This week’s Thursday 13 definitely doesn’t have a
theme!
1.Theodore
is growing like crazy; he has been neutered, microchipped, and has gotten all
of his kitten shots. I think he looks
more like a big cat than a kitten in this picture.
3.A FEMA
inspector came to the house last week to look at the damage, which we thought
might mean progress.
4.It did
not. This week, we received a letter
that the FEMA inspector wasn’t able to fully assess the damage (which isn’t
really surprising since FEMA inspectors apparently do not go into crawl spaces or onto
roofs). They said we’d need to have it
inspected by an HVAC company and send that information for FEMA to review.
5.We
sent that information to FEMA in November!
It was a write-up from the HVAC company about the damage, how high the
water was in the ductwork, and what was needed to repair it. We’ll be resubmitting that and hoping that
someone actually reads it this time.
6.I
truly think they make the process as annoying and difficult as possible in
hopes that a lot of people will decide it’s more trouble than it’s worth and
give up.
7.There
are still near-constant reminders that, even with the damage we had, we were
still some of the lucky ones. A couple
of weeks ago, we helped some friends whose house was destroyed during Helene
move from their short-term rental into their long-term rental. They’ve been told it will be a year and a
half to two years before their house is rebuilt.
8.I’ve
been trying to crochet a little more, and I finished an ear warmer.
9.Here’s
the link to the tutorial if you’re interested.
(And here’s the right-handed version.)
It was very simple to make. I
used a thinner yarn than the pattern called for, so I had to do more rows, but
it was still easy to follow along with the video.
10.Being
cold is a powerful motivator to crochet an ear warmer! The heat was out at work during one of the
cold snaps. Everyone worked from home as
much as possible, but some of us had to go in on one of the days when we had
temperatures in the teens. I made the
ear warmer the night before that and wore more layers than I ever had
before.
11.Fortunately,
the heat at work is fixed now!
12.I
think cat pictures are a great way to end this Thursday 13, so enjoy this one
of Mortimer in the living room chair he has staked out as his very own.
We have a new family member to introduce.This is Theodore.
He’s about five and a half months old. We got him back in November.
Over the summer, our vet had two litters of stray kittens
born under her porch. The first litter
was in the early summer, and the mom disappeared before Dr. D. could catch
her. She showed back up with another
litter, which was the one Theodore was part of.
Dr. D. managed to catch the mom when Theodore’s litter was
still pretty young. She has since been
spayed, and Dr. D. has kept her.
Each litter had five kittens, and Dr. D. wasn’t about to
drop them off at a shelter during kitten season, or when the local shelters
were struggling after Hurricane Helene, so she adopted them out through her
office.
The kittens from the first litter were adopted fairly
quickly, but the kittens from Theodore’s litter took a little longer, so Dr. D.
agreed that her office would cover their first year of medical care. That makes it much harder to resist a sweet
little kitten!
I was at the vet with Tara and saw the sign about the
medical care and the descriptions of the remaining kittens. Of course, I asked to meet the orange
male. I had been without an orange kitty
for over a year at that point.
I was a goner as soon as I held Theodore. He purred and cuddled up to me right
away.
It took a tiny bit longer to convince Nick. Ultimately, we decided that even though it
had been a horrible year, and we were still in the middle of dealing with
hurricane damage, Theodore could be the one bright spot in the year.
Theodore has absolutely been a bright spot. He’s extremely friendly and outgoing. He’s positive that anyone coming to the house
is here to see him.
All of the big kitties have warmed up to Theodore to
varying degrees. Charlie and Theodore
have become cuddle and nap buddies.
I’m hoping to get back to a somewhat regular blogging
schedule, so there should be a lot more Theodore pictures coming soon.
Happy (belated) New Year!
Since I haven’t blogged in a while, this will be a catch-up post to wind up 2024.
First of all, we have heat. I initially wrote this post (the part below in green) when our heat was first fixed.
We have heat,
we have heat, we have heat!
I wasn't going to go under the house to photograph the furnace, so enjoy this picture of Mortimer.
