So a couple of weeks ago Dr. Robert gave us an estimate on fixing our roof. Because we’re ever paranoid of being cheated by a contractor/mechanic/handy-knowledgeable-dude-that-charges-money we decided it best to get a second estimate. Last week we waited all week for Affordable Roofing to come to our beckoned call – but they screwed us around all week and never showed. Yesterday morning I called John Tinney Roofing and he said he’d be by sometime during the day. He didn’t give me any indication of a time frame so all day long I worried about when he would arrive. There are two issues when expecting someone to our home. The first is the doorbell. It’s on the inside of our doorframe and hard to see so often people just knock on the door – which I can’t hear if I’m upstairs with Noah. I’m constantly getting pissed off at the UPS and Fedex guys for leaving package notices on my door when I’ve been home all damn day. If I catch them on their second delivery attempt I scold them for not ringing the bell. And then there is the reliability of said bell. Though every time I have ever tested the bell it has been in perfect working order, occasionally someone will tell me they DID ring the bell and that is why they have been standing outside our door for five minutes. Maybe I just have the magic touch. The second issue is Noah. I worry that someone will arrive when I am in the middle of putting him down for a nap – which can take anywhere from 5 – 20 minutes, or that they will in fact see the bell and ring it while he’s napping. So waiting for anyone entails all this bell and nap worry. Yesterday I held off putting Noah down for his afternoon nap for two hours because I was worried about the roofer coming while I was upstairs nursing and unable to answer the door. At 4pm he called and said he had been too busy during the day and he’d come at 9 am this morning. I was frustrated but since he said specifically what time he would arrive I said okay. Of course 9 am passed this morning and no roofer. At 10 am I left him a voice mail message. Well it’s nearly 4 pm and still no roofer. And no call either. I’ve been trapped in the house, staying in the front rooms, afraid to put the baby down for a nap and generally irritated for two days straight! I guess we have to go with Dr. Robert because he’s the only damn guy who shows up.
On the great curtain calamity – I placed the order again with JCPenney.com. The good news is that I found a coupon code that saved me even more money than that stupid 10% discount they would not give me. The bad news is that in the few days since I placed the first order the backorder dates have been pushed back even further. I’ll be lucky to get all the curtains before Christmas. If thermal curtains are so popular why can’t I find them anywhere?
So enough of my petty complaining – especially when those close to us are tackling real sadness. My mom is having a hard time with Larry. He’s getting very weak, very confused, and harder to care for. It’s not uncommon for ill people to misdirect their anger about the pain and the illness at their caretakers – but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. I wish we could do something more for them. And Mark’s Great Aunt Spodra died last night at the age of 84. I met her once when Mark and I went to visit her and her son (also a Mark) in Brighton, England. Spodra was quite the character. She was a singer, an artist, a dancer – known for her endless quirkiness and her habitual lateness. She dealt with her illness by means of a spiritual healer for a long spell before enlisting the aid of the medical professionals who were unable to help her. Mark’s Dad was close to Spodra so I’m sure he’s feeling the loss, and 95 year-old Laima is very sad about outliving her younger sister. She says that Spodra had the softest heart and kindest soul of anyone she met. I was struck with sadness when she told me that the worse thing about living to 95 is having to watch so many of your loved ones die.
And because I like to try and end positive I’ll share another Noah tidbit. For the first time today Mark and I noticed that Noah is now able to stand up from a sitting position without hauling himself up on something. He’s been just sitting and standing all day long. Every day I am overcome by how much he learns and grows. It’s the circle of life.
5 comments:
I have had to worry about workmen too when Dermot was younger. I never knew when Dermot was going to want to nurse and how long he would be. He has always been a really long nurser, and there's no way I could stop in the middle. Now I could distract him before we started, but no way could I stop in the middle.
What a pain in the ass about your roofers. We went through a similar thing with our landscapers. It's like these people don't really want your money. What's up with that?
Sorry that you have to wait so long for your curtains, but at least they were cheaper than you thought. We had our drapes made for us because our windows were odd sizes and it took forever.
Your poor mom. It's so hard to blame the sickness and not the person when the sick person makes things personal. My grandma went through this with my grandfather. He could just be so snippy with her near the end, and he was the nicest guy on Earth before that.
Way to go Noah on standing from sitting. I remember that Dermot would squat all day long. Up and down. Up and down. I love to watch them practice new skills.
We have had some "circle of life" stuff in our family too. My father's father (whom I did not know) died about a week after my third cousin was born and my mom was 2 months pregnant with me. Dermot was conceived about 4.5 months after I lost my mom's father.
I almost hate to tell you that my new shelving/desk was delivered and installed a WEEK early. Talk about a shocker.
My mother in law went through a similar thing when Bill was sick. Does she have any help? Pat eventually had to get hospice care to help care for him, and while it was difficult, it did take some of the pressure off her.
first off, I am so sorry about larry and your mom. and I teared up reading that laima said it's hard to watch all your loved ones die. so sad.
yay on the curtains. till then, maybe you can tape up blankets. that's what brett did at his apartment a few years ago. talk about rednecking it. double quadruple cincuenta yay on noah's ups and downs. and boo hiss to the stupid roofers.
dr. roberts sounds above board, and he's done work for you before. that's a plus. he's got to know that if he screws you, you won't call him anymore. they love the repeat business. plus, if you have water damage, it's likely from that same leak getting bigger and the more damage you get, the more, well, damaging it is. and shhhhh, don't tell mark, but...mold.
and you were also waiting to hear from me and sean about doing the stupid cds. again, sean was in charge of letting you know. he's got some sort of fucking mental block. I'm really sorry.
It seems to me that almost everyone who is invloved in home improvement stuff--plumbers, carpenters, etc., have no concept at all of other people's time. I HATE waiting, and things like that totally piss me off.
Yea for curtains and Noah.
Yay for curtains and the funness! So sorry to hear about your family sadnesses though. I have never had anyone even remotely close to me die. Except for that guy I talked about a couple entries ago and that really didn't affect me much at the time. I hope everything turns around and your curtains come early.
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