Chapter Seven

It's been a while.

During this slent interlude I have been gently housed by good friends Todd and Debbie in Asheville. My mission there was to investigate house progress, meet with lawyer, discuss the logistics of re-financing with a local bank, meet with a new general contractor and/or alternately consider taking on the responsibilities of the general contractor, and maintain a singular focus throughout in order to not go crazy in a particularly obvious way (I am not good at this).

And I could not have done it at all without the support of Todd & Debbie and their friends and relatives; the advice of Irene who is a trooper; the active concern of neighbor Dana; the warm welcome from Milton and Joanne -- our neighbors on the other side; the sobering but compassionately delivered news from advising general contractor James Carr; some to-the-point legal counsel provided by Brian Gulden; a heartening connection with Judy Bond of TD Bank who made me welcome and gave us hope; and of course from Santina who tended the fort, fed the cat, and kept me afloat when my sails got snarled. Santina has taken to calling me Don Quixote, which seems to fit.

In crunch time our bank in Alabama also commited their support in this process -- which is essential in extending timelines.

Latest news is that work is proceeding on our house and we have expectations of being able to move in before the month is over. More to come on that for sure.