A Flood!

If you read my last post, you're probably wondering what happened.  If you figured out it had something to do with water, you were right.

First our day started out a bit late because Jeffrey stayed home to talk to our contractor before going to work.  We ordered one kind of windows and got another kind delivered, so we had to figure out what we wanted to do and get that fixed.  So, it was really late when I finally got out of the house to walk, and then I had coffee and breakfast and got busy on laundry - and I never got around to getting in the shower.

Then Jeffrey called and said one of the workers was going to pull one of the windows out of the garage and let me see it right next to the trim, so I could decide for sure what to do with the windows.  I was about to jump in the shower, but he was coming right after lunch, and I wasn't sure when exactly that would be - so I waited.  He showed up.  I decided that the windows will work just fine, and he got to work pulling siding off the end of the house.  And I decided he had it handled and got in the shower.

Toward the end of my shower, when I was rinsing off, I noticed a sudden drop in water pressure.  I finished my shower as quickly as possible, and by the time I got dried off, there was no water at all.

Somehow the pipe going to the outside spigot had snapped while he was pulling the siding - even though he followed the proper procedures and it should not have done that.  Water started running into the basement, and he could not get any answer when he came to the door, because I was in the shower.  Thankfully, he came on into the house, called his boss, who called Jeffrey and found out where to shut off the water to the house.  If I had been available would it have made any difference?  Probably not, because while I knew where the water shut off is, I'm not sure I would have remembered at the time.  It's not something you think about or use every day.  Also, the light bulb was burned out in that part of the basement, and would I have remembered to grab the flashlight or would I have had to go back for it?

Regardless, there was water everywhere.  And, unfortunately, it was in the worst possible spot - right over the TV and by the entertainment center with all the electronics - stereo, DVD player, CD player, etc.  So, I grabbed a bunch of towels, and we spent the rest of the afternoon drying things off, and they brought in a couple of Shop Vacs and sucked up as much of the water as possible.  Then we left our fan and dehumidifier running.  Jeffrey disconnected and moved all the electronics when he got home, and he's got them all sitting and drying out.  Unfortunately, even if they dry out and still work, there's no way of knowing how long they'll keep working if water got into them.  The CD player and the tape deck both had water running out of them when he picked them up to move them.  Some of the other components were a bit further away from the water and may not have gotten much more than splattered in the front, but it's hard to know.

I know this is not the way any of us wanted to spend the afternoon!

Related articles

• Two Things (alwaysbcmom.com)

I Hope They Like it Spicy

I'm making some Taco Dip for tomorrow.  I really hope everybody likes it a little spicy.  I browned my hamburger and added the taco seasoning.  And then I added some more taco seasoning.  I guess I was thinking about other things, like how to include a random keyword I know nothing about in a blog post, or wondering why people are so resistant to eating healthy - I'm watching Oprah; she asked.

By the time I realized I had twice as much seasoning as I needed, it was too late to fix things - so we're just going to have extra-spicy taco dip.  Without olives, because I don't have any of those.  Good thing my recipes are flexible, huh?

That Was Not a 12

It was supposed to be really cold this morning. They were calling for -20° windchills.

We've got a thermometer out on the deck with a remote unit in our bathroom so I can check the temperature in the mornings before I get ready to go out and walk. This morning I glanced at it and thought it was a lot warmer than they thought it was going to be. I thought it said 12° - cold, but not quite so cold as I'd expected.

So I got dressed and went out to clean off the driveway one more time. The driveway wasn't so bad, but that wind was COLD! It was about then that I realized I had forgotten to put anything under my wind pants. When the temperature is in the 20's or 30's I don't need or want anything under them, but when it really gets cold I need the extra layer - a thin pair of stretch pants or a thicker pair of sweats depending on how cold. So, since I wasn't walking and I was just out on the driveway, I came in, took my boots off, and added a layer. I was much warmer after that. (Note that this is where I could use those Long Janes I mentioned in my last post.)

Anyway, the driveway wasn't too bad, and I got it cleaned off in time to take Cory to Jazz Band. It wasn't until I got back home and went back into the bathroom later in the morning that I realized I had read the thermometer entirely wrong. That number was not a 12 - it was a - 1.2. Actually, I don't remember the exact numbers. I just know that I read it wrong. The light was low, I glanced at it quickly, and I forgot that the digital thermometer always records the temperature down to the tenth of a degree - so if it had been 12°, it would have read 12.0, or probably 12.1 or 12.3. I never even realized there was a missing digit - and a whole lot of missing degrees.

It really was that cold this morning, with that negative windchill. It never even got up to the temperature I thought I read this morning.

Not an Energy Drink at All

My last post was a sponsored post. At least I thought it was a sponsored post. Then tonight I got an email telling me that they were unable to approve my post because the advertiser is not affiliated with energy drinks. That had me really confused, because the link I copied from the Opp page took me to a page that was all about energy drinks. I couldn't imagine what else it could be about.

So, I clicked the link in my post - and it took me to an entirely different site. (picture raised eyebrows here) - So I went to the edit post page, with all the information, and copied the link info again, pasted it into my browser, and it took me to the new site - that site I hadn't seen before. The link I had earlier, (not the required link, the one in the info) took me to a site about energy drinks. If I had typed the url in, I would think that maybe I had made a mistake, but I always just copy and paste, because it's so much easier. Still, I feel like I did it wrong, and I hate that.

I'm leaving the post up - because I actually like the idea of those energy drink vodka shots - because I'm crazy like that. You'll just have to read the next post to see what I was actually supposed to write about.

These Jigglers Don't Jiggle

Cory made Jell-O Jigglers last night so he can take them to school tomorrow. They're eating in French class, and obviously Jell-O is French, right? They're having tacos, too.

Today after school Cory went to take the Jigglers out of the molds and put them into a container, ready to take to school. Right away, he had problems. The Jell-O was too soft. He said he followed the recipe for Jigglers - mix the Jell-O into 2-1/2 cups hot water. I looked at the box and asked him how many boxes of Jell-O he used. One box. He used one box of Jell-O and 2-1/2 cups of water. The recipe says to use four boxes of Jell-O with 2-1/2 cups of water. That would be why his Jigglers were so soft and practically melting when he messed with them.

So, he dumped the not-quite-Jigglers all out into a container so he can eat them later with a spoon. Or a straw. And he made some new ones. Now, as I'm sitting here, I'm not sure how he mixed the new ones. I pulled the boxes of Jell-O out of the cabinet for him, but I just now realized that I didn't pull the four boxes he needed out - just one of one flavor and one of another. I hope he adjusted the water measurements, or he'll be drinking a lot of Jell-O, and I have no idea what the French class is going to eat.