Day 24 Slice of Life – falling behind

Behind in Writing: The last 12 or so years I have managed to write everyday. I wrote during times I was traveling to care for my Mom. I wrote when I was teaching. I wrote when I was helping to do state testing for kids.

This year not so much. Some how running after a two year old, dealing with the ups and downs of a major remodeling in the house and I am guess age means I have fallen down. I have missed a few times. Last night I sat down about 8:30 pm and started five different posts. A few sentences in or so and I had nothing more to say or any way to complete was I was writing about. I finally deleted everything I was writing and crawled in bed to read.

Today I am starting earlier – not waiting until that evening time when I become brain dead. I have found over the years that after about 8:30 pm or so I am not good at creating – writing, painting, projects. I can consume things – reading, watching something, listening to a podcast or books works just fine.

So lesson learned – writing needs to happen early in the day. It is important as a person who creates to find those cycles that work for you. Some of us are morning folks and some love working late in the quiet of the evening. I use to be that late night person. I waited until the house quieted down and the city outside also settled a bit and then I could think and write. Now as I move toward 70 years old I am much better earlier in the day. I go to bed earlier and I wake earlier. My bio-rhythms have changed. I did not expect that but here I am the early to bed early to rise person.

Behind in Construction: the construction update is not much movement

The basement wall framing is going up a little bit at a time and the screen porch turned sunroom is waiting for electrical.

Electrical is waiting for plumbing

Plumbing is waiting for – lots of things – see below

The torn up floor is still torn up and there might be a small leak since soil in that area of the basement floor is still damp (It is still weird to see the soil under the house)

The new washer flooded the basement floor so the sewer guy came today and cleared the line but he thinks we need to brake up the floor a bit more and replace the line from the washing machine and the kitchen sink. YIKES – more time, more money – There is talking that needs to be done I guess!

Dryer is still not hooked up so we have done laundry at my daughters and yesterday had the fun of going to the laundromat. Ok, not so much fun! I don’t like all the perfume smell of all the soaps. My closet now smells like the laundromat. Spoiled I know but geez! I can’t figure out which soap I am smelling. Ugh!

The work that was done on the plumbing needs to be inspected but we have know idea when that will happen and nothing can move forward until that happens. This is the hurry up and wait part of construction.

Last but not least – while doing the noon dishes and cleaning up from making a fresh batch of granola my hot water went from very hot to cold. It continue to run cold and my heart sank. This happened in December and we were without hot water for three weeks. Don’t even get me started!!!

We are now waiting for a Home Service guy to come and check it. I have no idea why it would go out. No one have been near the water heater. I worry it is the same issue as before – a melted valve.

We will see – the house currently seems to have a water ghost and I am not sure how to please him/her!

This little character has created the following mischief:

• Water pipe broke as they were demoing the basement. Needed a quick shut off for the whole house and a last Friday evening fix
• Drain to the upstairs tub sprung a leak as the plumbers began all the deep plumbing in the basement. It was not related to their work. It was just an old pipe that finally broke through. They fixed it.
• Water Heat out for three weeks in December (over the holidays) and out again now
• New washing machine flooded when running the first hot water run to clean the tank – sewer guy cleared the floor drain but now I can’t run the second new washer run because I have no hot water.

I am afraid to think what the next water issue will be – I thought three and done but we are now on our fourth little problem

So needless to say my brain has not been on writing even through there might be lots to say, but some of what is swirling in my head is best left in my head! 🙂

Here is to getting a post done today and hope I can finish the week of writing strong!