Half-Full or Half-Empty?

Just the other night, my husband and I were sitting on the porch after a satisfying dinner. It was peaceful. The boys were happily playing in the living room (one with trains, the other two a game of Croc on the computer). I expressed my gratitude for being able to live here right now. I revelled in that contented feeling of being able to stay home with my boys and avoid the rat-race of hectic life which overcomes so many families. Time to read books and play outside in a place which often feels like year-round-camp to me. Half-full.

This was what we discovered this morning:





I shouldn't make it sound like this took us unawares. We noticed the leak in the basement ceiling last week and were trying to determine where it was coming from - the toilet, the sink or the tub in the bathroom upstairs. We had called a plumber, who was scheduled to come out this morning.

This is an old house. Since we have moved in, we often feel like something goes wrong on a daily basis. Half-empty.

Although, surely it is more realistic to say something goes wrong on a weekly basis. (H-F) Leaks aren't something new. We had one in the upstairs ceiling the first weekend our whole family moved in. In fact, simultaneous with that leak, the well went dry and we had no water to use in the house. (H-E) In order to flush our toilets, we had to use buckets of water transported from our neighbor's house (not exactly a stone's throw away). However, no one was sick or vomiting in the midst of that crisis. (H-F)

This morning, the plumber arrived and assessed the damage. He asked me to sit down (that can't be a good sign). I had asked if he could perhaps do something to secure the ceiling after he was done. He replied that he couldn't touch it. (H-E) He added that he wouldn't have even been able to get in and do the work today if that ceiling hadn't caved this morning, since he's not allowed to cut through wires to get to a job. (H-F) We don't have a furnace in this home; the heat comes through the ceiling. Even if there hadn't been wires in the ceiling, it would have cost $200 in labor to have the plumber tear down the ceiling to get to the problem (again, H-F). Final damage to our checkbook? $900 (H-E)

Not to mention, tomorrow we get to enjoy the visit from an electrician (same reliable guy who came after the storm a few months back). I'm sure he won't do the work gratis. (H-E) However, I did find a coupon in a flyer which will save us $69 for the service call. (H-F) Then, we must have the ceiling replaced. (H-E) In the meantime, we're thankful for good weather so we don't really need to turn the heat on, as the ceiling hangs perilously from those wires! (H-F)