Yes, I've put it off. Part of it has been the covid, brain fog and lack of energy. Part has been just locating all the losses and damages. The lift chair had to be returned.(Then replaced.) The screen had to be redone. Those three were up-front expenses for us. Photos of paperwork had to be taken, cropped to just the paper with data, emailed to the company. My attempt to contact the Sheriff's office to find out if any progress in locating the ring has occurred, or is even being attempted, met with voicemail hell. I still don't know. Let the adjuster fight that battle.
All this while the rest of my life has been working on cranking back up. That's its own long list, though too short. Inertia is king. Or is it queen? Pool walking has cut back to three total times in nearly two months, not terribly useful. Voting happened, with lots of reading and researching, then sitting down together and explaining who candidates were, what propositions REALLY meant, and waiting to go on to the the next one while individual decisions were made. (Now that we've done that, all those commercials are even more repulsive!)
Weeds in the yard loved loved loved this monsoon season. They needed to be sprayed, involving purchases of new chemicals and equipment. Sprayers and chemicals do not last long around here. Once the weeds were dead, we had to wait for lower temperatures to combine with any semblance of ambition to get them mostly removed from the lawn. The amount of new green indicated just how effective the weedkiller was(n't). But a tree needed pruning, a bush cut way back, lots of plants relocated because now really is the time for it. Dead spiky branches and stabbing yucca leaves needed removal. Two inches of rain just last weekend meant battles with the dog who routinely refused to go outside for the next three days unless dragged on her leash. I hate to think how she'd react to an actual bath. All of those things and more claimed depleted reservoirs of energy. So it's only now that the contact with the insurance company happened.
It didn't spur me along to know that I hadn't added a special rider for that ring. I know it wouldn't be more than partially covered. I also knew there is a deductible, but not a high one. For the stolen camcorder I looked up replacement cost online, meaning looking at a refurbished used one on eBay. Several came up with the same price so I set my expectations there. The insurance company figured differently, defining replacement value as the cost of a new one since it is still being made. So a little bit of better news. I was told to just go get the screen repaired and bring back a bill, my choice of vendors. I picked the local hardware store, one of a national chain. The stolen coins get counted at face value, period, and the person on the phone exchanged her story of their coin jar. She understood how quickly those add up. If I weren't honest, I could have quoted a much higher price on that.
The only weird part of our conversation was having to explain to her what exactly a lift chair is. That was the 2nd biggest expense, since the rental company declared it unable to be sent back out for somebody else to use. In turning it back in to them, we had to cover their full cost by a "donation". That also had to be explained.
Now we wait again. In about a week, their appraiser will look at the ring appraisal and photo and determine its value. Whatever it is, it won't be fully covered. Maybe a third unless it's appreciated a bunch since 2017. Gold, diamonds and larger stones? I have no hope and little ambition of trying to replace it. With luck, there will be enough to cover what Steve thinks is fair return on the lift chair, sharing the deductible between us, with a balance good enough to replace that warped front door so it can securely lock. With more luck the next strong north wind won't blow it wide open. The security door outside it should do its own good job of securing the house. But after all, it's the windows which have proven vulnerable. We'll double check those window locks next summer, change the house keys, hoping that will keep us more secure.
Well, that plus the stupidity of the burglar who doesn't know the real value of what's inside except for what has already been taken. But most of that is too bulky to remove easily. Trash it, sure. Take? Not stealthily. I'll consider a rider or two on the policy.
By the way, Rich is busy these days making plans for taking down the drone that somebody has been using to get up close to the house. We have video of its shadow crossing over the hood of the car inside the carport at night under the light. Steve no longer suspects Rich is a bit paranoid. I've been thinking setting mist nets. Tangle it. Rich has been planning his own little EMP machine. Kill it.
Our Canadian neighbors returned last night and we all had a conversation this morning about what's been happening. They are now warned, among other things, to take the car instead of their golf cart to the grocery store since those have been getting stolen right out of the parking lot in as little as five minutes out of the owner's sight. Seems those buggers all use the same keys.
Whose brilliant idea was that?
I'm starting to see them in the rec center parking lot with a "boot" attached like city cops put on cars with violations. These are by the owners, of course. Presumably each has a different key than the rest.
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