Mother Nature? You're kind of a bitch.

I'm going to apologize in advance for what is quite sure to be a profanity laden post. Turn back now, oh ye of delicate sensibilities, for we are heading straight into F-bomb land.

This week was supposed to be a continuation of my food challenge, with some scrimping to fit in a Five Guys visit, and perhaps a soup or two. Well, the trip to Five Guys happened, and was a delicious grease-fest, as anticipated. However, upon my return home from that little jaunt, I pulled into my driveway and saw this:




In case it's not clear, that's the neighboring property's fence, which normally resides in an upright position on the perimeter of my yard. Stepping into my back yard, my Adirondack chairs (solid wood) were tossed to the other side of the lawn. And the laundry that I'd hung on the line to dry during the heat of the day? Was fucking EVERYWHERE. T-shirts were strewn along the driveway. Towels decorated the fence. Work shirts on top of the garage. And the rest? Mostly in trees, upwards of 30' in the air.




Oh yes, and the majority of my roof shingles were scattered throughout the yard, road, and god knows where else. Apparently, we'd had quite the gale while I was gone.

The next day was spent hauling the downed branches to the end of the driveway for pickup, and making multiple calls to my insurance company. Also? A trip to my next door neighbors to see how they'd fared. Bear in mind, I've lived here for 8+ years, and have met my neighbors approximately....one time. They're very nice people, from what I can tell, I'm just a bit of a recluse, and keep to myself when at home. After touring their yard, and the downed 40' catalpa tree, they asked if I needed help with anything. And I did, as fetching my laundry out of trees was stymieing me. So my poor neighbor got his surveyor's pole and proceeded to pick clothes out of trees. Including my...undergarments. There's nothing that bonds strangers quite like handing them their muddy, storm-tossed panties. And not at ALL awkward.

But the epic continues, as not a single roofer in the area could come to tarp my roof until...this morning. In the ensuing days, we got a LOT of rain. Which, when you basically have no roof, leads to a bit of water damage. Much like this:






So, that's a long way of saying that the food part of my life got a bit sidelined, what with my bedroom turning into a FEMA site. I haven't deviated from the project, but have definitely been on autopilot. For those wondering where I stand, financially, with my burger trip, I'm now at:

Balance: $121.15.

And yes, I'm carrying on with the project. Because real life happens, regardless of budget, and with heaven only knows what kinds of upcoming expenses, maintaining a tight food budget is a damn good idea. I foresee a big pot of soup this weekend, as I'm in a bit of a funk (can't imagine why), it's pissing down rain, and I was given a chunk of ham, complete with bone, by a coworker.

But truly...this fucking SUCKS. Guess the dogs and I are sleeping downstairs for a while.