OH the Joy of Plumbing

Doesn't everyone just have those days that seem like trouble is at every turn? And all you want is just a little peace in life or to lazily sleep in on a weekend? *Sigh* Oh well. Things could be worse. The other day, the Hubs informed me that the toilet overflowed in the upstairs bathroom. When I got home from work, the dehumidifier was on. The floor (and carpeting) was still soaked. I went and got the carpet cleaner and sucked up all the water I possibly could. Then I turned up the carpet to dry the floor underneath. Hubs noticed in the basement (right below the upstairs bath) there was some water that leaked through the floor. Not good!

Then yesterday, I went to the basement laundry room and there was water around the washing machine. Hmmmmm-not again. Hubs said he washed an oversized load recently--but still I had my suspicions. Then last night, Hubs took a shower in the basement bathroom and the water would not go down. He was not happy.

This morning, he called Roto Rooter and they came out around 8 AM. After having some trouble with the cable getting stuck in our stack pipe, the tech was able to clear out some roots. He said there was a rough area about 3 feet down from our basement floor. Could he have another tech bring a camera (for extra $$$) to see what the trouble is? He said that it would be better-and cheaper-to do it now and if there is a problem, we could prepare for it.

Two more techs showed up and they put a camera down. I was envisioning that we would have to replace the line all the way out to the street. Nope-but the line going toward the bathroom is broken--so we can fix it now before the problem gets any worse and costs us even more $$$. They are going to have to dig up about a square yard of concrete right by our stack---but that is much better than digging up our entire basement (like a friend of ours has to do) or dig up our driveway like our neighbors were told they needed to do. *Sigh* They will be back on Tuesday at 8 to start digging. So much for a quiet veteran's day.

On a lighter note, the grungy hideous stack pipe of ours (which to me looks as if it is rotton to the core) only looks bad because of the exterior paint corroding. The pipe is still in good shape. We had a fun talk with the 3 Roto Rooter techs talking about the show Ghost Hunters (the stars Jason and Grant work for Roto Rooter too). Turns out 2 of the guys were also fans of the show. Hopefully we will get this fixed and our plumbing troubles will cease. Oh-and I am gonna have them give me an estimate on replacing the plumbing in the upstairs bathroom. I really want to remodel it. :) Like the rest of my old house, it has seen better days.

My Sweet Baby Boy-Spikey

Spike, 04/89-01/10/08

To our Baby Spiker, you were a true joy to share our lives with. You came to us as a sweet little peanut, ever so full of joy and playfulness and falling asleep in the crook of your mommy's elbow. You were the smartest kitty we have ever known-stealing Pounce treats from the cupboard and chewing open the lid, and eating all the treats. Then you hid the treat can underneath the christmas tree skirt to hide the evidence. We knew it was you because the lid had your teeth marks-LOL! You were so funny. You loved opening the potholder drawer. Then you would place them or pillows from the couch over your food dish. There were times when you would find a rubberband or twisty tie, and those too would be found in your dish. You had quite a collection. You loved your wire toy and your orange pom pom toy. But most of all, you loved your Momma Stormy and your brothers Oscar (Ozzie), Munchkin (Bug) and Chappy. We will miss our pretty gray boy with the big green eyes who would steal socks from the dryer and drag them upstairs. And Mom will miss her little Spikerman kissing her eyelashes and rubbing your nose and forehead in the palm of her hand. You were such a sweet little grandpa-kitty and you always knew when one of us was not feeling up to par or feeling sad. You were a comfort to all of us. You got sick so suddenly and we tried to give you every chance we could. But the good Lord wanted his little gray kitty to be at peace, as your little body was so tired and worn out. On January 10, our wonderful vet Dr. Ramm helped us relieve your suffering and you left us gently while your daddy and mommy kissed you and sent you on your journey to a better place. Stormy and Ozzy, and even your sister Fuzzbutt, were waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge. They were so happy to have you with them even though we were so sad to see you go. Our hearts are hurting, but we are glad that we had so many years with our baby Spikey. Munchkin Bug and Chappy miss you their brother and Munckin has been looking for you. He seems so lost without his buddy to sleep in the sunshine with. Please keep a watch over them both and be their guardian angel kitten as Stormy and Oscar once watched over you. We love you, sweet baby, and someday your daddy and I will come to get all of our fuzzy children who are waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge. And then, we will be together for always because love is eternal, and our love for you will always be. We miss you, sweetie, and we love all of you so very much. You are all only a special memory and a kiss away. Rest now in Jesus' arms, baby kitten. Hugs and kisses~your Papa Cat and Mama Cat (Kent & Mary) XOXOXOX

