Wasted Day

The contractor that was supposed to show up today, did not.  I can’t say I am surprised because all I got was an automated confirmation email after I booked the appointment.  For all I know the guy has a website but is no longer in business.  I didn’t bother to call or email him, I figure if you want my business bad enough you will reach out to me or hell you would have shown up. 

Right now I’m looking at seeing someone on Monday evening but that isn’t a for sure thing yet.  I’m working with at least 1 other vendor trying to arrange a time to meet up.  Another vendor told me a week to a week and a half I sent them packing. 

I made it out of the house today to grab the mail and came back home.  I had plans to leave to eat but that never materialized.  I stayed home and napped the day away.  I got a call for work that I dealt with, it was very easy.  However if the person would have applied common sense they wouldn’t have bothered me in the first place. 

I’m kind of worried about me … I’ve been to some dark places in my mind.  They say idle hands are the devils workshop and that is so true with my mind given the problem I am facing and the frustration.  I’ve seen an up tick in acne and that is a sure sign I am suffering from stress.  I am also forgetful and find myself doing dumb things as it pertains to work, plus I am making a lot of mistakes – small but never the less all of this is abnormal for me.  I am wondering if I am on my way to mentally breaking down. 

I did clean up my spouses office space and found a box of drill bits that are designed to add/remove the boards from the deck.  I’m taking that as a positive sign.  If I need to go that route this will be handy but it’s going to be labor intensive.  Like I have said before I just want this done so I can move on with my life. 

Browsing social media and checking up on my brother he appears to be very happy, like the happiest I have ever seen him.  I’m taking that from how he looks in photos.  It’s nice to know that he is happy.  He could help me but the question would be will he help me?  I’m not calling to find out.  I think that will just open a can of worms and probably cause me more hurt and anger which I really don’t need.  I am debating if I should send him a birthday card, I have a couple months to make that decision.  Nothing I have to do today. 

Tomorrow I will be hitting up the grocery store, cat food store and gas station.  It will all start with breakfast and I am sure I will run into the guy I got a referral from last week.  I can’t wait to tell him how his referral flaked on me.  I don’t know that I will volunteer but I am sure he will probably ask and if so I will all to happy to tell him about it. 

Cats had a great time napping and spending time with me.  Of course as soon as I decided to take nap #1 I got to sleep for a little bit and then the damn phone rang.  I wasn’t the happiest person in the world but when I answered I don’t think I sounded like I just woke up.

I do hope that tomorrow is a more productive day.  It didn’t rain on Friday like it was supposed to and there isn’t any rain in the forecast until Friday at the moment.  I’ve been watching my mold area and it does look wet to me.  Only way to find out for sure is to touch it and that of course would disturb it and could cause it to grow even more, not to mention making me sick.  I am keeping my distance but watching.  I wish the wood would dry out and the mold would die.  Wishing is great but that doesn’t turn it into reality.  Just saying. 

Hope you had a better day than me.  The best news of the day is I found new episodes of The Ranch on Netflix so at least I have something to watch to help pass the time.  Sorry I am in such a depressing mood.  I’ll talk with you again soon. 

Friday the 13th

The worst thing to happen all day was the fact that this morning I sent out a warning message to 400 + people that a legit email was nefarious.  Jesus I got pelted with people squawking but it was over with in 10 minutes and then the day just went on. 

Over all this week we have seen an up tick in phishing, spam and malicious emails.  Not sure if it’s related to the full moon or just a coincidence.  Last weekend it was a popular thing in my category of business to send a sextortion email.  I actually got one a while back.  Someone claims to have seen you on your net cam looking at porn, they planted a virus but you can’t detect it.  If you don’t pay x ransom via bit coin within x hours, days they will send a video or photos of you pleasuring yourself while viewing porn.  They also show you a recent password or part of the password.  That really gets peoples attention.  Hence why you should have a different password for each site you visit.  Yes it’s a PITA but it’s your best protection against these types of attacks.  So if you credentials are compromised on say Twitter someone can’t use the same credentials on your bank website or another account. 

Best thing that happened I stumbled across a general contractors website thanks to Yelp.  I was able to book an appointment for an estimate tomorrow so looks like I will be seeing someone in person.  Hooray perhaps we can get the show on the road instead of wasting my time. 

I think the first step is to fix the damn gutter.  Then either wait for rain or start looking to see what’s behind the siding and if that is at play.  If we wait then time will tell.  If we go investigating things have to get torn up, which makes a mess and costs me money.  However, I’d like to nip this while it’s “small” as I am told it is.  I can’t afford not to, I mean I need to keep my cost to a minimum.  I long for the day this whole mess is behind me and I can say remember when…  I have learned a lot from this experience that I can put to good use and also spread the word to others.  I like to see people benefit from my mistakes, meaning if my advice can save them from agony then that makes me feel good.  I don’t want someone to make a profit off of my mistakes and I am not looking to be taken advantage of, well at least not financially.  Yes that was a subtle attempt at humor. 

