We Are SO BLESSED

          A couple of months ago the light between the closets had gone out.  Richard changed the bulb to a brand new bulb that would blink on occasion until finally it went out leaving us to believe that it had something to do with the wiring.  Finding those that repair (such as electricians, plumbers, etc) is like pulling teeth.  Even before the gas price increase, it seemed a difficult task to find someone committed enough to come. 

          After two months Richard climbed up the latter to check what might be the source of the problem.  He had me turn off all the electricity.  Apparently it was the bulb.  How blessed were are that it was something simple.

          Next problem.  We were no longer receiving hot water through our taps.  How can that be?  Well the house is over 20 years old and the hot water heater is probably the same hot water heater that came with the house. We weren’t thrilled with the idea of replacement but knew it would/will have to be done eventually.  Two days without hot water and realized when all the switches had gone off for the electric – there was one that was missed when we switched back on.  Simple fix.  How blessed were are.

          The fridge has been a problem for some time now – with constant scraping of ice build-up and added feature of door not sealing properly.  It is over ten years old and has been moved from house to house – I thought that may have added to the problem.  We have looked into replacing the fridge.  The problem is the space for the fridge is smaller than the new fridges we have been looking at.  And it doesn’t seem feasible to try and widen the space. 

          Richard saw an advertisement for Umpqua Appliance and we called them to come out.  It wasn’t an outrageous expense and we were given many options on how to save money.  It is so nice to have the freezer part working again.  How blessed were are that it was something simple.

          On Saturday morning I took a shower.  Richard and I went to the temple and came home to a leaky driveway.  Neither one of us noticed the leak until later.  Weekend.  We didn’t know where the leak was even coming from.  We left our number with every plumber we could find.  We ended up turning off the water and calling Tri-City Water to ask if they could investigate.  We were told about a plumber who we hadn’t contacted as the name did not come up in our research – but Yeager’s Plumbing came out right away and replaced a tiny plastic part that had somehow dammed the water over time and had finally broken off.  The leak happened beneath the drain of the shower.

          Richard and I had both predicted that we would have to replace all the pipes.  He was thinking 4,000 dollars and I was thinking 7,000.  But we have been told we’re good to go though we should really contact our insurance and ServicePro to dry up the water that has accumulated under the house.  The damage is not as bad as we had anticipated.  How blessed were are that it the expense was in the hundreds rather than the thousands.

Inconvenience

We had a leak in our pipes

right underneath the sink.

In order to fix it, Roland had  

to turn off the water to the

house. The water meter to

our house is not only in our

neighbor’s yard, it is in their driveway.

What’s up with that?

When it Rains, it Pours

            It’s been just over three and a half years since we had made the purchase of our reclining couch and chair – something that had invited comfort in the showroom.  We didn’t realize the furniture had been created over extremely heavy frame that would misshape each time it was moved.  Thus, coming out to Oregon really took a toll on our misshapen couch each time it was moved.  It’s sad that it’s value had depreciated so quickly.  We feel so gipped.  But what can we do? 

We have looked to replace our pathetic couch, but it’s not a priority.  There are two other issues at hand.

            First there is the matter of the car that my mom had purchased brand new, however Roland and I put more miles on the car than she ever did.  We had borrowed it to go on long trips thus it had quite a bit of mileage on it before we had purchased it.  We have worn the poor baby going up and down hill;

I don’t think our car was designed for climbing. 

            Saturn checked the car each year as part of their service.  I don’t think it got as much attention after Saturn went out of business.  It currently needs a transmission.  A car seems more necessary than a couch.  Also, more expensive.  A second car would be imperative.  Of course, it costs much more than a couch.

            And now we have an additional problem.  One of our toilets leaks. 

We don’t from where exactly.  Our carpet was wet and we dried it out, but we noticed the carpet managed to get drenched again after another flush.  So, for now, all of us must use the master bath.  What moron decided carpet in the bathroom was a good fit anyway?  We’ll be contacting the insurance company on Monday to see if we are covered.  We’ll have to cut the carpet out (which had actually been our plan since before we moved in, but still don’t have the finances for) and redo the floor (in addition to plumbing expense) 
           Then there is the matter of medical bills - not even sickness but check-up routines. 

I can't imagine how outrageous it would be if any of us were actually sick or hospitalized!  What a nightmare!

            Oh, the joys!

Abnormal Weather and Our Wonderful Neighbors

          Yesterday I received a phone recording to inform me that school had been canceled.  Outside there was more snow than we had seen since arriving in Douglas County - not enough to close schools in Utah.  I remember taking Jenna to school when the snow was higher than she was - though I'm sure even Salt Lake would consider closing if the snow were actually as tall as she is now.

          Northern Utah is equipped with salt and bulldozers and snowplows, etc.  It's actually routine.  And the schools calendars account for snow days.  The citizens don't encounter the harsh weather in this part of Oregon - or so we've been told.  Bus drivers already have the challenge of a narrow and windy road with drops on either side.  They haven't been trained to deal with the elements of slick roads due to snow and ice.

          My son has complained about getting stuck in the snow, and Jenna offers no sympathy it has been her hope to have an opportunity to play in the white stuff as she did in Utah. Yesterday provided her that opportunity. She decided to spend her snow day sliding down hill. 

        She moved to an area closer to the house - closer to the pipe where the hose is connected.  She crashed into the pipe and we had a fountain in our yard for about 20 minutes.  We're not blaming her.  I think the person who sold the house tried to cover up the flaws rather than repair them.  I honestly believe the weak pipe was one of those flaws.

          Plumbers aren't as available here as they are in Salt Lake.  Contractors, electricians and so forth might live within the county, but it's highly probable that they come from another county altogether.  I don't even remember who we called, but I thought it would take a while and wanted the water shut off so that we wouldn't have to be billed for the ice skating rink that was starting to form in our yard.  

         

          After the water was shut off, our neighbor from behind us drove around to assist.  I don't know if he's a licensed plumber, but he's certainly less costly and just as efficient.  Roland was still on the clock as he tried to remove the water from the pipe so that our neighbor could repair.  They turned the water back on and everything seems to be working.  We covered the pipe so it didn't freeze overnight.

          Buses were delayed again for two hours this morning.  The snow can be seen on some of the hilltops, but no longer on the trees.  I suspect any snow that can be seen from the house will be gone by the time Jenna returns.

           After she had gone to school on Tuesday, I had purchased some chocolate cherries for Cherry Chocolate Day.  We held our candy upside down so that they looked like cups and we made a pretend toast. 

          Yesterday we made up questionnaires and looked up trivia games on line as it was trivia day.  Today is whipped cream day.  Before she left the house I had her listen to "Whipped Cream" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (here) and we started watching the 1961 version of the parent trap as I thought the twins might have worn whipped cream on their faces in the scene where they are fighting during the dance at camp.  They don't.  But it almost looks like it could be on one face.

          We did not finish.  We will watch the remaining 45 minutes after she gets home.  Maybe we could even make and eat whipped cream.  We'll see.  We obviously can't make purchases for every single (non) holiday.  That would get too expensive.