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!