Geez I am really wore out.  Going to climb them steps to see the furry family, empty the sandbox and find something to watch on TV until I pass out which by the way I feel won’t be long.  Please let it be a quiet, calm and peaceful weekend.  I’ve still got 2 days of being on-call to get through.  Holy cow. 

Frustration

This morning I received an email letting me know that the Saturday spot that I was told about being available for a quote has been taken.  They can’t come out now until Monday evening between 6:30p and 8p.  Uh I have a life, you can’t expect me not to eat dinner and put my life on hold for a couple hours while I wait on you to arrive.  I haven’t responded yet but my guess is when I do that spot will be taken as well. 

I went through the BBB this morning and reached out to a couple more companies.  I got a call back from 1 of them saying they are a week and a half behind but would love to quote me.  Really ?  I want this done like yesterday. 

Thinking I found my solution I reached out to a nationally known provider that is known for making things appear like they never happened.  Those fuckers want me to pay someone to test the mold before they will come out.  Are you fucking kidding me?  I know it’s mold if you don’t know how to handle mold removal then you shouldn’t be in the business of mold removal.  Fuck. 

Needless to say the guy from yesterday that promised to call me back in the afternoon has yet to call. I’m not going to beg someone to take my money. 

I don’t know if it’s the scope of the job or if they are just plain afraid but no one seems to really want to help me with the gutter and possible siding issue.  I can easily get the mold remediated but if the water issue isn’t fixed then I am not solving a problem but rather creating an on going issue. 

Every site I have been on regarding mold says you don’t want to let it linger because it will continue to do damage.  Well if I can’t find a fucker to help me fix the source what the fuck am I supposed to do?  I am so frustrated. 

I am trying my best to be patient here but that is wearing thin.  I am giving serious consideration to file an insurance claim because I know they have people who will fix things, even if I don’t have coverage for it maybe just maybe I will be able to buy like an insurance company.  However, that could prove to be a waste of time as well and ruin my home from being claim free. 

I am merely looking to solve a problem as quickly and as cost effectively as possible.  I just can’t seem to find anyone that wants to help me on my schedule.  I plan to take time off for the repair work to be done.  If it’s just a gutter issue hell that can be fixed in an hour or two.  If it’s a siding issue the deck will need to be dismantled and that will be expensive not to mention the cost of the siding.  I could be looking at anything from a small job to replacing an entire wall or possibly two.  While I want this fixed if the job proves too costly it may just be better to cut my losses and run. 

The agony of worry and the frustration of this lingering have me a wreck.  I want this nightmare to end as quickly and to minimize the pain, loss and money.  Lord I need a big time break!

Ye old status

Stress is sure here – I could use a Pina Colada, A muscle relaxer and a vacation – hell why not go all out and get me a man and get laid.  Yeah that would sure help me feel better if only temporarily. 

So I reached out to the people that did my roof.  They are coming out on Saturday.  I have this time window.  They think it’s only for a gutter but wait until that guy gets here, that should be fun. 

I talked with a guy at work that I have a crush on and got a referral from him.  I called his guy who talked to me and said he would call me back.  I’m still waiting.  I told him that I need help with a gutter and that there could be some siding work as I have a water intrusion problem.  I think that could have scared him away.  Maybe he just got busy but I’ll give him a day and if I don’t hear from him then I’ll write him off like I have so many others. 

Of course I keep thinking about this and the more I go over it in my mind the more I think that maybe the demo guy is right and there is water coming in through the siding.  If that is the case then I can ease up on the blame game but at the end of the day I still have the same problem.  I just need this fixed quickly and then it’s time to move on.  The longer this lingers the worse I am going to feel.

When I got out of the shower this morning I said okay who’s ever in charge God or who ever … if you hear this I’d like for you to make my life better or end it.  I honestly don’t care which way it goes but let’s speed it up because the agony I am in is horrible. 

One of the guys at work told me I should fix my house up and sell it.  Then move to rental property.  Or rent out my house and move to rental property.  The grand plan was always for me to sell this place and take the cash then ease on down the road.  However, I chose to keep it because of sentimental value and the fact that I had so many animals on my hands.  I feel I made an informed decision that was best for me given the circumstances.  I think staying here makes complete sense right now but once the cats are gone then it will be time to reconsider.  I don’t expect them to go anywhere at least for the next 2 to 4 years.  Now they could all drop dead tomorrow but I think I have a better chance of winning the lottery (I don’t have a ticket). 

This is just a super stressful time right now.  Between work and home I am exhausted.  The smallest thing sends me off the rails and I just want to scream.  I’m doing a good job of keeping myself in check but internally I am truly falling apart. 

