Confronting Workers Who Cut Corners

The roof is finished, and I'm very happy with it.  I did have a small glitch, though.  I overheard the men whispering up on the roof.  My intuition and Lula, my dog warned me.  I went out to check on things.  They had blow torched the first layer, and already nailed it down into the wood.  I noticed a  piece of the original frame underneath that was old and tattered.  It hadn't been replaced. 

I pointed it out to one of the workers, and he acted like a teenager.  "You want to talk to my boss?" he challenged me.  "He's my boss," he continued, sarcastically cmotioning to another roofer with a big smile.  I spoke with him, but he speaks mostly Spanish.  We can have a conversation, but not at the level I needed to for this subject.

I was very concerned that it was almost too late, so I immediately called the woman who had booked the job with me at the office.  I told her that they were laying the top covering over some old wood, and that I needed for the owner to come by immediately. 

He wasn't available, but she called one of them on their cell phone.  They stopped working and went home.  She had to come back the next morning, which wasn't on the schedule.  I don't know what she said to them, but it obviously worked. 

It's so important to say something right away, and not to wait.  I always try to contact the owner.  That is who gave me the estimate for this job.  The next day, they cut the nails, removed the bad piece of wood, and replaced it.  I got up on a ladder and checked everything.  I had a binder, my glasses, and pen, and paper.  I went into ballet teacher mode.  When you are spending several thousand dollars, you want things done right, the first time.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?  How did you handle it? 

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Personal finance expert on smart retirement strategies

Suze Orman's Fabulous New Book On Retirement

My Aunt Mary and my mom.  Mary had a fantastic retirement... traveling, seeing shows, and eating at restaurants.  She worked as a secretary for the president of American Can in San Francisco.  She was the fastest typist there, and was exceptionally good at math.

I just received Suze Orman's new book on retirement on my mom's Kindle yesterday.  She used to read it every day, and  I inherited  it.  She loved to watch Suze's television show at night with my dad, too.  There are several free episodes from that show that came with my pre-order on www.amazon.com for the book.
It's been so fun to listen to them on my mini ipad while I cruise through my housework. 

I have been devouring the material.  It is so helpful.  Suze is an expert on retirement, and she knows the problems that most people run into, especially if they are unprepared.  She gives excellent advice.  It is really helping me to understand taxes, annuities, IRA's, and other subjects that used to make me dizzy.

I love the section on your home.  This is such a big issue for us as we age.  When my hips were really deteriorating with arthritis, I had a crash course in being disabled.  It was such a shock not to be able to do the normal things that take for granted as adults.  I like how Suze recommends that we set up our living space so it's comfortable and workable while we are still young.  Fortunately, in my case, I healed my arthritis through hip replacement surgery and changing my diet.

My cottage is actually the perfect retirement home.  It's small, just one story, is super close to town and the bus stop, and I'm very near friendly neighbors.  I can easily see myself getting old here.  Both of my parents died in hospice at home, and I hope that I am able to do the same.  We never know how our life story will end...Are you ready for retirement?  If you have already retired, how is it going?

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The New Roof Is Costing Twice As Much As Expected

Today the workers got started on the new roof.  I asked the foreman about the wood that was rotting underneath the old layers of roofing.  I wanted it replaced.  He told me that it would cost much more to do the wood, as well.  This is an older home, and I didn't see any point in putting a beautiful new roof onto  decayed, rotting wood with peeling paint.

He told me that many people can't afford to replace what's underneath, so they just redo the top layer.  To me that doesn't make any sense.  After a few phone calls, I had a new estimate.  It is so important to get a written estimate before having any work done.  (especially if you are a woman.)

It is going to cost double what it would have, but it will look fabulous!  It already feels so much better to have the cracked, chipped, and termite ridden pieces gone.  It's starting to look like a new cottage!  I am so excited.  Thank goodness I listened to Suze Orman and  made sure that I had an eight month emergency fund.  Otherwise, this would have been unreachable.  How is your roof?  How old is it?

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Billy Elliott

Last night I watched the movie, Billy Elliott.  It was very sweet.  I cried at the end, remembering what it was like to achieve the dream of becoming a professional dancer.  The contrasts in the film were amazing.  I loved the acting.  Dance teachers are such special people.  I know that mine changed my life.

I just finished volunteering for a group here that gives out food to people in need.  We set everything up, and filled boxes and baskets for about fifty people.  They received all kinds of delicious food.  It was very rewarding.  Everyone was so appreciative.

How is your weekend going?

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Repairs, Repairs, Repairs!

