The "Joys"

I usually wait for a light bulb moment to write a blog - a moment where something connects, makes me think, makes me smile, or just flat out makes me write. But this week, I’ve had none – none that shaped into a creative piece of writing anyway. So I’ll just post a personal update. The events of the week have been quite crazy after all.

It started with water seeping up through the cracks in my kitchen floor and pooling in my carpet in several places. After several days and closer inspection, I paid the unexpected $400 to install a new water heater. And I thought it was over.

But the night after the new appliance was installed and working properly, something else went wrong. Something worse. Something that involved an invasion of sewer water. I discovered that water was leaking from the washing machine Sunday night, and abruptly stopped it from running. But with it silenced, another sound was heard. The sound of gushing water in the bathroom. Both David and I raced in there and found a tub full of sewer water, running over the edge, filling the toilet, covering the floor (about 3 inches deep) and pouring out into the rest of the house, down the hall and into the bedrooms. We’ve spent the rest of the week ridding the house of water, shampooing the carpets, pulling up baseboards, and trying to get the stink out. We’ve gotten repair estimates of thousands of dollars and devised a plan for replacing the damaged carpet.

While we’re at it, I think I’ll paint. But, as I’m sure you can imagine, the repair bills are already overwhelming. And my wallet is empty.

“Ahh.. the joys of home ownership!”