Do you know what a "flashing" is ... ?

Not that kind of "flashing"...Come on people, get your minds out of the gutters and indulge me in a few moments of telling you how I spent my "economic stimulus" package money.

That's right, I spent it on flashing's...the upper and lower flashing to be exact on the chimney for my house. Now it goes without saying that this is not how I wanted to spend this extra bit of cash so generously handed out by the U.S. government. But when you're a homeowner, as I'm learning, there are a few things you don't mess with when problems arise.
(For example: Roof/Chimney Troubles, Plumbing Issues, Furnace Problems, etc.)

According to Merriam-Webster.com, a flashing is sheet metal used in waterproofing (as at roof valleys or hips or the angle between a chimney and a roof). If you are new to the "roofing" terms, some of that will sounds confusing, at least it did to me. So, I give you a picture of the old bad flashing on my chimney to better describe a flashing:

OK - so a flashing is basically the metal squares where the roof shingles meet the brick of the chimney. I've learned that it's important to keep this metal parts in check b/c is they get old and crack away from the bricks, then rain water can leak in and cause all kinds of problems. (Luckily most of my problem is located in the ceiling of the garage, but some trouble spots are peaking through on the walls along the chimney wall.)

Going on the advice of some reliable neighbors, I called in the roofing experts to get these flashing's fixed! Within 2 weeks time, the problem was fixed with some other necessary maintenance was done to pro-long the life of the chimney and roof on my 1st home. Below I give you my new flashing's:
Are those not the prettiest flashing's you've ever seen! HaHaHa, just try to make it sound like a enjoyed spending my money on home repairs! But I am thankful I'm able to own a home and have the means to fix the problems when needed, don't get me wrong.

It's just that I was hoping to help the economy and spend my $600 stimulus check at the brand new IKEA on new furniture for the bedroom...guess that will have to wait!! Hope you've enjoyed learning a little about the roofing industry through my experiences as a home owner!