Tuesday, October 26, 2010

so here's the story

I'll try to make it short. (never mind - I didn't try hard enough).
My beautiful icemaker sprung a gusher, apparently Sunday night. Piece of crap plastic water valve cracked, which, by the way, was a replacement for the original recalled crappy plastic water valve that also cracked. But this time, it gushed all night so the damage was - uh - damaging. I already posted what the guest room ceiling looked like below the kitchen, a post or two back.

Tip of the iceberg.  That ceiling is now down (see below). Where the studs are used to be a wall dividing the bedroom from my work area and I am standing in what used to be a storage closet, looking into the bedroom.  The clothesline in the closet is where I hang my scarves to  dry. I was thinking of taking off the closet doors and using it as an alcove, but maybe I can get it carpeted and use it as an alcove anyway, leaving the option for the next residents to use it as a closet.  We'll see.  It is not big enough for my print table.
home-print studio alcove.  Former closet to your left.
Below is the family room area, so to speak. The bedroom is to the right and they have taken out part of the wall that got wet, and part of the carpet.  The entire downstairs has the same carpet so it will all have to be replaced, as will the sheetrock walls and the part of the ceiling that was taken down. Everything will have to be painted.
Fans are going all over the place, including the kitchen.  We don't want mold, do we?  The adjuster is coming tomorrow and the fans should be out by Friday.  Then I have to get a contractor to redo everything, order carpet, get a painter - blah blah blah.

NOW - just in case you think this is a BAD thing, let me disabuse you of that notion.
On the bright side:

1) I believe the downsizing gods were at work here, forciing me to throw out many of the (empty) cardboard boxes in the closet and setting me to get rid of STUFF so we can move a year from now.  I already filled 1 trash bag with duplicate thermofax images I don't need (no, not the screens, just the 20 copies of each image in different sizes).  That still leaves several file folders worth, of course.  Over the next month I shall have to be merciless (very difficult - especially with books) and come to terms with what is really important.
2) At least the place will be fresh and clean.3) I am thinking the insurance company might go after KitchenAid to replace the icemaker.  We'll see.

Going through piles of stuff tonight, I came across these wonderful historic documents that cannot be thrown out. (see what I mean?)  This one was my mother's from 1943.

below, also 1943. I should probably read it.
And below this, the pièce de résistance from 1942 - my parents' ration card.


                               These are treasures my kids should probably have some day.

I did salvage some of the cardboard boxes that didn't get wet and I guess I should pack all the historic stuff in one place.

Meantime, I am going to lobotomize myself with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream, which I have not been eating but which I am going to eat tonight!

13 comments:

Beverly said...

Oh, I'm sorry for all the havoc this created- your disclaimer notwithstanding! We had a similar accident a few months ago- fortunately, the damage was not nearly as bad as yours. I hope all the reconstruction goes well and fast, and you are able to purge your collections without undue pain and suffering. Who knows, you might like the feeling of lightness (as in less stuff!!)

Marilyn League said...

Don't you hate that a 2cent piece of plastic turned your life upside down? I do agree with Beverly that the "gift" will be a lighter load. My mother had a cookbook that included substitutions for rationing and had a few ration cards too. What an alien idea for this generation. Hang in there. Maybe soon the inside and outside of your house will be in perfect harmony.

Quiet Quilter said...

As one who used to live on the Gulf Coast and has had flood water high in their house,,,

we turned down the a/c to as cold as we could take as soon as we could after the waters receded. It helped.

(we have moved inland since then).

Glad to hear you are trying to look at the bright side....

Eva said...

What a strong sense of humor to survive in a situation like this. I'd probably become very, very agressive and find out who constructed this plastic part or accepted it to be built in. And kick his teeth.
Have to learn from your attitude.

quilthexle said...

Oh sh... - was there at the beginning of the year, but not as bad, not at all (it was only the basement - and just a part of it). Anyway, I admire your calmness - I would be soooo angry, shouting and don't know what else. And yes - you should keep those old old pieces of the past! I treasure the few things I still own; they let me appreciate my life today even more ;-))
Hang in there !!! Hope you get over this in no time !!

Unknown said...

oh my! I guess there are two sides to everything and it does help when we look at a disaster as a way to clear the decks! But who needed it to happen this way? Talk about a powerful nudge to lighten the load. hugs sent your way!

elle said...

Ah, a blessing in disquise. Or maybe just an opportunity to make lemonade without ice. ;)

Natalya Khorover Aikens said...

oh no Rayna! hang in there! and have fun downsizing....and eating ice cream!

Sue Erdreich said...

Bummer Rayna! I totally know what you're going through, having been flooded last March. Glad to see you're upbeat about it.

Judy said...

YIKES! I don't read your blog for a day or two and all hell breaks out! I hope the ice cream was great, because you certainly deserved that lobotomy! LOL

xo

Linda Branch Dunn said...

My sympathies for the disruption, and the labor of Throwing Away. Don't let those ration books go into the trash ever. Get them to a library or local museum, or at least to grandchildren old enough to be amazed. (This from the mom of a budding historian.)

Keep calm and carry on.

Anonymous said...

Rayna, I's so sorry you have such a mess to deal with. We had much the same sort of mess last year - from a plastic tube going to the ice maker as well (I had already called in the 'frig repair guy 3 times b/c of the leaking & awful tasting water/ice). IMHO, after lots of research & **tching, I had them replace the plastic with copper. (Boy did the 'frig dudes put up a fuss about that!) No problems since.
We also purged & put down all new hardwood flooring.
Suzanne

Sue said...

Thanks for sharing the ration items. I've only heard of them, never seen them. Love your blog.

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