Frustrating blessing

Depleted · Mar 28, 2017

I feel sorry for my husband. On the other hand, I'm so glad he woke up before I did. (I wish he'd have warned me, but, oh well.)

Today was "the day." Finally a day when I didn't have to worry about laundry getting folded, grocery shopping, doctor appointments, baking, etc. Today was the day I could finally get to do some of those things I've been wanting to do. One of which was work on cleaning the backyard, but it was raining when I woke up. I thought maybe I could finally get to cleaning the skylight in the bathroom. (That requires pulling it down cleaning, then putting it up again, which is only to be done on days when my acrophobia isn't at its worse. Two-steps up a ladder is very brave to me.)

So I'm doing the usual one does when they first wake up, planning out "the day," and come downstairs to the sound of rain hitting a bucket... inside.

Not rain. I flushed the toilet and brushed my teeth. THAT is what was going in the bucket. (Hopefully not teeth brushing too. That's more expensive.) And the toilet is three feet from my spot. THIS spot. Where my comfy chair is, my computer screen above the bookcase is, and next to my desktop. Had my craft table in front of me. All of those things were covered in ceiling tile (when hubby woke up to this. He cleaned some of it up before I woke up, so I didn't face that ceiling tile soaked all over everything, and the first layer of crude on the fllor), wood, ceiling, and 100 years of whatever happens between upstairs floor and downstairs ceiling.

I'm not a morning person. It takes me a good two hours of slowly waking up to get to the point of doing any work. Not-morning-person (and my husband) has cleaned my computer glasses, the floor, my hands 20 times, installed a different keyboard, tossed out a few things, (some loved, some "oh well,") and called in a plumber already. Plumber is coming in the next couple of hours. Now comes the worry between if it really just was the wax ring or is it a whopper of a problem.

I'm not getting the day I want, but, honestly? Since the toilet was going to do this sooner or later, (toilets always do this sooner or later lol), I'm glad it was on a day not planned for something important. My least favorite household thing to deal with in life, yet since it was going to happen, I'm very thankful God gave us today to do this. (Can you imagine the freak I'd be doing if this was last year at this time?)

Maybe it's because it's two hours later, so I'm no longer dealing with not-morning-person. lol

TraySir · Mar 28, 2017

Depleted said:

I feel sorry for my husband. On the other hand, I'm so glad he woke up before I did. (I wish he'd have warned me, but, oh well.)

Today was "the day." Finally a day when I didn't have to worry about laundry getting folded, grocery shopping, doctor appointments, baking, etc. Today was the day I could finally get to do some of those things I've been wanting to do. One of which was work on cleaning the backyard, but it was raining when I woke up. I thought maybe I could finally get to cleaning the skylight in the bathroom. (That requires pulling it down cleaning, then putting it up again, which is only to be done on days when my acrophobia isn't at its worse. Two-steps up a ladder is very brave to me.)

So I'm doing the usual one does when they first wake up, planning out "the day," and come downstairs to the sound of rain hitting a bucket... inside.

Not rain. I flushed the toilet and brushed my teeth. THAT is what was going in the bucket. (Hopefully not teeth brushing too. That's more expensive.) And the toilet is three feet from my spot. THIS spot. Where my comfy chair is, my computer screen above the bookcase is, and next to my desktop. Had my craft table in front of me. All of those things were covered in ceiling tile (when hubby woke up to this. He cleaned some of it up before I woke up, so I didn't face that ceiling tile soaked all over everything, and the first layer of crude on the fllor), wood, ceiling, and 100 years of whatever happens between upstairs floor and downstairs ceiling.

I'm not a morning person. It takes me a good two hours of slowly waking up to get to the point of doing any work. Not-morning-person (and my husband) has cleaned my computer glasses, the floor, my hands 20 times, installed a different keyboard, tossed out a few things, (some loved, some "oh well,") and called in a plumber already. Plumber is coming in the next couple of hours. Now comes the worry between if it really just was the wax ring or is it a whopper of a problem.

I'm not getting the day I want, but, honestly? Since the toilet was going to do this sooner or later, (toilets always do this sooner or later lol), I'm glad it was on a day not planned for something important. My least favorite household thing to deal with in life, yet since it was going to happen, I'm very thankful God gave us today to do this. (Can you imagine the freak I'd be doing if this was last year at this time?)

Maybe it's because it's two hours later, so I'm no longer dealing with not-morning-person. lol

When it rains....
You woke up on the...
Those never help.
I suspect the bill won't be more than $300. Okay, no more than $350. That's not cheap, but it ain't badly expensive for repair plumbing work. The bill will be at least $100.
Hope your day turns around for the better real soon.

