Oh, the joys of being a homeowner!

By News9 Meteorologist Carrie Rose, July 14, 2008. There seems to be a slogan among homeowners I've heard since I bought my first house last year. "Oh, the joys of being a homeowner!" Usually this phrase

Monday, July 14th 2008, 4:29 pm

By: News 9


By News9 Meteorologist Carrie Rose, July 14, 2008.

There seems to be a slogan among homeowners I've heard since I bought my first house last year.  "Oh, the joys of being a homeowner!"  Usually this phrase is dripping with sarcasm and dark wit.  And to use a weather phrase, when it rains it pours.

The pouring actually began with a blowing.  A few weeks ago when I was in Atlanta, we had some strong storms move through Oklahoma City, and it snapped one of my larger tree limbs.  Of course, the limb decided to snap and land on my sweet neighbors' bradford pear tree!  I am blessed to be surrounded by kind neighbors who look out for each other.  I got home to find the nicest note in my mailbox from them letting me know that hey, there is a giant dead limb in their yard crushing their tree and could I please remove it?  Homeowner joy #1: getting a limb successfully removed at the end of last week!  And the bonus is that I finally got to talk to the neighbors on that side of my house!  Who knew storm damage could foster neighborly interaction?

My house was built in the mid-50's, and it still has the same XO electric panel since the first time the lights were turned on in the house long before I was born.  Needless to say, I've had many problems with the breaker through the past year, but it was quick and easy to call the Home Shield company to fix the specific outages.  However, since returning home I've had several problems with the panel, and I know when the gig's up.  Today, two very helpful and efficient electricians worked to repair my old problems and also discovered a fire hazard that was a disaster waiting to happen.  Yikes!  Homeowner joy #2: finally upgrading the electric panel and sparing my house from an inferno! 

Perhaps I should pause now to interject how cute my house is and what a true joy it has been living in it?  There; pause, interject, enjoy.  Moving on...

In an earlier Oklahoma windy day (this is the one where we had gusts up to 62 mph in Oklahoma County from a strong low pressure system moving through the Southern Plains!), some of my siding along the roof gable line was ripped off and left dangling like a hangnail.  One of my other wonderful neighbors tacked it back up for me as a temporary fix, and so my house didn't become the eye-sore of the block!  A siding company will have to custom make a replacement for that part of the roofline.  That one is still on the books for completion.  Homeowner joy #3: I am so thankful for a neighbor with a really tall ladder and big nails!

In the December Ice Storm, I was one of the fortunate few who did not lose many of my limbs.  However, that means I still have lots of huge limbs overhanging roofs and fences.  My tree guy suggested I have those trimmed back.  So the proactive house-care begins!  Homeowner joy #4: feeling like a responsible care-taker of my home for the betterment of my living and the welfare of my neighbors.

All of these recent house issues have given me an appreciation for the tremendous work various home-repair professionals do every day.  Oklahoma especially deals with all sorts of damage problems from wind, hail, water, ice, and lightning.  Where would we be without these hard-working folks who are the "doctors" for all of our homes?  So if you're involved in the profession of "house-doctor," thanks for all you do!

Now, if you're involved in bathroom remodeling, care to give a gal a few tips on how to transform a 1950's-era galley bathroom?  Come on, you know you want to be Homeowner Joy #5!

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