As the saying goes, "Things happen in threes."  Today I had to call the plumber to unclog the drain in my bathroom sink.  The water had completely stopped draining.  This is the first time it has ever been a problem, and I have lived here for over twenty years.  There was a lot of my homemade soap built up in the pipes.  I think the 100% coconut oil soap may have too high a percentage of hard oil.  I am going to switch back to using the olive oil soap.  I suspect that coconut oil hardens like lard during the cold weather.  The same thing happened with my bathtub at the cabin.

I had the oil changed in the VW Beetle this afternoon.  While the mechanic was replacing the wiper blades, he accidentally cracked the windshield.  So, tomorrow that will be replaced. I felt badly for the owner, since he has to pay for it.  Oh well. 

I drove over to the roofing company and gave them the deposit for the roof.  I asked them to email me their license and proof of insurance.  They sent it over right away.  It's so important to check those things, especially in California.  If an undocumented or uninsured worker falls or hurts himself on the job, and the company is not insured, you are liable.  Everything checked out, so that's a relief. It is going to be exciting to see how the cottage looks, once the new roof is complete.

Property taxes have all been paid, next on the agenda is to get my income taxes done.  Are you busy this time of year, too?

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The Car Arrived!

This morning I received a call from the driver transporting the Nissan up to my cabin.  There had been a horrible accident on the 5, so they were running behind schedule.  He told me that you couldn't see anything in front of you, due to the fog.  He was upset, because people were still driving 70 miles per hour.  He slowed down to 20 miles per hour, put on his flashers, and drove safely.

I told him that I was glad he was okay, and advised him to take his time.  He ran out of hours, so they transferred the car to another driver.  I put another log on the fire, opened up a library book, and waited for them to arrive.

All's well that ends well.  The men pulled into my parking space around 10:00 a.m.  I signed the paperwork, Chatted with them for a minute, and got to work cleaning the windows.  I am excited to have a vehicle with manual ones.  Next on the list is to update the car insurance and transfer the title into my name. 

I volunteered at the co-op Friday morning from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. We distributed all of the fresh, organic produce into the baskets.  The people were all very helpful and positive.  Things went very smoothly, and we got done early.  The quality of the food is exceptional.  It's such a treat! 

I have made several new friends up here, and feel very at home.  It's such a special community.  There is nothing like living in a charming  mountain town.  It feels like home, especially with all of the trees. 

Do you feel at home where you live? 

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Whisperings From My Mother

The last time I went home to my parents' house, to go through their things, I gathered up my mother's recipes.  She was an excellent cook.  I was sad to realize that her hand painted ceramic recipe box had broken.  I carefully threw it in the trash.  I was wishing that I had brought some blank  recipe cards with me.  She always used the 3" by 5" ones. 

My intuition nudged me to look in the bottom cabinet in the breakfast room.  "Check on the bottom left shelf," the voice urged.  There I found a tool box containing two unopened boxes of recipe cards, plus some tools that will come in handy to have up at the cabin!  I was amazed. 

"Thanks Mom,"  I whispered.  I never would have thought of looking down there.  I came home and carefully organized all of the recipes in my vintage tin.  I am rewriting the ones I had on faded, old, wrinkled paper.  I had been meaning to buy some new cards; I had run out of them.  It's a relief to get them all organized.

It's amazing how we can stay energetically connected with people after they pass away...I was so touched.

Do you feel the presence of anyone close to you who has died?

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Replacing or Repairing the Roof

Today I am getting an estimate from a local roofing company on replacing my roof.  Part of the covering blew upward and ripped during our last windstorm.  The metal pieces that held it on flew off onto the ground.  It looks like it can be repaired.  If not, I'll replace it.  I climbed up on a ladder, unrolled the material, and put a heavy piece of flagstone and a brick on top of it.  That's holding it in place for now.  

Fortunately, I have been planning on putting some money into the roof for the past year.  It's been excellent; I've never had a leak n the twenty years that I've owned it.  We'll see what the estimator says.  It's a tiny cottage, so it shouldn't be too expensive.  This is one of the instances when having a smaller home really helps with the home maintenance budget.

I am doing laundry while I wait.  I made arrangements to have my Dad's car shipped up to the cabin.  It only has 37,000 miles on it and it gets excellent mileage.  I am excited to have a vehicle that will fit a bicycle and maybe a kayak inside of it.  I will keep the twenty year old VW Beetle that belonged to my mom.  It is still going strong.

Do you budget yearly for your home repairs?

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A Kind Hiker

The other day on our hike, I accidentally left my rod iron bar near the trail after taking a water break.  It has a leather handle, and I use it on our walks every day.  Between juggling my backpack, water, Lula's water dish, and leash, I forgot the bar.