Tomorrow’s the BIG day.  Friday the 13th.  Full Moon and yep I’m still on-call.  What a lovely day it should be.  Here’s hoping something good happens really soon.  Now it’s upstairs to empty the sandbox, pass out treats and figure out what to watch as I pass away the time until it’s time to call it a night.  Talk with you again soon. 

Problem update

The handy man service I called phoned back and left a message referring me to a gutter company.  I called the gutter company and they wanted to know if I wanted to be present when the estimator showed up.  I said ideally yes but he/she can come out and the issue will be very transparent and obvious.  I’m waiting for a call back to see if our schedules can align. 

I’d like to be here simply because I can explain that I may need more than just a gutter.  There could be an issue with the siding.  Being a gutter company they do siding as well so it’s like I could potentially avoid having to engage another vendor. 

I was thinking about this tonight and it’s really got power over me, only because I’m giving it power.  It’s all consuming and all I do is worry.  Hell it’s my home where I have lived for a decent period of time and I’m paying the bills so I think it’s normal to worry. 

What I don’t understand is why it’s so difficult to get someone to come out or call me back to get this show on the road.  While I was told I had a couple months, I don’t want to play with this for a couple months.  I want the water problem solved for certain.  Then I can move to fixing the problem and life can get back to some form of normal.  I just want it to end.

Now I’m going to try to relax with the needy attention seeking, treat wanting cats.  Tuning in to the latest episode of American Greed and enjoying an ice cream bar.  Oh what a luxurious life I lead!  

My mind is on the gutter

I got a call back from the “handyman” which is actually a plumber that I was referred to.  He said he could take care of it.  I was surprised.  He said when, I said evenings or a Saturday.  He said that’s when my men are resting.  We were talking by cell, he said hello I said I am here and then presto the phone went dead.  I called him back but the phone rang until voice mail took over.  I guess he’s not that interested after all.  This left me wondering how does he make money if he can’t accommodate his customers availability?  SMH  I have given up on him.

I found a local commercialized handy man service.  I filled out an 0n-line form and they will be calling tomorrow.  I’ll be sure to not answer the call since I work in a building that is a metal box and cell phone reception is horrible. 

There is more than 1 handy man in the area it’s just a matter of finding one that won’t rape me and can work around my schedule.  The sooner the gutter is in place the happier I *think* I will be. 

I’ve done some research on water and siding and typically it doesn’t leak from what I have read, unless you install it wrong.  This project is probably going to tap dance on my nerves and my wallet for a while but I keep reminding myself this is going to pass.  Please dear Lord let the water intrusion stop as soon as the gutter is in place.  That would make me feel better. 

I have the desire to stick my head in the sand and hope this goes away but I know that time isn’t on my side and the longer I wait the worse this is going to get.  So act now and it will be cheap or act later and you will wish you would have done it sooner.  I just want it to be over with. 

The A/C has been running since I walked in the door and it feels like a meat locker in here.  I kind of like it but Gator isn’t happy.  So when I head up in a bit I will have to fix it. 

Cooler nights make for great sleeping weather.  I don’t look forward to the morning I wake up and have to flip on the furnace.  That will suck but I know that day is coming.

We remodeling at work and I’m going to have to move, not happy about that.  Sounds like this might be my last week in my present space, I am going to try to find out for certain tomorrow.  If so there are things I need to take home, other items that will need to be boxed and transferred to my new space.  I get an office out of the deal but it’s only temporary.  This combined with my home issue is stress over load for me and I just want to scream but hey it is what it is.  I am not in charge and I can’t change it. 

Up to see what is on TV tonight.  Hope you had a great day. 

S O A K E D

Well the rain cometh. It made for great sleeping weather but considering that I was late in getting to bed I didn’t really want to get out of bed. However, Gator and crew had other plans for me. They harped on me until I had to acquiesce and accommodate their morning hunger. To my horror I found my temporary gutter solution had blown off and was laying on the patio as if it was laughing at me saying try again fat boy. That just made me mad.

I fed the kids and then got dressed, had my medicine and grabbed breakfast. I talked with one of the regulars and got a referral to a local handy man. He can probably get me a final solution that will be permeant. As I ate my breakfast, I kept thinking about the damage being done at home and when I was done, I opted to go home instead of going to the grocery store.

I arrived home and opted to try to find a solution because the rain was falling and like grandpa always used to say, the water has to go somewhere. I was hoping that I would be able to resolve this myself with the parts I had and there wouldn’t be a need to call someone. However, sad to say but home repairs unless they are truly simple are beyond me. I know my limitations but that won’t stop me from trying and that usually makes things worse.

