Venting: Literally and Figuratively

Right now there are six industrial strength fans running in my kitchen. The noise is so loud that I'm camped out upstairs. This morning as I was just about ready to pack my lunch for work I noticed that the floor was shiny. It was reflecting the light we have in the bathroom. Thankfully I turned the kitchen light on before walking in. Otherwise I would have soaked my feet. There was a good inch or so of standing water all over the floor.

Instead of packing lunch I woke Jeff up, grabbed some towels and headed back downstairs to start the long process of mopping up my kitchen. We filled buckets with gray water and hauled them outside to dump on the lawn. We got good use out of the new mop we bought last month. With Jeff using a sponge and me using the mop we were finally able to make headway on the mess. Just as we had gotten mostly under control, our neighbor rang the doorbell and pleaded for help. She was in the same situation. Water everywhere. We helped mop out her kitchen as well.

With the water gone I headed out to work (I'd told my boss I'd be late) and left Jeff to wait for the sewer company. They arrived about 9 and quickly realized that there was a blockage in the main building line. We had taken the brunt of the mess along with our neighbor. Four other units were also affected but with much less damage. Jeff called a company to come in and clean up and they're the ones that set up the fans. They're also the ones that realized that the underfloor was soaked and that the vinyl flooring would have to come up. So not only do we have the charge of the clean-up but we'll be laying in a new floor and new baseboards. An expensive and very frustrating morning.

So right now I'm venting... along with the kitchen. It's hopefully getting dry, particularly the walls. And I'm starting to accept things the way they are. I won't have a kitchen for  probably a week and a half. Jeff and I will be looking at flooring tomorrow. I have the frustration of not being able to use my downstairs bathroom comfortably. And of course the added expense. The only positive is how incredible Jeff has been through this whole thing. He's been the one to deal with the insurance company (we don't have sewer coverage), the sewer company, the cleaning company, and shopping to make things simpler for me. He's been a godsend today. I hope I cool off before the floor dries. Otherwise it's going to be a long frustrating week.

An Ode

to a hot bath.

It's Saturday night, and like any Saturday night when I'm not going out, I'm heading upstairs to draw as hot a bath as I possibly can stand and spending the next hour reading and falling asleep in the tub. It's practically a ritual. I like my baths so hot that they are painful to step into. As the water gets cold, I let it out and draw more hot water. I know it's wasteful, but I can't help myself.

And I'll stay in the bath for at least an hour. I never wash. Baths have nothing to do with getting clean. That's what showers are for. Baths are for relaxing, normally with a glass of wine and a good book. Tonight I'm reading Oscar Wilde. I'll read for a while until the book gets heavy and then I set it on the side and let myself fall asleep. Sadly I don't have a deep enough tub where I have to worry about drowning. I can sleep peacefully in the tub and never have my face come in contact with the water.

I get my love of baths from my dad. He would regularly head for the tub after a hard day with a book and a glass of scotch. He never drank except for the bath tub. Jeff never takes baths. My mother hates them. But I can't live without them. If I go for too many weeks without my hot water fix I start to get irritable. I consider it one of my greatest indulgences. And the water is calling my name. Time for relaxation time.