Previously at SoCal Mom: Donna's crazy month got even crazier when a routine doctor's appointment revealed an "abdominal mass" that may require surgery SOON. Her daughter's birthday, a Bat Mitzvah and the imminent arrival< of family members would be stressful enough -- but first, she had to cook and clean the house for Passover...
I was already losing it on Wednesday, having learned that two of my closest friends and a blogging colleague had all suffered tragedies in the last week, all of which made my own problems seem insignificant. It took me some time to really focus on my seder -- but with guests due to arrive in four hours, I finally got my act together.
The only thing left was the seder plate: I'd hardboiled the eggs, put out the parsley and horseradish, figured I'd tear a drumstick off the chickens I was roasting. It was time to make the haroset (my recipe calls for chopped apples, almonds, cinammon and a splash of sweet Kosher wine).
I probably had my first drunk on Manischewitz, when I was a kid. Back then, I thought it tasted great - but now, it makes me think of Robitussin. So last year's bottle was still fairly full and being stored (along with the liqueres I rarely use) in a section of my grandmother's old credenza, which now serves as our liquor cabinet.
I was not prepared for what I would find when I opened the cabinet door: its left side was lined with something that resembled baby vomit. A closer look revealed that it was actually a large, smelly mushroom-y fungus.
It looked like the aftermath of an alien invasion from a 1950's sci-fi movie.
At this point, I should tell you that we've been having problems with our hardwood floors, which recently started to look so bad that I knew we would have to replace them soon. After seeing the nasty mushroom vomit, my heart sank. I remembered a sensational tabloid television report on something called poria: A voracious plant known as the "house-eating fungus" that some have described as "worse than termites."
One day later, we'd called the expert named in the links above, who confirmed the sad news. It probably made its way into our house through a crack in our foundation (nice to know it had nothing to do with my poor housekeeping habits). He found evidence of it in our dining room leading into our living room (the damaged floor), but also in the wall that bears our kitchen cabinets as well as in one of our eaves.
He explained that you cannot kill it with chemicals. The only way to deal with it is to find its entryway into the house (i.e., remove the floor), seal it and then repair the structure in a way that will keep it from coming back.
It's EXPENSIVE. And it's NOT COVERED BY HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE.
We are fortunate to have some cash in the bank, which has given me some peace of mind while we have struggled to make ends meet on a reduced income. We will get through this -- but our cushion will be gone. I am going to have to find a full-time job, which is never easy for a woman in her 50's who has been out of the workforce for over a decade -- and will be even tougher in this market.
Of course, I can't start looking until after we've settled whatever is going to be done with my little medical issue.
One month ago, I was thinking to myself that despite the economic downturn and its resulting effects on our family budget, I was a lucky woman. I had my family and I had my health and I had a roof over my head.
Now: I guess two out of three ain't bad.