I’ve got a couple of those flexible downspouts but the problem is if they are curved the water sits and won’t drain. That acts like a weight and eventually they collapse. So, they have to be straight or they just won’t work. Well I rigged up a system and have something in place that works for the moment. There are some leaks but the bulk of the water is now going where it’s supposed to into a black drainage hose. I did all of this in the pouring rain having to run from the back to the side of the house and I got soaked pretty quickly. Thankfully once I was a little wet, I had the foresight to remove my phone and wallet, otherwise this could have created a bigger problem. I’m sure if they neighbors were watching me; they got a hell of a laugh but it matters not to me. I managed to do damage to my back and I kept brushing against this bush with my face. I know for a fact there is poison ivy there, I just kept cussing up a storm and using what little strength I had. Eventually I had something in place but it wasn’t perfect so I tampered with it a little to try to make it better, that caused everything to fall apart and I had to start over. I did that 2 times and eventually said fuck this, get it to work to take the bulk of the water and call it a day. No sense in trying to make this perfect because that won’t happen until it’s truly fixed. I was moving and almost fell in the mud, that’s where I think I messed up my back. I also had a muscle spasm in my upper legs which wasn’t fun. Tomorrow is going to suck extra because of the aches and pains I am sure this old body will have.

Finally, I was done tinkering with this and came inside. I got undressed in the kitchen and then walked to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. I was mostly wet but I had all sorts of dirt on me and just felt the need to be clean. I put soap on my face and made sure to rub it around my eyes so that if there was any poison ivy oil it would wash it away. I got myself clean, toweled off and saw Gator waiting for me. She was looking at me like why are you showering now, you usually do that later in the day. Once I got some underwear on, I just had to sit down. I rested up with Gator in my lap I began browsing on my phone. I needed to get to the grocery store but wanted to catch my breath first. I gave it a ½ hour, then put one foot in front of the other as I went to the grocery store mad.

Turns out two times when I shouldn’t go to the grocery store. First when I’m hungry. Second when I am mad. Why? The results in either situation is the same. I bought a bunch of unhealthy food that I really don’t need. Like this huge platter of cookies, they were only $10 but it’s a fuck ton of cookies. I thought maybe they would have prepared sandwiches this week so I could skip making my lunch. Nope the fuckers didn’t have one. That made me angrier. Then I got to the check out and the total price made it worse. However, I was talking with the cashier and she told me that she went on a cruise came back and heard this hissing sound. Turns out she had 6 pipes in her crawl space that burst. They had to shut off the water, she called a plumber and then had to take out a loan. It was 6 thousand dollars. In some ways I would trade my problem for hers but the total no way. I hope to make it out of this mess for 2 thousand or less and I am leaning heavily on the less side.

If there is a different problem and it’s not the gutter and its siding or foundation related insurance may help with the cost but my deducible is a thousand. They won’t cover the mold at all so that would be my responsibility but you have to learn to walk before you run and right now it’s just a matter of taking this in steps. I fucking hate waiting I want to fast forward to the end so I can put this behind me but that isn’t the way life works. The problem here is the longer this lingers the greater the possibility that the problem will get worse and that means more money out of my pocket.

Needless to say, since the original temporary solution failed me more water got in and I have no idea if my problem is fixed with a gutter or if there is a larger issue. Next step is to call the handy man and see how much this is going to cost and get the gutter fixed. Then let the wood dry out again and wait for the next rain. If water is visible then I’ve got a bigger issue that needs to be fixed. If not then I’m good and can call the demo guy to come back and remediate.

I just called the “handy man” turns out he’s a plumber. Not sure if I got a good referral but I know I can always find someone on my own. I left a message and we shall see what happens.

I am trying to breath and remain calm but it’s not easy. It’s also difficult not to be depressed by the situation. However, in the end I am the master and fixing this is my responsibility. This is one of those times when I wish I could just call 1 person and then the problem would be fixed. I know I am repeating myself but I’m ready to move on. Please Lord Jesus make this go away and cheaply at that.  I can say for certain that this makes me appreciate what I have even more. 

Now you know how things went for me. Come back and I will be sure to keep you posted. Rain is done for now. Next chance in the forecast according to my phone says Friday. Perfect Friday the 13^th and the day of the full moon. I wonder if I should worry more now? Thanks for stopping by!

Productive Saturday

I went to bed a ½ hour early and that resulted in me sleeping until a little after mid-night. It was closer to 1a when I finally gave up on trying to sleep. I made good use of the time by watching the remainder of ER. I finally finished the series; I don’t recall that I ever saw the ending when the show was on the air. It was very good but I am sad now because it’s like what in the world do, I watch. I’ve got to find a new go-to series, I’ll be browsing around and I am sure I will land on something.

It was close to 4a when I finally had the desire to fall back to sleep. I had to share my bed with Gator who is quite the bed hog. It’s a twin bed and she left me the edge, how thoughtful. I pushed her fat ass out of the way and climbed in bed. I had to listen to her complain but eventually we cuddled up and she escorted me off to dream land. She has some magic spell she casts on me.

My body’s natural alarm clock woke me up at 7a the trash truck coming at 6a didn’t help things but at least I got an extra hour of sleep in. I got out of bed greeted the children who were all pleased that I was out of bed. Passed out their breakfast and then sat in my chair and browsed through social media. Until Momma came to tell me I needed to get moving. Actually, she wanted attention, I just took it as an opportunity to get in gear.