Okay, I promise
the whole post won’t just be the same three words over and over again. It’s just so wonderful to have heat
again!
They finished
installing the new furnace/HVAC system around 3:00 the Wednesday before
Thanksgiving. It didn’t make my
Thanksgiving Thursday 13 because I wrote and scheduled that post ahead of time.
We’re still not
finished dealing with everything. I
think I finally managed to successfully update our application with FEMA. I received an email last week about updating
our application if there was additional damage.
We’ve only been trying to do that since mid-October.
Anyway, this
time, I was transferred to a different department that I was told is the one
that handles application revisions. I
started off as caller number 207 and spent about an hour and fifteen minutes on
hold. Oddly enough, that gives me some
hope. A lot of people have had to revise
their applications, so waiting makes me think that maybe, this time, I talked
to the right department. We shall
see. In the meantime, we aren’t getting
our hopes up too much.
We’re still in
the process of getting the HELOC loan.
It’s taking a long time because they’re backed up because so many people
are doing HELOC loans to pay for Helene repairs due to not getting any or
enough FEMA aid and no SBA funding. It’s
like a never-ending loop of delays and problems.
We were lucky
that the cold weather held off as long as it did, but in looking at the
extended forecast, we knew we were running out of time. So, we made the difficult decision to put a
large portion of the cost on a credit card while we wait for the HELOC
loan.
Putting that
much on a credit card is a sickening feeling!
And it may sound irresponsible, but it really seemed like the best
option. We’re 14 years into a 30-year
mortgage, and our house has more than doubled in value since we bought it, so
getting a HELOC isn’t really a gamble.
The biggest
issue so far is that the credit union won’t underwrite a HELOC loan for a house
with no heat. That’s another thing that
has been very frustrating. Ordinarily,
that seems like a very reasonable rule.
However, people here aren’t getting HELOC loans for anything fun or
frivolous. We’re getting them to repair
the damage from a natural disaster that was so unlikely to happen here that no
one could even get insurance for it. I’m
normally very much a rule person, but this has just added one more problem for
people to deal with when everyone is already at their breaking point.
So, we paid for
what we could, used the money generously donated to our GoFundMe, and put the
rest on a credit card. Now, we’re
desperately hoping that the HELOC closes before interest begins to accrue. Even if we do end up accruing interest for a
month, we still think it was the best decision in the circumstances we’re
dealing with. We’ve had days of the
temperature dropping to the low teens and not getting above freezing, and we’ve
had our first dusting of snow. We were
concerned about the potential for pipes to freeze and create yet another set of
problems to deal with. The new furnace
was installed just about 24 hours ahead of a big temperature drop.
I know I’ve
shared a lot of personal information in this post, and I’ve written, deleted,
and rewritten it a few times.
Ultimately, I decided to go ahead and share details since so many people
(and before September 27th, I was one of them) don’t understand how
long and complicated the recovery from a natural disaster is. I know I’m paying a lot more attention now to
how representatives vote for things like funding SBA loans and disaster
relief. It wasn’t that I didn’t care
before. I just had the very mistaken
idea that between insurance and FEMA aid, people were at least able to begin
the recovery process fairly quickly.
From some of the comments on some of my other posts, I don’t think I was
alone in thinking that. So, even though
my blog isn’t huge or popular, I think it’s important to document what average
people are dealing with after Helene.
And, I want to
say thank you again and again to everyone who donated to our GoFundMe. It means so much that people, in some cases
people we’ve never met in person, helped us.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, it has gone out so many times since then
that I’ve lost track, so I took the post down.
We think we’ve finally addressed all of the urgent issues, and are
hopeful that it won’t go out again for a very long time. In addition to the entire HVAC system and all
of the ductwork, we also had to replace the sump pump, replace the crawl space
door (it was destroyed in the process of getting the old system out and the new
one in), have some electrical work done, and work on some drainage issues. We haven’t finished everything with the
drainage project since the ground has been mostly frozen, but it’s something we
will have to take care of before the house is back to its pre-Helene
state. We haven’t started on replacing the broken
screen door because there have been bigger issues to deal with.
