Vertigo and Other Episodes from Hell

December 15, 2012

 

It continued to be a difficult winter. My vertigo is still unresolved and I have had several relapses. I was also struggling with extreme exhaustion. Given the stress level in my life, it was not surprising.

During Thanksgiving I had a small electrical fire in a breaker box. The house was a hodgepodge of add- on fuses. Now, half the house had its electric shut off, including my office. All this required replacing all the fuse boxes with an upgrade Breaker box on a panel. Thank heavens, my southern son (formerly estranged) help me decide which direction to go along with my brother-in-law. The funds were contributed from family, me, and a trust fund. At the last minute, I discovered my home owner's insurance company would cover a large chunk of the upgrade. With this we decided to go to a 200 amp upgrade. Now at least my electric was in the modern age relative to a four bedroom house. This feature would also be a plus when I am ready to sell out.

It was Christmas time before I could finally get the work done. A week later when I went to take the woods stove ashes out. I found my office filled with black smoke. It was pouring out of the top of my furnace. Fortunately it was not a major repair, but it meant calling the plumber out on a Saturday. He was not very happy and I was charged extra for the emergency call.

There was also one car repair after another, including new brakes and a bad starter for which I had to pay for it to be towed to the garage from my driveway. As if all of this wasn't stressful enough, my northern son was still not speaking to me. I was told that I was no longer invited to their house. He was not even going to allow me to Skype with my granddaughter when opening my Christmas gifts. I asked him what my granddaughter wanted. She wanted to have grandma see her open her presents. Well, with my vertigo, plus the estranged relationship, I had already decided not to try to travel. I only hoped with spring and the longer days, I would start to feel better. I could only pray for my family and send my dear granddaughter cute little cards, not knowing if she would get them