No Room For Jenna

            Have you ever felt inconvenienced by a situation, but later on down the road, you realize that inconvenience was/is a blessing?  It’s even more awesome when you can recognize the blessings in the process of being inconvenienced.  I can see the blessings;  Jenna sees the inconveniences that become more inconvenient to her with each passing minute.

            I noticed when I mopped the floor in the back room, there was a nasty splotch that wouldn't remove - a stain I hadn't noticed before (I'm actually not all that observant) nor had I noticed the floor had gotten softer.  I had just chalked that up my own aging and slowing down.  It seems like each time I did laundry, moisture would leak out between the walls and the floor.  Oh . . . . that is not good.

             Roland contacted our insurance company to find out just what is covered.  On Wednesday, they sent out a team (I think there were a total of seven that had come and gone throughout the day - mostly grouped together.  I think I counted only six at one time) and had taken a picture of the floor while the washer and dryer were still intact, but it is my only picture of the floor before it was ripped out and the back door has been off limits ever since..

            One of the lucky souls had the opportunity of crawling under the house to look for beneath damage.  He brought out the mummy remains of a cat.  He said it wasn't bad.  Surprised that ivy continued growing underneath.  Those viney plants are like weeds.  They are forever growing.

             We had told Jenna to clean her room before they arrived.  We are always telling Jenna to clean her room.  Now it is off limits  – but not like the back room is.  There is a hole in her wall and a fan on the floor.  On Wednesday  a worker packed 21 boxes filled with items from Jenna’s dressers and under her bed.  Those items included shorts that she hadn’t bothered to put away.  Too bad.

            It felt like there were 15 people in the house yesterday – removing items from her walls, dresser drawers, they removed her bed and dressers.  Most of her room is now in a storage facility in Winston.  It seems weird that I had mentioned the government invasion from E. T. and then we have a company come into our home to "set up shop".  We have seen more people coming in and out of our house in the last two days than there have been in the entire time we’ve lived here.  They all seem like young kids – the same age as my boys.  All working together.  All skilled in different areas.  It’s actually kind of impressive.

            Initially we had called a plumber – who still hasn’t gotten back to us.  And then Roland called the insurance company and they sent out the crew who tore up the floor and are drying out the mold.  Roland had always said that Jenna’s room smelled bad.  I can’t smell.  Even now with the open walls and floor and the fans set up in Jenna’s room and the laundry room.  Our house looks like it did when we first moved in.

            But instead of drawers on the back porch,  there are five with Jenna’s clothes inside our tub and a suitcase in the bathroom and she is sleeping on the couch thinking about things she might need from her room – knowing exactly where they are – or were.  Only a fan and the carpet padding.  No furniture.  The stuffed animals were left in her closet and two items remain on her wall.  That’s it.

            We did lose power in the back half of the house twice now.  It’s happened before – but usually it’s been the front of the house that’s gone out.  I wonder if the fans are on generators. 

So what are the blessings?

            We aren’t out of town.  We had already changed our plans for August.  The work may not be done by then.  We had our hottest day on Saturday.  Wednesday was at least 40 degrees cooler.  40 degrees!  The cool breeze was nice as we have been unable to use the air conditioner – perhaps all summer. 

           I didn't notice any unbearable heat until last night.  The temperature says 59 degrees outside right now, but there is not breeze.  It's quite hot in our room.  If I try running the air conditioner, it will just trip the switch again.  I am sweating like I have just run a marathon. 

         The water damage could have been so much worse.  It's the dry season right now and that will help our house to dry quicker.  I’m hoping this will be a major teaching moment for Jenna.  I’m not even worried about the finances right now.  Also a blessing.