I headed out to Cracker Barrel where I had a horrible breakfast. The waitress talked me into changing my order to get an extra piece of sausage and extra hash brown casserole. She negated to bring me my extra grits and the item she talked me into didn’t include gravy for the biscuits, so I was ticked. Then I had to wait a hella long time before the food arrived. I thought about asking for a lunch menu the wait was so long. I got to see a semi good looking man. His child made him keep getting up and I said what a good baby, daddy was putting on a show for me and he never even knew it. It was entertainment to pass the time. The guy was married and the cutest thing within my line of sight. He would do in a pinch but really wasn’t my type.

On the way to breakfast I watched cars decide to go speeding past a marked police car in traffic. One of them got his attention and they pulled over but blocked an entire lane of traffic in doing so. I’m sure that is not how they planned to start their day but unless you pose a huge problem my local police typically issue warnings instead of tickets. That is not always the case but more often than not when I hear the radio traffic, they talk about warnings instead of citations.

Back on point. I checked the mail and ran an errand then back home. I cleaned out the gutters. Holy shit I didn’t know gutters could hold that much debris. When I was done, I was covered in dirt and ants. I did a quick test of my jury rig method for a gutter and it works but it has a slight leak. I found another piece of guttering and tried to work out a permanent solution but these pieces do not fit together logically. I went looking at the hardware store to see more about a perm solution. I need an oddly shaped S piece. I actually just need a handy man to fix it for me.

I got myself into the garage and undressed, then went inside for a decontamination shower. Which should have been the Silkwood scrub down but was a regular shower. Felt nice. Afterwards, I sat around in my underwear and looked at my phone while Gator sat comfortably in my lap. Eventually I flipped on the TV and we watch a Ron White stand up show until I felt the urge to nap. Gator helped me get back to sleep. Then when it was time to get up grouch playful Momma came in crowing at the top of her lungs. I ignored her and by the time I was out of bed she was ready to start napping in my chair. Funny thing about Momma if she is in front of me, she will quietly meow but if she wants to get my attention, she uses them lungs. This is all new since she has aged a few years. Normally she was loud all the time.

I passed out lunch. Earlier in the day my remote for my car wasn’t seen a couple times. I came out to open it and nothing happened when I pressed the button. Thankfully I used the keyless entry code and then got in and it started. The car is supposed to tell me when the battery is low. However, I just figured that it needed to be replaced. The replacement that goes into it is a honker of a coin battery. I ran around trying to find a replacement but no such luck. Hardware store didn’t have it and drug store didn’t have it. Things seem to be working now so I am just keeping an eye on it. I have a 2^nd remote if things go south and Amazon carries the battery. I could go to Batteries Plus and they would have it but they fuck people over w/o lube or a reach around so I am not their biggest fan. They have a great stock if you’re in a pinch but otherwise I avoid them at all costs. I grabbed some cat food and then headed for Mexican food.

Came home and went in search of Marv who had been in hiding all day long. He never showed up for lunch which is odd. Sure, enough he was hiding under the couch that his late sister used to frequent. As soon as he saw me, he started crying. I got him out and we sat on the couch and watched several episodes of Momma’s Family. How appropriate.

It was a very nice sunny mild day here. We did get in to the 80’s but it was in the low 70’s when I was outside doing work and I was in the shade. Today would have been a pick day to go on a road trip but I just wasn’t feeling it. I had my sites set on Salty Mexican and that is what I got. The part of the freeway I take was being worked on so I had to go the scenic route through the city, which wasn’t horrible I just don’t like stop and go traffic. I’m in it all week and it’s no fun. I just want to get on the road and go, let me get to where I am going and then you can have your wrecks or rubbernecking, I just want to get to my destination as quickly as possible.

Not sure if you saw the previews for a movie that was out earlier this year called Ma it’s got Octavia Spencer in it. It’s a horror film and I hate them. Oddly enough I have an attraction to this movie not exactly sure why. It’s available on Amazon and I am thinking of renting it even though watching it I will probably scream like a school girl. I’ve been putting it off for a while but eventually I know I will be watching it. Better if I can see it on HBO or Showtime for free meaning that it’s part of my subscription it’s won’t actually be free.

As I sit in my basement typing this out, I feel hot and I itch. I’ve convinced myself I have some type of cooties and it will shake it’s self out eventually. It does look like I got bit on the hand again by something, as long as it wasn’t the black spider (black widows are in my part of the country) I saw I’m fine and I will live. I don’t think it was the spider because this would be way worse.

I am anxiously awaiting tomorrow; I don’t like Sundays but the rain is supposed to start around 4a and that will bring some answers. I really think I was my own worst enemy here but if that proves not to be the case then this will cost more money than I want to part with. I really hope I am lucky here and the basement stays dry.

