Sump Pump, part deux

Nothing like shared misery. 

Any of you who have had to deal with a failed sump pump just did a groan over that title. 

Most of you know that I was signed up to do Bike to the Bay last weekend. I don't need to rehash that as you can scroll further down and read about it yourself. Here's part of the story you don't know, because it hadn't happened yet.

Last Friday night I drove my car, full of camping gear (to be explained in another post) to the end of the bike event and we drove Dada's car back, backtracking the route we would be biking Saturday. Midway through the fifty mile route he receives a phone call from our renter.

All of you have figured out where this is going.

Our renter was heading out of town for two weeks on Saturday. Friday night, while we were en route on our next day's bike route, he discovered the sump pump had died and there were two inches of water all across the basement floor. Seeping into the drywall. Soaking baseboards. Generally up to no good.

So we scrap the last fifth-ish of the bike route to check it out. Then followed a trip to Lowe's for a new sump pump and other assorted supplies. Calls to neighbors to see who has a squeegee since we didn't think about that while in Lowe's. Old towels? Company, since misery loves it?

Out with the old sump pump, in with the new. Water draining, situation assessed, keys exchanged, condolences shared. We drive home. We kiss the sleeping kids and discuss tomorrow morning drop off plans. 

We stumble into bed just before midnight on a day before we need to be up at about 5:30 so we can finish prepping for and traveling to the start of a fifty mile bike ride. 

"I only laugh when I think of my life." -Joe Grippo

Since then, Dada has been to the rental house at least six times and I've been there at least three times to empty dehumidifiers, reposition fans, rip out the wet drywall, beg neighbors to let us finish filling their trash cans with bags of drywall and insulation and drywall screws and nails and mess, spray the studs and baseboards with bleach water, shop vac sweeping, etc. Some of you know exactly what all that looks like because you've lived it. Thankfully there was no carpet to deal with or drowned sofas, electrical outlets were all high above the water and the seepage, and the renters are out long enough to get a very good start on the tear out-clean up-fix-redo.

Life is messy.

Anyone know a guy whose life passion is to cut/install/mud/sand/paint drywall? Send 'em thisaway. 

Pre-holiday ponderings

I was sitting here with my back resolutely turned against the crystalline, intricately crafted ice pieces that were not so much falling from the sky as floating like dust motes caught in sunbeams while I wondered about procrastination and if it benefits or hinders. I decided both. I think it depends on the situation.

For instance, just this morning (December 7) I remembered that Home Depot has a turn-in-old-strings-of-Christmas-lights and we'll-give-you-a-coupon-towards-new-LED-lights. Apparently I should say "had", as that particular offering ended November 17.

November 17th?

That's my brother's birthday.

That's the week before Thanksgiving.

Who has their stuff out and checked and decorated and organized for Christmas the week before Thanksgiving?! And why can I never seem to be one of those people?

I am sitting here now in brilliant sunshine (and so is Triskal, at my feet) with 5 strings of half-dead (yes, only "mostly dead, which is not quite all dead") Christmas lights which now will not do me any good in my decorating needs but will also not earn me any coupons towards shiny new ones, because the powers that be decided that it'd be a good idea to run the exchange for a week and a half before the holiday that happens on the calendar before the holiday that lights are needed.

What!?

Hmm.

Maybe that doesn't even count as an example of procrastination. I didn't put off decorating. I simply did it in what I feel to be a timely fashion. That means I didn't start decorating for Christmas while the back-to-school supplies were still in the stores. I guess even that isn't accurate, since the Halloween stuff is displayed at stores at back-to-school time.

I get that planning ahead is important, but good gracious, things are getting out of hand.

I've noticed that if certain shorter people in our home leave their belongings strewn from Hither to Yon, there are times when I'll pick them up out of disgust, frustration, annoyance, a weak moment, an inspired to clean moment, or any/all of the above. In cases that like, procrastination on their part works out to their advantage. "I put it off, so Mama took care of it. I win!" I do try to not be the weak link and to make them clean up after themselves most of the time. After all, I don't want their future college roommates or spouses to hate them for leaving a swath of destruction in their wakes. I get that it builds character or empathy or something. More immediately, if their favorite pants get worn for 4 days and miss making it into the laundry basket, they won't get washed with everything else and then they won't have said pants for the next 4 days until I do laundry again. Mama wins!

Oh wait, not supposed to be about keeping score.

Right.

Obviously, procrastinating with issues like bills tends to have negative consequences. Same thing with homework. But nothing will truly be hurt if I leave disgusting dishes in the sink while I play with play doh with our youngest whirling dervish. The clean, wet towels can, on occasion, stay in the washer overnight if I forget to toss them into the dryer before bed.

Decorating for Christmas can wait until Thanksgiving is over and has been fully enjoyed, every drop of blessings squeezed out of it. 

After all, Lowe's will still recycle the Christmas lights that don't work. They just don't give coupons.