The End is in Sight

Posted on 2023-09-18 by arjaybe

Credit Henri Julien – public domain


It’s been nearly two months since my last update on our homelessness. On July 27 I talked about how I was living in a motel to take some load off of my wonderful niece. Since then I have spent some more time with her, but now I’m back in the motel. The good news is that things are happening at our new place. The exterior is finished, the water and electricity and gas are hooked up and working. We have a team on site building several sets of steps and the trailer full of our stuff is going to be parked there soon. All that remains is for the interior to be finished and the inspectors to do their job. Still no solid estimate of how long it will take, though.

In other news, I have managed to create a routine of writing that is slowly pecking away at the final chapters of my current novel. It’s not nearly as good as it would be if I had things set up the way I like them, but it’s something. I am itching to get going so I can do proper backups and get the chapters printed and get this thing finished. All that noted, I’m still keeping my perspective. I’m still living a charmed life and my troubles are minor and finite.

rjb

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Getting Short

Posted on 2023-09-08 by arjaybe


The fire that was threatening our furniture (and my MANUSCRIPTS) has been officially classified as under control. There’s one worry put to rest. The home that we’ve been waiting to move into is slowly nearing completion. The water and electricity are both working now and the exterior of the building is finished and awaiting the stairways. All that remains is to finish and clean up the interior and hook up the gas.

Good news: my motel has gone to offseason rates so the bleeding has slowed there. And I’m managing to get some writing done. This novel might not be as late as I thought.

I know I’m going to look back on this episode with some humor. I just wish it would hurry up and give me the opportunity to look back.

rjb

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Running Out of Options

Posted on 2023-08-18 by arjaybe


To recap: We’re still waiting for our new home to be ready for us to move in. As far as I know, my manuscripts are still safe near the edge of that wildfire.


Now another fire has popped up to the west of us, sending a thick plume of smoke overhead. Ashes are falling out of that plume, sitting on things like dirty snow. Some people were trapped by that fire, but they’ve been rescued. Worse than that fire, another one has ignited to the north of us, and is threatening a populous community up there. My niece — the one I have been spending time with during this homeless phase — is just a couple of city blocks from the area under evacuation alert. That is an extremely active fire and the wind is forecast to be strong this afternoon, so her alert could become an order any minute.

This has been a summer of homogenitus clouds, particularly flammagenitus.


The upshot of all this for me is that I will be living in this motel for the foreseeable, since it would be unwise to go somewhere that could come under an evacuation order at any moment. My greatest regret is that I don’t have any accommodation to offer to my niece should she need it.

What a summer.

rjb

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