((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~
I decided to start a new thread, because this saga doesn’t belong in Jim’s memorial thread.
INSURANCE CONNECTION
Today, Julia and I called my insurance claims department on a conference call. She is wonderful. Her mom has cancer and is in hospice. She couldn’t be more compassionate, especially now that she knows our entire story.
And am I ever fortunate to have our Claims Adjuster (I’ll call him CA)! Julia later said “I liked his demeanor right away.” So did I, and he continued to be caring and friendly. He asked me what our plumber did to repair the leak, and I deferred to Julia. She replied, and he asked, “you mean the gear box?”
I laughed. “This is why we need Julia. I have no idea what a plumbing gear box is.” They laughed.
I feel like I have two new friends.
START UP BEGINS
Then the phone calls began. Restoration company will come out tomorrow to place dehumidifiers in the bathroom and Jon’s bedroom closet. They will run constantly for 2-3 days.
A subcontractor will be here also to take dry wall samples to determine whether we have asbestos or lead. He’ll punch small holes in the walls in various places. Results usually within 24 hours.
Another call from the asbestos/lead sub, and the owner’s name is Jonathan! Really nice guy, who wanted to email me an authorization form to sign to perform the tests. He said if I had any questions to call him. Then, he called again to tell me that his technician will bring the form on his phone, and I can sign it tomorrow. Saves me having to figure out how to use Adobe whatever it is to sign it on line.
CA called to go over my policy and answer questions. I told him about the humidifiers and the testing. He said the dehumidifiers are loud, but they can close the doors to the bathroom and the closet to mitigate the noise a bit.
He also described the asbestos removal. A big plastic sheet across the doorways, with a zipper down the middle of it. The removed dry wall goes into special bags, taped, and put into special bins.
There will be no insurance inspector. After the walls are opened up and the floors removed, the techs will contact CA and give him a virtual tour using their phones.
I asked the CA about replacing the tub/shower with a walk in shower, and he said that I would have to pay the difference in cost. I expected that, which is fine. Unless the toilet is damaged, which it isn’t, it will be retained, which is also fine. The bathroom cabinet is the original with a built in sink. I’ll upgrade that too.
We have Pergo flooring in the garage, intended for the kitchen originally. That can be used for the upstairs bathroom. We have a tattered piece of linoleum on the floor now, a temporary fix until Jim could get to installing a new floor. I sure don’t want that replaced “in kind."
Julia estimated that it will take a month to 6 weeks to finish the entire project. It will be a disruption definitely, and I hope I can hold up through that very long amount of time.
MAKING A QUIET SPACE OUTSIDE
I plan to hose down the patio furniture, wishing that I had a nice lofty lounger to put there.
Our gardeners cleaned up the backyard, whacked the weeds and gathered up all the leaves and debris. The owner, who has been tending to many yards on our streets for decades, asked me today, “How’s Jim?”
My heart sank. “Jim passed last month. He liked you very much and appreciated everything you’ve done for us through the years, and so do I.”
He was sad and said that he was sorry. I asked him about his wife, who is a cancer survivor, and he said that she was doing well. I was so happy for him and his wife.
Once the pond/waterfall are working again, I can sit on the patio to escape some of the chaos. Unfortunately, we’re having a heat wave right now. It’s 91 degrees currently, and this will last at least until Thursday.
At this point, very early on in the process, of course, I must say that everyone has been kind, understanding, and caring toward me. After listening to our life story, Julia said, “I’m so touched by your descriptions of your Angels, but I have to say, you are an angel, and they were lucky to have you.”
“The person I am is because of them. Let’s just say we were and are all blessed to have each other.”
And, I know that all three of my Angels are watching closely over me right now. All of the best people to help me are falling into place. I’m sure that they are this way with all of their clients, but now that they know our entire story, I’m confident that they will do everything they can to make this as painless for me as possible.
NEIGHBORS
I can just imagine the chatter between the two remaining residents on our street, who have lived here for 30 + years. They know us well, but they wouldn’t lift a finger to help us. They are nosy, and not subtle about their digging for dirt. At least one of them has a camera to keep track of activity on the street. They probably belong to a neighborhood watch or something similar. So, they probably know when the paramedics, police and hearses arrived and departed for Jon and Jim.
They see John (and they know him, of course) coming and going here constantly. All of the bags he’s removed and put in his car. “Something is going on over there. I wonder what it is. Hmmm…” I can imagine them saying.
Now, they’re going to feast on the constant commotion with the restoration. I owe our next door neighbors. They completely remodeled their home with construction nearly every day for 3 years. All while Jon was in ICU, and Jim was trying to sleep in the daytime. We told them; they ignored us. So, they get to deal with it for 6 weeks on the other side of the fence.
I can also hear this being said, “Well, at last. She’s fixing up that hovel!”
Yeah, I know them. And I got over them a long time ago. I will never hear them say, “I’m so sorry for your loss.” They don’t have that within them, so it would be meaningless anyway.
I feel sorry for them and pray that they find kindness and caring invading their hearts. How can anyone be truly happy without love inside of them and emanating from them?
You can have the most beautiful house and yards in the neighborhood, but if love doesn’t live there, then it’s just a house, not a home.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. I wish you lived next door!!!
I love you, and I pray for you and your loved ones every day.
Be well. Be strong. Be safe. Take super good care of yourself.
Love & Light,
Rose
*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!”
