Sunday, October 18, 2015

The Land of Constant Crisis

Well folks, I'm not quite sure what I've done to offend the gods, but evidently they are not pleased.


It started when the television blew up, but since then it just seems like there's been a never ending series of minor disasters around here.

So, the day after the TV went, I turned on my computer and it wouldn't boot Windows properly.


Thankfully, this turned out to be a minor problem caused by the fact that the computer was plugged into the TV, and since it could apparently no longer recognize the dead television, its little brain got confused and went on strike. Thankfully I had the tablet to get on the interwebs with and diagnose the problem.

Then a few days later I was doing the dishes and noticed a loud glugging sound coming from the basement. I figured the sewer was clogged again, as it does quite often, and I just needed to snake it out.


Well... I'll spare you the details, but I ended up having to order a special new snake online, which took several weeks to arrive, and in the meantime, I couldn't do laundry, and every time I did the dishes, horrible stuff would back up onto the floor and take an hour or so to drain out. OY!

The good news is that I got the new tool and the sewer pipe is now cleared... and I spent the day yesterday catching up on laundry.

So then... I went outside to do something and noticed that something seemed not quite right with the stairs to my deck.



On closer inspection it turns out that a chunk of the step along with the post and railing have pretty much completely rotted away. They really need to be replaced entirely, but that's not gonna happen this fall, so I shored up the step with some bricks and I'm working on patching the wood with an epoxy filler.

Then, I went out to the garage to do something, and the deadbolt lock fell completely apart. So that meant an emergency trip to the hardware store because I didn't want to leave the garage unlocked over night.


It ended up taking several hours to repair it because the hole wasn't quite deep enough for the lock to turn without friction... which may be why the old one died. But I drilled out the hole and now the new one works great.

So then CatMan and I went for a bike ride a few days ago, and on the way back I started noticing a bit more bounce in my tire than should be there... sure enough, it was flat. So we went to change out the tube... only the replacement tube had a hole it it too... and the tube of glue in my patch kit was dead. Arrrrggghhh!!!

Luckily I had a self stick patch, which won't hold over the long run, but was enough to get me home. So I ordered new tubes (and a new patch kit) and fixed the tire...

Then this evening I was outside feeding the Gray Boy when I noticed that the fluorescent lights out in the garage were flickering. Then they went out completely and there was a horrible smell of smoke.

I was seriously worried about the garage burning down...


So I called CatMan and he had me shut off all of the electricity to the garage. I sat outside for about half an hour while it aired out (didn't want to leave the door open with it unattended because I didn't want to risk a skunk or a raccoon getting in there.)

Anyhow, the smell of smoke cleared, but CatMan said I should leave the power off and check it a few more times before I go to bed just to be sure nothing's smoldering out there.

OK... so that brings us up to the present moment. Good GAWD!

Now, I know shit happens and stuff breaks, but Holy Moly! Does it all have to happen at once? Seriously, it just seems like stuff is breaking faster than I can fix it!

So I guess my next project is figuring out how to either repair or replace the lights in the garage...

Honestly, I just want to throw up my hands at this point and shout UNCLE!



I suppose the reality is just that I've been living in crisis mode for a LOOOONG time now. First Sputty got sick & died, then my mother died suddenly and there was all of that to deal with, then Princess...

Honestly, there just hasn't really been any time to deal with anything other than the emergency du jour for about three years now, so I suppose it's sort of inevitable that things are gonna pile up and eventually you're gonna have to pay the piper.


I'm really, REALLY hoping that things will slow down here soon so that I can catch my breath and maybe get out ahead of a few problems before they become crises...

I mean, it's gotta get better, right? PLEEEASE tell me it's gonna get better....

Soooo, tell me. How do you handle it when life just keeps throwing you curve balls?




28 comments :

  1. Aargh! I hate it when life does that. It doesn't last for ever, does it, it just feels like that when you're in the middle of it. Big hugs, and I hope things settle down soon, so have some time to rest and pamper yourself for a bit.

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    1. Thanks so much Rachel, I definitely think that some rest would change my outlook on things!

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  2. When my mom had knee surgery and then a few months later had breast cancer and my dad was in his mid-dementia stage and our basement flooded which involves lots of moving things and wearing boots to do the laundry, my friend called to check on me. "I'm baking", I told her. She thought I was nuts. Yup, I am ... but I needed to do something I enjoyed. I also pray, and I try to connect with people I'm close to, even if it's a quick email.

    I'd feel like I was being overwhelmed, too, in your shoes. Like Rachel, I'm sending you virtual hugs.

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    1. Ha! I think bike rides are one of the few things that's keeping me sane these days! I would bake... but that would lead to a lot of eating... which would lead to guilt... and, well, I don't really think it would help!