Kitty is still sick

Last night was a sleepless night. Spike got up to use his box and I went to check on him and he was sleeping on the basement floor. I took him back upstairs and brought him into the kitchen. He drank more water but refused any of the food we had. He slept on the edge of the bed and at 4:00 a.m. he was up once again to drink water and use his box.

During the day, I tried to entice him with treats, kitten food, egg and tuna, and even some cheese. He did not want any of it. Twice I was able to get him to drink milk out of my glass. He did not want it in a bowl. He acts like there is something in his mouth that is bothering him. We made the decision that he goes to the vet first thing in the morning. I am hoping it is something as simple as a bad tooth, but I have the feeling it is much worse. I am preparing myself to lose him. It is hard. This is the downside of pet ownership-the loss. I have been blessed with him for 18-1/2 years and I know he has had a good long life. I just wish he could live with me forever.

I emailed my boss and told him I would be late for work. He was very kind and told me to take the entire day off tomorrow if I need to. We will see. I know that if it turns out sadly, I will wish to be busy. Weepy but busy. We will see what tomorrow brings. In the meantime, I still have my little Spikerman with me today and I want him to know just how much I love him and feel blessed to have had him in my life all of these years. XOXOXOXOX I love you Baby Spike. My little gray boy.

A Sick Little Friend

For the past few weeks, I have been on vacation and I start back to work this Monday. My kitty Spike, who will be nineteen in April, has been sick the last couple days. He has been very attentive at night, wanting to sleep "on" me since vacation started. He seemed fine otherwise. He did have a cold when I had mine, but it did not compare to the nasty one he had last year. Now he seems to have lost interest in eating the last few days. He is still drinking water and using his box, but today he did not want anything. Yesterday, he had a bit of kitten chow and treats. Today, he ignored those. I tried to bribe him with milk. No way. I roasted a chicken and tried that-nothing doing. I put a bit of catnip on the bed. He seemed to want to put his nose in the bag of it, but nope-he did not want any. The other two hoodlums were rolling around on the bed, drunk with catnip. Spike just wanted to sleep. He is purring and he doesn't have that ungroomed look he had during last year's illness. I hope he bounces back soon. I am keeping a close eye on my boy. I don't want to lose him. Maybe he has a bit of tummy trouble and is just off his feed for a bit. I love this cat. I hate going back to work when he is sick. Thank goodness hubby will be home to help watch over him. I pray, pray, pray this isn't the end for my little guy.

New Blog

Well, I decided I need to slow down a bit and start looking at each new day. Life has a way of getting ahead of us and it is time to stop working into a frenzy and start paying attention to what is really important in this old life---and the simple things in life are really the BEST things in life. When I am 80, I won't remember that project I was doing at work. My job title will be long forgotten. But I will remember the feeling I had when I watched that beautiful yellow butterfly feasting on the purple coneflowers in my garden and how it gave me permission to bring out my camera and take picture after picture. I will remember how good those tomatoes in my garden tasted and how my neighbor's children were thrilled to each get their own tomato, eating them as if they were sweet as apples. I will remember showing the neighbor girl how to pot a plant for her mother for Mother's Day and the satisfaction I felt when it was displayed proudly on their front porch and they were giving it proper care. These small things are part of making memories and I hope I have these good memories held within my heart until I take my last breath on God's green earth.