New Windows

New Windows

I decided to take the big plunge.  It was time to get new windows.  I had been searching for a contractor and keeping an eye on the prices.  As the weather got colder, the deals got better and better.  I would be a fool to wait until spring.

I chose Parma Windows to do the job.  They gave me a very good price because they wanted a 21-window job in December.  

I knew I was doing the right thing, but I dreaded it.  My biggest concern was Thunder.  I knew the poor little guy would be terrified.  The other problem--Maggie.  She is seldom a well-behaved dog when there are visitors.

I should have also been concerned about the weather.  Little did I know that they would end up doing the job on the coldest days of the year.

It was going to take 3 days.  To me, that was 3 days of torture.  Thunder went into hiding the moment the dog started barking.  I let the first guy who showed up start bringing stuff in.  He said they were going to start at the top--and that is where I thought Thunder was.  I had opened my closet a bit and set him up a box with a blanket.  

He wasn’t there for long.  About a half hour later, there was a break in the action and I saw him slink into the basement.

That day, I don’t think it got much warmer than 20 degrees.  It wasn’t too bad because they were doing the bedrooms, and they would keep the doors closed.  I literally tethered Maggie up to me by tying her leash around my leg.  Every Time someone would walk by or make a loud noise, she would bark.  It was a long day.  No Thunder and too much Maggie.

They worked non-stop and called it a day at 4:00.  I took Maggie for a walk and then waited for Thunder.  He appeared about an hour later, and he was very upset.

The next day, the high was supposed to be 12 degrees with high winds and lake effect snow.  They cancelled.  That was a relief for me.  It gave Thunder a chance to settle down a bit.  He is a very sensitive cat, and he can’t tolerate chaos, at all.

Our reprieve was over at 8:00 AM the following day.  This time, they were doing the big picture windows in the living room and dining room and the kitchen window--as well as finishing the rest of them.  The high was 15 degrees.

With nowhere upstairs to go, Maggie and I hid in the basement with my computer, book and electric blanket.  She still did a lot of barking, but not as bad as before.  I assumed Thunder was down there, somewhere, too.  He was hiding even before they arrived.  He must have sensed it when he saw me moving things around.

It was a very long and cold day.  I couldn’t believe they finished the job.  It was supposed to take 3 days, and it only took 2.  They had a big incentive to do it quickly--the guys were freezing.  So I guess I got lucky that the weather was so cold.  

The house is noticeably more comfortable.  It is no longer drafty by the windows and the furnace goes on much less often.  I can’t wait to see my gas bill--not the next one, but the one after that.  

The house looks so much better, too.