I am writing this in WordPad in anticipation of actually having an internet connection within the next few days so that I can post it....
I have decided that the one thing worse than not having internet access at all is being teased with intermittent and unpredictable internet access. I could call the cable company every day ... and I could go through the daily ritual of answering the door with an infant in one arm and a toddler clinging to my right leg demanding another showing of Finding Nemo and a fresh bottle so that the cable guy can ask if he can get into the backyard. I could then go through the steps of the let-the-dog-in-put-the-dog-out dance until the cable guy says he's finished. I could. I could do all of this and maybe - just maybe - find out what is really going on with my connection....
And a few days will pass... and someone down the street will decide to finally find out what is wrong with THEIR cable connection... and the whole thing will start fresh when the lines are cut or moved. Or maybe someone on the next block will finally find the extra cash flow to reconnect a phone line -- and the phone company will slash cable lines again in the process of installation. Or... maybe the desperate shady contractor types who came down here looking to find their fortune in the post-Katrina gold rush only to find that there was plenty of work but no money to pay for it... will once again start digging up cable lines to sell for scrap so they have the cash to buy another night in the bar.
And then it starts again.
So I could call. But I won't. Not yet.
Homeowners Assistance Program
We are still patiently waiting to receive our promised grant check from MDA. In the meantime, we sent a brief letter to MDA informing them that we felt that the damage assessment of our home was inadequate. We rolled the idea around for a long time before sending the letter -- but finally decided that it would be best to at least add our voices to those who are being severely hurt by shoddy and questionable assessments. The fact is -- even if we can get by with the amount we will hopefully someday receive from MDA -- the assessment used for calculating the grant is just not right... Hopefully, being part of a strong and broad questioning of the methods of the company hired to perform these assessments will mean that the people out there who have been shafted by these methods will be taken more seriously.
We are beginning to wonder if we will ever actually receive a check. According to an article in today's Mississippi Press (MDA article) - as of Monday 242 checks have been delivered to homeowners.
Repairs & Such
A guy from Charlton Construction came by rather early this morning. He had been here last week to look things over for an estimate to replace missing trim and baseboards as well as our interior doors. He needed to come by again this morning to double check his door measurements.
In the meantime - he also promised to send someone by from Charlton to give us an estimate for refinishing and painting our kitchen and bath cabinets. As I reported earlier - we got an estimate from a lady from Biloxi for painting. However, she called us recently to tell us that due to personal problems there would be a delay as far as when she could actually get to our cabinets if we hired her. We also had Grimes Cabinets come by for advice and an estimate.
Everyone seems to agree that totally scrapping our cabinets would be almost sinful. These were real wood cabinets which means that the short exposure to the salt water did not destroy the cabinets. It is only the finish that has taken a severe beating. However - Grimes informed us that they no longer carry real wood doors and drawer facings ... and will be giving us an estimate to replace what we had before with MDF. Until we see actual dollar-figure estimates I will remain quite torn as to what to do with the cabinets. We are aware that a painting and refinishing job will probably not give us the neat and clean finish we had before the storm... but at least we wouldn't lose the wood. On the other hand -- the MDF would be shiny and clean and relatively maintenance-free...
The replacement of our downstairs A/C air handler is complete -- now we just have to pay for it for the next 12 months. I have snapped a few before and after pictures and will post those for everyone's viewing pleasure.
Other news
We are waiting on the delivery of our vehicle to replace the minivan. Whoever designated the minivan as all-around 'family vehicle' was either drunk or vengeful. If we do manage to cram all of us into the plastic death-trap... there is no room for oh say.. groceries? Let alone anything like luggage or playpens or strollers... Or dogs. Ever notice in those minivan commercials they always show people getting in and out... one kid at a time.. and the dog running through the empty vehicle... and this is supposed to suggest that at some point in time all of these people could wind up inside the car at the same time? Lies! All lies.
Uh... but I'm sure it's a great car for a smaller family. Ahem. So if you are in the market for a used mini-van... drop us a line.
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