives along a state highway and see what is out there. While gas prices are better than they were last year at this time, it is still a considerable expense. Of course, on these drives, we used to stop at local restaurants for lunch; can not do that either.
Then are the entertainment aspects of life: go to fewer movies, concerts, shows and so forth. We did not do a lot of that before and consequently, we are not saving much by it. Still, a family can not be entertained by television alone so Andrea and I have taken to playing cards on occasion to pass away the time. We will start doing board games too.
Looking at what we spend in a month, there are not too many more things we can do to cut back. Most of our costs are relatively fixed. The only item that we can control is the grocery bill.
Surviving a recession when it comes to food is sometimes a choice between eating to be fed and eating to be fit. That is to say, you can eat cheaply and enough to feel satisified but generally that means eating a highly processed high carb diet. Plenty of bread, pasta, cheap frozen meals, canned goods. The alternative is eating fit which means eating higher quality foods like fresh fruit and vegetables and cooking with whole foods wherever possible. To do so though means a higher grocery bill. Freshness and nutrition comes at a price.
My feeling is that we eat too much as it is and not very well. Perhaps buying $15 worth of various berries and carefully parceling it out to last a week may prove more of a benefit than buying $15 worth of snack cakes.
Another thing we taken to doing is buying as much of the month’s groceries up front at the beginning of the month using a calendar to plan meals. The plan has gone through fits and starts especially when the menu starts get switched around because of change of plans for the evening but it does allow us to concentrate on what is important and not buy needless items. if it is not on the menu, then we do not buy it.
Perhaps by going through this recession, we may come out of it much better people. Lower debt, better diets, perhaps more socialable as a family are good things to accomplish. It definitely requires a change in the lifestyle we have been accustomed to along with the many sacrifices it entails but in the end I think it will be worth it.
Last night, I took the family around Winston-Salem to view the variety of light displays people have put up for their homes. Some Christmas displays were relatively conservative with icicle type lights hanging from their eaves. Perhaps they have reindeer in the front yard or they had inflatable Christmas icons like Santa or Frosty the Snowman seem to be popular this year.
Then there are those who think Christmas is the time to indulge their inner Las Vegas stage show designer.
I have seen homes lit up with so many lights that street lighting is redundant. I have seen homes that crowd their front lawns with everything under the sun: lights, inflatables, nativity scenes and so much more. A bit too much.
Yet there were two homes or drives that stood out for me. Both were along Jonestown Road. The first is on Lazyboy Lane. From the road, you can see a series of arches wrapped in lights to give the effect of a tunnel or path. As you drive along the one lane road, you will see a series of lighted displays. Some were obviously store bought but there are others that showed the creativity of the people along the street as they wrapped lights in a variety of poses to show a candle or a cross. Some of the trees had their entire branch structure traced with lights to a lovely effect. In a way, it was like driving through a neighbourhood version of Tanglewood Park’s Christmas Light Display.
The other location is up the road a bit off at Hazelwood Drive which is just off Crestwood Drive. This is a home where the owner went all out. They set up a light show synchronized to music which you can listen to on your FM radio. It was simply amazing. Very well done especially when you realised that many of the displays had multiple lights on them for different colours and effects. There are also a menagerie of inflatable of every kind in the back yard but they seem more of an add on to the show rather than enhancing it. One wonders what this light show as well as the increased traffic has on the neighbours. But I guess for 2-3 weeks of the years, everyone is willing to put up with it just to see the show themselves.
As for us, we fall into the conservative camp though not for lack of prompting from the kids. Never decorate our home before for Christmas on the outside. But since this is our first Christmas in a home that we can truly call our own, we decide to do something.
We have a classic home facade. No porches, no balconies, very flat with windows with shutters on the sides. So like many others in our neighbourhood with similar homes, we have a hand made wreath on the front door, candles for each of the windows facing the street and our conical hedges wrapped in light nets. Very formal and elegant. Next year, when I can get a tall enough ladder, I may put small wreaths on the windows along with the candles. I doubt I will do much more than that. Being loud and over the top is just not me. I prefer to concentrate my efforts on the inside of the home where I can enjoy it in comfort.
