Underwear, or Outerwear? That is the Question.

Okay......... I have water again. After the fix yesterday when I gleefully washed the dishes and was all aglow with shower anticipation...... all hell broke loose; or should I say water? I was sitting here with a nice hot cup of tea. Posted my blog and decided to treat myself to an hour of reading before I tackled the aftermath of the repair job. I heard the pump click on, then off, then on......... not good, a sign of trouble. I don't know how long it did that before I became aware of the sound. I was reading!


Now, had I been really paying close attention I would have questioned the water pressure I had while washing the dishes. True, love of my life was showering through part of this task, but the water pressure was still not good. I wondered if the re-route might have something to do with it. Meant to mention it, but I was busy packing a good meal for him to take to work. I had cooked a big pot of chili and I carefully prepared two separate servings and packed two small containers of sour cream and sharp cheddar, along with saltines. I made sure he had enough to share with his co-worker. I am wonderful, don't you think. Any way, the water pressure went unspoken.


I reluctantly rose from my gaggle of dogs and blankets and left the world of blog to do a little investigating. I saw the growing lake of water as I rounded the corner to go to the kitchen. I immediately waded into the pump room to turn off the hot water, thinking that the repair must have some how come undone. The pump was still going on and off like crazy and I was wondering if it would take a minute to calm down........ hey, I am not a plumber person! I waded back through the kitchen and headed into the store to go out the side door to the laundry room and bathrooms. My sewing room is on the side there close to the registration desk and it was flooding, too.


I knew it had to be the laundry room. I was right. The outside faucet had burst and there was water everywhere. It was dripping from under the outer wall. Laundry room drain could not keep up with the flow and it was coming under the wall into the house. I ran back in and turned the pump off and called he who plumbs. He informs me that there is nothing he can do until he gets home. Really? He was annoyed at me for telling him that our humble abode is now a wading pool?


Both mops are outside and frozen. So I just left the water to dry on it's own. This is the one time I am ecstatic that my floors are concrete with a faux finish. I crawled back into my cocoon of animals and blankets after changing into dry clothes and huddle the evening away with my laptop and TV, getting up only to stoke the fire and take the dogs out............ I NEVER GOT MY SHOWER!!!!!!!!


He who plumbs comes home and although I am longing for that shower, I take pity on the man and tell him to just go to bed and fix it in the morning. Morning arrives and surprise, surprise...... the repair will require a trip to a hardware store. Gee, wouldn't you think he would stock up on these things that he uses to cap off the pipe?


The minute the water was back on I gathered together all the layers of apparel that I would wear and rushed into the bathroom to claim my shower. I warned the man that should another break occur he should not attempt to turn that water off until I emerged from my shower!!! For the first time in almost a week my whole body was wet and soapy all at the same time! My fingers and toes and yes, even my nose was warm .......... all at the same time! I had the water so hot that my nerve endings were tingling from the scalding my skin received. I looked like I had a sunburn. It was glorious and I will never take a hot shower for granted again!


But, now the title of this post. The pipes are holding together, but, I lack confidence in them. I need to do laundry. So, I ask myself, if the pipes only hold up for one load ....... what'll be? Underwear or outerwear. I am out of long johns, so I am sporting two pairs of pants as I write. Love of my life has a pair left (he owns more underwear than me), so I think underwear. But, wait, he is almost out of socks and they are black and he will need some dark clothes washed, too. What a dilemma. Should I mix light and dark together and get enough clothes in one load to carry us through should the pipes fail us again? Or, do I wash them separately and hope for the best?

Unique......One Of A Kind.....My Husband

Sawdust, PVC shavings and all manner of debris decorates my life today. But I can take a nice long hot shower tonight. So I will don my cleaning apparel and get started. Well, after I tell my story....

See the new water connection? Really lovely, don't you think?

