Update from the Ark (Thurs. 11/13): Insurance Adjuster and Contractor's Estimator toured the wreckage yesterday. I don't think I was supposed to hear this, but I overheard Insurance Adjuster say to Estimator, "Oh my goodness. I wasn't expecting this." The upshot is that we're getting all new carpet on the 2nd floor, plus the entire stairway. All drywall, trim work, and painting of the affected walls will be done. We're going to pay to have the rest of the interior of the house painted: 1) because it needs it; and 2) the workers are there and working, anyway, so why not get it all done at once. 2-3 week leadtime before they can get started, but the actual work will take only a few weeks. Hopefully, we'll have a fully restored house in time for the New Year. Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and encouragement during this rather trying time for our family.

I've never been a huge Elizabeth Zimmerman fan, but her famous quote has been appropriate for me during the last few weeks:

Knit on,
with confidence and hope,
through all crises.

And so I have. Here's the proof:

Got Your Back


Left & Right Front


Two! Two! Two Sleeves at Once!


Protecting Me & Mine
After the latest crisis, I've decided to implement new security procedures here at Casa de YarnOver. Here's my new Security Team, flying in from Mexico this afternoon:

Badges? We Don't Need No Stinking Badges!


Their job is to maintain order and prevent future teenage hijinks via strategic ankle nipping. Seriously, my mother thinks I've blown a circuit because I want to get one of these little hairless wonders someday. I've got a Coach bucket bag all picked out for him/her to ride around in. Plus, these little guys are always in need of chic little sweaters for warmth.

I must have been influenced during my 2-year stint of living in La Jolla. Rich ladies, young and old, carried teeny dogs around town in designer handbags all the time. Saw it while living in Palm Springs, too. Though I haven't got the "rich" part figured out, yet ...

Kerstin says that the phrase "cute chihuahua" is an oxymoron. Hmmph. She's adopting a cute kittycat very soon and may be just slightly biased :-)

Wish Me Luck
The insurance adjuster visits Ground Zero tomorrow. This should be interesting ... before they've even visited the house, they're already on the offensive, saying, "Well, you realize we're not going to replace all your carpet, right?" Uh, I beg to differ. The water reached all the rooms upstairs. That constitutes complete replacement in my book. We've got a real fireball of an attorney waiting in the wings, just in case. I hope it doesn't come to that. I don't want anything more expensive than what I had. I'm not out to rip off the insurance company. I just want my house restored back to the way it used to be. That's all.

Please take a moment today to remember our veterans, current and past, and the sacrifices they've made for all of us.