Depleted · Mar 28, 2017

TraySir said:

He started with "maybe the wax wing." ($145.) Worked it up to, "Ut-oh, might be the castiron pipe is cracked." (I'm thinking $3000+.) And it came down to the solder around the copper pipe leaked. ($145)

Anything under $300 makes me so relieved, I don't care. (But don't tell him that. lol)

He was able to fix it with rubberized spray something-another. If that doesn't work, (it's drying now, but he thinks it will, and I told him how long I wanted it to last. "Until we both die, and I'm only 60." lol), then it might go back to facing that castiron pipe it is attached to, which goes back to big bucks.

But now I am faced with cleaning all the stuff the waste from the toilet hit. Already faced throwing out what couldn't be cleaned. (I won't ever finish that book now, and I will miss my favorite pillow. Only picture I have of younger brother with his son as a baby. And, if I ever find hubby's other crocheted sock, will I remember I threw out this one? I only saved it in case I found the other.) Just the idea of what is on all that washable stuff makes me rethink what should be thrown out and kept. (Can you ever clean something enough if you know there was pee on it?)

But considering this morning I had visions of not having an upstairs toilet for a week or longer, and visions of tearing apart the ceiling and wall, this turned out well.

Thank you.

Desertsrose · Mar 28, 2017

Wow, Lynn!!!

So sorry to hear about all that. I'm happy to hear the price was reasonable to fix it all and I'll pray that nothing else is needed and it will last for as long as you both shall live.

Hugs and blessings!

TraySir · Mar 29, 2017

Depleted said:

He started with "maybe the wax wing." ($145.) Worked it up to, "Ut-oh, might be the castiron pipe is cracked." (I'm thinking $3000+.) And it came down to the solder around the copper pipe leaked. ($145)

Anything under $300 makes me so relieved, I don't care. (But don't tell him that. lol)

He was able to fix it with rubberized spray something-another. If that doesn't work, (it's drying now, but he thinks it will, and I told him how long I wanted it to last. "Until we both die, and I'm only 60." lol), then it might go back to facing that castiron pipe it is attached to, which goes back to big bucks.

But now I am faced with cleaning all the stuff the waste from the toilet hit. Already faced throwing out what couldn't be cleaned. (I won't ever finish that book now, and I will miss my favorite pillow. Only picture I have of younger brother with his son as a baby. And, if I ever find hubby's other crocheted sock, will I remember I threw out this one? I only saved it in case I found the other.) Just the idea of what is on all that washable stuff makes me rethink what should be thrown out and kept. (Can you ever clean something enough if you know there was pee on it?)

But considering this morning I had visions of not having an upstairs toilet for a week or longer, and visions of tearing apart the ceiling and wall, this turned out well.

Thank you.

Glad you feel good about the repair. But oh so sad about losing your favorite pillow and the picture of your younger brother and his son. Are you absolutely sure it can't be restored, fixed?
Hope the repair lasts for at least ...30 years. That'll do it.

zeroturbulence · Mar 29, 2017

Depleted said:

He started with "maybe the wax wing." ($145.) Worked it up to, "Ut-oh, might be the castiron pipe is cracked." (I'm thinking $3000+.) And it came down to the solder around the copper pipe leaked. ($145)

Anything under $300 makes me so relieved, I don't care. (But don't tell him that. lol)

He was able to fix it with rubberized spray something-another. If that doesn't work, (it's drying now, but he thinks it will, and I told him how long I wanted it to last. "Until we both die, and I'm only 60." lol), then it might go back to facing that castiron pipe it is attached to, which goes back to big bucks.

But now I am faced with cleaning all the stuff the waste from the toilet hit. Already faced throwing out what couldn't be cleaned. (I won't ever finish that book now, and I will miss my favorite pillow. Only picture I have of younger brother with his son as a baby. And, if I ever find hubby's other crocheted sock, will I remember I threw out this one? I only saved it in case I found the other.) Just the idea of what is on all that washable stuff makes me rethink what should be thrown out and kept. (Can you ever clean something enough if you know there was pee on it?)

But considering this morning I had visions of not having an upstairs toilet for a week or longer, and visions of tearing apart the ceiling and wall, this turned out well.

Thank you.

So sorry you had to go through that harrowing experience.

Just to let you know, pee actually contains very little bacteria. Its produced from your blood. The kidneys are actually filters for your blood. If a person had a lot of bacteria or germs in their blood, they would die of sepsis. Pee is mainly excess water and sodium (salt).

