Paying It Forward

Some days are just better than others, don't you think. This one should be great, but, it is not.

The failed flooring attempt has managed to squelch my joy of a working toilet at my disposal ..... The disarray of my house is staring to wear on my nerves; and let's face it, my nerves are not my strong point. I want to be able to put this bathroom together, but without the floor, there will be no moving forward.

My elation over a toilet and a working tub was short lived. He who rescues stranded travelers was called out last night. I decided to take a nice bath. I knew I would need to clean the tub, so I gathered the necessary supplies and went to give it a good scrubbing.

You will recall in my previous post that after the failed flooring attempt I indicated that he who doesn't listen to his wife pulled up said floor. And tossed it to the side. I now see that he brought in some heavy stepping stones from outside to weigh his floor squares down. I had to move all that and stack it neatly in an attempt to soothe my frazzled nerves. While doing this I noticed that my shoes were sticking to the floor.

This prompted me to read the instruction on the product he was using. Had he bothered to do this he would have known that he was supposed to apply the product, then let it dry for 90 minutes, before putting the squares down. Instead, he who always tells me that he knows what he is doing, put the product on the floor and then smeared it all over the back of the wood square. It caused the edges to curl up. There really can be too much of a good thing.

So in my highly annoyed state I scrubbed the tub and readied it for a nice hot soothing bath. But, I seem to be unable to get the plug to work. I call him  and ask if he has installed some special secret plug doings. "Oh, remember how I was having trouble getting the tub in? Well, the plug won't work, you will have to use a thing." A thing? I simply hung up. It was really windy and cold and I thought It would be better if I did not share all my feelings while he towed.

Not being in possession of a thing, I used a washcloth to stop the water from leaking out too quickly ( hindsight has taught me that I should not have been overly concerned about that). It took me a few minutes to gather everything ( I remembered the towel!) and then I eased my weary bones (well padded weary bones) into the delicious hot water. I bathed and luxuriated in the hot water. I really miss my hot tub, because I love hot water. But, this water was beginning to cool, so I released my "plug" and attempted to get out. I had forgotten the non-slip tub mat and this porcelain finish is really slick. I could not get my feet under me to get out. If my feet didn't want to slip, my hands did. So, I had to sit there and wait for the water to drain, so that I could dry the bottom of the tub to be able to stand. I finally had to get on my hands and knees and sort of crawl out of the tub. I was as cold as the night I forgot my towel in the outdoor shower.

To further enhance my foul mood, the canine contingent was barking at everything and nothing. They only do this when I am here alone. I toweled my cold self and threw my nightshirt on and went to bed to await the arrival of him.

By the time he came home I was watching a program and all warm and toasty under the covers. I said nary a word about his lack of reading instruction skills and drifted off to sleep. But, this is a new day and there is absolutely nothing wrong with my memory!

I had planned to venture out to a building supply store to procure some peel and stick tiles. I have used these before. There is a certain technique involved in the laying of them, but the bathroom is small and I figured I could knock it out in one afternoon. Well, if I had any money. That budget I was talking about in my previous post has reared it's ugly head. I have some money owed and if it came in I would be okay. We had a nice camper living here through the summer. He paid his rent every month without any problem. Then came December. He skipped out owing $425. He promised he would be back the week after Christmas to pay us. He was laid off and has children. I am sorry for his situation, but I had to pay a hefty power bill that he contributed to. I was just grumbling about him to myself this morning.

I went to the library and on to the local Alco store, where I found some flooring at a reasonable price. Feeling smug, I came home to find a stranded motor home in the parking area in front of the building. This is an old model, with duct tape holding the front fender in place. Smoke is boiling out from under the hood and the man proceeds to tell me that he is trying to get home to Tennessee. He wants to know if he can plug in for a few hours to let his engine cool down.
He has a problem, though. He has no money. He is right up front with me about that. He will have money in his account tomorrow, but right now he doesn't have two nickels to rub together.

Of course we let him plug in and he who can't read instructions looked under the hood and determined that he had the wrong sized belt on something and has gone to purchase it for him. If he is still here at supper time, I suppose we will feed him, too. I hope he is fond of pork and beans.

Do you suppose that if we just keep paying it forward something good will happen? You just never know ........

I am feeling so much better than when I started this post, counting my blessings, yes, I am.