The last 9 days

It’s been an odd week.

We were on the way to church. (For the record, I was not driving.) At any rate, while turning into the parking lot, the front passenger’s side tire hit the curb. We parked the car and exited to the sound of air rushing into the atmosphere… shhhhh. Oh goodie! So much for my fairly new tire!

We went to church and then returned to the parking lot to put the spare on. I found the receipt indicating that I had purchased “Road Hazard.” Not really sure if this instance would be covered, I prepared myself for the worst as we walked into Pep Boys.

We watched my car enter the garage. About 30 minutes later, we were told that the car was ready and that they had put on a new tire. Really? No authorization? No questions? I was sure this was going to be expensive. After pro-rating for usage, my new tire cost a whole $20! The Pep Boys guy… not really sure who he was… told me that I had a nail in my tire.

Evidently, the nail had been in there for a while. When we hit the curb, it blew out causing the previously trapped air to escape. Huh. I was pretty happy. Obviously a new tire was needed. I was just glad that this happened on my off day in good weather while I was with someone else.

That was last Sunday.

Tuesday… The skies opened and the rain fell incessantly. I was at my boyfriend’s place when the electricity went out at 9:45pm. About 10 minutes later, we learned that the water was coming up the sump pump well VERY quickly. We began to bail water. With every toss of water, it seemed that we were loosing ground. At about midnight, I smelled the delightful aroma of sewage. At 3:30am I left my boss a message indicating that I would not be in. At about 4am, we stopped bailing… I fell asleep in my car. (I have no idea why I was there.) There were about 4-5 inches of water left.

At 8am, I woke up. (He said that he fell asleep about 5am.) I went downstairs. With the exception of the immediate area around the sump pump, the ground was dry… gritty, but dry. (I have no idea where the water went.) At about 3pm the electricity returned. We went out to buy bleach and other cleaning supplies… mostly bleach.

Nearly a week later, the basement smells a lot better, the electricity remains, the cable is still out, but water will not go down the kitchen sink.

Which brings me to yesterday…

We needed to see what, if anything, is blocking the pipes from the kitchen. After trying a number of things, he decided to remove the cast iron pipes for inspection. The 50-year old pipes gave a good fight. He pushed the wrenches with all of his might… breaking off the elbow piece… and good 3 inches in diameter. (He is strong!) Suddenly, the whole stack needed to be replaced. And that is where we spent Sunday evening.

Today is Monday.

I had been calling Comcast since last Tuesday to find out where in the world his cable is. Unfortunately, after calling 4 times, being put on hold a minimum of 10 minutes each and faxing numerous pieces of documentation, I am no closer to getting his cable restored. I will never understand the “service” of utility companies.

A few of nifty experiences happened too…

I went to a dog show for the first time. They were showing “Rare Breeds.” Interesting experience.

We completed a walk to cure juvenile diabetes. (Thank you to anyone who assisted in the success!) It was a beautiful day!

We stopped by his cousin’s house. He played football with his Godson.

I am not sure that any of this has a point. I do know that I am exhausted. Anyway, just life’s experiences.