Why It's Important to Fix Roof Leaks

The fire that happened behind our home really put us on the edge. The fire started because water leaked in the room and an outlet got wet. It was the firewall that saved our home. Soon after, the ceiling in our kitchen started leaking. The water poured out from the kitchen lights. 

It was scary. The lights were on and water just suddenly started pouring out from it. We immediately turned off the lights and called for help from an electrician. He advised not to turn on any of the lights and turn off the circuit breaker switch for the area.

The incident was a blessing in disguise. We were told by the people who we bought the house from that the house electrical system was new. They couldn't give us an electrical plan, so an electrical audit was made. The result was five pages of required fixes. To make a long story short, we had everything re-wired and a new circuit breaker panel was customized for our home. 

The same issue recently happened to my childhood home. The house has been overdue for renovation since it's already over 50 years old. Our helper reported the incident and said that the area where water came in smelled like "electricity". We advised her not to turn on any lights in the area or use any of the outlets. 

Water in the bulb

Since we're planning to do something with the property, we decided to terminate the electricity that was attached to the roof. We originally planned to have the electrician just turn off the switch to the floor. He advised that it wasn't possible since the switch was also connected to the ground floor. He and his assistant ended up terminating the lights individually. They also checked the rest of the house to ensure nothing untoward happens while we're still planning what to do. 

54-year old cables

Electricity + water = disaster. Our electrician explained to us that it's important to make sure your electrical system is healthy. It's important to have a proper circuit breaker panel for your home. He said most fires happen in developing areas because they don't have proper circuit breakers. Usually if an appliance catches fire, the circuit breaker will shut down and prevent the fire from traveling through the wires. 

So, check for leaks in your home. It may come from your ceiling or windows or from flooding. I am amazed how my childhood home withstood so many typhoons and floods. My Tito Bert built us a really sturdy and safe home. Make your home safe too. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Oh, Mom

We have started to sort Mom's things. I promptly got sick the first day we started, so I just got updates from the team helping me. When they started sending photos of items that were boxed I started crying. It's only been five months and seeing Mom's things boxed just seems so final. 

The team confirmed that Mom's things were organized. I was told by several people that it seems she prepared her things. She probably knew she was going soon and wanted everything in order. She even put most of her clothes in boxes. 

We covered only a few rooms. Most of the items Mom has are decorative. I remember she got a lot of decorative items from estate sales in the US. She also liked collecting angels and she has a lot of religious statues. We will probably just keep some, give away to relatives and her friends and donate the rest. I have checked with a friend who is a nun and she said there's a place where we can bring religious items. 

This part of losing a loved one is difficult. If I could I would rather leave her home untouched. That way I could just think that she's away visiting Ate or Kuya. I know it doesn't work that way. Realistically, I have to clear everything so we can fix the house and make it livable. 

On Home Buddies FB, I saw someone ask how to convince her Mom to let go of her glassware collection. All of those who responded said it's impossible. It's true. I commented also and told her to let it be and expect her Mom to be more stubborn as she ages. 

Mom was like that. We prepared a room for her in our home. She wanted to be in her own home and she also refused to have things fixed. I only got as far as having her roof fixed because water would pour in when it rains (it was a waterfall). 

Oh Mom, wish you were here. I know you knew this task was going to fall on my lap and you tried to make it easier for me. We are saving what is valuable and will let go of things that will be more helpful for others. 

Miss you Ma. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Miracle Sundays: Dreamt of Mom

Dreamt of my Mom last night. We were somewhere sorting through her Christmas decorations. I was selecting some items to keep and the rest were to be donated. She didn't want me to keep a lot, but she kept pointing to one item. She said it was still good, but the "mountain" was missing. I didn't exactly know what the "mountain" meant, but it looked like a small part of the decor. 

Mom's garden.

