I had a flood in my basement a few weeks ago.
Buckets and torrents and geysers of rain...pooched sump pump. Do the math.
Since then the entire basement level has been gutted, loud industrial sized blowers and dehumidifiers were running constantly for more than two weeks to remove the moisture, and worse yet (yes, even worse than dealing with the insurance company)...I’ve had to live in a construction zone as the contractors all tramp in and out of my house on a daily basis—It also doesn’t help that the chaos has now spread to the next level of the house as my husband has found himself a Spring Break “project”.
I don’t handle chaos well. I like to be in control.
At work, I’m known as the File Nazi. Nobody gets close to one of my files without a complete fingerprinting and a fully executed full and final release indemnifying me for any and all loss or damage—Especially not the purple files.
At home, I am also the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-organized Queen and High Priestess of my domain. Everyone knows that the dishes go in the cupboard a particular way. They know that laundry gets folded a particular way. That there is a particular step-by-step process regarding the cleaning of the house on Saturday mornings. They know and respect these universal truths...or they run for their lives.
This situation caused by flood has ballooned into something I’m not sure I can quite handle. It has frazzled me. I hate it with a passion. We worked so hard to finish that basement just the way we like it. Now it’s back down to the concrete floor and studded walls, and I feel resentful. I don’t know who I should be resentful of, but the sentiment is there.
I also hate that my son can’t play in the basement and instead, his toys are scattered on my office floor (urgh). I hate that I can’t hang my clothes to dry on the line in the basement and instead, a rack has been parked in my office (double urgh). It bothers me that insurance paperwork and contractor quotes are strewn all over my kitchen counter. I know these things will all get back to normal with time and a little bit of extra effort from all of us, but in the meantime...
There you go. I’m a mess.
What are the things that really get to you?
13 comments:
How frustrating! That really stinks about your basement. When something goes wrong in your house, I think it is very easy to become frazzled. I always try to take deep breaths while also trying not to scream.
Yes I think, with the sump pump gone, it might have really stunk, Ely.
sorry bad joke.
Think of it this way, Kris. The hubby is doing some awesome spring projects, you'll love the results!
Things that get to me? Everything.
I'm anal about too much, about how the house is cleaned, how I keep my stacks of books (the ones that don't fit in the bookcases).
Unlike you, I hate filing, it's the last thing I do at work, and only if I'm desperate to do something (thank god it's very rarely like that) lol!
Chin up, Kris. It's finally spring! I officially hate winter! Like the rest of the world that has had too much snow so far!
I like my fair share of order, but I tend to let things go too far before I get around the fixing them. I did color-coordinate my closet, though. *g*
We're survived flooded basements in two houses. I lost a slew of books. Right now it's melting snow-mud season in Maine, and our problem is not water but brown clumps everywhere. It's time to drag out the vacuum.
Ely, I know. Deep breaths.
And I know this shouldn't bother me so much. And it isn't the actual work that has to be done which has me frazzled, but the ensuing disorder that comes in the meantime.
Tiff, at least it was the sump pump and not something else. The only thing coming into the house was rainwater.
Oh, and don't get me wrong. I hate filing. I don't do filing. I just insist that the filing gets done. :)
Maggie, I'm sure there will come a day when I do the same for my closet. Right now it's simply organized into sweaters, shirts, pants, skirts, etck.
I WISH I was that organized (though I do like my project binders with colorful tabs).
Hugs about the basement. We've had floods before, not pretty. And that's with basically nothing in the basement (we have a big house for the two of us so plenty of closet space). I can't imagine a flood with it full.
OMG, I feel your pain JK! We just finished our basement and the DH got what's called an Ace in the Hole - I think it's an extra sump pump in case the orignial one goes out. That was his first purchase after we finished - and we saw a neighbor going through what you seem to be dealing with now!
I'm pretty much the same as you but have mellowed over the years due to kids, a sloppy DH, 2 dogs and chronic fatigue! I had to let some things go. But I do have my systems (loading the dishwasher, folding the clothes, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.) and everyone in the house follows them - except the DH of course! He feels he's helping me to deal with my OCD tendencies! LOL
Good luck on the basement and the Spring Break project. I have one of those "everything is finally in order let's see what I can do to mess it all up again" husbands!
So sorry about your basement. And the resulting chaos. One of the things I've never gotten used to is that they don't really have basements in the south. No idea why, though I'm sure it has something to do with the ground.
I'm extremely organized at work and not so much at home though I'm getting much better. However, everything at home has a home and that's where it goes. Don't put the Catsup back in the wrong place or drop a fork in the wrong slot. And heaven forbid you load my dish washer wrong! LOL!
My sympathy, Kris! I've never had a flooded basement, but I have dealt with a dishwasher disaster and burst pipes that led to similar problems. It really was hell, but once it was all over, normalcy seemed like a gift I had never appreciated.
Kimber, the water was everywhere. *sigh* But it's probably not as bad as I make it seem. I'm kind of a drama queen you know :)
Irish, funny thing is we just had to replace the sump pump a few months ago so it was practically new. It's good in terms of our insurance, but still means we're going to be buying that extra one this time 'round as well.
When you talk about mellowing, I have to agree. Even my overly fickle organizational tendencies have softened over the last year or so. I'm just too busy to do everything anymore.
Janga, I can't wait for normal once again--maybe sometime in August.
Stupidity, that gets to me. Stupidity coupled with meanness REALLY pushes my buttons! I have no patience for this stuff, not at all.
Ugh Water torture!
Climate change seems to have increased the rainfall over here with the result that flood planes have altered and the frequency of river flooding has increased.
All the mud and grot that comes with this sort of flooding is a nightmare to clean up.
I know this is little comfort but it could be worse JK!
Hope you get dry soon *sympathetic smile*
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