Oh Sheeeet

 I don't like cussing so SHEEET will have to do here lol.

First oh sheeeet thing to happen is I didn't get the bike.  The guy who was going to sell it to me who quoted $250 (that was HIS price) got an offer for $400 so he reneged on the deal. I couldn't go get it that day but he promised to hold it as he said he had not gotten any response when he placed the ad a few weeks ago.  But oh sheeeet, of course in the few days before I was going to pick it up, someone came along and offered more.  So much for promises, but hey, I understand. A person has to make a buck and he at least called me to let me know before I drove over an hour to get it.  

Second oh sheeeet thing is that hurricane last week flooded the riding trail again. I was hoping to do the 15 mile ride this week, but that will have to wait. I can only really go on Wednesdays and next week my family will be coming in and I have a stress test that morning so maybe the following week.  I hate it though because I was all stoked up about getting that 15 miles behind me.  

Third oh sheeet thing, the worst of all. is living in Florida, homeowner's insurance is through the roof.  If you have a mortgage, you are forced to have it and you are forced to have hurricane insurance.  Well I have no mortgage, but I don't want to not have any insurance.  Last year I paid $2500 and some change for insurance for the year.   I was dreading this year's bill which comes in November and the other day I received mine.  This year.......... ugh!!!  $4,989.31 !!!!!    That is almost double.  There are not a lot of insurance companies that serve Florida, but I started calling around and got some quotes. I finally found a lower rate if my roof had hurricane straps on it which is on the building code now for new built homes. Well my house is older, built in the 60's.  Nice solid built house as were most of the houses built back then. Unlike these things they throw together in a few days now.  This house has been through many hurricanes and the only damage I have had is that stupid piece of soffit that blew off two hurricanes ago. I had that fixed and it did not blow off this time.  

A few years ago, when insurance went up, I had them come and do a wind mitigation and got that which kept the rates a bit lower, but they said there were no hurricane straps.  Today I am having them install hurricane straps to bring it up to code.  So my insurance will be right at $3000 a year with those. It is costing $2300 for the hurricane straps, so I will still be putting out over $5000 but in the long run it will keep  my rates down.  

If I had any sense, I would get out of this state, but I can't leave because I can't take my granddaughter out of the state as long as her dad is still among the living. And I wouldn't separate her from her baby brother anyway. 

So here I am, no new bike, no trail to ride my 15 miles, and living in Florida having to pay through the rear for everything.  But hey, I am alive and that is all that matters.  And all of those things will change. I will find a bike, the trail will be ridable in a couple of weeks.  Insurance will probably go up again next year, but at least my roof will not blow off in the next hurricane lol.  Well I wasn't too worried about it blowing off since it has survived about 10 hurricanes since I have lived in it, and who knows how many more before, but hey, I will save money on the atrocious insurance bills anyway.

That is all I have for today, just a bunch of Sheeeet!!

Much love, 

Lia 11/17/2022

12.3 miles, angy seas and a hurricane

 Last week I was able to ride 12.3 miles so I made it up to the next county. My next goal is 15 miles because there are bathrooms somewhere in those next few miles.  And there is a rest stop that some lady who lives along the way has set up for bikers.  One day I will make 20 miles, but for now I am happy with what I have done in a short time.

Had my doctor's appointment this past week. She was happy with my numbers and told me to keep doing what I am doing and I will probably live to be 100.  What an awful thought!

I am getting a new bike this coming week. There is a man who bought a bike for his wife and she only road it twice and decided she didn't like riding (crazy woman).  So it is an $800 bike and he is selling it for $250.  I might be able to go faster and farther on this one. Gonna leave all the old people on the trail in the dust!!  Haha!! But that's okay because the young people will leave ME in the dust, they go so fast.  

So we just had another hurricane.  I had no damage, and only a few leaves in the yard. Haven't been out around town to survey the damage, but I don't think we had much. 

Those people who built houses on the beach up near Daytona did not fare so well. The seas were angry with over 20 foot waves, some higher.  A lot of houses have collapsed and there are those stupid condos along the beach that are in danger of coming down.  

Now my thing is, why do developers build right on the beach?? There is a reason nature has a beach with sand.  It is a natural barrier so when the seas are angry, they have somewhere to go.  It is the same with people who build right on rivers.  They are building on a flood plain most of the time. Natures barrier for our protection.  So I hate to see people lose their homes or have them flooded, but I can't muster up a lot of sympathy because common sense should tell you that you can't fight mother nature. You respect her.

Ok, off of my high horse now!  

Well not quite... I am always amazed at the people who cannot wait to get out before these storms pass and inevitably someone gets injured or killed.   Two people were electrocuted over in Orange County because they were out before that storm was past and conditions could be assessed.   

And then... the IDIOTS who decide they can swim in the angry seas and then have to be rescued, putting the emergency personnel in danger.  You want to be that stupid?  Well you deserve what happens to you.

Ok, I think I am off my high horse now!

It is almost Thanksgiving. I thought it was going to be a real quiet one this year because my son and his wife have moved away. And my daughter up in South Carolina was not coming down with my two grandkids up there.  Then out of the blue she called me the other day and said she was coming after all. Well I guess I won't have a quiet one but that is okay.  I didn't buy a very big turkey though so they will all just have to fight over the food lol.   I was afraid we might lose power during that hurricane and the turkey would thaw in the freezer.  I was texting with my son and he said "well Mom, if that happens, just do a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" .  That made me laugh because when my kids were little, my brother was in the Marines stationed somewhere , I forget where and he was not going to get to come home so the kids and I put together a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and mailed it off to him.

That is all I have today.   See you again soon, or maybe later, but eventually I will post again.

Much Love,

Lia