As I was heating the water on the stove to wash dishes I pondered my current dilemma. I was a little miffed that I now had only cold water in the kitchen. It is a deep well and when the cold water comes into the faucet, well, it is really cold! Yesterday I had hot and cold water in the kitchen and now I only have cold water. Love of my life is attempting to reroute the water coming from the water heater. He has been at it for several hours and has to go to work soon. He has made a trip into "town" and is now looking for a part that he forgot to get. My future is not looking bright and his is definitely dim.

This is the new route the hot water will take. Right there where we can see it. Lucky for me it seems to be in the same color family as my cabinets and trim.

Now back to that pesky gaping hole in the ceiling. He who plumbs made a foray into the barn and found "a piece of cardboard big enough to cover the hole". See his footprint of mud. Nice touch.

This is so lovely...... I have no words to describe how it makes me feel......

Oh, look, I found some. "Honey, where did you get the box?" He nonchalantly answers that it is a coffin box. Nice. I know it never occurred to him to at least turn the box over and put the writing on the side next to the ceiling. I ask for too much, don't I?

I have running water, hot and cold in every faucet in my house. I am willing to bet that no one else has a box that previously held human remains on the ceiling in their dining area. Unique...... one of a kind.

Frozen Pipes

Look at that adorable face......... melts your heart, doesn't it? Wish it would melt the frozen pipes!

The frozen pipes ........... well ...... they burst. Still don't have hot water in the bathroom. Now I have no water ....... anywhere.

What I do have is a hole in the ceiling. Lovely, don't you think?

Though she is trying to comfort me, it isn't working. She is sympathetic, but she is still just lying on the couch all snug and warm next to her husband dog, Oscar. Emmy is a love, and she does bring a smile to my face ......... but what good would crying do?

Oscar and Wall-E just wish I would leave them to their nap. No help from these two.

They have stolen my place to sit and the blankets as well.

Wall-E has the grace to appear sad for my current situation. Still, he is just lying around ..... no doubt happy that no water means no bath for him.

Yep, there they are. Content with their world and the fact that my feet are so cold all I want to do is curl up on the sofa with them and disappear into the land of blog.

In the land of blog there is no need for running water, baths, toilets that flush. Just electricity and if I lose that ................. it won't be pleasant. In the land of blog I can escape from the gaping hole in the ceiling and all that it entails. The cold air coming into the already not so warm room is keeping my toes cold. In the land of blog my husband doesn't ask me to prepare food (tacos) and while the food is being prepared decide to grab a saw and cut through the PVC pipe in the ceiling adjacent to the stove .......... while the food is cooking with no lid on the pan. In the land of blog, one is not required to wonder if PVC shavings are garnishing their tacos. In the land of blog I can try to forget that I have not had a shower in three days because I am loathe to go outside to the bathhouse and take a nice hot shower only to walk through the frozen tundra to re-enter the not so warm house. In the land of blog I can vent all my frustrations.

Is this why bears hibernate? So that Mrs. Bear doesn't kill Mr. Bear for not doing some preventative maintenance when Mrs. Bear suggests it? It is hard to be mad while you are sleeping ...... I think. I have noticed some new frown lines on my face and I have been grinding my teeth in my sleep .......... Just want a nice hot shower and warm toes, that's all.

Brrrrrrrrrrr.........

The snow is adrift. It is hard to see in this photo, but it is almost knee-deep. Only in the drifts. You can see the ground where the wind has blown it away. I have been out twice today to gather firewood. I am trying to drag as much wood to the porch as possible before nightfall. Love of my life is at work and before he left he hauled a load up for me. I have burned it all!

This wind is a killer and I am trying to keep the chill off the house. To get to the wood pile I had to walk through some sizable drifts. I had all the outdoor gear on, just can't locate my snow boots. You guessed it, I got snow in my shoes. When I warmed up, I redressed and ventured out again with dry shoes, thinking to walk in my foot prints from before. The wind had already erased them!

