Construction in the time of coronavirus

It was difficult to finish building a house during the rainiest February in Nashville's history. Then, it was difficult to finish building a house after a tornado cut a 50-mile trail from West Nashville to Cookeville. But by the end of February, the house was ready for its final inspection, and when our builders arrived at the Codes department to start submitting that paperwork, they found only one employee working; the other four were at home because of the coronavirus. Two days later, the Codes department closed its physical office entirely, moving their operations online. There's no longer a line to stand in to estimate when you might be helped.

To legally move into a new home, you need a use and occupancy letter that declares the building is safe to, well, use and occupy. But what do you do when rain, tornadoes, and pandemics delay that letter indefinitely? Where do you put your cat? Where do you send your mail? And what about a FedEx package? How do you dispose of trash when you don't have an address to submit for trash service? (We tried the public landfill, but even it is closed due to the coronavirus. What other germs are they trying to keep out of a giant pile of garbage?)

First: Have patience. Second: Get creative. Third: Get mad. Fourth: Have patience again.

Someday we will legally live in the house we paid for and built. Until then, I will find doses of normalcy—taking the dog for a walk, taking a nap, listening to the same podcasts episodes over and over again—among the chaos.