It's Raining, It's Pouring

There's that old phrase "When it rains, it pours" and yesterday I think it poured.  And I wish I meant literally, because our squash, tomatoes and squacumbers are shriveling in this heat!

This is our "Squacumber" - our squash and cucumber were planted close together.  And this is what came off our cucumber vine.  

Wednesday, I was trying to get some clothes washed (and by some, I mean pretty much every piece of clothing Thomas and I own) before the weekend.  Shortly after putting the last large-and-in-charge load in the washer, I left for my 23rd trip to paint store because, since I have had some time off work, naturally I've given myself way too much to do by giving our little in-home office a facelift - and couldn't seem to settle on a paint.  Finally, as I'm picking out THE perfect shade of blue to transform the grungy room into a Citadel, not too manly yet not too feminine workspace, Thomas calls.  I ignore because I'm really needing to concentrate to pick between Colonial Blue and Sky Ice, when lo and behold if he doesn't call again.  Knowing he won't stop until I answer, I pick up.  And so it begins.

Thomas: Hey will you get a mop while you're out.
Me: A mop? (I don't mop much obviously)
Thomas: Yes, the old fashioned kind that can soak up lots of water.
Me: Why?
Thomas: Because the washing machine has water all over the mudroom floor and I have towels down but I think we could get it up better if we had a mop.
Me:  Oh geez, seriously?

I didn't end up getting a mop because I was way across town from anywhere I could buy a mop.  But, that set the tone for the day.  We got the water under control and that put an immediate end to my last load of laundry.  Our local handyman, Johnny, came to assess, "I think it's some kind of clogged pipe, but I don't have time to work on it now.  I'll be back in the morning."

So, as I'm making some yummy snacks to host our Bible Study on Wednesday  night, the sink start getting clogged.  No biggie ... I had been putting some food down the disposal.  I flip on the disposal, hear a nasty gurgling sound and the sink starts draining.  And then, I start thinking.  As background, our mudroom/laundry room is attached to our kitchen by a swinging door that is on the wall shared by the mudroom and the kitchen sink. And over my sink there is a window looking into the mudroom so I have a lovely view of all our dirty laundry while I slave over dishes.  I stand on tiptoes to look into the mudroom.  Then I run through the swinging door to see water, pink water with bits of green stuff (I had been cutting up watermelon and asparagus), running all over the mudroom floor.

"Um, Thomas, should I not be using the kitchen sink either?"

The answer was apparently NO!

Thursday morning, Johnny returned to assess the situation.  As I was working on edging the office, I hear him from under the house say "OH Y&*%*"  and I knew that wasn't the response we were looking for.  Johnny threw in the towel, and recommended a plumber.

As I'm working with some oil-based paint (hate) on a table and chair, the plumber arrives.  He and Thomas, who loves to follow workmen around and learn how to do stuff so we don't have to pay to have it done the next time, crawl under the house and start working.  After I let my table/chairs dry and have turpentined myself clean, I walk through the back door to a scent so revolting, I have to back up.  My laundry.  In the hurry of cleaning up water, I left it in the washing machine, so it has quickly and pungently gone sour.  Slowly, I ease open the door to the washer and the smell attacks me.  I grab two handfuls of sopping clothes and start carrying them to the bathtub.  When I get them (and a lot of stanky water), all in the bathtub, I dump in a box of baking soda and fill the tub to let them soak.  Fast forward an hour or so, and I am sitting on the edge of the bathtub, hand-wringing out each piece of clothing, so I can get them to the dryer without making a river throughout the house.  Let me pause here to say that I have NEVER in my life appreciate a modern washer so much.  I had ample time as I was wringing out clothes to reflect on how people in the past washed clothes - no wonder they didn't have many clothes!

Moving on, I have just finished putting my freshly hand-wrung clothes into the dryer and am back in the office replacing furniture, when I hear Thomas saying, "This thing isn't on wheels? Ok I can move this."  The plumber had just left, so I'm sure he must be talking to himself.  I walk across the house and see our shiny new fridge sitting in the middle of kitchen (which means pretty much our entire tiny kitchen is now full).

Me: So the pipes aren't fixed?
Thomas (from behind the refrigerator): They are.
Me: Ok .... then why is our refrigerator sitting in the middle of the kitchen?
Thomas: When we were under the house, we found some wet sub-flooring which means there is a leak ... from our refrigerator.  I'm trying to figure out what is leaking.
Me: Can I help? (stupid question)
Thomas: No.

I would just like to state right now for the record that BOTH the washing machine and the refrigerator have been purchased brand new within the last year - you know, maybe even the last 6 months, so this is ridiculous.

Our amazingly spacious new fridge ... that leaks :(

I leave Thomas behind the refrigerator to run a last minute errand before stores close, get distracted by a "Buy 1 Summer Dress, Get 1 Free" Sale at Fab'rik, and as I'm leaving the store, new purchases in hand, hear my phone ring.  Thomas.

Thomas: Were you on the phone when I was calling before?
Me: I didn't hear you call (It is likely that I was trying on and buying dresses that I really don't need, but I didn't provide that information)
Thomas: Well, I need you to come pick me up.
Me: Ok, why?
Thomas: I was driving to get something for the refrigerator and the belt flew off my Jeep, so I am stranded at Mark's and I need a ride to AutoZone to buy a new belt.
Me: (nothing ... I am done being surprised)

About 3 weeks ago, we sold my Mini (sad, I know).  We are planning to get a new car for me, but won't get it until November or December, so in the meantime, I am driving Thomas's Man Wagon and he was borrowing his dad's car.  But, Thomas has always wanted a Jeep Wrangler, so we agreed that if he could find a very inexpensive one that we could pay cash for, he could get one to drive until we got a car for me.  So, he did.  Just a week ago, he bought an old 1993 Jeep Wrangler that he's been tooling around in as happy as a lark.  Until yesterday, when after a day of things breaking (new things), the belt flew off.

To make this story, which is already long, a little shorter, I'll just say that as I type Thomas is driving over to Mark's to try yet again to get the new belt on the Jeep.  Let's all say a prayer that the Man Wagon doesn't decide to do something crazy on the way over!

So it's sort of been pouring at our house this week.  But otherwise life is good and we are lucky that we even have such nice things to break.  This week at our Bible Study, we were talking about how in this country we all have so much (even the people who are considered in poverty here, have much compared to people in other countries).  Someone said that it seems like Americans are aware of God, but don't feel like they need him because all of their immediate needs are so overly-filled.  We never get a chance to feel truly needy.  Thomas and I, even after all the issues at our house, still aren't even close to being in need, but all the craziness has me thinking about how we really are so fortunate, and I love our life, but  I hope that all the material things we have don't ever keep us from needing and wanting the really important stuff!

A great rainbow after dinner at the end of a long "rainy" day!

Now, off to wash all the dishes that I couldn't wash when the sink was out of commission!