Bless you, I think I would be packing a bag and going to see a friend or neighbor, but I'm a baby.

Larry

OH MAN THAT STINKS!!! Literally, huh?

Hope you're not using the plumbers we used a few weeks back when we had a collapsed line. We had one working bathroom when they came on Friday evening, and no working drainage when they left. It was Monday mid-day before they came back and it took the new guy an hour. Seems the firt guy mis-diagnosed the problem. 4 days with no flushing or showering sure made me C-R-A-N-K-Y!!

But you can still water the garden, right? Just dropped off the grand-daughter so I don't have time to change the sheets, but let me know if you don't have air by tomorrow nite!!!

Paula

We're using Rick Nichols. We were initially very impressed with him but then he canceled on Friday even though he said he wouldn't. I guess rain isn't a problem but lightning is. He's supposed to come out tomorrow to reroute the pipes. It's better than Roto Rooter destroying our kitchen with a jackhammer.

I can use the bathroom and the hoses outside. In fact, we took all the piled up dishes outside this afternoon and hosed them off. We're not the only things that were starting to stink!!

I'm starting to remember the way we did things when I was a kid and we didn't have (reliable) AC. Stand fans and iced tea are a staple! I have a towel on the computer chair so my legs don't stick to it. Great mental image, huh!

I'm beginning to realize why lemonade and front porches are so important in the south!

We're kind of at the point where showering doesn't really matter because we're instantly sweaty as soon as we get out. I can tell you that the bedsheets are going to be the very first load of laundry!

I think sometimes its good to do without our modern conveniences for a while so you remember to appreciate what you have. The ice storm of 09 sure helped us appreciate our electricity. And now I am very thankful for climate control and plumbing.

You Go Girl! And your plumber isn't the one I used so good!

"I'm beginning to realize why lemonade and front porches are so important in the south!" - AMEN, Sister! We are so spoiled, aren't we? But we are "Southerners"! Herein comes the old saying of if "life gives you lemons....".

When we had our "plumbing interuptus"...we utilized the camp-site showers at Lake Thunderbird. Granted - I discovered where the American military is testing their water-boarding techniques...(the pressure was UN-believable! and I am just joking about the military) but at least we had a shower facility not far from home.

A crisis like this is actually a justifiable "time-out". They MAKE us stop, re-evaluate and prioritize. Kind-of a mixed blessing, isn't it? Hang in there!

Tigerdawn,

Oh yuck! What an annoying thing to have happen...but better to have it happen now and not in late July or early August when the weather would be even worse.

Your cat is so adorable. I hope he or she was able to air out that hot little tummy. I love it when our cats stretch out that way.

Going a few days with AC sure does make you appreciate having it, and the same is true of indoor plumbing. In so many ways, we are so spoiled nowadays with all our modern conveniences, and I appreciate being spoiled by them! We used to ask my grandma how they survived without AC back in the old days and she'd just tell us that they didn't know what air conditioning was, so they didn't know what they were missing. My parents didn't get central air/central heat in their house (the house I grew up in) until after Tim and I were married. We had swamp coolers in our bedrooms when I was a kid, and we had a window AC unit in the den and another in the living room, but all I remember from being a kid was being hot all the time! We always sat out on the porch in the evenings because it was cooler, and drank lots of lemonade, Koolaid and sweet tea. You cannot grow up in the south without sweet tea!

Hope your household problems are fixed very, very soon!

Dawn

I'm babysitting the workers today while they reroute the plumbing. We should be able to use our house again by tomorrow.

We're all ready for the AC to be back.

The cats like the open windows though.

Here's my pretty alluvial soil!!

We have the AC, kitchen sink, and washing machine again! The garbage disposal and dishwasher have to wait. There are also giant trenches in the yard.

BTW, if anyone has any extra pavers or shade plants they don't want, I might be interested. About half of the north side of the house is a giant trench. Good excuse to put in a garden.

All that is great news, especially about having a good excuse to put in a new garden area!