There she blows
Have you ever been so angry you scare yourself? I would have to say that has been my entire day. If ever I needed to adopt the world of Zen, it's this day.
I had to run into the city to get a couple of more things from Lowes that we needed to put the basement back together after our little flood three weeks ago. As soon as I walked in the door, Sam informed me that someone from the City came by to say we were using too much water.
"Huh?"...so now they are rationing water?
Sam went on to explain that we have a water main break. Somewhere, between the street and my house, there is a massive leak in the pipe. I felt like I was going to pass out as the room started spinning and I could just imagine my cobbled little life falling apart for good and filing bankruptcy.
I do not understand how this is my life. It's a joke. It's seriously a ridiculous life I own. The City had left Sam with a bunch of excavators to call to start digging up the front yard to find the leak. Not one person on the list of 12 excavators and plumbers in this town would come out and help me. NOT ONE!! Everyone said they were at least 2 months or more out. I finally found some no name person out of Idaho Falls who said they would come up and take a look. He noticed right off the bat that when this house was built, the builder used copper pipe and just soldered the joints together. No threading, no real decent joint, just a solder joint and that is what is buried underground and how it is attached to the main meter. The problem is, using copper pipe under ground with a solder joint is against the law! AGAINST THE FREAKING LAW!!!
How did this happen beside the stupidity of the builder? The City!! This house never should have passed inspection. Never. For the past 15 years I have been rebuilding this house. My basement has flooded more times than I can count for various reasons. I have had to replace two basement windows that were never installed correctly. 4 windows on the main floor have been replaced. The entire front wall of my home had to be torn off and rebuilt three years ago. I have had 3 roofs done on this place. We have been evicted 3 times due to Carbon Monoxide poisoning. The Attic had 2" of insulation in it so I paid to have that brought up to code...the list goes on and on.
I am so completely irritated and done. The plumber said he could get an excavator up here but I don't happen to have $5000 laying around so I told him I would hand dig it...which we started. The boys and I have been working so hard and I am so tired, not to mention they are wiped out. Spencer still doesn't have a functioning hand after breaking it last year and he's been having a really hard time this week with his heart. These boys just don't complain, they jump in and do whatever they see I need.
There's no way we can do this. We dug for hours and we are down about 5' and out from the house roughly 8' but it's too hard. I've got at least two more feet of depth and 30' to go.
I shouldn't be complaining but I'm so darn tired of the way things are going on top of all the virus crap! I don't understand it.
Anyways, one of the kids reminded me that our old neighbor had a backhoe. I called him and explained my situation and he said for a batch of chocolate chip cookies, he would come and help me tomorrow. The plumber is pretty sure he will need to replace the entire length since the plumbing in the house at the shut off valve is against code as well as at the City junction box. He thinks if we can expose the pipe and a big enough trench for him to comfortably move in, he can replace the length without tearing out all the grass and the beautiful big tree.
I'm trying so hard to be patient and hope that somehow we can get this fixed without spending my last dime. We have no water. The City made us shut it off out at the street. At first, I wasn't too worried about not having water til someone asked how to flush the toilet...There are 6 of us here. Tonight, Sam helped me turn on the water so I could fill the bathtubs with water and we will use that put water in the toilet tank every time it needs to be flushed. I went to Walmart and bought a ton of paper and plastic stuff so I don't have to worry about dishes. I have plenty of stored water for drinking and over 150 gallons I can use for whatever but what a hassle to access all of that!
Oh well. Honestly, I am just so tired. When I look back on my life, I have spent it just trying to survive. Literally...I work my tail off to pay bills and live for another month so I can pay more bills and fix things, and keep people alive. I have never, ever just known what security feels like.
But...there is a silver lining...I do count it a major blessing that my neighbor is going to help me...I do!!! Tonight, someone rang the door bell and when Sam went to answer it, there on the step was a Christmas stocking! Someone had left a stocking and inside was some money and a very sweet note. I don't know who it was. I didn't advertise this on social media so hopefully...if that sweet anonymous person is reading this...Thank you from the bottom of my heart! It was a good way to end a very stressful day. It was a reminder that this will be okay. I know it will. I know that in my heart.
