Contacting us

Our cell phone only has 42 minutes remaining until our month ends (8 weekdays left) so we have been making most of our calls at 9:00 PM when we have free minutes and trying to limit ourselves to 5 minutes/day during normal hours. If you want to contact me at work my number is 612-435-9428.

Cabinets

The homeowners association is responsible for everything up to the sheetrock and mechanical systems so we are responsible for things like plumbing fixtures and light fixtures, trim, cabinets, paint etc. We still aren't sure who is responsible for floor covering. Of those things that are our responsibility, the things that can be saved for the rebuild are cabinets and fixtures. So we plan to remove them this Saturday so that they can be saved.

What is the purpose of insurance

What is the purpose of insurance? Is it to completely replace everything that is replaceable? Is it to replace enough so that the loss doesn't hurt too much? The first option pays more money for less risk. The second option pays less money for somewhat more risk. Which option is the best stewardship of God's resources?

The Dig

Yesterday 5 fire investigators dug out the trash in our garage to try to find the cause and origin of the fire. They started at 9:30 and left about 3:00. Right in the morning they showed a picture that the fire department took when they arrived and I want to get a copy of that. I am glad that I didn't have to do their work on such a hot day! This is what I think they found based on what I overheard. The fire started in the front half of the garage (nearest the garage door). Therefore it probably wasn't caused by an electrical problem or by the Volvo. The two suspects that they had were the Mercedes (which was parked outside right next to the door) and a car jump starter powered by a battery pack. They took the jump starter, an electrical outlet, the garage door opener and the shop lights for further study. They will be taking the Mercedes also for study.

Driver's License

Annette lost her drivers license in the fire and she will hopefully get a replacement today. (Thanks to Sarah's help.)

Mold and smoke

As the homeowners association president and insurance adjuster have both said, the biggest concern during the rebuild is that mold and smoke are correctly handled so that the mold and smoke smell are completely gone and won't return.

Things to replace: Watch for deals

We have made a list of things that we need to replace so if you see any good deals on those items please let us know.

Back to work

Today is my first day back to work after the fire. I guess that means things are starting to get back to normal. I usually chat with Annette during the day over IM but since we don't have internet access (or even phone) at home I can't do that. :-(

We still have a lot left to clean but it feels like we have done more than we have left to do. We still have some of the harder stuff left to do -- upholstered furniture will probably take the most time/money and we haven't determined exactly what we will do.

Last night we looked in the paper for rentals. I found about 6 ads for 3 BRs in New Richmond. I left a few messages and talked to one person that would rent for shorter terms (3-6 months). We drove by that house and it looked good from the outside. So now we at least know there we should be able to find something to rent.

The dig of the garage by the insurance fire investigators has been rescheduled to the 13th. I am anxious to find out the cause.

Temporary Housing

Right now we are living at Peter's house but we plan to find a place to rent soon.

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning

We are still in the midst of cleaning everything (If anyone wants to burn up some spare energy...). The insurance people plan to dig out the garage to find the cause next Wed (7/13) so that should be interesting and I hope they find out the cause.

Right now the only easy way to contact us is by our cell phone (612-802-2907) but we are using a ton of minutes so we can't talk long.