Some Days Are Like That

Good grief.


In the last 8 days Tom worked 90+ hours (!), and well, finally he was set to have yesterday off--only one day off before he goes back. 


So I made plans. 


I would get out of the house early to shop at my magical supermarket, then zip over to Home Depot for some more garden bed soil. Then we'd order out for lunch and afterward, go and watch the new Spider-man movie, in 3D even. Since Tom's making all this extra money, why not pay a little extra for 3D, I reasoned. Then we'd come home and relax.


We did none of that. Gah.


Due to all the fireworks over the river and in various backyards on the 4th (popping on and on till midnight!) and the extreme heat of my room upstairs, I barely got any sleep, so when I awoke at 5:45 yesterday morning I thought, "Oh no! I forgot to set the alarm. It's time to get Tom up for work." I told myself not to panic, I could do this.


Heh. I actually got down the stairs and made Tom's morning snack before I remembered hey! Tom has the day off. Whew. Glad I hadn't rushed in there and awakened him on his one day to sleep in.


With Tom's wild, eternal work hours, neither of us lately knows whether we're coming or going.


Well, then I relaxed, made my hot chocolate, sat around upstairs and watched the news and then just as I started watching Joyce Meyer online at 7:15, I heard these huge, "Bang! Bang! Bangs!" in the backyard. So I rushed to my little library window and good grief. Tree Guy was out there with his crew.


Gah again! He was supposed to call us a few days in advance of his coming, but nooooo. There they were and there I was in my robe, with no make-up and Tom was still in bed. So I ran downstairs, woke Tom up and asked if Tree Guy had called him about coming today, but he sleepily murmured, no. So I told him, "Well, they're out there right now." So he got up (so much for sleeping-in) and I got dressed and put on make-up.


Our car was still in the garage, blocked by machinery now so oh well! So much for getting a few groceries and the garden soil. But ok... Lucky for Tree Guy I'd already considered putting off that trip till later, around 11.


Well anyway, Tom thought this would be a good day to clear our bathroom sink drain which has been mostly-clogged for weeks now. I'd tried twice to clear it (took the pipe beneath the sink apart, even), but couldn't do it. 


By this time I was dragging from lack of sleep and the heat and humidity and all else, so I thought I'd try taking a nap, which proved futile, what with all the tree-cutting equipment banging outside and Tom's knocking on the bathroom pipes, below.


So I got up and found Tom in a cranky mood because he didn't have just the right tool to clear the clog behind the wall (the sharp angle of the drain made our 'snake' useless). So he called the plumber who said he'd be there in the afternoon, but couldn't say when (of course). So there went the Spider-man movie. Tom said he was upset because it's hard to admit defeat with that drain but I told him, "Wasn't hard for me. I gave-up twice. It was easy." heh.


Well, Tree Guy took 5 hours, but I'm not complaining because he's such a man of excellence and that's a blessing. I watched him the first time he rose high in the basket, holding a chain saw, and he looked like a brave captain of a ship about to set sail on another adventure. Always, I love watching people who are doing what they're called to do rather than settling for something else. 


And I really love the extra daytime light in my kitchen and my library upstairs, too. 


Anyway, by now I was too tired for any trip to any store and then around 4 o'clock the plumber's secretary called and said he'd be tied-up for hours and could he come tomorrow morning at 9? I told her sure, but thought, "$&#%$&$). Then Tom and I toyed with the idea of rushing out to see Spider-man, but by then, I couldn't have rushed out anywhere for anything. Way, way too tired from all that lack of sleep, I got ready for bed and settled down on the couch where we watched our Netflixed movie, Hugo. Well, I watched until I couldn't keep my eyes opened and then walked upstairs to the oven  my room, faced the fan toward my face as I always do, and promptly fell asleep. At 6:30.


Oh well. It all could have been much worse, of course. In fact, when the plumber arrived this morning (at 8, not 9...sigh...) he said the reason he couldn't come yesterday was that a lady's sewer had backed-up and her basement was flooded and ---. Yick. And his story and the 15-minute fix of our drain made me remember again--most every inconvenience in Life has the potential to be something much, much worse. At least we still have our house, unlike some people in Colorado and who knows where else. And at least we have electricity to run our small window a/c and all else, unlike some others on the East Coast (and who knows where else).


"So stop complaining, Debra. Please do stop complaining!"  :)




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A very special thanks to Mary for recommending Cozy-Mystery.com. I love it! Through that site I discovered a book which sounds delightful:  Death of a Garage Sale Newbie. Can't wait till it arrives.  I also ordered The Cat, The Professor and The Poison, but I think I already told you that. I'm rereading the first in the series, The Cat, The Quilt and The Corpse and am enjoying it once more.


Thanks again, Mary, and to all of you who encourage me to keep writing here. Your kind words make a difference and really help on some hard days.


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This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. ... Psalm 118:24




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