      I think I just need to accept that this is an old house with lots of "issues" and unless I'm willing to cough up the money to have a bunch of things upgraded, well, there are gonna be problems. The timing just sucks though!

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    2. Bike rides help me mentally as well as physically, even though I don't ride anywhere near your level of exertion. I re-discovered knitting a couple of years ago--yes, I'm channeling my inner grandma--but it really is therapeutic for me. Being outside in any manner--hiking, shoveling snow, snowshoeing, whatever--goes a long way in perking up my mood. At the risk of sounding like a bad daughter, I have discovered this past year that I have to have "breaks" from my mom--my dad died last summer after a very long year of medical issues on top of his dementia--and she tends to "lean" on me emotionally. I find I need to space out my phone calls to her--I can't do the every-day phone call thing. It's too much for me. That's the good part of having siblings--they can take up some of the slack.

      I think you and I are close in age--I don't know about you, but I'm coming to terms with the idea that this is the stage of life where we have to deal with things I'd rather not think about--failing health of family and friends, as well as the need to occasionally shell out money/elbow grease on my house. I don't like it much ....

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    3. I know what you mean about limiting time with family. I dearly love my dad and step-mom, but honestly, they can make me really crazy sometimes. Still, I'm keenly aware of the fact that my time with them is limited, so it always feels like a balancing act.

      Anyhow, I am soooo grateful for the unseasonably warm weather we've been enjoying. It's allowed me lots of bonus time outside and sunshine and fresh air help more than I can describe.

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  3. Yikes just doesn't cover it. Nor does double yikes!

    I have no advice. Three years is a dang long time to be dealing with crises. My mom likes to say that these things come in threes. But you're well beyond that. Just keep up as well as you're able while also giving yourself breaks and rewards as well as you're able.

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    1. Thanks so much Debbie. I think I'm starting to realize that I'm at the stage in life where illness and loss are just gonna be part of the equation. Likewise, my house is at the point in its life where stuff is gonna break and need to be fixed or upgraded. And... the more cats you have, the more you're gonna have to lose. It doesn't make it any easier, but maybe if I can readjust my expectations of "normal" it would help some.

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    2. Yes, lowered expectations could help. Here in America we tend to assume everything will always go perfectly--because usually it does! I have tried the lowered expectations strategy when visiting home and it works great. I love my family, but it's hard to get them away from the TV. Now I still have schemes, but I expect them to fail. Occasionally they don't (just like when I had high hopes), but now I'm fine either way.

      Still, it doesn't help you have more time or energy. Hang in there and good luck!

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    3. Oh... I'm totally in tuned with the whole lowered expectations for family interactions - I think I'm finally getting to the place where I can be amused rather than annoyed... well, at least until the shouting starts, at that point I wanna run for cover.

      Thanks so much for your well wishes. I diagrammed out all of the crazy lights and switches in the garage last night, and CatMan's helping me craft a plan for dealing with it. In the meantime, we've figured out the breakers enough so the power to all the light fixtures can be turned off but the garage door will still function. And I even rigged a trouble light hanging from a cord so I won't have to run into things if I have to be out there at night. So it's off the emergency list for the moment, and now I can just add it to the endless list of things that need to be tackled at some point!

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    4. On the second paragraph: Yea!

      On the first paragraph: Ear plugs probably wouldn't help. Especially if they watched you putting them in! But it's fun to imagine.

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    5. Ha! Or maybe that's a situation where being subtle is not actually helpful. Like perhaps I should just put my hands over my ears and start shouting "la! la! la! la!" at the top of my lungs. It would at least call them out on their obnoxious behavior!

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  4. I can understand about long term stress. Over the last couple of years I have had deteriorating and sick parents with the death of my father, the death of my sister- in- law after a long battle with cancer, close family with debilitating anxiety and depression, friends in crises, sick pets, flooded basement, leaking roof. I have to stop. I'm stressing myself.

    When things pile up, I get cranky and depressed. Like Kris, I try to do something that I enjoy like taking a walk or doing a crossword puzzle. I talk to a sister or a friend and then limit the amount of time I can talk about a certain situation. I network with others in similar situations and I look for the positive. That's part of the reason for my Sunday posts. Actually, I do whatever I can do to get by and know that the sun will come out tomorrow or maybe the next day.

    I too am sending hugs and I have total confidence that you and Catman will figure things out.

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    1. I know you totally get it about the land of stress... and I'm so sorry for everything you've been through and are going through. I'm trying not to think too much about what's around the corner with my dad and step-mom... both of whom are in their 80's with mounting medical issues.

      Anyhow, I think that focusing on gratitude is an excellent idea, and something I should do more of. Gonna have to work on that...

