Through the Looking Glass
So, I’ve been waiting to have my windshield replaced…
A while back the windshield on my van got cracked by a woodpecker. I’m not talking about those little grey suckers you seek rapping on telephone poles. I mean the pileated woodpecker – the ginormous one. You know, the inspiration for woody woodpecker? These suckers are large. Huge.
I park ‘neath a juniper tree, and it seems that some of the berries lodged under my wiper blades. I guess that an all bug regimen is right out for these birds, and he wanted to add some fruit to his diet. Someone came into the office and told me that a woodpecker was pecking at my windshield. I really didn’t believe them, but went outside and looked. Sure enough, there he was, pecking away. I shooed him off, but the damage had already been done. There was a tiny crack in the glass.
It was small, so I ignored it. Not the thing to do in this climate, as the days heated up and the crack grew in intensity. It went from a fraction of an inch, to a snaking think of about 18 inches. In Florida, your insurer pays to have the front windshield replaced, but I just never got around it. Finally, about a week ago, I started the process. My insurer referred me to their glass claims folk. The number they gave me was wrong. I finally found the correct number on my insurer’s website. Sheesh.
The glass folk didn’t seem to want to answer their phones. I called and called and kept getting the “all operators are busy, please leave your number” message. They didn’t return my calls, so I kept calling. I finally got through, and the process from there was relatively painless. They didn’t even ask how it happened, for which I am extremely grateful. We settled on a local glass firm, and the paperwork was faxed to them. I spoke with the glass company, and it took a week to get the glass in, and make an appointment, scheduled for today.
I received a call on Saturday, but it went to voicemail. It was the girl from the glass company, reaffirming the appointment “between 10am and noon, tomorrow.” Wait! That would make it Sunday! I just assumed that she meant Monday, and went about my business. The appointment time came and went, and no sign from the tech. I called the company to confirm the appointment, and the girl said the weekend girls were mistaken, but I was definitely scheduled, for some time in the afternoon.
I ran down the street at lunchtime to grab a quick sandwich and, sure enough, that’s when the tech called. I figured he was at the office looking for me. Turns out he was lost. I started to give quick directions, and he mentioned that he wasn’t from around here, so the landmarks meant nothing. “Where are you coming from?” I asked, as I headed back toward the office. He started to describe the road he was on and the buildings he was passing. Roundabout? New townhomes? Regions Bank?? Heh, I just passed them myself! Dude!! I looked in the mirror, and sure enough, he was right behind me. “See that blue van in front of you? Just follow it.” He followed me back to work, and I parked away from the other cars, so he could work.
He mentioned that he was from Titusville, and drove up here every day to work. It seems Gainesville has a lot more glass claims than Titusville does… I wonder how much installers make, if they can afford to drive two hours every day, each way, to work? Yikes. Oh, well, I’m not paying for it.
I don’t know why I am so excited about it. It’s just a windshield! But yet, the almost feeling of Christmas is upon me, and I can’t wait to get out of here and drive my new windshield home. Is that too weird?
And on the Kitty Front, things are getting better. There's still a bit of histrionics going on, and no one cat seems to like any other, the level of "tolerance" is increasing. The hissing has mostly stopped and has reverted to a matter of kitty mumbling and grumbling when they're near each other. Gray Kitty seems to be the last holdout. He still hisses at all the others, and hides under the bed most of the time. If he doesn't chill out soon, it may be time to find him a new, preferably single cat, home. "The good of the many" and all that rot...
A while back the windshield on my van got cracked by a woodpecker. I’m not talking about those little grey suckers you seek rapping on telephone poles. I mean the pileated woodpecker – the ginormous one. You know, the inspiration for woody woodpecker? These suckers are large. Huge.
I park ‘neath a juniper tree, and it seems that some of the berries lodged under my wiper blades. I guess that an all bug regimen is right out for these birds, and he wanted to add some fruit to his diet. Someone came into the office and told me that a woodpecker was pecking at my windshield. I really didn’t believe them, but went outside and looked. Sure enough, there he was, pecking away. I shooed him off, but the damage had already been done. There was a tiny crack in the glass.
It was small, so I ignored it. Not the thing to do in this climate, as the days heated up and the crack grew in intensity. It went from a fraction of an inch, to a snaking think of about 18 inches. In Florida, your insurer pays to have the front windshield replaced, but I just never got around it. Finally, about a week ago, I started the process. My insurer referred me to their glass claims folk. The number they gave me was wrong. I finally found the correct number on my insurer’s website. Sheesh.
The glass folk didn’t seem to want to answer their phones. I called and called and kept getting the “all operators are busy, please leave your number” message. They didn’t return my calls, so I kept calling. I finally got through, and the process from there was relatively painless. They didn’t even ask how it happened, for which I am extremely grateful. We settled on a local glass firm, and the paperwork was faxed to them. I spoke with the glass company, and it took a week to get the glass in, and make an appointment, scheduled for today.
I received a call on Saturday, but it went to voicemail. It was the girl from the glass company, reaffirming the appointment “between 10am and noon, tomorrow.” Wait! That would make it Sunday! I just assumed that she meant Monday, and went about my business. The appointment time came and went, and no sign from the tech. I called the company to confirm the appointment, and the girl said the weekend girls were mistaken, but I was definitely scheduled, for some time in the afternoon.
I ran down the street at lunchtime to grab a quick sandwich and, sure enough, that’s when the tech called. I figured he was at the office looking for me. Turns out he was lost. I started to give quick directions, and he mentioned that he wasn’t from around here, so the landmarks meant nothing. “Where are you coming from?” I asked, as I headed back toward the office. He started to describe the road he was on and the buildings he was passing. Roundabout? New townhomes? Regions Bank?? Heh, I just passed them myself! Dude!! I looked in the mirror, and sure enough, he was right behind me. “See that blue van in front of you? Just follow it.” He followed me back to work, and I parked away from the other cars, so he could work.
He mentioned that he was from Titusville, and drove up here every day to work. It seems Gainesville has a lot more glass claims than Titusville does… I wonder how much installers make, if they can afford to drive two hours every day, each way, to work? Yikes. Oh, well, I’m not paying for it.
I don’t know why I am so excited about it. It’s just a windshield! But yet, the almost feeling of Christmas is upon me, and I can’t wait to get out of here and drive my new windshield home. Is that too weird?
And on the Kitty Front, things are getting better. There's still a bit of histrionics going on, and no one cat seems to like any other, the level of "tolerance" is increasing. The hissing has mostly stopped and has reverted to a matter of kitty mumbling and grumbling when they're near each other. Gray Kitty seems to be the last holdout. He still hisses at all the others, and hides under the bed most of the time. If he doesn't chill out soon, it may be time to find him a new, preferably single cat, home. "The good of the many" and all that rot...
posted by Turtle at 3:51 PM
2 Comments:
I had a woodpecker put a hole in the house once.
Where is Buzz Buzzard when you need him?
Dude, I'd say you should write a memoir but I don't think anyone but those of us who know you would believe it. If someone asked me yesterday if a woodpecker could crack a windshield I'd have said no. Your life is truly anything but boring, my friend.
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