This picture was taken last night as the snow began to fall. It was so still and eerily quiet. I went out without even a hat and gathered wood as the snowflakes hit my nose and face gently. It was so beautiful, as nature can be.

I woke up around 4:30 AM and took the dogs out. The fresh layer of snow was sparkling in the glow of the security light. I started to go get the camera, but wanted sleep more. When I got up at 8:00, the wind had turned vicious and drifts were piling as it blew hardy gusts.


I spent the day yesterday shrink wrapping the windows and left the faucet dripping when I went to bed. Unfortunately, love of my life turned the facet off. Swears he didn't, but he might have done it "on the accident", as my youngest used to say. Perhaps he did it after he foraged the kitchen for anything chocolate and cleaned himself up after crunching in bed, and waking me up! Cocoa Crispies are not a quiet food!


Time to gather one last load before it gets dark. There are bobcats in these woods and I am loathe to have to run from one on the snow covered icy ground. Of course, that would be funny to watch...... A hot shower would be wonderful, if we only had water in the bathroom. If only my chocolate loving husband had left the faucet alone. If only I could find my boots. If only Al Gore knew what he was talking about.......

Too Cold To Go Out

It is too cold to go outside. I think we might have a case of cabin fever. I have been taking things apart and coming up with fun new chores for love of my life. Last weekend I decided that he should finally hook up the killer speakers to the stereo. We have only had them for about eight years. I thought it was time. He said I would have to take everything off the entertainment center. Okay. I got out the ladder and I carefully removed all my elephants and other gee-gaws, all the while dusting and cleaning.


I did my part and waited...... and waited. Then I started nagging very subtly, and when that didn't work I started nagging in earnest and not subtle at all. We had company, for heaven's sake and there were so many gee-gaws and family photos on the table we couldn't even have a meal. Finally he began. I helped him push the wires and such through and he got it hooked up.


He turned it on, put a CD on ....... country, at that. Did he let me put all the stuff away and clear the table? No. I didn't even get the ladder put away. All of a sudden the band was playing! Love of my life was a playin' the old wash board and Deb was a strummin' her guitar. The rest of us played audience and sang along.... well, I groaned a lot. Yeah, we got cabin fever. Fire up that wood stove, turn the radio on and break out the instruments. I suppose I could learn to play spoons....

Monkeying Around

My sweet granddaughter loves sock monkeys........ and I love her. While we were shopping she found these socks. So, I made some monkeys.

Knee socks work best for long legs and arms. I like the hot pink and red. I added some sculpted toes and "fingers".

The two red ones will be finding their way to Minnesota and I have 10 more in the making. It has been fun watching their personalities emerge as I sew on the faces. More fun will be seeing my granddaughters faces when they get their monkeys.

I Watch TV........

It is in the single digits out there and doesn't fell much better in here. I have both wood stoves puffing away and I can't seem to get warm. Layers of clothes, long johns,two pairs of socks.


Speaking of socks I have spent the day creating sock monkeys. I took pictures, but can't locate the connector for the camera. I have three completed and six more in various stages of completion. I have it down to a science now.......... and I am out of socks to sew.


While sewing I have been watching Lifetime. It must be infidelity weekend. All these women spying and catching their husbands in flagrant affairs. What really makes me wonder, though, is the fact that all day long as I have had the TV on in the background as I have been sewing doing my various chores (going out into the frozen tundra and bringing in wood to stoke up my fire) is that not one of these women are watching TV! If these shows are supposed to depict a normal life, why is there never a TV on? Even on the daytime soaps, why isn't anyone watching TV? Am I the only one who watches TV while I do my chores? Just wondering.


Sleep sounds good now, so I am going to turn off the TV and go take a shower in the hottest water I can tolerate, while my comforter is in the dryer. Then I will toss more logs on the fire, crawl into bed with my comforter and dogs. There we will wait for love of my life to come home from work....... then we will turn the TV on!