Ramblings and Ponderings

So, back to the Library I went this morning. (Here the pondering begins with a lot of rambling.) On the way there I passed not one, not two, not six, but eight cars and trucks with those new fangled ladders you see infomercials for at one intersection. I think it was something like the multi-purpose folds very small gets big ladder. At first it didn't seem too strange, but then I thought, why would cars be lugging them on a bike rack. Then it dawned on me. All these cars and trucks had out of state plates from North Carolina to Texas. They like a large number of out of town estimators, contractors, and of course quick fix rip off artist have hit town. We had a horrendous hailstorm (two waves) come through back in April. Now, we sustained damage to the house and both cars in the first wave. Luckily, none of it was structural devastating in nature, but the cars exteriors look a bit like a golf balls. Unfortunately, just a few blocks away the second storm went through and many homes and cars were seriously damaged. There are a number of insurance companies with temporary set-ups on this side of town and they are still assessing damage that was from almost two months ago.

We were fortunate in that our insurance company got to us very quickly, but now we have to wait at least two more months before we can get any local contracts out to give us an estimate on the house with a repair date for even later and still haven't been able to get an appointment for the cars. Of course, this last week our neighborhood has been overrun with local and "fly-by-night" estimators and contractors wanting to give us a "free" look over for repairs. So, where am I heading with this posting? Well, if it is taking at least two months so far just to have insurance companies look at the storm damage and at least another two months to have a contractor give us an estimate (while others are even farther out in time), it doesn't seem to be too unreasonable to expect hurricane damaged areas to still be in a fix mode. I totally agree that many of these areas are devastated and help is needed on all levels to get these homes repaired or replaced. But, if a less severe of a storm can create such a backlog with the people who can fix the problem in our small neck of the woods, I can't imagine how whole towns can expect to be repaired in a year's time. There just aren't enough qualified people especially when other areas are drawing on those same people. Also, as a side note - Insurance companies do not usually have a listing of contractors. And, contractors have to decide independently what they will charge. Double the time.

(Now to plain ole' rambling) Okay, back to the library tale. I try to get there when it just opens at 10:00 a.m. It is safer that way for the other patrons as my little one still likes to look at the books, point, and then scream wanting them all. However, I found a good (although probably temporary) solution today. I turned her stroller (not a good idea to let her roam) around so that instead of facing the books I was perusing, she was facing other patrons. Boy, she sure likes to look at other people. I was able to grab a number of books from various sections and she was happy. Plus, we signed up for the summer reading program and the little one gets points for every book she listens to with Mommy or Daddy. Then we can choose an age appropriate item as a reward. They had bubbles and board books, so it should be fun.

Have a great weekend.