Hi Everyone,
How are you? Are you “opening back up?” How did quarantine go for you? Happy, healthy and hopeful, I trust?
The past month of quarantine has been a roller coaster in my house. One minute time slooows down, the next it speeds up. “Stay at Home,” started out humdrum and routine: go for a walk; go to the grocery store; cook; check on Mother; text; email; walk the dog; walk the dog again, repeat. How’s quarantine treating you?
Then whammo! Last week, during a single day (four hours to be exact), dullness in our household exploded into adrenaline rushed pandemonium and a Sweeney surge of economic participation.
News Flash: All three people quarantined in my home (me, Jeff, Diana) survived a geiser-style plumbing fiasco that just happened to coincide with the removal of a dilapidated-crash-any-day stone wall; plus, gutter and yard maintenance; and coveted maid service. All on our property. All in one day.
In other words, the Sweeneys are opening back up.
Have you ever had a smelly gurgling in your kitchen sink? Then, proceeded to check it out and discover a cracked pipe? And then you tinker with this and that while you’re under the sink any way? Thus wisely choosing to call an expert? But…then someone in the house starts laundry, unaware the laundry plumbing has been happily married to the now disabled kitchen plumbing all these years?
Try to imagine a volcano-esque eruption of disgarded food particles that are encapsulated by disgusting conglomerations of fat and sewer chemicals exploding into an otherwise-sterile kitchen. Mean while, a mini monsoon claims the basement, directly below your feet.
What would you do?
What did you do?
No kidding, that happened in our house last week.
Jeff, Diana and I bolted into action to save our kitchen, basement and all possessions the storm had in its path. Water and food particles flew to the sky and everywhere in between, or so it seemed. I dragged an area rug out of the front door as water poured off of it, while Diana mopped up gunk from the hardwoods (on her hands and knees for an hour), and the dog chased the neighbor cat across the street. Jeff ripped soggy insulation from the basement ceiling and scattered furniture and supplies. He vacuumed and mopped for what seemed like ages.
It. Was. Chaos.
To the rescue: the very next day a drain specialist and plumber showed up and repaired the entire debacle to better than new. This Sweeney plumbing tragedy (as Diana describes it) indeed coincided with an immense undertaking of removing a very old stone wall, gutter cleaning and, last but not least, our beloved house cleaners who came in behind all of them to make things shiny, bright and happy again. I thank God for all of the wonderful, amazing people who are getting back to business in Atlanta, GA. God Bless all of us.
Thanks for reading!
Love, Shelley
Plumber
While they were in the house…
Hanging outside…
All cleaned up…
Here one day, gone the next. Waiting on the wall…
“What is happening?”