We closed on our HELOC loan right before Christmas and were
able to access the funds right before New Year.
We’re still waiting to see what happens with FEMA. Honestly, at this point, I don’t think we’re
going to get any FEMA aid.
Since my last post before this was right before
Thanksgiving, here’s how the rest of the year went.
Thanksgiving was a little different. For the first time since 2016, we didn’t take
Thanksgiving dinner to the hospice house.
I still feel a little bad about that, but I also think it was the right
choice. The HVAC company was here all
day the Tuesday and Wednesday before.
The breaker box is in the kitchen, so I really didn’t have access to the
kitchen until Wednesday night. I barely
got everything made in time for our Thanksgiving. We still hosted a big crowd at our house; our
neighbors and several other friends. It
felt normal and good, which was absolutely wonderful.
Christmas was also a little different. We normally go to my sister and
sister-in-law’s, but Nick and I were both sick with what we’re pretty sure was
the flu. Obviously, we stayed home
rather than share that. Our awesome
neighbors dropped tacos off for us on Christmas, which was really sweet.
We were both feeling better by New Year’s Eve. We never go out for it, but I made a lot of
little appetizers and snacks for dinner, and we burned the 2024 calendars. We started burning calendars in 2016 anytime
the year had more bad than good. It
feels good to watch the calendar from a not-so-great year go up in smoke. Here’s a video of the calendar burning.
At my job, our vacation time (over 240 hours) rolls over on
January 1st, so there’s always a big push to make sure all of our
time is entered and up-to-date by the end of the year. We’re encouraged to print out time statements
to make sure everything rolls over properly.
We also aren’t paid overtime, instead, we earn comp time. I worked on some extra projects and worked a
lot of overtime in 2024. So much,
that, for the first time ever, I didn’t use any of my accumulated vacation
leave. I did take vacation time (close
to four weeks total throughout the year), but I had enough comp time to cover
all of it. And I still have some comp
time hours left going into 2025. I’m
hoping not to do that this year! I
didn’t lose the accumulated vacation time.
It rolls into sick time, which we can use to retire early if we don’t
end up taking it as sick time. And,
speaking of retirement, I’m officially halfway (without using any accumulated
time) through my 30 years for full retirement.
I’ve only been in my current job for five years, but the ten years
before are part of the same retirement system.
Realistically, I can’t imagine that I will stop working in 15 years, but
it’s kind of weird to think that I could retire (at least from this job)
then.
Some other 2024 numbers are:
I read 27 books, which is a little embarrassing; my goal
was 52.
It was my second-lowest blog post year since I started in
2012. 2021 remains the year with the
lowest number of posts.
I posted more videos (74) and shorts (23) on YouTube than I
ever have before.
I didn’t crochet much in 2024. The biggest project I finished was making
little purses for the neighbor girls.
So, how was 2024 for you?
I hope 2025 is shaping up to be a good year for
everyone!
I’ve been meaning to get back to participating in Thursday 13 for a while, and my last few posts have been a little on the negative side,
so I decided a Thanksgiving Thursday 13 was in order. I don’t normally write out a thankful list
like this, but it seems appropriate this year.
So, here are 13 things I’m thankful for right now.
1.First
and foremost, that we didn’t lose anyone we love to Hurricane Helene.
2.That
we didn’t lose our home to Hurricane Helene.
3.For the
friendships I’ve made via blogging.
4.For my
blog friends who contributed to our GoFundMe.
I never would have thought that people I’ve never met in real life would
have helped us get our furnace fixed.
Thank you. I don’t think you’ll
ever know how much it means to me.
5.My
granny’s pumpkin pie recipe. She made
the best pumpkin pie, and it makes me happy to make it for other people now.
6.Our
neighbors. I feel like we won the
lottery when it comes to neighbors.
7.That
the groundhogs survived the storm. They’re
hibernating now, but they were alive and well (and getting very chubby) through
the end of October.
8.That
Nick no longer has to work on Thanksgiving.
I’m so glad I don’t end up spending the holidays alone now.
9.For my
new sister-in-law. I love her for how
happy she makes my sister AND because she’s an awesome person.
