Friday The Thirteenth Thoughts

Friday the thirteenth has never been a scary day for me.   The movie (I only saw the first and that was more than enough) is a different story.  Once was enough for me. My father knew that because around the time that the first film came out, when I used the outdoor shower at the summer house we were renting, he would stand outside and make those noises that you heard whenever Jason was around.  (You know what I mean:  the ch, ch, ch, ch, ha, ha, ha, ha.)  When an actual Friday the thirteenth rolls around, it usually puts me in a happy place.

I was married on a Friday the thirteenth back in 1996, so whenever the thirteenth lands on a Friday, I am whisked back.  I think of sun and rain (because there were both that day).  I think of family. (Especially my Great Uncle Harold who came all the way from California, along with my cousin and his wife, to make the day even more special.)  I think of the shore; the sun setting over the bay and a cigar boat setting its engine to full throttle during the ceremony.  I think of the house at the shore and the part it played during the day.

It's one of the reasons the shore house means so much to me.  (Perhaps even more than the house I grew up in, which I watched be gutted and changed with some distain, but very little emotion.)  It's where I met my cousin and his wife for the first time as an adult (I think our only other meeting was when I was under the age of 5) and got to know what funny AND fun people they were.  (And how I wish I had gotten to spend more time with them.)  It is where we prepared for the wedding.  (I think I had hot sticks in my hair for most of the day; even though they lost their heat after an hour or so.)  It is where we made directional signs (this was pre-GPS) and blew up balloons.  It is where I dressed, put on my make-up. (I only recently was able to hunt down a tube of Love My Lips creme champagne lipstick; which used to be inexpensive, but is now is going for nearly $20 on Amazon.)  It's where the photographer that my mother in law hired (I believe he worked at the school where she taught) took pre-wedding photos.  (How I have proof that it was bright and sunny by the late afternoon.)  It's where my husband and I came after the reception was over to get my bag (though I still can't remember HOW we got there), sneakers (I had taken off my heels immediately following the ceremony and kept them off for the rest of the night) and my car (so we could drive to our hotel for the evening.)  It's where we returned the next morning, gathering up "stuff" before we headed home.

In the past several months, I've tried to "restore" the house to what it (kind of) once was.  Over the past several years it moved from my mother's dream house to an old age repository; full of medical supplies which overflowed from every room.  Perhaps I moved too quickly, tossing out as much as I could as quickly as I could.  Literally, airing out the house every chance I could so that the ocean breezes could push out every bit of stale air.  My "restoration" has not brought it back to what it once was.  I could never do that.  What I have done is make it a home again.  While it is mine in name (I'm on the deed; I'm paying the taxes), it isn't quite mine and it probably never will be.  However, it IS a place that my family and I can go and relax/refresh.

I've had to jump through many hoops to get to this point.  (Flaming hoops, if you ask me.)  And just when I think I'm done...something else comes up.  Just last week I had to allow someone from the flood insurance company in to take photos and yesterday I got an email outlining items that I MUST take care of by the middle of next month in or my policy will be cancelled. (Never mind that I IMMEDIATELY paid the full premium when I transferred the policy to my name and that the premium was [expectedly] pricey.) Their three "demands" (that's what I'm calling them because that's what they are to me) are trivial (they seem to think there's a leak under the sink because there's a pot under there...which isn't a pot and I don't think there's a leak, but I'll look into it), silly (incorrectly assuming the age of the furnace and requiring a cleaning to prove that it's in good condition) and finally OUTRAGEOUS (roof shingles are stained with granular loss so the whole roof needs to be replaced).  Not stressful at all, right?

But on this Friday the thirteenth, I am STRONG.  I have already reached out to the insurance agent with questions.  I know when I will be back at the shore and am starting to plan.  I can jump through this hoop, just as I have before. (And will probably have to do again and again.)  Because on this Friday the thirteen, this matters to me.    I may not have a hockey mask and ax, but I can face this challenge, just as I have before.  Let's just hope there isn't any bloodshed!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more