Thinking about Monday, man it’s going to be a hell of a day. I have two departures from Friday to finish up. They ram rodded a new hire in that starts on Monday but his account isn’t setup. I thought about doing that today but I opted not to because if I keep on accommodating, they will keep on ram rodding and I like notice and that is what I have been pushing for. Somehow, I don’t think I will get my way but it never hurts to ask. I will also be on call. Friday will be the 13^th and there will be a full moon. Can you just pray for me because I envision that next week will be bat shit crazy for me? I just hope I can maintain my sanity and survive.

I’ve taken full advantage of my time in doing chores early. The dishes are done and so is the laundry. I just have to work on vacuuming and trash. Passing the time away has been fairly easy up until now. I seem to have run out things I want to do. So, I will do some surfing and playing on the computer. Then it will be climbing the stairs to go see the children and prepare for bed. Hoping for a great Sunday, even if I will be trapped in doors and have to go grocery shopping in the rain (which I hate). Not to mention the rain will ruin the sparkle on my car but hey I can get it washed again.

I hope that you had a great Saturday. Talk with you again soon.

Moldy update

The vehicle has been taken care of and is shining like a diamond.  I forgot that when the fabric protection is applied it will be a couple months but I will be sliding around in my seat.  I hate that just as your trying to get out your rear end slides around and if your not careful you can wind up falling. 

The loaner I got was a V6 but had no turbo and we didn’t get along terribly well.  However, it got me to where I needed to be.  It seemed to be a little gas hungry compared to my 4 cylinder with twin turbos.  I noticed that when I got my vehicle back that I was way heavy on the gas pedal than I needed to be.  Hopefully all will go back to normal tomorrow.  They had my car at 8a and didn’t call me until 2:30p.  Jesus I know it had to be done before that.  When I got in I saw a couple small boxes in the center console kind of looked like air freshener.  I picked them up and found they were luggage tags.  Nice but I really don’t need them.  I also didn’t need the price jump but hey everyone does the green back boogie.  That’s a nice way of saying everyone needs to earn money.

The mold man came but he was late.  To the point where I was very close to giving up on him.  It was about a 1/2 hour conversation.  In that time span I got him from $900 to $750.  However, he’s a demolition and treatment guy.  He won’t help me finding the source of the water leak.  However, he told me that it could be in the base of the door or it could be a foundation issue or a siding issue.  I could potentially need to have part of a wall torn out in addition to a small hole in the floor and carpet.  So I need a construction/handy man to help.  However, they can only touch the outside.  Construction/fix it people don’t really care about your health so they will rip things out without having proper containment and equipment set up.  They can actually make things way worse.  The demo part of the job will take a 1/2 day.  We (me and the cats) can remain here while repairs are being done.  The cats will be scared to death and I think when it’s all done you will need to peel all of us off the ceiling.  There will be 1 guy running around in a bio-hazard suit and they will setup containment centers and run equipment that will sterilize the area.  They will cut what they can out and the rest will be painted with mold proof paint.  They will put a small sheet of plywood in place as a temporary solution so that no one falls through the floor.  It won’t look pretty and I will need to consider how best to move forward with a permanent fix. 

Some additional insight I learned is that bleach doesn’t kill mold it actually feeds it and makes the problem worse.  Also never, ever spray mold with anything.  You need to wipe it clean, otherwise it spreads.  So this has been educational but I could have easily survived my entire life without knowing this information.  I’m passing it on for your benefit.  Why not share the knowledge? 

I was told that I can easily wait a couple months before doing any repair work.  The most important thing is stopping the water intrusion.  So Sunday will tell if my jury rigged gutter solves my problem, if so then I need a handy man to put in a perm gutter and I can call the guy that was out today to fix it.  This won’t cost that much.  However, if my gutter solution doesn’t work then this just got more expensive because I’ll need to figure out where the water is coming in from, fix that. 

I know for a fact that my gutters still have debris in them.  Tomorrow morning I will get up and go out to breakfast, run an errand or two and then I am coming home and cleaning out the gutter in the back where this problem occurred.  That will put me in better shape for Sunday to knowing if this truly is a fix or if there is a bigger problem. 

I sincerely hope that I can get out of this mess as cheaply as possible.  Ideally that would be that I’m right about the water source.  Then getting a gutter guy and the demo guy out here shouldn’t be terribly expensive.  I mean I will be in debt no matter what but the question is how deep.  Best guess is that this damage has occurred over the past few months.  We have also had a very wet summer, which didn’t help things.  I was told that I was lucky that I caught it when it was this small.  Funny I don’t feel lucky at all. 

Here’s hoping that my next problem won’t be as depressing or overwhelming.  I don’t need any doozies, I think I’m good for a while.  Crossing my fingers, toes, eyes and arms. 

