Things Are Not What They Appear To Be

I only had one thing on my to-do list today.  There's a kite festival at Shoreline Lake in Mountain view up near San Francisco.  It's rather a long drive, but I haven't flown my kites in ages.  I have found that home plans, like RV plans, seem to be rooted in jello.

It's not a disaster ... YET ... and I'm hoping it won't become one.  Yesterday as I walked in front of a chair to the television, the floor sounded hollow.  That's weird!  I have a concrete foundation with hardwood floors ........... or so I thought.

Things are not what they appear to be.  Remember those copper gutters I raved about for years?  Not too long ago while up on a ladder cleaning them, I discovered they were NOT copper at all.  They were regular gutters with a great paint job that made them LOOK like copper.  I wonder if the original owner PAID for copper?

See my beautiful hardwood floors?  They are NOT wood, they are laminate.  When I pulled back the rug to take a better look, I discovered a HUGE section under my coffee table was lifting right in the middle of the house.  I know, I need to move.  After this discovery, it may be sooner than I thought!

I'm guessing ... and this is just a rookie guess ... that all the rain we had this year, coupled with my desire to keep my PGE bill down by turning off the heater, combined into too much moisture which the flooring sucked up, making it expand and lift.  A chill went down my spine as I contemplated the ramifications of THAT!!

I called my building contractor (not the one that built the house) and his first words were UH OH!!  That didn't make me feel better at all!!  He is coming over today to see what can be done.  For the time being, I'm blasting it with the fireplace and a fan in the hopes of drying it out quickly enough for the pieces to again lay flat.  No clue if this will work.

I knew those grinding stone would come in handy one day.  I'm using them as weights to keep the flooring flat while it dries.  This is not good ...... not good at all.

And so, the joys of home ownership hit me again, smack dab in the face, and probably my checkbook.  I think I better start cleaning out the garage!!  I see a big yard sale in my future!!

Hey ... it was Friday the 13th!!  Apparently my bad luck on those days is holding out!!!