Our hike was six miles, and once I realized that I didn't have it,  the thought of going all the way back to the creek depressed me.  It was just too far.  I was upset with myself for forgetting, but hoped that someone would find it who could use it.

Once we arrived back at the parking lot,  I sat on a wooden bench under the Eucalyptus trees  to rest for a minute. I gave Lula another dish of water, and drank from my now almost empty container.  After catching my breath, something made me walk over to the display where they have information posted about the trail and local wildlife.

There was my rod iron bar!  Someone had carefully propped it up against the display.  I felt elated.  What a joy to experience the kindness of strangers.  Now I won't have to spend money on another walking stick.  It's also good excellent protection against loose dogs. 

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Paying Property Taxes

Santorini hillside

Yesterday I mailed my check in to Los Angeles County to pay my second half of property taxes for the year.  It's one of my biggest bills, so I plan for it all year.  It's important to mail them early, because the penalties are very steep.

This afternoon I climbed up on the ladder and  used the electric hedge trimmer to cut back the two live Christmas trees that I have planted in front of the cottage.  They have really grown.  The rain has made all of the plants very green, lush, and healthy.  The conifers even have some tiny pink flowers this year.

It's time to clean out Snow White's chicken coop.  I will shovel  the soiled bedding and straw into the compost pile, and replace it with a clean, fresh, yellow layer.  She has started laying eggs again!   That is always a sign that Spring is coming.  She is such a sweet little girl.  I love her white, downy feathers. 

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My Bicycle Tour of Mallorca on NCL

the beach in Mallorca

When I took my cruise on NCL's Epic in November, one of my favorite stops was Mallorca.  I had learned about this island in my Spanish class in 8th grade.  I had also stayed in a small home there with a friend when I was twenty-six.  While on a short layoff from the European Tour of "42nd Street" we cashed in our plane tickets back to New York. Instead, we rented a lovely little modest white beach house.  It was furnished and very reasonably priced for the month.

we rode through the narrow streets to this plaza with comfortable outdoor cafes

This tour through NCL greatly exceeded my expectations.  I saw things that I had never seen on my last visit.  We rode through the old city, admiring the architecture, beauty, and the beach.  It was really exciting to zoom through the cobblestone streets.  We passed several people on walking tours, and one person riding in a horse drawn carriage.  I was happy that I had chosen to be part of the bike tour.

I was not expecting to see a Starbucks

The tour guide asked us several questions about Spain: its history, culture, and people.  I was almost the only person who answered.  I felt a little self conscious, but my teacher at Aragon High School had drilled the details of Spanish food, music, dance, art, and architecture into our minds with enthusiasm.  It all came back to me.

returning to the ship after the tour

No one else in the group had that kind of background.  I silently thanked Senora Kotter for her excellent teaching.  She was so passionate.  She had told us that if as Americans we ever went to Spain, she wanted us to be able to converse, and to know the culture and the history.  I was amazed how as the guide spoke, I remembered almost everything.  It was magically coming alive, through the scenery. 

Mrs. Kotter insisted that we only speak Spanish in her class.  If we didn't understand something, we had to ask her about it, in Spanish.  It worked.  I was able to communicate with the taxi drivers in Barcelona easily.  They seemed relieved.  Sometimes, I had to ask them to speak more slowly, but we had an intuitive understanding.  I lapsed into Spanish while answering the bike tour leader's questions.  "You speak Spanish?" he asked me.  It was only then that I realized what had happened, that I had verbally slipped into the Spanish terms.  I could hear the words in my head.

I would like to go back and spend much more time there.  Mallorca was so special and romantic.  I was impressed with how clean everything was.  We stopped for a quick drink and snack,  then returned our bikes to the shop.  Our excellent guide walked us back to the Epic.  We were home again.  I was eagerly looking forward to dinner and a ballroom show that evening.  Cruise life is for me. 

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Joined a Co-Op For Local Produce

Last week I joined a co-op.  I am thrilled with the color and quality of the fruits and vegetables.  They give us such a wide variety.  Every two weeks, you can pick up your basket.  I had more than enough food for both weeks after sampling my first basket a couple of weeks ago. 

I love the fact that I don't need to go to the grocery store, and that I won't be using plastic bags.  The difference in freshness is amazing!  I can even walk to the pick up location from my house. 

It feels satisfying to get back to basics.  Leaving the car at home, walking outside in the fresh mountain air,  buying food locally, and supporting the farmers in California is very rewarding. 

Do you have something like this available where you live? 

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