I think it’s good news

I’ve been keeping an eye on my mold.  It’s starting to turn white, which from what I have read on line means that it’s dying.  That to me is good news.  However, a little moisture and it will be growing again.  Tomorrow is the day I meet with the “mold guy” and see what he has to say.  Hopefully it won’t be a waste of either of our time. 

I managed to over fill the water fountain and it leaked out again.  Marv laid in it yesterday and I discovered it while I was eating last night.  Easy fix.  I’m using a pee pad underneath.  They are super absorbent and it will be easier for me to tell when there is a leak.  I will also back off on how full I make it.  I checked the floor/carpet and it was dry.  Phew!

I am not happy about having someone over to my home.  This place is a shambles by my standards.  However, that too is my fault.  I kind of gave up after I lost my spouse.  The cats have killed the carpet.  Fix the mold, replace the carpet and probably some paint both inside and out and this place could easily be whipped back into shape and put on the market.  I don’t want to sell but I also don’t want my home to make me or my cats sick. 

Gator isn’t acting right and she isn’t eating proper so my eye is on her.  I give her “special food” and then she eats.  She isn’t starving but something just isn’t quite right.  She acts kind of like she saw a ghost and stares off into space but I can bring her back into reality and she meows at me.  I don’t want to go rushing to the vet just yet but I have my watchful eye on her. 

Either the vet made a mistake or I have been over medicating Marv for a while.  I got one of his scripts refilled tonight and instead of 2 times a day it says 1 time per day.  I’m going to switch to the new schedule and see what happens. Poor guy I feel awful but I kind of think the vet made a mistake. 

Right now everything is up in the air and I am making all sorts of goofy mistakes, some I catch and others I don’t.  I’m stressed out and that’s part of what happens to me.  Hopefully things calm down.  Speaking of which I just remembered I have to change my voice mail at work.  Going to do that and then up to watch TV and try to relax, we shall see how well that goes.

I will let you know how things turn out.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Monday on a Tuesday

I knew it was Tuesday when I woke up but by lunch time I forgot.  Then a calendar reminder popped up and I quickly remembered.  I had a meeting to get to.  It was truly a crazy busy day.  I made a lot of progress.  Out of 19 people that start on Monday, I have all but 3 set up.  I’m waiting on the official word before I proceed.

I was still depressed this morning but I functioned.  It wasn’t until the late afternoon that things kind of snapped in place.  I feel better but I am still very concerned about my home and this mold problem.  There are so many questions and answers will help.  I just have to be patient.  The biggest question is did my jury rigged gutter solve the moisture problem.  If so then were on our way to recovery.  If not then this problem is even bigger than I thought.  I pray that this can be fixed for little money. 

I had 3 pieces of left over deep dish pizza for supper and now I am in a different kind of agony.  The upside is I have no desire for desert, at least not right now.  Working on getting upstairs to spend time with the family. 

I hope you had a good day.  Just wanted to check in and let you know I’m still here. 

Rescue

I heard this song at a funeral over the weekend.  It was sad that there was a funeral but couple that with my sudden deeper dive into depression and this song just causes me to cry uncontrollably.  I listen to it over and over it’s like an addiction.  I just can’t hear it enough.  The singer is someone I never heard of before but she reminds me of Adelle she has that rough kind of voice and that is just so appealing to me.  This is a Contemporary Christian song.  It’s talking about God Rescuing you.  It’s just so moving. 

I didn’t know the person whos funeral I was at, but he was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty.  He was so young, he had a great career in Law Enforcement, a smile that could light up the darkest room and 3 young kids along with a wife.  It was so sad when you think about it.  From what I heard about him he wasn’t your average cop nor your average person.  He loved helping people and sounds like he was a great human being.  We need more of those types of people in this world. 

Today I rang in my 48th year of walking the earth.  When you think about it, that sounds like a long time but it’s gone by so incredibly quickly.  Quite a bit has happened in that time span both good and bad.  I think about both the good and the bad and how I got to the point of being all alone today.  It’s just incredibly depressing.  I’ve got to fix this!  I need some cheer, joy and another reason to get out of bed in the morning.  I need laughter, fun, jokes, good times and throw in some sex and a vacation while your at it.  In many ways I need to be rescued.  I can’t put into words the pain I have and I can’t share this raw emotion with just anyone. 

I turned on my phone and saw the FaceBook birthday wishes come rolling in. I got way more than I thought I would.  I laid around this morning and was being good at being lazy.  It was nice to just relax and be with the furry family.  I looked at my late husbands urn and I can hear him saying Happy Birthday.  I miss that man so much!  With the whole mold situation going on and the recent loss of my hot headed friend, I just realize how alone I am.  It sucks and it’s scary but this too shall pass.  As the afternoon started to approach I realized that the day was going to pass me by and I didn’t want to spend it on my ass.  I have things I need to get done.  Just as I was springing into action the phone rang.  It caught me off guard because there was really only 1 person that would call me and he’s blocked.  I was overwhelmed to see that it was my boss.  He just called to wish me a Happy Birthday and check on me.  That small gesture really made the day brighter.  I never did make it out of the house.  With 3 days off I like to spend at least 1 full day at home.  Today afforded me the ability to do that.  I did think about going out but I didn’t starve.  

