I cannot believe how much this weather has absolutely s*cked lately. We have had January weather since November, which is really unheard of. I hate my state, really hate it, mostly because it always seems to be cold. Honestly. We have two weeks of spring, two weeks of fall, three months of summer, and eight months of winter. Or at least it seems that way. I have promised myself that I will not die in this state. Nope. Not me. I've been studying the weather map during these cold spells, and it looks like you can plant me in Phoenix or Tampa. And I'm not fond of hurricanes, so I guess that leaves Phoenix. Habla espanol anyone? Un poco. Or, I guess we could follow DD, provided she moves somewhere warm.
I was reminded, yet again, why I hate it here so much. Last night, as we were getting ready to turn in for the night, DH noticed a disaster in the making.
Now, I've mentioned before that we have an old house. I really do love it. It was built sometime between 1870 and 1872 (no one is exactly sure). We just had it painted last year to bring out the detail work. One of the nice features is a square alcove that extends out from the side of the house. A lot of houses in our neighborhood have this. It's perfect to put a Christmas tree in. The lights from the tree shine out through the windows on three sides. When we don't have a tree there, it's perfect for a rocking chair. The sun comes in through the glass, making it a nice, warm place to read.
But. And a big but. While the rest of the house has fairly steep roofing, this little alcove area has a flat roof. Which is a big problem. There were some small areas where it looked like it had leaked through the ceiling in the past, but we'd never had a problem. Until last night.
DH heard some dripping and went to investigate. And that mofo roof was leaking like a sieve. It was just flooding in on the edges, and in two spots on the ceiling. Which just happened to be right over our tree (fortunately, the presents that we'd already had under there were toward the front and out of the way of the initial onslaught). We had to put all kinds of pots out to catch the water, though the carpet was already wet by the time DH saw the problem. DH went outside to try to break the eight inches or so of ice off the roof, since it was likely an ice dam that was causing the problem.
Holy cow. When he came back in, I noticed that he had blood all over the front of his neck. I saw one pretty deep small cut, and it wasn't clear if there were other cuts (he has a beard). Apparently, one of the killer icicles had fallen down and smacked him on the chin. I sent DH off to the local urgent clinic, where he had to explain about the giant icicle. I'm sure that was good for a chuckle. Fortunately, they were able to put a couple of stitches in without shaving his beard. That's good, because neither DD nor I have ever seen him without it. I guess the doctor had a beard, so he tried harder.
I whined to our handyman by e-mail at midnight, and he came by today and graciously chipped all the ice off that side of the house, as well as off the flat roof on the alcove. He was certainly very kind to do this on Christmas Eve day, but since we asked him to replace our gutters and install a heat strip on the outside of the roofing several times since last June, I am laying this one at his feet. He promised that he would take care of it this year. I told him that if he didn't think he could do it, then he needed to give me a name of someone who could -- this is just not going to happen again.
So, that's our latest winter adventure here. The remainder of the day was uneventful. We exchanged presents with a few of our neighbors. My dad came over, and we opened our presents to and from him to all of us, as well as DD's presents to us. We had a very nice dinner, but we ended up skipping church because the roads were freezing up. (I think G*d will understand, though He probably would prefer that we go to church more than once a year. And I wish we could.)
Even though DD took in quite a haul -- a porcupine game, some sort of small doll that has interchangeable parts, a very cool cash register (scanner, microphone, credit card swiper, etc.), Mickey Mouse ears, a beautiful hand-made doll and quilt, and some cookies, DH heard her whining about how she didn't get very many presents.
Now, I realize that she's just a child of four. She knows the reason for the season, but despite that, it's all about the presents (as it was for me and probably is for many kids her age). Given the current state of the economy though, she is one lucky child. Her cup runneth over, because I'm very good at finding sales, and I'm in shopping mode all year long. I have a lot more presents for her to open tomorrow morning. But this certainly prompted a discussion about how some kids have sore tummies because they don't have anything to eat, and many don't even get one toy for Christmas. And, she really p*ssed me off when we said a prayer tonight, and she refused to tell G*d what she was thankful for -- even after I made suggestions.
DH and I talked a bit about this tonight, and we both think that it's time for some volunteer work. Not during the holidays when they are overrun with volunteers, but a few times during the year when they really need the help. We'll have to find something suitable for a four year old. Obviously, my reminding her how blessed she is isn't sinking in. She needs to live it. If we weren't still trying for another (first Lupron shot on 1/7!), I would have her go through her toys and choose some for donation.
I don't know if she will be an only child; I hope not. But, I swear by all that's holy, she will not grow up to be one of those ungrateful brats who think the world owes her something. So far, she's very generous with my money (she always wants to put dollars in the red kettle), but she hasn't had to give anything of herself. It seems as though it's time to start.
My goodness, this post is long. Let me finish by saying that I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a New Year filled with blessings. I wish you peace. I wish you joy. But most of all, I hope that you have the opportunity to hold your loved ones close.