And everything falls apart.....

Or so it seems, with the house....

This past two weeks have been hellish.  Started with a call from a carpenter I used in the past, he put in the fireplace, asking if I needed any work done.

Interesting timing, as he is a good worker and I was thinking about hiring someone.  Most of you know that Chris' son painted our house back in 2015, however he didn't do the best of job and it's been peeling in spots ever since. I have been scraping and repainting several spots already and now the peeling is getting too high for me to reach and I had been thinking about hiring someone to repaint spots that are peeling.  Also want to paint a back bedroom, which needs it badly. Was thinking about doing it myself, but with so much plaster repair etc. and suddenly I'm older and get dizzy when I am on a ladder for too long of time, thought just pay someone to do it....

So I tell him to come by and take a look at the projects.  I'm thinking he's just going to spot scrape/sand/re-paint etc. the bad parts outside. So he gets his crew over and I tell you, seems they are doing the whole damn house and every day they arrive at 8:00 a.m. and everyday I am bombarded with the noise of sanders and pressure washers and pounding and, thus, the dog barking every few minutes thinking someone's at the door or just that someone is outside messing with our house. It's so noisy I can't think straight --- forget about writing.... and I have to get up early every day, so I'm showered dressed by the time they get here...

Then, I wake up one morning and the thermostat on my AC is blank (it's digital). And we are in the biggest heat advisory yet this year and the house getting warmer and warmer, I call the AC company I use and someone comes over, discovers a cracked drain pan which is why the system automatically shut off. That service call cost $214.00 and they arrange another tech to come in a few days to replace the pan (another $975) and that tech is here in the attic from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. so now I have pounding in the attic and outside....

On top of this, the outside workers have my windows sealed with plastic, so can't even open a window for fresh air...

Then I go outside to talk with one of the workers and we are standing by the fence near the pool and I think, why is the pool so quiet? Go back and check and find the pool electrical system not working. Try to check the breaker, can't get the breaker box open, have to have one of the guys open it for me, find the breaker switch tripped but it will not go back in place. So have to call an electrician to have a new breaker installed.

Get that done and the next morning wake up and the pool is shut off again. It's on a timer, so I open the timer box and switch it manually on, that works, but something's off with the damn timer...  aargh. But I manage to jerry-rig that one myself....

The next night, I wake up at 2:00 a.m. and in my half sleep/awake state I think, gee it's raining. Then I totally wake up to find it's raining on me! from the ceiling! The bed is soaked, I am soaked. I call the AC company which says it has 24/7 technicians on call for emergencies, get an answering service who says a tech will call me. And I wait and wait. I do have enough sense to turn the AC off, so finally the water stops pouring down. No one calls, so in an hour I call back and get a different person at the answering service, explain my issue and the guy says "Is this an emergency?"  WHAT? Why the hell would I be calling at 2:00 a.m. if it's not an emergency. jeepers. I don't want my ceiling caving in, for crying out loud. So he promises to call a tech, who does finally get back to me, by then it's 4:00 a.m. and he says he'll send someone out first thing in the morning (huh?) and I ask what time that would be and he says 8 a.m........

Well, I'm already up, dressed and stressed and can't go back to bed as the bed is soaked.... Do you what awful junk is on TV at 4:00 a.m.?

I get that fixed... only to find when I open the front door: termite wings. Also in the closet, termite wings... So now I have to have the termite company come, scheduled for July...

Then, yesterday, I go take my morning shower and there is no hot water. Damn! After a cold very quick shower, I dress to check if my gas on, it is. Check breaker box, everything looks okay there. I do get it open but can't get the damn breaker box closed. Go out to the water heater (it's tankless) on the side of the house, slip in a pile of dog poop! (thanks Kona) and find the guys have it taped and covered the water heater with plastic, take the plastic off -- hear the heater, it's working but the gas wasn't getting any oxygen.. ... jeezus, good thing my house didn't blow up or something!

Meanwhile, I feel trapped in this house. The guys working outside during the day, like ants crawling all over the house: pounding/scraping/sanding -- my shades pulled down for privacy, and they have all my porch furniture stacked up and tools, ladders and equipment blocking my pool, so can't get in a good swim or relax on the porch -- even now when they are gone for the weekend, but at least it is quiet today.....

I tell you, it's going to be an expensive month..... and I am stressed.  Have a great 4th of July!