What a DAY!

You just never know what you can handle until life throws things at you. Day before yesterday I got up and turned on computer before going in to make coffee. Just like almost every morning-I do have some sort of "usual" I guess. Well, this AM it just beeped and wouldn't boot. Light turned green and everything but no boot. Daughter now tells me she's pretty sure its the hard drive which she can replace and even save the data if I failed to back it up to my external drive. I haven't checked that yet.

So I got out my laptop and started updating it. I use it seldom, mostly for watching video while I do my beading and wirework.

After a couple of hours of backing up, running scans and such I tried the internet. Hmmmm, most sites will come up but I cannot do anything much with them. Can't post to Facebook even. BUT email works just fine. What's up with that? Daughter Chrissy will check it out later.

So, here I sit in the cold since I have inadequate heat for the temps this past week, thinking that it is a sign I need to start sorting through the boxes of "stuff" that are hard to sort and have been put back for weeks and weeks. As I build up my fire in the fireplace and reach for the first box I hear lots of water running from the bathroom. Yep. Pipe in the ceiling has burst and water is raining down in floods. So I grab every container I can grab, including the tub I use for bathing the dogs and try to get them under every stream. Pressed wood cabinets are getting soaked, I'm getting soaked dipping and pouring water from the catch tubs so they don't overflow.

I get a bit ahead and grab the phone to call my friend Jeremy and he's on his way! I thought I'd turned off all pertinent breakers already, including the one to the well pump but he turned off a valve to the pressure tank and voila, the water stops! I am soaked to the skin, every towel I own is on the floor but the damage is contained to the bathroom. So glad I have vinyl tile and cinder block walls!
And so glad my neighbor has brought me firewood!!! Now I have less electric heat than before, half the outlets are turned off and all I can bear to do is sit in front of the fire, feeding it and reading.

I still have email but the bedroom where it is hooked up is freezing cold.
Did I mention that I'm cleaning up constantly after puppy who can miss all four of the puppy pads and won't do any 'business' out side because its too cold? LOL Come on warmer weather! We need to get on with house training!

So I called and got my insurance claim filed. They sent Service Master out and they are so pleased with me that I contained the flood that they might even pay me for my work. Right now I have a dehumidifier and two BIG fans in my tiny bathroom, no running water but its gonna be 50+ degrees today!! Hurrah! Dogs have been going out. That's a blessing! I still can't leave them on their cables but I'm happy to walk them if they'll just do their business outside again! Threw out a couple of area rugs that took the brunt of the damage and will have to clean the carpet but I can do that. I got each spot cleaned as it happened and used Odorcide immediately so it should be ok. That stuff is a blessing!
In the next few days daughter should have my computers fixed, water should be fixed and weather actually almost WARM!

All this has proved to me that with help from friends (vital to have friends!) and my own abilities learned all my life that I can make it as a widow. I'm not ashamed to need friends. My ego isn't so big that I think I have to do it all. But I do want to do everything I can for myself. No shame in not knowing or being physically able to do each and every little thing.

Yes, its frustrating to have all of it to handle "alone", meaning without JD. BUT he wasn't the only competent one in our lives. He was just awesome and I miss him every minute of every day but I can do this. I can make life work and work well.

I'm really glad Blogger is working for me. Seems google is the only site that does all its supposed to with this computer. Weird but glad its working.

Now I go to see if I can make this day count in more ways than simple communication with my world. In the words of the commercial "Thank you for your support".