Minnesota Prairie Roots

THIS PROGRAMMING MESSAGE is targeted at you, my readers, and also at bloggers I follow.

You’ll see minimal posts and comments from me over the next week. I have family arriving today from Boston and from eastern Wisconsin tomorrow. I intend to spend my time with them, not writing.

Secondly, we are in the midst of a major house re-siding project which I’ve termed “The Nightmare on Willow Street.” What started as seemingly routine work to replace hail-damaged siding turned nightmarish upon the discovery of rotted wood on the driveway side of the house.

This necessitates bringing in specialized professionals to replace rotted wood, including rotted studs. Yes, it’s that bad.

I’m thankful this was found so the structural integrity of that side of our nearly 100-year-old house can be reinstated. But, as you may guess, this will cost mega money. Thankfully homeowner’s insurance has covered the re-siding and re-shingling of our house due to hail damage. We’re uncertain whether the additional work will be covered.

I’ve cried. I’ve lost sleep. I’ve raged. And I’ve tried really hard to feel thankful for this unexpected discovery before the situation got worse. It’s not easy to stay positive. There’s a lot of work ahead. I don’t even want to consider the final cost if more issues are found.

Randy and I are thankful for the team at Bloomington-based Minnesota Precision Construction, our general contractor for our siding and roofing projects. They have been responsive, caring and compassionate through everything. I ask a question, raise a concern and get immediate answers from people I trust. Yes, they are an out-of-town company. But, with all the hail damage caused by a mid-April storm, local contractors can’t possibly handle all the jobs in and around Faribault. We vetted the company before we went with them and have been pleased thus far with their professionalism, workmanship and compassionate response.

So, that, my readers, is what’s happening in my life right now. As I type this Tuesday morning, the construction workers are working to re-side the front of our house. They will have to wait until the framers finish to continue on the north and west sides. Framers arrive Monday. The parts of the house and garage with new siding look stunning.

My adult kids protested initially that we would no longer live in “the green house.” The new siding is gray and will have a black batten board gable accent on the front. They were joking, of course. But when I’ve referred to our house location, I’ve always described it as “the green house on the corner with black shutters” or as “the Swanson house,” referencing the previous owners.

I think now, after 42 years of ownership and a color change from green to gray, we can officially term our home “the Helbling house.”

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling