How I started the New Year
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive January 2007:
How I started the New Year
It rained - heavily. My sump pump died. Fortunately, Scott was able to leave work early, and Home Depot was open. So we bought a new sump pump, Scott installed it, and it works like a charm.
(For those of you who don't know what a sump pump is, in my area the water table is very high, so most houses are built with channels under the foundation to channel ground water to a sump well in a corner of the basement. The sump pump pumps the water out of the well and away from the house, so that the ground water doesn't seep up through the basement floor and flood the basement. If the sump pump isn't working - oh my!!!)
Oh boy I know that wasn't fun, fortunately you have a helpful and talented ds who can fix those things for you!!
I am glad to hear you got it fixed quickly with no problems.
Oh yeah! We have a sump pump, also, and it failed one night during a week of rain! DH found that the filter screen was clogged. He cleaned it and got it going again. I never thought I could LOVE a MACHINE so much!! LOL!
We didn't have a sump pump when we moved in 10 years ago, but after 2 basement floods, we had one installed. I'm glad Scott could get a new one installed for you!
We actually had sun today! I'd almost forgotten what sunlight was!
Good, that means it's coming our way! LOL!
I'm glad you got it fixed quickly! I have had that happen here too and our water table is also high so I know how you feel. I'm actually thinking of putting in an extra sump pump on the other side of our basement.
Oh, we've BTDT with my Mom's house. I'm glad you got is working!
Oh, we have BTDT too. When we first moved to Chicago, our sump pump went out. It was before we even knew what it really was! Thank God for our nice neighbor, who helped dh replace it. We were lucky we hadn't started finishing the basement yet, because we ended up with an inch of water in it. Yikes, we were a couple of clueless Texans back then! 
Glad your ds was able to take care of it!
~~Groan~~ Just what you needed, huh? At least Scott was able to take care of it for you!
More fun!! (NOT). My oldest son just called. He's OK!!! There was a fire in the apartment next to his and the building was evacuated. The fire is out, and he was escorted back in to get stuff from his apartment. Naturally, he got his PC, his bike, his wallet & car keys and what cash he could easily lay his hands on - no clothes, no insurance policy, etc. Because his door was locked, the fire department broke his door open. He is trying to pin down a building management person about security until the door is fixed. The fire department representative said he could sleep at the fire house. His brother is willing to go and pick him up and take him to New Jersey, with a real bed, a real bathroom, etc. He will call me back.
Oh my goodness, Ginny! What a nightmare, but at least HE is okay. THINGS can always be replaced (not that he wants them stolen). Poor guy! I would think that the building management should make it a priority to secure his apartment. Yikes!
The spin cycle quit on my washing machine yesterday (the guy is coming tomorrow), and we found a wet spot on our ceiling during the downpour of rain. We had planned on replacing our 19 year old roof this coming summer, but we may have to do it sooner.
It's always something!!
Yes, it is always something, Hol. My son is fine. He was able to get into his apartment again and get some clothes, his blood pressure meds, and some other things; he watched while they put up a temporary door with a padlock, and he is on his way to his brother's in NJ - closer than me and they have a really nice guest bedroom and bath. (And, they are non-smokers, as is he). He's got his computer (though not the monitor or modem connections, and that's very important because he does a fair amount of consulting work and a lot of his work is saved on his hard drive, including a patent application he put in on 12/24. And he's got his bike, which is also very important to him.)
Hol, if your roof is 19 years old, yes, you need to replace it ASAP. I had a leak in my roof about this time of year, and the roofer I dealt with was able to temporarily patch it until it was good weather for roofing. (I really hope you only have one layer of shingles on your roof, because they can put a second layer over it. If you already have two layers, it is a lot more work and more expensive because they have to take off both layers and put down new roofing paper and put on new shingles. But, that way they get to check all of your rafters, which was a good thing for me when I had my roof replaced a couple of years ago.) I hope the washer spin cycle is just an electrical switch and nothing more - I've had that happen.
Ginny - I'm glad that your DS is safe and sound, and all cozy for the night. How much farther away are you than his other brother?
I hope that you are right about the electrical switch in my washer. It is 11 years old, but I am hoping to get a few more years out of it. I had thought that it was a belt, but my DH said that he isn't sure that top loaders have belts. We'll find out tomorrow.
Our roof was done in 1988, and the contractor used twenty year shingles. A friend of ours, who is contractor, said that USUALLY shingles last five years longer than what they are rated. However, we are in the woods, and have gotten a lot of algae on the roof. I read online that the algae can speed the deterioration of the roof because asphalt is also an organic (sort of) compound. We want forty year architectural shingles (I love the looks of them). It will be the last roof WE ever put on this house. Yes, I'm hoping that it can be patched until better weather.
Did you ever notice that, as SOON as something's warranty or rated life span is up, it DOES quit...almost to the day! LOL! I had a little Dodge Neon that I bought brand new in 1997. It was a great car for five years. As SOON as I paid it off, EVERY gasket in the car started leaking! It was literally a "disposable" car.
I forgot to mention that my four year old printer went, too, but that was one of the FEW things that cost LESS to replace than it did originally.
And, yes, we only have one layer of shingles. We had our roof stripped when it was done in '88 because ours is a tract house, and it was put up cheaply. There were parts of the roof that had NO tar paper under the shingles, if you can imagine!
Hol, you are lucky. We already have 2 layers, so whenever we replace the roof, it will be the more expensive job!
Well, the washer repair guy came today and the verdict was that the transmission is shot in the washer. The guy turned it on and it was making a noise like it wanted to spin, but didn't. He said that there was a "common" problem with Whirlpool top loaders; a switch (just as you said, Ginny). However, after doing a few more things, to no avail, he took the agitator out and showed me the metal fragments. The gears were chewed up. SO-O-O....Shawn and I went and bought a new one today at the same store where I bought my old one in 1995. He told me that 10 years is about all you can expect from those. (I got eleven and a half). My other Whirlpool gave me 16 years!
I bought another Whirlpool because they still have the enamel tub. GE and Maytag have plastic. I looked at front loaders (my first washer in 1970 was a Westinghouse front loader. I loved it), but they were too expensive. MY DD bought the huge LG pair and it cost her $1200.00! My new washer is coming next Tuesday morning. They will haul the old one away as well. I will be at the laundromat this weekend, tho. That is too long to go without a washer.
I also got one estimate on my roof. It was from a guy in Massachusetts (!) for $3600.00. That was with stripping it. $2100.00 if we wanted to do a lay-over instead. I am waiting on three more estimates, but these guys are all local, which I like. One of them graduated HS with my late DS Dan. I want 40 year architectural shingles.
Then...my poor doggy had to go spend the day at the vet to be xrayed. He has been very lame, and won't put any weight on his right rear leg. He has Lyme disease, but he also has hip dysplasia due to severe degenerative arthritis. He is at least 12. We adopted him in 1995, and he was about 1-2 then. He is a Brittany spaniel. We had blood work done the other day. With his bloodwork, xrays, and meds, it has cost almost $500.00 in a week. Anybody know where we can buy a money tree? LOL!
We will keep Howdy going for as long as he has quality to his life. He is on Rimadyl and an MSM/Glucosomine powder prescribed by the vet. It will cost $100.00 per month.
I went online trying to learn as much as I can about roofing and shingles. I logged on to a web site that is endorsed by, of all people, Dr. Phil. It is called www.renovationcontractors.com, or something like that. They give you four estimates of roofers "in your area" that supposedly have never had their license revoked or ever had legal action against them. Well, all of them were from way out of town, and one was from out of state (MA). One guy that came today had "slime ball" written all over him. I called and asked them why they didn't recommend anybody close to my town (there are many). She said that they recommend the contractors who PAY for their referral. So, so much for getting the "best". I'm surprised that Dr. Phil would put his name on that. I am waiting on estimates from three local guys. One of them I met today at the lumberyard.
Ginny, I'm so glad your son is okay! What a way for him to start a new year.
This is strange, we had a dishwasher and our washing machine go out three weeks apart during the holidays. (Is is the full moon thing, you think?LOL) I feel for you Hol! I kissed the new washing machine the day dh brought it home! I'm sorry to hear about Howdy. I will keep the little guy in my prayers. We just had our elderly cat in for an eye infection. Turns out it's his teeth and he needs them cleaned. It will be 500.00 due to his age. Yes, we need to a money tree or something! And you are so right about the warranty thing!
Wow, what a start to the year! At least your ds was able to get some of his things. A friend of mines apartment building had a fire (the apartment above hers) a few months ago. They suspect arson so they weren't allowed in at all. They've been told it may be months or even years before they may allow them to reclaim their possesions--if ever. Her and her dh have had to start all over from scratch. While their apartment only had smoke and water damage, they may as well just have lost everything to the fire.
I'm sorry about everyone's troubles already this year. Washers, dryers, fires, sump pumps... Goodness! Maybe we should declare January 4th the "New" New Year! lol
Ginny, is your DS able to get back into his apartment now? Is the door fixed?
Whoa. And things just keep getting more and more complicated for everyone.
Ginny, I hope your ds is able to square things away with his landlord.
Hol, I sure hope you get everything you need done to your house.
Nicki, Bless your kitty. I hope the infection clears up.
And Cat, I agree. It seems that there are a lot of threads on here just recently about so many of our gals having so many problems. What's with 2007, anyway?
Hubby replaced the starter in his truck, AGAIN. He is sure that the new starter we got in December was a dud, even though the guy at the parts store wasn't as sure.
Since his truck wasn't starting, I couldn't get to the bank to make a deposit yesterday, so I got an overdraft fee to cover, too.
Now my car's idiot light came on for the battery just yesterday, too.
Hubby fixed my 3 year old $500 recliner that we thought we would have to pay at least $50 to have fixed- it was just a loose screw (one of two rather large screws) that held the back of the chair to the side.
I have plunged and poured lye down our tub drain twice and it still drains slow, so we are looking at possibly renting a roto rooter.
The Gerald Ford funeral has had my attention for the whole week now and was incredibly emotionally draining to me (I can only imagine how fatigued the Ford family is! Betty had a mild cold.) My mom said that the Air Force One plane that brought Ford from Washington flew right over her house after flying over Ann Arbor on its way to Grand Rapids, and the day of the final burial service I saw the F-15 fighter jets fly by just to the east of my house. The Ford family flew back to California today, leaving behind their patriarch in his final resting place.
Ford Funeral Photos on our local news website
Well, gals, here's hoping for the best in '07!
Turns out it was probably a kitchen fire in the next apartment, and the only real damage for my son's apartment was the firemen breaking down the door to get into it. He stayed with Greg&Lori for the last few nights, building management has put on new doors, and he will pick up his keys and get in this morning. No smoke damage, no water damage. And some lessons learned. He is going to (a) get copies of his keys, ID cards and important papers and have his brother keep them and (b) set up a "go bag" near the door where he will put his wallet and keys every day and keep a set of backup disks for the important stuff on his computer, so if he has to exit quickly he will have the really important stuff. Most likely his out of pocket costs won't come anywhere near his insurance deductible. All's well that ends well.
And, Scott finally got his acceptance into the college he wants to attend, put in his notice at the toxic job he's been working at for the last 18 months, and starts school on Jan. 16th, working for an Assoc. degree in veterinary technology. He is happy and excited, and I am very happy for him. Some details have to be worked out (like health insurance), but on the whole, looks like things are going to go smoothly. So that's a good start to the New Year.
|
Members