10.For
the cats. A purring cat is one of the best
sounds in the world.
11.For
the local library. The librarians are
awesome, the building reminds me of the library we went to when I was a child,
and it’s pure joy to go there.
12.For
modern conveniences. Electricity and
running, potable water are wonderful things to have.
13. For the adorable chickens that come over for their
snacks.
I’ve been asked several times since Helene which
organizations have been the most helpful here, and I’m going to try to answer
that question in this post.Hopefully,
without rambling too much.
Please remember, though, that I’m one person in one little piece
of western North Carolina. There are
over 20 counties in NC alone that were badly affected by Hurricane Helene. I don’t work in emergency management, and I
have no experience in responding to disasters.
I’m just one person sharing my observations. If you’ve visited much before, it probably
won’t come as a surprise that most of the links I share will be for animal
rescues, feeding people, and helping first responders. Those are some of the things I care most
about.
Please also remember that the entire western part of the
state was affected. There are
significant terrain and elevation changes between some of the counties affected. In addition to experiencing differing levels
of damage, different places are dealing with different types of weather after
the event. If one local organization has
a particular need, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire area will have
the same need.
I encourage anyone who plans to donate, particularly money,
to do your homework. Visit Charity Navigator, listen to your instincts, and think about what you’re passionate
about.
My first suggestion is that, unless you are in direct
contact with an individual and/or organization in the affected area, don’t purchase
supplies, especially now. From what I’ve
observed, it looks like everyone’s first impulse is to run out and buy bottled
water to donate. And that is wonderful. To a point.
Things and needs change incredibly quickly during and after a
disaster. Distribution sites
change. I know that early on, bottled water
was hard to get and desperately needed. The thought behind the businesses and individuals
that gathered bottled water (and diapers, and hygiene supplies) was very kind
and well-intentioned. Unfortunately, it
seemed like most donations of specific items were arriving one to two weeks
after they were most needed. Places were
literally tripping over cases of bottled water when they desperately needed
propane, charcoal, or medical supplies.
It was incredibly frustrating to see people who had driven
twelve or more hours with carloads or truckloads of supplies being turned away
from donation sites. I think that also sent
the message that things were fine when that absolutely wasn’t the case. It wasn’t a case of people not wanting help
or donations. It was simply a matter of
space and resources. Most donation and
distribution sites were set up at businesses, churches, or government buildings,
and due to the damage, there were limited buildings intact and accessible. A lot of those places were still trying to go
about their normal (and necessary) business while trying to find space for and distribute
supplies. Fire codes still had to be
adhered to. It doesn’t matter if it’s a
pallet of bottled water, it still can’t block exits and fire escapes.
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful at all. And, honestly, before experiencing this, I
was one of the people who thought dropping off bottled water, pet food,
feminine hygiene products, etc. at donation drives was a great way to
help. After seeing how long it took to
get things distributed, I don’t think that’s the best way to help.
If donating physical items is something you feel strongly
about, I recommend trying to get in touch with a local organization to find out
what their real-time needs are. And be
realistic about how long it will take to get supplies to them.
My third suggestion is to be very specific. What is important to you? Are you worried about people going
hungry? Donate to a food pantry. Are you worried about animals? Donate to an animal rescue. (There are many, many animal rescues in this
area, but I’m not familiar with all of them.
These are the ones I’m familiar with and can recommend: Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, Blue Ridge Humane, and Asheville Humane Society.
Again, this list does not include every local shelter and animal rescue.) Do you have a particular concern for the medically
fragile/vulnerable? Look for an
organization that’s providing medical aid.
My next suggestion is to think small. I know that sounds counterintuitive when the
damage is so massive and the recovery efforts are going to take labor and amounts
of money that I have a hard time comprehending.
It’s overwhelming to think about that, though, and it can drive you
crazy.
