Sore

Howdy one & all!  Last night I got the itch to break up the salt bridge.  It was a laborious task and I used muscles that I didn’t even know I had.  I made a small mess but managed to get it cleaned up.  I got out 98% of the salt and feel really good about it.  There is some salt still around the resin tank and there is no getting that.  There is space behind the resin tank that I am unable to get to.  The pump in the brinewell had a small layer of salt build up in it.  I saw that and cleared it first.  I kind of figure that was the source of my problem but I’d rather start from scratch. 

I carried out all of the salt I vacuumed out of the tank upstairs.  That was like carrying a medicine ball.  I was seriously out of breath and worked my self to the point of exhaustion.  I had to have water and take time to breathe.  I thought for sure I was either going to have a heart attack or pass out as I did NOT feel very well at all.  The cats stayed close by.  With a little bit of time and water I was able to resume breathing normally instead of panting like a dog.  That’s when I called it quits.  It was well after 1a before I was asleep.

Prior to this I rented a movie on Amazon Prime called The Locksmith with Ryan Phillippe in it.  The plot was good but I wanted a chance to look at Ryan’s body.  Bad news not even a shirtless scene with him.  I was disappointed in that but the movie was solid entertainment.  A drama/suspense movie that kept you on the edge of your seat.  I highly recommend it.  My other choice was Bros and I just haven’t been able to bring myself to watch it, despite wanting to my interest fades. 

This morning I knew that I wouldn’t want to get out of bed.  Rudy had me up at 6a because he thought it was just another day and well I don’t normally get up until 7a.  He’s an early riser and I guess he gets hungry.  Mora was still in bed with me.  I got up and fed him but told him not to expect a 2nd breakfast when I get up, knowing full well that he would.  I sat and watched cartoons on YouTube for a bit before I was able to go back to bed.  My back hurts like crazy and I am so very sore. 

I had other plans for today but wound up spending most of it either sleeping/lounging.  I finally got dressed and ventured downstairs to work on the cleanup.  Had to throw the filter to the Shopvac away it was seriously shot after years of use.  I rinsed out the house and the container as well as the upper part of the vacuum where salt had collected.  I removed as much by hand as I could prior to this.  The shower was a great resource and of course it piqued the cats curiosity. 

Once that was done I went to work on trying to separate the water hose so I could get the O ring and whatever washer is at the top so I could take it with me to get exact replacements.  No luck I put this thing back together earlier this week and I must have had extra muscle that I don’t have today.  I banged up my hand pretty good with some cuticle injuries.  I didn’t make that much progress despite frequent breaks.  I finally walked away.  I went out to Red Lobster.  I had the worst biscuits, there was less cheese and they tasted undone.  The Crab Alfredo was good.  I didn’t get a Pina Colada but I thought about it.  I still dropped what I consider to be a bunch of money for a meal for 1 person, which is why I opted to not get the drink.  I’m going to take another stab at it before I head up and this might be a job for tomorrow or I might just postpone this.  However, I can’t use the softener or know that it’s fixed until I get these plumbing replacement parts because the hose as a slow leak that I know will progress overtime.  The last thing I need is to have a flooded basement, been there done that it’s no fun.  Years ago a water heater burst and damn there was water everywhere.  It took forever but we got it all dried out. 

My hope is that tomorrow I can hit up the home improvement store.  I still need to go to Sam’s for salt but my thought process is to make the plumbing repairs, then do a dry run with what little salt is in there and test to see if I fixed the problem by removing all of the salt bridge or if there is something more serious at play.  That will either cause me to buy salt and proceed or if things aren’t fixed then cause me to probably live without the softener.  I don’t miss it all that much but it’s the principal at stake and if I can fix this myself then why not do it?  It will give me a great feeling of pride.  The only thing standing in my way is this hose that doesn’t want to come apart.  This could easily be a two person job and I know with two people I could get this apart but what kills me is that I had it apart earlier this week and damn it all I should have left it apart.  Another case of hindsight being 20/20. 

I need to get to bed early tonight because I’ve got to be an early riser tomorrow for this testing BS @ work.  Then I will head out to breakfast and the grocery store.  What happens after that is anyone’s guess but I’d venture to say a nap will probably come into play at some point.  I am so looking forward to sleeping tonight.  My allergies are on fire today.  I used that ShopVac to help me clean up some of the mold and the mouse droppings, rinsing it out who knows what I’ve managed to release into the air.  I know it was a stupid mistake but the filter is for sure gone and I am getting a new one.  I just hope I don’t get sick as that is what happened with the mold before I knew I had it.  I got 2 back to back maxillary sinus infections and I just wanted to rip out my teeth from all of the sinus pressure. 

Fingers crossed that my allergies calm down, I can salvage what is left of the weekend and managed to check off all of the items I wanted to get done, despite being on-call.  I did get have two calls this morning but they were what I call quick wins, easy stuff that I was able to fix in a snap. 

Hope your weekend is going well.  Talk with you all again soon!