“Growing up, I loved reading the tale of “The Three Little Pigs,” never thinking much of how the story – credited to James Halliwell-Phillipps in the late 1800s – could ever relate to my adult life. As an occupational hazard, I often think now of the second little pig: “How is he going to rebuild his house of sticks that the wolf blew down?”
In the real world, reconstructing a home after a loss does require a lot of “sticks,” or lumber, and recently the price has risen to concerning levels.”