Spoke too soon

Oops! The water didn't start pouring in until after the rain stopped. I guess it had to fill up the walls and all the other spaces before it started coming into the house.

Maybe I'm having a bad day, but I just want this to be over. I want my house to be fixed. I don't want water everywhere each time it rains, I don't want this mildew smell everywhere, I don't want paint peeling off the walls, I don't want to be afraid every time I turn on a light switch, I don't want to be emptying buckets of water all day long. I'm over it. Really, really, over it. I want to have time to do something else besides emptying buckets and calling the insurance company or the homeowners people or FEMA or the one million other hurricane-related calls every day.

I finally called the insurance commission of the state of Florida. They told me I'd have results within 24 hours.

Guess what? My insurance adjuster called me three hours later and made an appointment to come over Friday morning. A small win, I guess, because I'm sure that we will not agree on the cost of the repairs. Nor on what part of the structure the repairs begin. My insurance says from the 'paint in', the property management policy says from the 'wainscott out' (I never knew what a wainscott was, it's the outside covering of your house). So, that leaves about 12 inches unaccounted, that neither insurance will pay for. It all has to be torn out and replaced, there is no other option. Maybe I can figure out how to do it myself?

And the stupid homeowners association (I should have abbreviated that second word) levied a $5000 assessment per owner for repairs. They "graciously" gave us 60 days to pay it. What the ?????? How the hell do they think that anyone who lives here just has $5K laying around? After all this crap? "Take a home equity loan", they say. Well, a home equity loan requires an appraisal, and if anyone were to appraise my home right now, they'd appraise it at zero. Who is going to lend me money against a house that I can't sell?

It's all enough to make a girl cry. But I won't. I won't. I won't...BWAAAAAHHHH......

I just want it fixed. I want it back the way it was. And then I want to sell it, and get the heck out of Florida.

Buenavista, here I come!

Cat

Rain, rain, go away...

Finally, we've had a few sunny days, although as I write this it is raining again. But, I think at last we have enough layers of tarp and tape and gook on the roof because no water is coming in this time. YAY!

A FEMA adjuster came and looked at the house, but they said I'm not eligible for a grant because I have insurance, and I'm not eligible for a loan since I'm not working. Oh, well, at least they came over. My insurance company hasn't even done that yet, so everything is still a mess while I wait for them to come and look at the damage. I'm also waiting for the Homeowners Association to tell us when their insurance company will be replacing the roofs, so that I can schedule my inside work to be done after that.

It'll probably be the next hurricane season before I finish all the repairs from this one. Whose idea was it to move to Florida, anyway?

Cat

Just a quickie

Well, Wilma came and went. Lost my fence, my screened patio, and part of my roof. Only the roof is covered by insurance. Guess I will just live without a sreened patio for a while. ;-)

Also lost electricity, and phone service was intermittent. Good thing I had a trip to Mexico planned, finally got a hot shower in Oaxaca. Also made some good connections there to buy Mexican handicrafts at wholesale prices.

I will probably not update the blog again until I get home next week. I had planned to update often while I was here, but I am just having too much fun to sit at the internet cafe.

Mexico City is huge! It really makes me miss Buenavista. I am only three hours from there, I am very tempted to visit for a day, but I should take advantage of all there is to do in Mexico City while I am here. I will be back in Buenavista soon enough. (well, it is never soon enough, but I will be there soon....)

Hasta luego,

Cat