Depleted · Mar 29, 2017

Part 2 now:
He did fix the toilet. Unfortunately, the shutoff valve for the toilet started leaking. (This kind of thing happens when you're working with pipes.) So, he has to return today to replace that.

And, to fix that, he has to get to the main shutoff valve in the basement. The basement -- where we store stuff until we can get it out to the trash. (Philadelphia, so our trash laws are all geared to make it easy on the sanitation workers and impossible for anyone throwing out something large. lol) So, up early today to clear out a path.

I've been meaning to get to that basement. I just hope I can get it done before the trash collectors pick up trash, and I really hope they will take trash hubby swears they will not.

Or, since I'm sore from yesterday's stress and cleanup, I just hope I can do it. lol

I'm also hoping this is the end of the Cascading Effect on the pipes.

Depleted · Mar 29, 2017

I looked up after posting that to see the trash truck out my front window. Never mind.

Depleted · Mar 29, 2017

zeroturbulence said:

Just the same, would you want to walk through it or sit in it? Logically, I know you're right, but I'm still a girl, and think "ew, ew, ew!" lol

kaylagrl · Mar 29, 2017

Depleted said:

Vinegar is very good at getting smelly stains out.I hope you get things back to normal.Its no fun when you have a flood of water. When I was still living at home with my parents we had no basement.My father is on the edge of being a hoarder,so the shed was filled.So the only place left for storage was under the house.We had an issue where someone had to crawl under the house to fix "something".Well the containers got knocked over and rain somehow flooded under the house that spring.By the time we discovered it we had a lot of things ruined. I had cross-stitched a Christmas church on black fabric,almost went cross eyed,a rather complicated piece. I had brought it all the way from Canada.It was totally destroyed.

Needless to say I haven't cross-stitched anything since.

TraySir · Mar 29, 2017

Depleted said:

A shut off valve leaking, can be, though not always, repaired, though not always permanently, by tightening the screw that holds the knob on.
What you are experiencing is a major headache with complete frustration.
Our conveniences (running water, immediate heat and cooling, stocked food, and numerous others) are out of mind most of the time. It's when they malfunction that we realize how wonderful they really are.
You seem to be working through this with a calm, controlled mind, attitude.
Thanks for sharing.

Depleted · Mar 29, 2017

kaylagrl said:

Definitely worse than losing a photo.

I gave up cross-stitching when magnifying glasses wasn't enough. Remember how fun it was though? Check out theses just in case the urge comes back -- http://www.joann.com/home-decor-and-holiday/lighting/magnifiers/

Miri · Mar 29, 2017

Living with my aunt, I've got cleaning up pee and worse - to a fine art. Lol

Bleach works wonders and so does a boil wash. Maybe you can save that sock?

Hope Spaulding and friends were ok.

Depleted · Mar 29, 2017

TraySir said:

I'm on FB too, so get the reminders of "shared memories." On March 4, 2016, hubby finally got out of the hospital from a heart attack that spiraled downward the November before. He went into rehab/a nursing home. Today's "shared memory" was announcing to all our friends and family that he was being rushed back to the hospital for the second time after getting into that nursing home, because he was losing blood too fast. By the time I posted that night, he had already received two pints of blood, and the next day he'd get another one just to stabilize him. My shared memory was that we had lost all hope that he'd ever be better. I never told him this, but I walked away from God for a little while then. Despite all we had already gone through, this was the day I gave up on hope. (Fortunately, God never does.) He's home now.

Plumbing? Never want to live without it, but this was merely frustrating. That was as low as I've ever been.

Cost us another $350 today, but all in all, I'm glad we get our house back and God gave us the money that $500 was affordable. I don't know what I'm enjoying more -- knowing I can go to the bathroom whenever, or knowing I am back in my jammies, because this is our house and no one else is coming in today. lol

Oh, and that trash truck earlier? It was the recycle truck. So, I was able to bring up four loads of junk from the basement and put it all right out...

And then the plumber found out that path wasn't where the shutoff valve was. (I didn't help him at all. lol) But, I have been wanting to start clearing out the basement for a month now and it kept raining on trash night, so couldn't. (Boxes don't hold up in the rain.) Rained last night, not this morning, so I finally got started on the clear out. And they took something hubby was sure they wouldn't, so all in all a good day.

Joidevivre · Mar 30, 2017

Lynn, you have a very interesting life! It is good that you can see the humor in most everything. Now sit down and write your book that is waiting to be written. But you could take all your postings on CC and just put them in a book.

There are days when I wish you were around to help me see the humor in what's going on. You always have the right words.

Depleted · Mar 30, 2017

Miri said:

Spaulding and family were 3 feet (@ a meter, but I just found out you guys still remember what a foot is) on the other side of the leak, but up on the sofa, so splatters didn't hit them.

