While I’m almost afraid to type it out loud, we’ve got hot water AND no leaks. All since this afternoon.
Yes, really. I started typing this entry several days ago and thought it was all handled then, but no. We’ve done virtually everything short of replacing the whole damned water heater, so this had better have it fixed.
That’s the good news.
The kids have a half-sister from their dad and his second wife. I haven’t gone into all the particulars with my ex-wife-in-law, for a number of reasons. She met the hubby in rehab. I dunno how rehabbed either was, but that’s a whole ‘nother issue. Their daughter is a few years younger than my youngest and has munchkins of her own, including a newborn.
Sadly, they just diagnosed the newborn with leukemia. He’s been in ICU the past several days.
And since the ex ostensibly had leukemia (more about that in a few), the half-sis and my kids have been hounding me about the details, desperately in need of family medical history. They’re hoping it can help the wee munchkin fight for his life.
My late ex-husband died in the 90’s of a heart attack (*cough* OVERDOSE *cough*) and he told the world whatever he figured would let him skate by. I do know he had health issues. He weighed at least 500lbs at his heaviest, which in combination with a drug habit tends to mess you the hell up. I personally once saw his temperature hit 108ยบ on the thermometer – and no, he didn’t hold it over a heat register to get it there. I took his temperature, shook down the old-school thermometer and used it three times to be sure it wasn’t a mistake. I doused it with alcohol twice and checked myself to be absolutely certain. He should’ve been dead or a vegetable from that one instance, but he survived to screw up more lives.
But his leukemia claim is a sticky wicket. The ex never let me talk to a doctor with regard to any health issue he had, and I never saw anything medical in writing. Given all the other lies he shared without blinking, I cast a dubious eye on this. If in fact he had leukemia, he lived with it – without any treatment – for nearly 20 years. He had some of the less definitive symptoms for a few years, none for a few years, then other random ones sporadically for a few years. And with the exception of the temperature spike, all the symptoms were the ones that could’ve come from other issues, including rampant drug use.
Since I know there are a few types of cancer that are slow-growing, I started doing a little research. For leukemia, the untreated prognosis is always counted in weeks or months. I’m sure spontaneous remission is possible. All kinds of crazy things are possible. But you don’t both have the active symptoms and also spontaneous remission. Take your pick, darlin’, easy on the BS.
Ergo, I’m telling the kids I don’t know, instead of, “Your dad was a lying piece of shit who’s still harming his family 25 years after he was buried by his own stupidity.”
Because of all the crap we’ve gone through with the house and countless other issues, the spousal unit and I hit a stress plateau. Couldn’t get it to budge. To crack out of it we coordinated on a project, something relatively cheap and constructive, and fast enough not to aggravate the feeling we already had too much to do.
So we bought the following MCM style chairs for cheap. They’re obviously in sad condition here, but under the grunge and peeling fauxhide seats were nice bones.
Hubby likes to hang out at hardware stores. His perfume is the scents of sawdust and machine oil.
My own peccadillo is fabric. Not long ago I found some cool geometric-print upholstery fabric for ridiculously cheap, and the spousal unit even liked it. We kind of knew what we wanted to do with it but the chairs above brought it all together.
This is the end result:
They turned out brighter than I expected, but I like them. The turquoise back was hubby’s idea, but I think it works. Incidentally, that’s not new covers tacked over the top of the tatty old crap. We did it right, completely deconstructed and rebuilt from the frame up.
Now I’m keeping an eye out for a smallish MCM round table to go with. I spotted the one shown below and it would be perfect – but they want too much money for it. We paid $15 for the two chairs. They want $50 for this little table. The price isn’t outrageous for what it is. It’s just more than I feel comfortable spending after a month-long hemorrhage of money to pay for repairs.
One last de-stress plan in the offing.
I’m taking a vacation day off Thursday. One whole day! (I have more PTO available but I hoard that stuff because something always comes up.)
We’re hoping to go out of town this weekend if the budget allows. We’ll be packing bologna sammies to afford it, but we really gotta get away from here for a while.
Damn girl. It must be the time of year, or something. Not to the extent of your path, but…been *such* a freaking slog for so long now!
Here is to turning a corner!!
From your mouth to God’s ear. We are OVER this stuff. But seriously – if this doesn’t fix the problem the only other possibility is to replace the water heater altogether, and that would be a one-and-done fix.
Water’s overrated of course, but congrats on getting yours back anyway. I hope this is the end of your “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” chapter!
Hey, I like those chairs. A lot. Well done, you and spousal unit! I hope you pick up, if not that chair then another similar one. That would be a very chic set.
Enjoy your stress vacay!
I assume you meant pick up the table – the set of two chairs is plenty on its own. We’re still trying to figure out where to put them, in fact. (We have a ginormous eyesore of a chair I’d like to eliminate, but the husband person thinks it’s fantastic, so…)
I’m with you on the water saga. I’m done. Anything else happens, I don’t care WHAT the spousal unit says, I’m driving to Home Depot, buying a water heater and arranging for THEM to install it. I’ll argue the point after we’ve had uninterrupted hot water for a week. I don’t think it’ll come to that this time, but all things considered… However, despite all the grief, it’s still worth it to live in a place that’s paid-for. If we were still paying a mortgage AND had to cover this, heaven help us.
I admire the rehab of the chairs…and love that table. I hope you can find one similar at a garage sale and make it work. Also hope the hot water and ex’s ugliness don’t go bad again.
The ex died 2005. I truly thought we’d moved past the worst of the damage, then this comes up.
Thanks on the chairs. We both love them. Since we’re going for a mid-century look overall they were the perfect fit.
YAY for cool chairs and road trips! I will double hug Hil for you. Wish you could join us. One of these years when one of us becomes a wealthy and famous writer. Or my kid becomes a star and is generous to his old mom. ~LA
Thanks, L.a. One of these days I WILL come visit. It’s gonna happen. And there will be hugs all around!!