No question this is a rough time for home sellers. A recessionary economy, tightening lending requirements along with declining consumer confidence are all making for a definitely marketplace.
While Winston is not Florida or California in terms of a collapsing housing market, it has been affected by the broader trends in the current economy. Which makes me think that some people just do not realise that perhaps their homes may not be worth as much as they think it does and that whatever price they set it at does not reflect market reality.
I say this because I am still getting daily updates from our realtor through whom we bought the house we are now in. If a new listing comes onto the market or there is a price change then I will see it listed.
First off, I am seeing some price reductions in the listings. Homes that were originally $174,000 are now selling $10,000 to $14,000 below their original selling price.This is probably right as it is going to take a lot now to get people interested in seeing and buying a home now. What surprises me though are those people who just take $100 or $400 off the price. I am not sure what they are trying to accomplish. Any vigilant house hunter will know the history of a listed property and trying to fool people with a different price point like the old $7.99 prices in the store which is suppose to make you think that an item is $7 and not $8 in value just is not going to work.
Then there are those who establish listing prices without checking what other properties are selling for or are ignoring the advice from their selling agent who should know what houses sell for in the area.
While I think I could have gotten our house for a bit less if I held out for a bit longer, I think the price we paid and the deal we got was a good one. Looking at the listed homes that are selling at the price we paid makes me think people have an inflated view of their house’s worth or I have gotten a better deal than I thought. Thirty year old ranch houses on the outskirts of town should not be the same price as my recent two-story home located in a well-developed neighbourhood. Same for three bedroom homes with 30% less square footage in some of the new subdivisions. They are going to have to do better when it comes to selling their home if they want to do it right now.
Then again, they may not have to reduce the price of their home. If there is no compelling need to sell the house like a job transfer, it may be to their advantage to hold out for more because at some point the housing market will recover. If the house fits their current living needs then why sell in a declining market? In many ways, these sellers will help contribute to setting a floor for the market. Just down the road from us, there was a house that was listed at the same time are our house was.From the time we first saw it and then after we bought our home, the price never changed which was just a bit less that we paid for our home. At some point, they must have given up on selling it because the For Sale sign is no longer there. But whatever compelled them to list the house in the first place, it should compelled them to re-list the house once more when the housing market improves.
Still, if you want to sell a house right now, you have to make some serious decisions on what the market will allow you to list the home in order to make it move not what you think the house is really worth. Otherwise you ar setting yourself up for a big disappointment.
Despite decidedly outplaying Duke on Sunday, Wake Forest is still not getting any respect from the people who do the rankings for NCAA basketball. While I did not expect the Deacons to get into the top 25, at the very least they should have received some votes. But on the AP and USA Today polls not one vote cast and on the computer rankings for teams getting into the NCAA Tournament, Wake is way down the list behind teams with weaker records and teams they have beaten already like Miami and BYU. No respect at all…. Democratic primaries tonight in Wisconsin and Hawaii. Consensus view is that Barack Obama should win both but Hillary Clinton is making a fight out of it so it may be closer than most people imagine. We should have results after 9pm…. Pondering a decision on furnishing the house. Should I make the attempt to put in wooden floors on the main floor? We are getting new furniture sometime soon so if there is a time to do any major renovation this is it but reflooring is costly and should wait for the future but it will be a pain to start moving heavy furniture around. We will see about that but we are definitely repainting the living room. Milk Chocolate walls just do not cut it for me. Just way too dark
Note
This is our new new home. We are now starting to move into our new home after finishing the purchase this week. It has been hectic getting the financing in place and then start the move process but it is happening. It is a good looking home and the interior is quite fine but we will make our touches upon it to make it ours. Over the next several months, we will chronicle the changes to the home in the photos set on Snaps