Blizzard of '10: The Good and the Bad
The Blizzard of '10 is officially over.
How do I know?
I'm finally back at work after THREE days off (that was the good, free vacation!).
Also, I know by the tap, tap, tap of water leaking into my house (that would be the bad).
The gutters, which have been in a sad state for a while (and were at the top of the To Be Repaired list) are the culprit. The back portion of the house was an addition, so the gutters butt up against the window of the middle bedroom on the second floor. Water has leaked through the second floor ceiling and down the wall to patter on the window on the first floor.
So yesterday the wife and I had to move everything out of the bedroom (aka crap room) so he could tear out a quarter of the ceiling and try to jury rig some patching for the leaks.
In true old-Pittsburgh home fashion, when the ceiling was pulled down we discovered ample coal dust. So now the room is not only torn up, it's coated in black soot (and the carpet is a black soggy mess--not a big deal since it was slated to go anyway).
As if that wasn't enough, the computer room is on the other side of the wet wall, with the computer up against the shared wall. So the desk had to be slid out a bit (no small feat since it's a huge metal dealie) and plastic draped over the computer. The wall is not yet wet but if the patch job doesn't hold, water could easily come into the computer room (and has a bit before, as is evidenced by the cracked plaster on the wall). We can't move the computer since we only have a few rooms with grounded outlets.
BUT, out of this mess did come some good things. We finally moved the old (beige) computer off the desk (something that we've been ignoring forever) and in the process of hauling all the junk out of the room, I'm really ready to go through those boxes and purge a lot of stuff I no longer want.
Oh, and if having a leaking house wasn't enough of an annoyance, my cat (Cecil--the youngest, crazy cat) decided to take a spell and try to kill Monte. On Tuesday I noticed neither of them were laying around like they usually do. I go into the basement to find Cecil puffed up and freaking out while Monte hid in a pile of junk (growling). I had to haul Monte out of the basement and lock Cecil up. Now if Cecil wants to be out in the main house he has to wear his harness and leash until Monte is finally comfortable with him. It usually takes a good week for them to fully make up to the point Cecil doesn't have to be locked away when we're not home (and at night). I guess it's a mixed blessing. With Cecil locked in the basement during the days, he can't get into the mess in the junk room (and I know he would).
Now I need to get back to work, fielding complaints from my "customers". Apparently I now control the weather and I deliberately caused the blizzard so I could have three days off. Oh, to have that kind of power!