Transcription of Document FFDoc-1267.pdf

"Paddy's Day" 1976

Dear Anna & Frank:

This won't get mailed - or even finished prob'ly - till I mail my April dues. But have thought of you folks a few times lately & found myself mentally composing a note to you. Who else "listens" to my complaints without criticizing or offering advice? What an outlet! So thought I'd get started in the 15 minutes left before beddy-bye time.

JUST in CASE I haven't laid these on you (and if I have - for God's sake don't tell me - I already feel senile!) this past fall I indulged in a new roof (necessity after 23 years), new gutters, and new steps back & front. Back steps were an absolute must or I risked either breaking my own neck or having some alien transient sue because he broke his. Front steps are never used but had crumbled & sunken into the ground so it seemed a good time to replace them. So - steps I needed - but brick steps were a luxury I allowed myself - what's a month's salary when it will give me a "lifetime" of never replacing steps, I figured. So I got me a mason and we talked price and color & shape & size and etc. And somewhere along the line he asked would I like to have them flush (or almost) with the doorsill. So, dummy that I am, that sounded OK; especially since that plan would include covering over a 2 foot square bare spot on the aluminum siding that emerged when the old steps were torn out. Sooo - beautiful brick steps I got - only in the back, almost flush with the door. I was happy with them, proud of them, loved them, planned for some railings this spring. God knows they emphasized how crappy the yard & the landscaping (loose term) look and made the dirty, peeling paint-trim look twice as bad. But I liked them! The only problem they presented didn't show itself until our first windy, blowing, heavy snowstorm. THEN! and for the rest of the winter, I discovered I was capable of the vilest gutter language imaginable, to be uttered & re-uttered without shame or guilt, morning, noon and night. 'Cause there arrived the morning when I was dashing out to work, gave the door its usual fast shove-open and damn near broke my wrist - 'cause that door didn't budge more than a half inch. The snow was a foot high, soggy wet, and jammed against that door! Starting that morning, I gradually developed a brilliant half-assed system that, given enuf patience(?) and loads of time was guaranteed to detain me no more than an hour: Just push-push-push and curse-curse-curse till the snow gave way a half inch - then force the broom thro' the open space and hope to push some snow away ahead of it., repeat these two steps until the door opening was wide enuf to squeeze my pleasingly-plump frame thro - and then it was clear shovelling. BUT snow was only the beginning! I'd barely mastered the push-curse-squeeze-shovel, routine when the Maine deep-freeze set in. Those beautiful new gutters never had a chance!! Every flake of snow that melted on the roof and found it's way into the gutter FROZE immediately - and any little drips that struggled their way to the end of the gutter spilled over, and FROZE. The icicles framing this place were unbelievable and the one on the end of the gutter took the prize - it was easily one square foot thick!!! and that's no exaggeration. Now, how it can be cold enough to freeze, yet warm enough to melt at the same time I'll never comprehend. But melt and freeze simultaneously is what my ice did. When I was at work, or in bed!! Those icicles dripped onto that lovely new back stoop that was, &is, flush with the doorsill.

Well- you better know the snow problem was nothing compared to the ice problem. You may be able to push one snow flake against the other (with the door) and the poor, soft, little things will eventually GIVE and you're ready for the squeeze play. With ICE?? - NO WAY!! - especially when it's paper thin at the sill, and, only an inch in front of the door, grows into six inch lumps & bumps as fast as you can say "calcium chloride by the ton".

Oh, hell, I could go on & on & on - but it's now 4-5-76 and my check is overdue. Suffice it to say that ice-watch was a steady job - but it was either that or get frozen in! And several times we awoke (or came home from work) to find the storm door frozen OPEN and the little "bergs" beginning to melt & freeze their way into the kitchen. Before we were thro' ice in the gutters was a foot thick & backed up 3 ft onto the roof. That finally produced some interesting indoor leaks - luckily they were over the kitchen sink & in between the kitchen doors so didn't do much damage. Solution to that was the roofer's chopping huge gaps in the gutter-ice and the yearly late-winter thaw. Now I'm faced with solving the snow problem by adding an awning over the door - that and some heat tapes on the roof should at least eliminate the ice problem. Of course, I also suspect that, with my luck, I also stand to put out my money and, for some reason unforeseen at the moment, have an even more aggravating season next year.

Have also just put $500+ into bringing this place up to date electrically. Have had several clues that pointed to an "overload", & had that confirmed by electrician. So we now have a new breaker panel, things like air conditioners, washer, dryer, refrig, freezer, darkroom etc. have individual breakers, and we're now on 100 amps instead of 60.  I do feel a little safer. But do I dare tell you - would you believe? - 3 days in a row the cellar lites tripped the breaker, and they never did that in 23 years here!! It hasn't happened again & I haven't had a chance days to check it out with the electrician.

My car is another hassle - bought a V6 Valiant in Sept and haven't had a moment's peace of mind. It has all the problems the 108,000 mile Polara had at the end - out of line & tires wearing unevenly; start-stall start-stall and definitely stalled several times just as I merged with the flow of traffic &, worse yet, right in the middle of intersections & oncoming traffic. Last time I had it adjusted  they said it was 100% better but I was only 1/2 mile from the dealer's when all the symptoms returned. To top it off, last week one of those brand new tires developed a bulge big as a baseball; haven't had time days to go complain about it. I'd be without a spare if I'd had the snowtreads removed before now. I was so careful to buy a car that had no fuss & feathers, shopped 5 banks for the best loan and now I'm paying $117 monthly for a vehicle that has just added to my porno[?] vocabulary. I am honestly and seriously considering trading the g.d. thing in and indulging myself in something better and more glamorous!!

Do you get the feeling that I could decide to vote for a Ford in a year when a Wallace could win???

If you think I sound like another weepy Gen you could be right. But actually I had fun writing this missive - hope you have fun reading it.

Have heard you may not plan a July 4th III and can think of numerous reasons why you shouldn't. The big one that occurs to me is that it IS July 4-76 with so many celebrations that one might want to take in. Couldn't help thinking of Chief when I read several months ago of the "armada" that will be steaming/sailing up the Narrows that day. Can just see him down on Sore Rd taking it all in. And can remember my own thrill, up on Troy's roof, watching the 7th fleet making its way up the harbor many long years ago.

Have got to go - or I'll forget to enclose a check!!

Love, to all the Shieldses, Dot