I'm the only child who's here, so clearing out her house has fallen on my shoulders. I have a game plan already, but I just can't seem to get to it. Leaving the house as it is now makes me feel like she's just there. Busy with her garden, sewing or working on her crafts. 

It's probably her way of telling me to get moving. I originally targeted to start things after her 40th day. The most I've done is continue to manage the house and drop by every so often. I remember when I was a child, I used to ransack her cabinet often. I got a scolding and since then I have stayed away from her cabinet. I only open it whenever she asks me to get something. 

It's time and I guess my deadline is to finish things before Christmas. One thing I look forward to is finding her Christmas decors. Some are older than Miggy, so we'll see if they are still good. I'm thinking if we do one room per month, complete with sorting through the stuff I should finish by early next year. 

Pray for me. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: Childhood Home Happy Memories

I lived in the same house until the day I got married. Sweetie and I immediately went home to our new home the day after our wedding. Living with my parents until I married gave me the grounding and stability I needed. I could also say I completed Mom's syllabus of life lessons. She didn't know how to cook, but she really knew how to properly run a household and get cars repaired. 

I have a huge bank of happy memories stored in my mind. In time they'll probably start to fade away, so I thought I'd write down some of them today. Here are some:

1. Celebrating birthdays at home

I always celebrated my birthdays at home. I had one every year until I was 13. Miggy also had his birthday parties at home and that was really fun. When we moved out we started celebrating in restos since it was easier to do. 

2. Parties

Mom and Dad loved hosting parties at home. Mom had huge platters for her parties and she had a gazillion plates, glasses and kubyertos. Majority of our family reunions happened in our home. When not hosting parties, they would host smaller dinners. Good thing at that time my metabolism was really fast, haha. Eventually, the parties extended to my friends. I was still able to host one just before the pandemic.

3. Welcoming New Year with a bang

It was Mom who loved to buy fireworks. She and Kuya would set up a drum on the street and throw in  whatever they got. They would also put swirling lights on the palm tree that used to be on the front lawn. I'd usually hide in the sala because I'm absolutely afraid of fireworks. 

4. Having pets

Much as Mom didn't really like having pets, she allowed us to have pets. I inherited Ate's dog, Cotton, who eventually gave birth. Kuya had lovebirds, cats and fish. I eventually had an aquarium and hamsters. That's why I'm so bummed my pulmo didn't allow me to have pets. 

5. Mom's garden as my classroom

In the afternoons, Mom would force me to hang out with her in the garden. She'd lay out a banig and that's where I'd play with my dolls. Eventually, she held craft lessons for me during summer. That's where I learned how to embroider, crochet, make bags out of plastic straw, quilt, bead and paint boxes. 

It's now time to sunset our old home and re-purpose it for our current needs. Everyone wants to keep Mom's garden as it is, so we'll see how that goes :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

It Went Down with a Bang

I was just about to start blogging when I got a call from Mom's helper. I wondered why they were calling me from the garden and I heard Mom say in the background, "Nahulog yung puno!" With the constant rain from the past week I wasn't surprised when Mom said a tree fell in her garden. The helper echoed it and I thought okay I just need to get help to take it out. 

Sometimes though things can get lost in translation and bad connectivity. Mom's helper prefers to converse in Bicolnon. So there was a huge gap in what she wanted to tell me. I asked her to show me what they were looking at and that's how I finally found out that the garden wall gave way. It came down with a big bag. 

Peek-a-boo!

Well, I wasn't really surprised it happened. The wall is probably just a wee bit younger than me. It has see better days and probably eroded through the years. The engineer who inspected the house said that we need to reinforce the base of the garden area. Yup, he's right and I hope I can finally get the approval of my siblings to proceed. 

My biggest concern was to cover the gaping hole left by the wall. I SOS'd the homeowners association for help and luckily they were able to help and Mom is secure.  They'll probably need a bigger truck when they clean up the creek on Monday (scheduled before this happened). Thank you Lord for guardian angels! <3

#BeKind #StaySafe