Our house was built in the 50s and the foundation is crumbling, walls are cracked, and floors are sinking. It’s in sad shape. We’ve always had problems with the roof leaking. We’d spring a leak, fix it and the rain would find another entry. Every Spring we curse the rain, and farmers when they wish for more! This year has been…as my grandmother would say, “the physical shits.” 

My Dad’s room was an add-on back in 1995 or 1996. I helped a little but I was working full time. Dad did most of the work himself. It was the nicest part of our house! Then one year, it sprung a leak, then another. Dad put hundreds of dollars into that roof every stinkin’ year, trying to stop the leaks. The roof had been reshingled many times, (like the rest of our house) and still, another leak would pop up. For years Dad has been putting so much money and effort into that roof! 

This Spring has been the worst rainy season I think we’ve ever had and it has done a number on Dad’s room! It got so bad that buckets needed to be emptied every couple of hours! Then it got worse. We had so many buckets set up that Dad couldn’t even sleep in there anymore. He moved into the spare room; he said he would eventually move back into his own room. That wasn’t going to happen!

Dad got into his closet one morning and saw that mold had started growing in there, so we started moving things out. An old trunk, probably from the late 1800s that has photos, mementos, and heirlooms had to be moved out of there. There were boxes upon boxes of old photos and genealogy information, not to mention 3 boxes of the genealogy books that Dad published years ago. (He had too many printed at the time.) All of those things and Dad’s clothing had to be moved out of that closet! 

Fast forward just a few days. Mold began working its way up the walls of the bedroom and the floor was soaking wet. It was no use now. Things needed to be moved out of there and fast! A few of Dad’s things had to be thrown away. The office desk and 2 shelves are ruined but we saved the books. The most worrisome items were my Dad’s Victrola (photo below is similar to my Dad’s) and my mother’s cedar chest, both antiques. We needed to get them out of that room and fast! Dad and I couldn’t do it ourselves or we would have. I couldn’t get my son here to help so I had to beg friends on Facebook for help! Thankfully, my friend Angie brought her hubby and 2 other guys and they got the job done. 

We are still slowly moving things out that are up and away from the dampness and out from under the leaks at the moment. When everything is out, we will tear that room down. It has to quit raining first! I swear when it’s raining it’s literally raining in the bedroom, too! It’s awful! (If it weren’t so embarrassing, I’d share photos and video with you.)

The urgency to get our new house done now is first and foremost in our minds, which is very stressful. My son has agreed to work on it but he can’t manage to get over here except 4 or 5 times a month. I can’t wait to finally be in a house that’s not falling apart! We started building back in the early 2000s but came to standstill about 10 years ago when Dad got too old and tired and I got too…disabled. 

Another reason for the urgency of getting the new house done is that I need help taking care of Dad. The new house is big enough for my sister, who has agreed that she will move in and help. I can barely take care of myself, let alone Dad. The stress of being on alert 24/7 is very stressful. Having someone here to help lends a second pair of eyes, ears, and hands. I can still do some things but having my sister to help with the cooking and cleaning will help me tremendously! Right now I’m a mess and a disaster waiting to happen!

So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Stay tuned for updates…

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