Working to Distraction

When things go wrong now, I just giggle. We have had so many mishaps with this reno that I now find it kind of funny. Last week I wrote about my encounter with the Home Depot people...well not two minutes after I got off the phone with them – resolving the missing $2000 U.S. dollar issue - I got a call from Wayfair. The conversation went something like this:

“Hello, Mrs. Adolph, my name is Lilly and I am your Wayfair case manager.”
“Really? I have a case manager?”
“Well, yes, you see, we seem to have lost your bathtub.”
(Now before you think - go buy another one, they are a dime a dozen at Home Depot and you have a $2000 U.S. gift card! – you must know I bought a very special, very expensive pedestal tub that has its drain in a weird place…and the plumber has already plumbed the drain into the ceiling downstairs which has now been drywalled and mudded, so there is likely not another tub that will fit exactly, and I do not want to rip up my newly laid floor.)
“What do you mean you lost my bathtub?”
“We do not know where it is, er, it seems to have disappeared from our system. I am here to help you find another suitable tub.”
“Oh, well, I have already looked at 16,452 bathtubs on your website and this was the only one I liked. Can’t you send me another one?
“Well, that was the last one. We can refund you the $600 right away.”
“My tub was $1600 – not $600.”
“Are you sure? It says right here, skirted 30 inch Phoenix…$600.”
“Oh THAT tub! I already got THAT tub. It is installed in my basement!”
“Oh.”
“I am waiting for the Mandalay tub to arrive.”
“Oh, well, I have already refunded you the $600. Hmmmm. Well, you seem like an honest person, don’t spend the $600, and in a month I will take it back, after you receive the other tub.”

The conversation was elongated and a little weirder, but you get the point.

The next day, our dear friend Rod came to help us pull out some trees with his truck. (We are so lucky to have so many good friends here!). We needed to move them because they are where we will be building a new deck. When the roots of the tree came up, they brought with it the irrigation system, so now we have to redo that. Well, if I have to dig up the yard to redo the irritation system (that is what we call it), then I might as well do some xeriscaping and landscaping. More money - more work.

I fired my contractor on Friday so I have some time before the guy from Calgary arrives, so I might as well do some yard work! How could I not giggle at all this?

So today the bobcat showed up and yanked out the remaining 6 cedar trees, and leveled the area a bit so I could get to work moving dirt, laying landscaping fabric, and designing a new low water front yard.

As I mentioned last week, one thing seems to lead to another in this “money pit” of a house, and I have lost all hope of a) staying anywhere close to my $90,000 budget, and b) going south on October 12. I refuse to cancel my flights or accommodations until the last minute because I just MIGHT make it, and I would be terribly disappointed if I pulled off this miracle and then had nowhere to go!

On a very positive note, the smoke has cleared away and the endless blue skies are back and it has warmed up significantly. Perfect weather for digging and raking!

This past week we had two very special social events to celebrate the life of our friend Gidd. On Sunday about 40 of us gathered outdoors to eat, drink, and at 4:20 “toke” – for Gidd was a pot smoker, and it had to be done in his honour!

I did not indulge – as I prefer to have control of all my faculties, but I took some great photos! Tonight we will go to yet another gather – in our old backyard! The people we sold our house to are part of our Oliver gang now, and we are all getting together to have burgers and beer.

Losing a dear friend last week has made us all evaluate our priorities. Could I be next? Might I wake up next week to find my dear husband has died in his sleep? How terribly shocking it must be for my friend to lose her spouse this way. In a way, it is a blessing for he did not suffer, but for my girlfriend, she has had no time to prepare for such a loss.

Some say you can never prepare for the loss of a loved one – but I do not agree. When my grandma had cancer, she “hung on” for two years and suffered, and by the time she died we were all “grieved out.” We were glad she died – finally she was out of her misery! A sudden death is unexpected, and those left behind are left numb and in shock.

Talking about death may seem morbid, but at our age, it is important to think about it – at least a bit. Are you prepared for an unexpected loss? Have you a will? Do you know where all your spouse’s important papers are? What are their wishes? I have done all of this – I am always uber prepared for everything, so of course I have already filed away step by step instructions for my kids and partner should I experience a sudden and untimely demise. Morbid? Maybe, but I just think it prudent.

This afternoon I was on my way to the landscaping material place just outside of town. In my reverie, I drove right by it. I turned around, and headed back, and believe it or not, I drove right past it again! I feel like my brain is so full it will explode! I am so busy that I spend every moment rerunning lists in my head. Distracted driving. Very dangerous. They should outlaw renovating!