What began as a home improvement project with a strict budget became something of a nightmare for us this summer. It began around June 5th (see that blog for some photos) when workmen arrived to replace our front stairs and repair part of the driveway near them. They were also prepared to put fresh cement on our large front patio. In addition to the cement work, we had ordered new eaves troughs. Everything was budgeted at just over $10,000. Since no travel was planned, it seemed a good time to get this work done. Well, when all was said and done, we had spent a total of $20,000, and the front patio was never done. Instead, we found the foundation leading into the garage had totally disintegrated, and needed to be replaced. First, it was the year of crazy inflation, with cement being one of the worst products to buy at this time. The price skyrocketed and availability shrank alarmingly.
It was also the summer of nearly $3000 in unforeseen dental bills for both of us. Deb had a tricky tooth extraction, and I broke a tooth. So we are $13,000 poorer than expected at this point. That is also very ironic, because we have had a large amount sitting in a savings account for years now, earning practically no interest whatsoever. And now that savings accounts are paying decent interest rates, well, our savings account is down a lot. And so life marches on.
Anyway, the driveway and foundation repair project was finally completed on Friday. Huzzah!
Cement being poured onto the driveway in front of the garage. 
In film news, there are two to report on, both Deb's choices. Chameleon Street is a 1989 independent film based an actual Detroit conman, a drop out who impersonated a lawyer, a surgeon (he actually performed over 30 hysterectomies), a reporter, and various other professionals (I take note that he stayed away from classrooms--this guy was smart). The film won the grand jury prize at Sundance in 1990. Afterwards, it virtually disappeared. It was resurrected 30 years later, and is now showing on Criterion. The film has some very funny moments, but overall is quite disjointed. One of the funniest scenes shows him as a dad with his little girl, threatening her with a knife. He cuts his arm twice, then begins to cut her throat. She is remarkably calm. Then mom pops out of the bedroom and begins to scold him for making such a mess, a mess that she will have to clean up. Of course it is a trick knife with fake blood coming out as it cuts, but viewers don't know this until after mom comes out. Definitely worth catching. Watch for Mayor Coleman Young in a cameo appearance. I so miss that cantankerous man!
For her leaving this month choice, Deb picked the taut theatrical war drama Five Graves To Cairo, starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, and Erich Von Stroheim. The Germans are marching on Cairo, and seem unstoppable. Tone survives the desert after his tank is taken out of service and his crew killed. He stumbles into a desert hotel, and takes the identity of a German spy, who was actually just killed in a German air raid. Von Stroheim is superb as Rommel, and the dingy hotel setting is perfect, making the film as much noir as it is war. Directed by Billy Wilder, it is from 1943, and is based on actual North Africa events from 1942.
It is film festival weekend, the last weekend of the month. Since it is my turn, I have selected a collection of 17 short films from Criterion, all Oscar contenders from 1953 onwards. It will begin tomorrow. We also have plans to watch the 2nd season of Cliff, and more M R James stories from Britbox.
Join me for my next blog, which will likely deal with the books I have read this past month. See you then!
Mapman Mike
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