The Busy and Merry Month of May

 As promised from the last post...pictures of the new roof. They are not the final product, but all I have at this time. It has been a wild time getting it done. Taking the tile off and then roofing took 4 long days. I was so overstimulated with the noise and having Miles and Gus. I needed a completely quiet existence to get over it. I haven't had it, so I am not sure I have come down from my elevated state. Coupled with the crazy storms that have come through and more to come, I feel a bit off.

Our Internet went down for 2 full days and then spotty coverage for an additional day meant Jeff didn't have TV. Taking a TV from a man is whole other level of something. Not sure what, but something. Therefore, no pretty pictures yet.

I will share what I have and then move on with a promise of better ones down the road. 

I love the new look. It is so different from the old and in a good way. Now, the key is does it hold up through hurricanes and last 40 years? It won't the latter, but I do hope it holds up to the winds and let's just hope it doesn't get tested!!!

Even the boathouse got a matching new roof.

 The next picture is the back before they were done, but you get the idea. 

It is a noticeable change and we are very happy. They still have to come change out the 2 skylights since they weren't a standard size and had to be special ordered. What a surprise! (and yes, I am being sarcastic, since most things in this house are not standard sizes- $$$)

Jeff got into the neurosurgeon this week and that was a good thing. We had a connection who has helped make all this happen. Jeff has suffered so much since January. He has a high tolerance for pain so I know it has been bad because I have felt the stress.

The neurosurgeon called us into his office and shared the MRI images and explained things so well and thoroughly. He didn't push surgery but all was so clear to me. Jeff slept on it and called back the next morning to get put on the surgery list. I am sure there was a cancellation because it has been scheduled for next Friday, the 24th. The area around that nerve is so clearly clogged and a loose piece is probably causing the in and out of severe pain. That is probably a bone spur that has broken off. 

The date all hinges on getting his EKG done in time. Remember if you are past a certain age, you have to have one before a surgery. Praying it all flows smoothly and we can get this behind us.

All of the above meant changing care over to the neurosurgeon from the orthopedic doctor who was going the very slow cautious method which we normally would want, but after seeing the MRI and knowing the stenosis is severe I think Jeff (and me too) felt it better to get it done now rather than later. 

Time has been so limited because I am just caring for so many so I need it all to work or I am going to be down.

I have started a new stitch which I will share next time and read another Karen Kingsbury book called Madly, Truly, Deeply. I just needed some inspiration for reading. I have 3 books that look promising sitting waiting on me for the day of surgery and summer reading. I am currently reading Imagine Heaven by John Burke. I am enjoying it. It is a compilation of research on near death experiences (NDEs). I have found it very interesting.

A few pictures of the boys....

Palmer is such a boat baby. He has the relaxing down.

Tucker is an official VPK graduate. It was a fantastic year for him.

And a little game of peekaboo with Miles.

I will probably be quiet for a couple of weeks while I try to get this surgery done.

Daylilies, Pillows, and a Roof in May

Hello May! The month of daylilies. 

I love May. For all her beauty in my neck of the woods, it is sometimes rushed over amidst the busyness of the season. When I was teaching May was one of the busiest months of the year. I really try and soak May up these days. 

I will go ahead and say I have visited few blogs in the past 2 weeks or even more. Life is still a little too crazy around here for my taste, but I know I am not alone in that. When things are coming so fast that I can't recover I know I have to pull back and that is what I have done the past couple of weeks. 

I have little to share for stitching or reading. I have been busy with my flowers getting the summer blooms ready and taking in the spring blooms.

The Stellas always arrive first in my front flower beds. These little ones always arrive in April, but the others all wait until May. The pink ones above arrived first in May. 

I knew that if I mentioned my troubles with what to do with the shells stitch, my blog friends would come up with some wonderful ideas. You didn't disappoint. I haven't moved on with a plan for it or hung up the Florida sampler yet, but I have lots of ideas stirring around in the old noggin. Thanks for all your ideas.

I am holding off until school is out and I have some free days to go shopping or do some more Internet surfing, but I think I have some ideas to work with now. 

I also have some ideas for where to hang the sampler. 

I find the older I get and the more crazy life is that home is where I want to be. Quiet and cozy. I love sitting out on the deck, strolling down my neighborhood street watching the birds and looking for little things in nature. 

I rarely change things in my home and do my best to not be lured in to spending money because of things I see. I hadn't bought anything new for the home in ages, but when I saw these pillows....

I knew they would be a perfect addition to my living room couch. 

Now, that they are in there I realized I was pushing the navy too hard. I totally love navy. It is my absolute favorite color and love it paired with Kelly green, bright pinks and of course, burnt orange (War Eagle).

The new pillows add to a soothing look.

Below is the real daily look in case Gus decides to sit on the couch.

Along with all the other stuff going that is not all that blog worthy, we are getting a new roof.

Oh the fun!

We have had red concrete tiles for the 40 years of our home's existence. Red tiles would never have been my choice - honestly Indiana sandstone wouldn't have been my choice for the exterior either. I love Indiana sandstone, but it just doesn't seem coastal. Red tiles probably go well with something other than the stone too.

None of it much matters when you get to look out at the water each day...

The Before...

The tiles look a little less red when they are dirty:)

I do not ever really say, "What were my in-laws thinking?" However, Jeff says, "What were Mom and Dad thinking?"  It is more appropriate for him to say it than me. It was their dream home and it is beautiful...just not my choices. Lindsay always says that time period was crazy in dress and any thing style wise and she is a bit right. The home was built in 1984 and is 40 years old. 

The concrete tiles were billed as a lifetime tile. That is a bit misleading. Let me share a bit of thoughts on that. The roof was not going to get blown away --- it would have taken a lot to blow them away. In watching them remove them this week, it has been quite an ordeal. It appears there was a layer of concrete and then the tiles themselves but they are truly concrete. The ones most put on today are a composite mixture tile. 

That said, the house is a fortress to have held up that much weight all these 40 years, but the studs are on 12 inch centers rather than the usual 14 or 24 of most buildings. Jeff's dad was trying to make it as sturdy as possible. 

The tiles would last forever as long as nothing ever fell on them, but I truly believe if a tree had fallen on them at any point in the 40 years it would have been hard to repair without doing the whole thing over. One strike in my book.

The wood around the edges and around the skylights and started to rot. I have been complaining about the skylights for some time, but Jeff just wasn't hearing me. Over the 5 years we have had 2 roofers over here looking at them and trying to keep them from leaking. Then about 2 weeks ago, it rained really hard and one of them was no longer leaking but pouring. Then almost at the same time, the termites flew in and were swarming. That is common in May here in Florida. You will see them around the lights at night outside. One night they were going crazy by our 2 back doors and one of the doors had a big enough crack they were coming in. All of that got him moving and the roofer was out the next day to let us know if it was time.

We decided it was time. We are not going with the same roof because as I have said they are not really life time tiles and the cost is crazy. Insurance will want them changed again anyway or cancel you.

So.... regular, but highest quality asphalt tiles in a much more muted color is the new roof choice. The house should look totally different. 

It is also not a quick job because of removal of the concrete tiles. Fortunately they have worked in small spaces around the home because we had a line of storms come through today that could have been disastrous. It was not for us. 

Lots of tornadoes in the north end of the county and schools closed up there. I had all 3 grandsons today at different times trying to work around all the mixed up schedules and the roofers though they tried didn't get to work today.

I will share the new look soon. It is going to be really dramatically different. 

Of course all of this will lead to other things... cleaning gutters, repairing the area around the skylights inside where they have leaked for some time. Home ownership seems to always have little tasks to spend money on.

I am grateful to get it done and behind us. We will have a new roof and no leaks. I am also grateful we had no leaks when the line of storms moved in today. It got bad over by Mom's place and several tornadoes in the surrounding areas. 

Hope to catch up soon with all my blogs,

Sandy