I decided to start a new thread, because this saga doesn’t belong in Jim’s memorial thread.
INSURANCE CONNECTION
Today, Julia and I called my insurance claims department on a conference call. She is wonderful. Her mom has cancer and is in hospice. She couldn’t be more compassionate, especially now that she knows our entire story.
And am I ever fortunate to have our Claims Adjuster (I’ll call him CA)! Julia later said “I liked his demeanor right away.” So did I, and he continued to be caring and friendly. He asked me what our plumber did to repair the leak, and I deferred to Julia. She replied, and he asked, “you mean the gear box?”
I laughed. “This is why we need Julia. I have no idea what a plumbing gear box is.” They laughed.
I feel like I have two new friends.
START UP BEGINS
Then the phone calls began. Restoration company will come out tomorrow to place dehumidifiers in the bathroom and Jon’s bedroom closet. They will run constantly for 2-3 days.
A subcontractor will be here also to take dry wall samples to determine whether we have asbestos or lead. He’ll punch small holes in the walls in various places. Results usually within 24 hours.
Another call from the asbestos/lead sub, and the owner’s name is Jonathan! Really nice guy, who wanted to email me an authorization form to sign to perform the tests. He said if I had any questions to call him. Then, he called again to tell me that his technician will bring the form on his phone, and I can sign it tomorrow. Saves me having to figure out how to use Adobe whatever it is to sign it on line.
CA called to go over my policy and answer questions. I told him about the humidifiers and the testing. He said the dehumidifiers are loud, but they can close the doors to the bathroom and the closet to mitigate the noise a bit.
He also described the asbestos removal. A big plastic sheet across the doorways, with a zipper down the middle of it. The removed dry wall goes into special bags, taped, and put into special bins.
There will be no insurance inspector. After the walls are opened up and the floors removed, the techs will contact CA and give him a virtual tour using their phones.
I asked the CA about replacing the tub/shower with a walk in shower, and he said that I would have to pay the difference in cost. I expected that, which is fine. Unless the toilet is damaged, which it isn’t, it will be retained, which is also fine. The bathroom cabinet is the original with a built in sink. I’ll upgrade that too.
We have Pergo flooring in the garage, intended for the kitchen originally. That can be used for the upstairs bathroom. We have a tattered piece of linoleum on the floor now, a temporary fix until Jim could get to installing a new floor. I sure don’t want that replaced “in kind."
Julia estimated that it will take a month to 6 weeks to finish the entire project. It will be a disruption definitely, and I hope I can hold up through that very long amount of time.
MAKING A QUIET SPACE OUTSIDE
I plan to hose down the patio furniture, wishing that I had a nice lofty lounger to put there.
Our gardeners cleaned up the backyard, whacked the weeds and gathered up all the leaves and debris. The owner, who has been tending to many yards on our streets for decades, asked me today, “How’s Jim?”
My heart sank. “Jim passed last month. He liked you very much and appreciated everything you’ve done for us through the years, and so do I.”
He was sad and said that he was sorry. I asked him about his wife, who is a cancer survivor, and he said that she was doing well. I was so happy for him and his wife.
Once the pond/waterfall are working again, I can sit on the patio to escape some of the chaos. Unfortunately, we’re having a heat wave right now. It’s 91 degrees currently, and this will last at least until Thursday.
At this point, very early on in the process, of course, I must say that everyone has been kind, understanding, and caring toward me. After listening to our life story, Julia said, “I’m so touched by your descriptions of your Angels, but I have to say, you are an angel, and they were lucky to have you.”
“The person I am is because of them. Let’s just say we were and are all blessed to have each other.”
And, I know that all three of my Angels are watching closely over me right now. All of the best people to help me are falling into place. I’m sure that they are this way with all of their clients, but now that they know our entire story, I’m confident that they will do everything they can to make this as painless for me as possible.
NEIGHBORS
I can just imagine the chatter between the two remaining residents on our street, who have lived here for 30 + years. They know us well, but they wouldn’t lift a finger to help us. They are nosy, and not subtle about their digging for dirt. At least one of them has a camera to keep track of activity on the street. They probably belong to a neighborhood watch or something similar. So, they probably know when the paramedics, police and hearses arrived and departed for Jon and Jim.
They see John (and they know him, of course) coming and going here constantly. All of the bags he’s removed and put in his car. “Something is going on over there. I wonder what it is. Hmmm…” I can imagine them saying.
Now, they’re going to feast on the constant commotion with the restoration. I owe our next door neighbors. They completely remodeled their home with construction nearly every day for 3 years. All while Jon was in ICU, and Jim was trying to sleep in the daytime. We told them; they ignored us. So, they get to deal with it for 6 weeks on the other side of the fence.
I can also hear this being said, “Well, at last. She’s fixing up that hovel!”
Yeah, I know them. And I got over them a long time ago. I will never hear them say, “I’m so sorry for your loss.” They don’t have that within them, so it would be meaningless anyway.
I feel sorry for them and pray that they find kindness and caring invading their hearts. How can anyone be truly happy without love inside of them and emanating from them?
You can have the most beautiful house and yards in the neighborhood, but if love doesn’t live there, then it’s just a house, not a home.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. I wish you lived next door!!!
I love you, and I pray for you and your loved ones every day.
Be well. Be strong. Be safe. Take super good care of yourself.
Love & Light,
Rose
*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!”
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