The joys of home ownership. The repairs to my fireplace wound up costing me twice as much as I anticipated. To say this is a hardship for me is putting it mildly. Living in the Seattle area is wonderful for many reasons, and because of that it’s expensive. Brutally expensive. I walk a precarious tightrope just to get by.
But I wasn’t expecting the final chimney bill to be twice that of the quote. (Long story, for another blog entry.) But the work had been done, and I was standing alone in my living room with a very intimidating contractor. So I had to pony up my pound of flesh. (I’ll fight it later, when he’s not staring at me. When I have witnesses.)
I shed more than a few tears over this situation. I barely can afford my heating bills, so I was hoping that the fireplace would help take some of the stress off of me. Instead, it piled a whole lot more stress on.
And predictably, firewood isn’t cheap around here, either. I can’t win. So I had to get humble and ask for help. I posted a request on my local Nextdoor.com, asking for free firewood. And I hit the motherlode.
This wonderful couple responded that they had cleared several acres of land, and I could take all the firewood I wanted. Yes, please, and thank you very much! I loaded up my car, and I will no doubt be back many times for more.
I don’t think they have any idea how much this means to me. Once the mortar dries on my fireplace and it can be used again, in Mid-January, these people have given me free heat. Thanking them doesn’t seem good enough. Their kindness is life affirming.
So, I’m experiencing all kinds of heat today. The heat of hell that this contractor has brought upon himself. The financial flames lapping at my heels. The literal heat one needs to survive the winter. And most of all, the heartwarming kindness of total strangers who stepped up in my time of need.
Life is interesting.
There’s nothing quite as cozy as reading my book in front of a fireplace! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 