I’m having a pity party when I should be having a birthday party.  Outside of work I don’t really matter to anyone.  Sure the cats need me and I matter to them but I don’t matter to a person at least if I do I sure don’t feel it. 

Tomorrow morning will be here and I will return to my normal life.  I may have weak moments throughout the day but I honestly think my mind will be so occupied with work that I won’t be able to focus on anything else.  I’m fine with that.  I need to go back.  Resting is important and something everyone should do.  I could use a vacation.  I’m happy with the progress I have made over the weekend with knocking out chores, treating myself and the time I have been able to spend with the cats.  I look forward to 3 days of productivity.  I hope that Friday will get me the needed answers and information on how to best move forward with the house.  I know my vehicle will be happier with fresh oil and I will have some peace of mind.

I hope that the week is a great one ahead for you.  Labor Day in the US marks the unofficial end to Summer.  I will miss the warm weather but I know that it will come around again all too soon.  Plus we still have the rest of September which is typically warm and once we get into October then the weather should change and be a bit cooler.  Here’s hoping that good news is waiting for me and if you need some that good news is waiting for you as well.  I know that my situation seems bad to me but I realize that things can always be worse.  How’s that for optimism?  

Depression

I’m down in the dumps as they say.  This mold issue is eating at the fiber of my very being.  We had a sprinkle this morning and very high humidity.  I checked and things appear to be drying out.  That’s a good sign.  However, I am holding my breath.  I need a good rain shower to come through and that should help give me answers.  I could need foundation waterproofing in addition to getting the mold out.  Time will tell. 

I just found a company out of the blue based on BBB reviews and this is a national company that franchises.  I see great reviews and someone said they were “affordable” not exactly sure what that means.  However, I’m very interested in a quote and think that I will glean information from a visit.  I was surprised that my phone rang within minutes of me submitting an inquiry.  So were off to a good start, considering that it’s a Sunday night on a holiday weekend.  I set the appointment on Friday afternoon, considering that I have the day off it will be a good use of my time.  If this truly is “affordable” then I will jump on it but everyone has a different interpretation of that word.  Hopefully my car will be done by then.  I don’t anticipate any bad news with the car but one never knows.   

I know my mood will be wide swinging and staying busy will be a good thing.  Getting back to work will help.  Things should be extra busy this week considering that were going to try to cram 5 days into a 4 and for me it’s 5 days into 3. 

In other news, I got the grocery shopping done.  Picked up cat food and took a drive for Chicago Style Pizza.  Jesus they poured on the cheese and it was really good.  I forgot to say well done but somehow it came out just perfect.  There was a small group with 3 kids in the place and they quickly started to tap dance on my last nerve.  My waitress focused on the small party instead of me but I did manage to get some attention just in time for a drink refill.  The drive was enjoyable.

From my adventures in jury rigging the gutter yesterday I have mosquito bites.  That itch like no tomorrow.  On is on my left hand and the other is on my left pinky finger right in the second knuckle.  I stopped by Walgreens and was looking for Lanacane but they didn’t sell that.  All I saw was hydrocortisone, I got some Aveeno which usually does the trick.  Lanacane is what I like for serious itches because it’s got a topical numbing agent that turns off the itch like nobody’s business.  I’m ready to start clawing at the bites and that will only make things worse.  I’ve got a spot on my right arm that I am not sure what it is.  I have a slight worry for poison ivy and hope that I don’t have that.  I start thinking about all of this and I’m ready to go break out the Benadryl.  That will help and aid in sleeping as well.

I’ve saved some of my chores for tomorrow so I will have something to do.  I got this crazy idea of resting but instead procrastination kicked in. 

Tomorrow is a very special day for me.  I will turn 48.  The stress of the mold issue the fact that I am alone and really have no good friends all hit me this afternoon.  I miss my spouse things were so different when he was alive and had he been here I am confident that there wouldn’t be a mold situation to deal with.  However, I stopped to think about all of the problems that seemed next to impossible to get through that I thought surely would be the end and I managed to get through them, it wasn’t easy or cheap but here I am.  Hopefully that will be the case with this issue.  I also hope that this is the last year I am alone.  I feel 2020 is a special year and am eager to jump in.  I normally would get a birthday card from my brother but that didn’t happen this year.  I’m not surprised or shocked at all.  My expectation is that I will be all alone on my birthday and that few people will acknowledge the day.  That hurts and it hurts to be all alone but I’ll cry about it, dust myself off and get right back up and keep on moving because that is what I do. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope things are way better for you than they seem to be for me.  I’ll talk with you all again soon.