New Shingles

I think I told you before our vacation that we were looking forward to a huge roofing project upon our return. The shingles on our home were never done properly, in fact, they were stapled instead of nailed! Then every time the wind blew, the shingles would come off in bunches.

Gamer was getting pretty tired of climbing up to repair them.

With interest rates so low, we decided to take the plunge and refinance, pulling out enough extra equity to redo the roof. It took me almost three months to get the paperwork through and we managed to close just a few days before we left on vacation.

Then, because there was the big question mark about meeting the President, I asked them to hold the funds until we returned. I didn't think it would look very good to have a large deposit put into my account about the same time we were visiting the White House. Not that it ended up being a problem...

So early Monday morning, I was complaining about things to all of you (sorry about that!) when the banging started. I hollered to the Dog Walker, asking him what was going on upstairs. He told me he thought Prima Donna was getting in the shower. She had never made that much noise before.

About two minutes later it dawned on me...the roofers were tearing the shingles off my house! They hadn't even knocked on the door!

The pounding was driving us crazy so we took off for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

They worked all day, from 8:30 in the morning until past dark. And today we mostly have a new roof. There are a few things left for them to do, the gutters and the downspouts. And they flattened half my flowers and broke my rosebushes. Hopefully that is not a bad sign, although they assure me the shingles have a lifetime warranty.

What do you think?

I think Gamer would prefer to stay on the ground.
I know I would.

Post-Vacation Blues

Am I really getting that wrinkled?

Wow, I don't think I've taken two days in a row off from the blog since I started it! I'm having one of those moments when I just don't want to get back into real life so here I am pouring my heart out again. I guess I've had them before when we have been on vacation, but this one appears to be much bigger. Maybe the bigger the vacation, the longer you want to keep on it?

I got home to such a pile of paperwork and laundry... Even though Bossy washed everything while I was gone (she even washed bedding and remade everyone's beds!) we still brought home loads and loads of stuff.

For some strange reason, I got out of the habit of cooking. Now I don't want to cook AT ALL! Which is sad because all the kids are just hoping for all their favorites since two weeks of hamburgers and chicken nuggets gets a little old.

And the last thing I want to do is get the kids ready to go back to school. Normally our summer would have been over a couple of weeks ago, but the school switched tracks on my elementary kids so they don't go back until August 20. And thank goodness because I am SO not ready for homework and early mornings!

Any suggestions on how you battle post-vacation blues? I'm sure needing some.

Senator Orrin Hatch

 I know we have sort of an unwritten rule about talking politics on my blog, but I really wanted to show you these pictures I got in the mail yesterday. They are 8 x 10 beautiful glossy pics hand-signed by Senator Hatch.

You all know that Orrin Hatch has been a senator from Utah for about 30 years and just lately there has been a campaign to get him out of office, the reason being that he is out-of-touch with the people and that he is too old to be effective. I remember when he was a newbie. He had only been part of the senate for a few years when I met him the first time.

I was part of a group called CloseUp and I earned a scholarship that took me to Washington DC with a handful of other kids from my high school. Senator Hatch was cordial to us then, encouraging us all to be politically-minded. I had passed my 18th birthday two weeks before and I was excited to be able to vote for the first time and I was extremely impressed with Senator Hatch.

Fast-forward 29 years later to our trip to DC last week. Senator Hatch's office arranged our tour of the White House and we were asked to stop by his office afterward. He gave us about 10 minutes of his time, visiting with the kids and asking Dog Walker about various merit badges.

I can see from his record that he is an amazing Senator, and I can tell you from personal experience that he is an outstanding human being. Yeah, he is a year older than my dad, but I still think my dad is awesome and he has plenty to offer this world.

I feel the same way about Senator Hatch. If you live in Utah, take the time to vote for him. He does care about the people, even an autistic young man with a big family and a lot of merit badges.

Remember the 60s

My mom passed away six years ago, but she had a cousin who was always very kind to my grandma. Her name is Julie and a couple of weeks ago I received a fun package of pictures from her. Among others, there were these pics of me and my siblings from the late 60s, early 70s.

I thought you might like to see them.

Can you guess which one is me?