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  5. If you run into smoke problems again, you might want to consider calling the fire dept. I had to once when a part in my furnace burned up. They came and stayed until they were satisfied that it wasn't gonna flame up. It was -20, so they couldn't put on their fans (since I had no heat), but apparently they have big super fans that will air out the smoke. They were also kind enough to get on the phone with the furnace guy who told me he could not come out that night and they reamed him a new one and said he better get there as I had a baby in the house. I did feel sorry for the furnace guy as he had been working 36 hours straight, but I had heat that night.

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    1. Yikes! Burning up a furnace doesn't sound good!

      Fortunately, the smell dissipated after about 20 minutes and din't return - if that hadn't happened the fire department was my next move!

      Glad you got your furnace fixed. Twenty below without heat sounds scary!

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  6. WOW! That is a lot of stuff all at once. Usually bad things go in 3's , but that is a lot more than 3. I hope that is all.

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    1. Yeah, well... who's counting? :-) I suppose I should be grateful though. At least everything waited until after Princess was gone to fall apart. It would have been really horrible if I'd had all these emergency repairs taking my attention away from her in her final weeks.

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  7. Oh I think I live in the same land as you. i.e. we must be neighbors. i would like to move as soon as possible though.

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    1. Ha! I suppose there is the argument that none of these things is really worth getting worked up about, and that the "crisis" is really more a problem of my perception than reality. Hence... moving would not help because you can't outrun your own emotional state. Not entirely sure I buy it, but I'm working on an attitude adjustment just the same!

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  8. Oh my, Cat, you need a vacation from it all. I have had my share of stuff needing repaired over the summer but nothing like that. But you should know you aren't alone, I can't count the number of bloggers who are writing about a string of bad luck. Doesn't help much does it?


    I have no advise on plumbing, (one of two things I only do minor repairs to) but the lights I may be able to help. A while back my son had a CFL bulb break and smolder which filled the house with that burning smell. After doing some research it turned out that when they are at the end of their life rather than a little pop they can break and burn. I just did a quick search and came up with this http://tonylimaassociates.com/2012/03/cfl-bulbs-danger-something-else-to-worry-about/ So it might just be it was it's time to die.

    How do I handle it when life keeps throwing me curve balls? I try to ignore it. Seriously I do. I deal with the problem but put it out of my mind as much as possible by immersing myself in some other project such as refinishing a piece of furniture, anything I can enjoy to take my mind off of the problems.

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    1. Ummm.... compared to everything you've been dealing with lately, I have no right to complain! I do feel like I'm suffering from a bit of "decision fatigue" though - as each new problem brings with it a whole pile of choices on how to proceed, and I always worry about making the right ones.

      Thanks for the link on the CFS's. This was actually an old fluorescent fixture with the 4 foot long tubes. The garage is literally filled with them as I think several of the previous owners of this house had workshops out there. Alas, this was the last one that still functioned so things are decidedly dark out there at the moment! :-)

      Anyhow, CatMan is helping me to craft a plan for dealing with it. Right now we're just trying to map out how everything is wired, and then we'll decide if it makes more sense to try to fix the existing fixtures or replace them with something that would be easier to maintain. I do think my days of buying CFLs are over though... LEDs seem like infinitely superior technology.

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    2. Nope, we each deal with what we are given so complain away. 😊

      I wasn't a huge fan of CFLs to begin with, I didn't like the light that came from them so I converted everything ij my home to LEDs a couple of years ago. Now that I've seen what happens when one burns out I won't have them in my house.

      I'm glad you will be reworking the electrical out there but with the colder weather on its way this isn't the best time to want to have to work out there

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    3. Well... I hung a trouble light out there so it's functional for the moment. And since there are ailing fluorescent light fixtures in the basement too, I'm gonna "practice" on those first. At least I'm not gonna get bored any time soon! :-)

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  9. Oh man, I feel your pain -- but that is a LOT of pain in one short period of time. The thing is, you're doing a really, really good job of fixing things and you should be proud of your independence. Many people wouldn't know the first thing about how to fix the garage latch, for instance. So good for you!

    Also, I've learned that even people in brand-new homes can have lots of stuff break and today's construction techniques can be less than wonderful. At least in our older homes, some good materials were used and some parts were built to last. Hang in there, and I am sending you happy home vibes for a breather from calamities! xoxo

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    1. Thanks Eliza, I think I need all of the "happy home vibes" I can get! I'm just thankful that I was able to clear the clog in the main sewer line because my brain was picturing one of those (ahem) $7500 bills! :-)

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  10. I'm starting to think that owning a home means living with a constant crisis. That seems to be the case at our house anyway. We seem to end up dealing with whatever is most urgent and working down the (never-ending) list that way.

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