I'm down to one more thing to clean. (My favorite table.) Unfortunately, had to go shopping today, (our once a month shopping out of the city to avoid sweetener trip), plus other chores, so still trying to get finished (and too tired to.)

Depleted · Mar 30, 2017

Joidevivre said:

I got the plumber laughing yesterday. He asked if we made it all right the night before. I told him if we didn't, we'd be... (and then did the universal sign kids do when they really have to go to the bathroom. lol)

Later on, he had shut the water off in the basement then ran up to the bathroom on the second floor. I called over to John and said, "Look! He's running. Two flights of steps and he's running them. Ah, to be young again."

I heard the plumber snickering as he round the bend.

He thinks we're funny. I don't know why. lol

Dangit. Kind of hoped the dishes would do themselves, but they're not, so back to work.

Depleted · Mar 31, 2017

At 7 AM yesterday morning, the plumber called and asked if we had anymore problems. He specifically asked if we had checked the basement where he turned off the shutoff valve. But, again, I'm not a morning person (being up at 7 AM is unusual in itself), so I told him I assumed everything was all right.

He asked me to check, but I still don't know where that valve is, so he asked me to ask hubby when he woke up. We had to go shopping yesterday. After posting my last post on this thread, I did do the dishes, got dinner in the oven, and took stuff down to the basement that we got when shopping. That's when I checked the floor to see if it was wet.

It was.

Hubby went down to see what happened. The plumber called at 7 AM, not as a courteous, but to see if he screw up. And he knew he did, since hubby found a rag around the shutoff valve, and the leak had spread halfway through our basement to reach my foot when I checked. One of the last things the plumber said before he left was, "If I do a job, I do it right, for the customer, and so I don't have to return."

Liar!

Before he came two days ago, I moved stuff out of his way... or so I thought. Ends up I moved stuff in his way, but to do that, the stuff I took out wouldn't have been damaged from that leak. In it's place, I put a cardboard box full of Mom's old glassware that I haven't had time to bring back upstairs in a year and a half. Now it's a soggy box.

I am annoyed, however, God put this into perspective yet again.

Got a call from my brother last night. We've known for 10 years that Dad has dementia. Dad was placed in this assisted living nursing home in January 2016 because it is the best place in the area for alcoholics with dementia. Dad doesn't like it, but Dad generally doesn't like anything but his house, (which is gone.) I've known for a few months that Dad gave up eating, moving, and even going to the bathroom. He was down to 130 pounds. (He's supposed to be, minimum, 165.) Today they're going to evaluate him because his HGB is 8. Thanks to John, I may be one of very few people who aren't in the medical field to know what that means. (We rejoiced when John's HGBs got that high.)

Dad's losing blood, but there is no way of finding out where. Doctors will say they can check, but that just means they'd give him an upper and lower endoscopy to see if his gut is bleeding. It would be inconclusive because the extra veins that show up in the digestive system in some older people would have to be bleeding at the exact time the scope went through, which rarely happens. (John went through two, before I learned this. And one after, because I didn't get consulted to say no before they did it anyway.) It doesn't matter if they find out where Dad loses blood, because he can't be helped. If he has anesthesia, (which happens for endo- and colonoscopies), there is a very good chance he loses what is left of his mind forever.

They're evaluating Dad to put him in hospice care. He doesn't have long to live.

As it stands, to the best of my knowledge Dad's idea of God was if he was a good Catholic, when he dies, God lets him see all the planets in the universe. There is no way I can reach him by telling him the gospel again, so please pray that God will reach in and give Dad God's mercy -- salvation. Because medically speaking, Dad has "lost the will to live." And he will not live much longer.

The leak is still frustrating, but there are still more important things in life and death.

notmyown · Mar 31, 2017

praying for Dad, may God be merciful.

i'm sorry, Lynnie. praying for you, too.

Depleted · Mar 31, 2017

Miri said:

I threw away the sock in the trash that first day. Last night I found the other sock. Exactly why I hate to throw a sock away. lol

Frustrating blessing

Depleted

Guest

TraySir

Banned

Depleted

Guest

Desertsrose

Senior Member

TraySir

Banned

zeroturbulence

Senior Member

Depleted

Guest

Depleted

Guest

Depleted

Guest

kaylagrl

Guest

TraySir

Banned

Depleted

Guest

Miri

Guest

Depleted

Guest

Joidevivre

Senior Member

Depleted

Guest

Depleted

Guest

Depleted

Guest

notmyown

Senior Member

Depleted

Guest