I had to run into the city to get a couple of more things from Lowes that we needed to put the basement back together after our little flood three weeks ago. As soon as I walked in the door, Sam informed me that someone from the City came by to say we were using too much water.
"Huh?"...so now they are rationing water?
Sam went on to explain that we have a water main break. Somewhere, between the street and my house, there is a massive leak in the pipe. I felt like I was going to pass out as the room started spinning and I could just imagine my cobbled little life falling apart for good and filing bankruptcy.
I do not understand how this is my life. It's a joke. It's seriously a ridiculous life I own. The City had left Sam with a bunch of excavators to call to start digging up the front yard to find the leak. Not one person on the list of 12 excavators and plumbers in this town would come out and help me. NOT ONE!! Everyone said they were at least 2 months or more out. I finally found some no name person out of Idaho Falls who said they would come up and take a look. He noticed right off the bat that when this house was built, the builder used copper pipe and just soldered the joints together. No threading, no real decent joint, just a solder joint and that is what is buried underground and how it is attached to the main meter. The problem is, using copper pipe under ground with a solder joint is against the law! AGAINST THE FREAKING LAW!!!
How did this happen beside the stupidity of the builder? The City!! This house never should have passed inspection. Never. For the past 15 years I have been rebuilding this house. My basement has flooded more times than I can count for various reasons. I have had to replace two basement windows that were never installed correctly. 4 windows on the main floor have been replaced. The entire front wall of my home had to be torn off and rebuilt three years ago. I have had 3 roofs done on this place. We have been evicted 3 times due to Carbon Monoxide poisoning. The Attic had 2" of insulation in it so I paid to have that brought up to code...the list goes on and on.
I am so completely irritated and done. The plumber said he could get an excavator up here but I don't happen to have $5000 laying around so I told him I would hand dig it...which we started. The boys and I have been working so hard and I am so tired, not to mention they are wiped out. Spencer still doesn't have a functioning hand after breaking it last year and he's been having a really hard time this week with his heart. These boys just don't complain, they jump in and do whatever they see I need.
There's no way we can do this. We dug for hours and we are down about 5' and out from the house roughly 8' but it's too hard. I've got at least two more feet of depth and 30' to go.
I shouldn't be complaining but I'm so darn tired of the way things are going on top of all the virus crap! I don't understand it.
Anyways, one of the kids reminded me that our old neighbor had a backhoe. I called him and explained my situation and he said for a batch of chocolate chip cookies, he would come and help me tomorrow. The plumber is pretty sure he will need to replace the entire length since the plumbing in the house at the shut off valve is against code as well as at the City junction box. He thinks if we can expose the pipe and a big enough trench for him to comfortably move in, he can replace the length without tearing out all the grass and the beautiful big tree.
I'm trying so hard to be patient and hope that somehow we can get this fixed without spending my last dime. We have no water. The City made us shut it off out at the street. At first, I wasn't too worried about not having water til someone asked how to flush the toilet...There are 6 of us here. Tonight, Sam helped me turn on the water so I could fill the bathtubs with water and we will use that put water in the toilet tank every time it needs to be flushed. I went to Walmart and bought a ton of paper and plastic stuff so I don't have to worry about dishes. I have plenty of stored water for drinking and over 150 gallons I can use for whatever but what a hassle to access all of that!
Oh well. Honestly, I am just so tired. When I look back on my life, I have spent it just trying to survive. Literally...I work my tail off to pay bills and live for another month so I can pay more bills and fix things, and keep people alive. I have never, ever just known what security feels like.
But...there is a silver lining...I do count it a major blessing that my neighbor is going to help me...I do!!! Tonight, someone rang the door bell and when Sam went to answer it, there on the step was a Christmas stocking! Someone had left a stocking and inside was some money and a very sweet note. I don't know who it was. I didn't advertise this on social media so hopefully...if that sweet anonymous person is reading this...Thank you from the bottom of my heart! It was a good way to end a very stressful day. It was a reminder that this will be okay. I know it will. I know that in my heart.
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