From my experience, it was the small efforts that did and
are doing the most good. Local churches
did a great job of getting people fed and supplying water. Most of the fallen trees in our neighborhood
were cleared by individuals long before any official assistance showed up. I realize that finding smaller efforts to donate
to is more challenging. I know there’s
not a great way to vet each fundraiser, but I’d recommend visiting
GoFundMe. There’s a filter for Hurricane Helene relief, and you can filter it down even more from there. I’ve spent some time browsing the fundraisers
there in looking for links to share with this post. Honestly, some of them sound like scams to
me. Some of them seem well-intentioned,
but not practical or well-planned. Some
seem entirely legitimate, there are quite a few for and/or set up by people I
know personally, and I know they’re legitimate. Ours is there too, to help replace our furnace. So, how do you
know which ones are real and which ones aren’t?
I don’t have a definite, foolproof answer to that. My suggestion is to look carefully at the information
provided. Was someone willing to put
their name on it? What do you find when
you Google that name? What do you find
if you search that name on Facebook? Do an
image search for the pictures to see if they show up anywhere else. How specific is the request? Personally, I find the vague “a family needs
money after the hurricane” ones to be a little suspicious. In my opinion, the real ones are usually very
specific about helping a specific person/family with a very particular need. If it’s a group or individual raising money
for others, what is their exact plan for that money? I think it’s also important to look at what
skills they claim to bring to the table.
If a big part of the fundraiser is for travel expenses for the group,
and they don’t have very specific skills related to rebuilding, in my opinion,
there are more effective things to donate money to.
I do want to clarify that we live in a small town and lots
of people know each other, so someone else’s experience of smaller, less formal
efforts versus larger organizations may be different. I’m basing it on my observations of who
helped in our neighborhood, who helped people I know, and who helped the fire
departments and other first responders. When
one of the fire departments here was running out of food, it was individuals
who took care of it. One of Nick’s
retired coworkers was determined to make sure the fire department didn’t run out
of food. He hitched a trailer to his pickup
truck, took his chainsaw, and cut his way down to SC to buy food and gas.
This segues nicely into my next suggestion, which is to
support the local fire departments and rescue squads. A lot of these departments are tiny and this
will have wiped out their budgets. Many departments
lost equipment and stations. They were also the ones going out and rescuing people.
Here’s a list of the counties and towns affected. I know it takes time, but look up the fire
departments, rescue squads, and police departments/sheriff’s offices in these
counties and towns. These are the people
who were out there literally saving lives, and they were doing it while dealing
with significant damage to their own homes, in some cases going days without
being able to reach their own families.
Nick works in the emergency services, and I can tell you he didn’t miss
any work. These people were working
around the clock. Some of these agencies
have set up relief funds for responders who are dealing with significant
damage. I know I’m a little biased, but
I think it makes sense to help the helpers.
Here’s a link for the Western NC Association of Firefighters in case it’s helpful to anyone.
Another way to help that
doesn’t cost anything is to contact your congressperson and let them know that
getting funding for SBA loans is something that’s important to you. In case you’re not familiar (I wasn’t before
this happened), they’re not just for small businesses. Homeowners in affected areas can also apply
for these loans for necessary repairs. They
have better interest rates and overall better repayment options than typical
personal or HELOC loans, which helps make the aftermath a little less devastating. Unfortunately, because there’s no funding
right now, anyone who didn’t get assistance from FEMA is left with only typical
loan options like personal loans or HELOC loans. Letting your congressperson know that this funding
is important to you could help.
One more no-cost way to help
is to share links for organizations and fundraisers that are helping. As many people have mentioned, western NC isn’t
in the news much now. If you come across
an organization/relief effort that resonates with you, consider sharing it with
your friends, family, and social media contacts.
If you have visited western
NC and liked a particular business, look them up. If they’re closed due to damage, see if there
are any fundraisers to support them and their reopening.
I do not know anything about
them and cannot personally vouch for them, but while I was searching for links
for this post I came across the Hospitality Workers Relief Fund. Again, I’m not personally familiar, so do
your own research and make your own decisions.
Finally, please know how
much your help is appreciated. It’s an
entirely different experience being one of the people asking for help rather
than someone trying to provide help. It’s
hard to describe all of the feelings that come along with it, but I can tell
you that it means the world to know that people, in some cases total strangers,
care.
