How to know when you’re past ready for a vacation

Humans need a reprieve from their normal routine to regenerate, recharge, and refresh.  Soaking up some sun, (aka, natural Vitamin D), is good for everyone, especially if you live in a winter wonderland.

The Mr. and I are no different from the rest of the world in our appreciation of a much-needed-get-a-way from the home front kind of vacation.  We’re positive our neighbors would agree, except in our little ol’ spot in the field in rural Wisconsin, it has been too hard to see if anyone else in the neighborhood has the same idea or not.

The snow and wind blasted winter has been blocking our view often.  And Saturday night, the arrival of the pending storm was another instant whiteout.

Frankly, this month and week leading up to that storm put me and Mr. over the top.  We’re beyond ready for a vacation.

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It’s been 4 years since we took a trip somewhere warm during the winter.  We’ve taken the sullen staycation type deals.  One year we celebrated we had just put on a new roof on the house, and the next year celebrated buying a new mattress.

This year, though, we’ve got hot plans to revisit a place warm we love.

Pause here to enjoy the view…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Before we go, we have to deal with things we discovered on Friday, clean up from hosting guests over the weekend, and then we’ll be off.  You won’t hear from me for a little while anyhow (don’t worry, I’ll be back eventually).  While gone, I’m unplugging from thinking about the winter wonderland back home, and from posting on the blogosphere, too.

We apparently needed more encouragement to head out on our trip.  While we’ve been busy deciding what luggage to buy, Mother Nature planned a mini-staycation test for Mr. to see if we’re happy with both of those previous years’ staycation purchases.  The luggage beast is staying behind (we fit everything into carry-ons!!).  The mattress is still damn comfortable – it appears so, after all of Mr.’s hard work outside, he’s always ready to konk out on the comfy mattress.

At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can. – Frida Kahlo

I’m not sleeping so well on the new mattress.  It’s mostly because of either the dog that’s fretting because we’re going to leave him behind, or because I’m worried about the melting of all of the snow.  Where the h*ll is it going to go?

Our satisfaction with the purchase of the new shingles on the roof is yet to be determined.

Saturday, as I cleaned the house, Mr. was busy, too.  The hustle and bustle and visitors around the house confused the pets.  So they added to the stress, confirming yet again, the need for a get-a-way.

A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution. – Angela Merkel

Mr. shoveled Copper’s turf, and so did I, while the winds howled and drifted over it many a time.

At least Copper eventually did his job.  Just in time for more snow to arrive.  We weren’t sure if we’d get rain or snow on Saturday.  It was 38 degrees out and windy as hell.  A warmer than 30 below temps and 45 mph wind helped to melt some of the snow.  And toss debris in the yard.  And we took stock of what might flood.

Despite the growing anticipation for the trip.  We’re thankful we haven’t left yet.

While Mr. was going in and out of the door to our garage, he looked up.  And saw our original water leak spot on the ceiling.  He noticed it the last time it warmed up outside a few weeks ago.  Sh*t, it had grown and was continuing to grow, and there was water running down the inside door frame.  And it had also expanded to the ceiling inside of the garage.

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It’s not the previously purchased staycation shingles on the roof that’s the problem, it’s the ice dam.  The ice continued growing with each snowstorm, melting some days in the warm sun in between, and then solidifying in the subsequent freezing temps.  Adding heavy layers.

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Despite Mr.’s efforts to keep the snow off of the roof, it was brutally hard to do so.  We’ve been bombarded with so much snow each storm, we couldn’t keep up with removal in-between storms.

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Now that it is warmer, said ice and snow are starting to melt.  The ice dams on the roof and in gutters were preventing the melting water from going anywhere but back in.  Instead, it was pooling into the soffits under the eaves, and running back into the house.

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We both knew that the ice dam had to go somehow, some way.  Removal of a good 12″ worth of ice, 6 feet up the roof line is pretty damn hard to do when there was also 6″ of ice on the front doorstep.  Enter in ice melt, a pry bar, a 3 # mallet, and Mr. on a ladder to the rescue.

With a little help from the warmth of 38 degrees and the running water underneath the ice, Mr. was able to chip away at the ice and get the water flowing away from the house instead of into it.  The first round of chopping, I couldn’t take pictures.  I was worried sick that he’d fall off of the ladder and I’d have to run outside and rescue him or call for help.

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Once he chipped away the ice on the front doorstep, I felt more confident the ladder would stay put.  So I, of course, took photos to remember why it is we’re happy to be going away from here.  He chipped away, chipped away, chipped away…on Saturday…

And on Sunday…

And the water in the soffits continued to flow away from the house, instead of into the house.  The temps cooled and the water leaking stopped.

But there’s damage, no doubt, that we’ll have to deal with when we return.

 

Will we still worry about the home front’s ice and the melting snow in the yard while we’re chillaxing on the beach…?  If the nights cool down below zero and we don’t get too much rain, and if we don’t get more snow…

Maybe we won’t worry too much.

We can’t worry about it, what will be will be.  I know I won’t be wearing these boots on the beach.  Or won’t be dodging icicles falling from the roof.

I’ll be kicking back and chillaxing.

And I’m positive the pets will enjoy their house-sitter.  And they’ll be chilling in the sun, too.

Oh, yes, there is no doubt in our minds, we know it is time for a vacation.

Post Inspiration –  Winter in Wisconsin with a Spring Ahead to Melting.

PS – Thank you, followers!  I received this WordPress message this morning.  OMG – I was so tickled to see this…!  Thank you!!  I adore you! 

While I’m gone, I’ll miss hearing from you.  I hope you stick around to see the pictures of our trip when I return.  Hopefully, they won’t consist of further damage to our home front!  Take care – see you back here on the sunny side of a vacation!