Roofs, Professionalism, Birthday Cards, and Goals

During the week or so around Christmas, the wind here was wild.  It blew at least 40-50 mph for almost 24 hours so it was not terribly surprising to discover we were missing a shingle or two on our roof.  Unfortunately we couldn't find the shingles--not that we'd want to put them back, but so they wouldn't end up burying someone's flower bed.  At any rate, I got estimates yesterday and the work is to be done today.

The least expensive bid was the company I wanted to use anyway, so I was glad they came in lower than the next favorite--by $65.00.  It is always interesting to see how different contractors run their business. Some have office personnel to answer the phone, others call back later, some handle the whole thing themselves.  Out of the three companies I contacted, there was one of each.

I never really thought about how much professionalism meant to me, but apparently it ranks pretty high on my list when it comes to home repairs. The website, the "educated" sound of the caller, and the thoroughness of their bid all came into play in making my decision. Prices ranged from $125 to $250 initially, although the low price went up when he actually came and looked at the slope of the roof (STEEP).  Perhaps if they were all pretty close the decision would have had more to do with price as well, but I'll be honest--the one with the best online presence was my first choice.  Membership with the BBB was also a consideration. Hopefully we will get good service and all will be well.

Other than dealing with the roof and a follow up visit to the eye doctor (some better, but not fully recovered) I have been making cards, cards, and more cards.  I am sending out 50 birthday cards this year, and have all but 14 of them made. These are not my most elaborate cards, but they are cute, and at least the cards for guys (which I have always had a hard time coming up with designs for) are better than I have ever done before.

There are several young children on my list this year, what with great nieces and great nephews and grand children, but I am not accustomed to designing for them either.  My offerings are "so-so" in my opinion.  I think the best part of my cards is the message inside and the fact that mine may be the only one they get in the mail.

I also wrote four thank you notes and a letter yesterday.  For some reason I seem to be in the letter sending mode!  I enjoyed opening up all the Christmas cards and reading them, and there is still nothing that brings a smile to my face quite as fast as a letter in the mail. I guess I am hoping that I can start a resurgence of letter writing if I send enough of them. :)  My kids have gotten into the swing, and I love getting frequent letters from Ale and the M&Ms as well as thank you cards from Elizabeth and Michael.

We don't have a lot of plans for the weekend.  Ornery finished off his last project and hasn't started a new one yet.  We need to take the chairs we borrowed from his mom back to her house at some point on Saturday, but otherwise the time is undirected.

My goals for this year have so far remained unwritten and left to the imagination.  I had hoped to focus this year on loving myself and doing things for my body that I have neglected for many years.  So far, I have found many other more appealing ways to spend my time.  I'd rather they not really be goals or resolutions, just decisions from day to day in which I will work at gaining more optimal health and slowing the aging process. It must be something I want deeply, though, or I will not ever do it. I know that about myself.