Pentachords winner and a tale of woe (by Ann)

Hello,  lovely Posse people and happy fall! It finally feels like autumn here since we’ve had our first days with temps in the upper 60s and nights in the 40s and 50s — hooray!!

 First off, congratulations to Dana, the winner of the Tauer Pentachord samples (via random.org). Just click on the Contact Us button over on the left, and send your name and address and a reminder of what you’ve won and we’ll get those out to you.

I don’t have much for you today as I’m dealing with a house crisis. A water pipe burst and flooded most of our downstairs. The cleanup is pretty much done: We’ve been dehumidified, dried out, de-molded, de-floored and de-wallpapered now. In fact, we jokingly sing “Oh, oh, livin’ on a slab” to the tune of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

Nearly all our furniture has been placed in a huge storage container in our driveway, so in addition to being slab dwellers, we’re also pod people now. All of this has been far from pleasant but it could have been much worse (second floor flooding, can you imagine? Yikes!), so I can’t complain too much.

That is, until the other day. The most difficult challenge for me came when the movers decided to relocate our antique hutch/secretary oh, just a foot or two WITHOUT SECURING THE GLASS DOORS OR THE CONTENTS. (Sorry, didn’t mean to shout there.) As you can imagine, it didn’t end well. The hutch doors flew open and all of my collectibles, knickknacks, etc., came tumbling out onto the concrete slab. (No perfume bottles, though, thank goodness.)

I know it was an accident, and these things do happen, but I’m glad I wasn’t there when it occurred. My husband looked at the guy who was doing the moving, shook his head and said, “Oh, boy, this isn’t going to be pretty.”

Fortunately, some things did survive, although others did not, such as a porcelain bust from my grandmother and a miniature tea set from my husband. I know they’re just things, but it’s hard to lose items when they’re rich in sentimental value.

Anyway, the supervisor is coming today to assess the loss for insurance purposes, and we also have to make final decisions on paint colors, flooring, etc., so I won’t be able to chat with you guys today.

But if you want to share your house horror stories, just know that I’ll pop in from time to time and will be commiserating with you.

 

  • Gabriel Jefferson says:

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  • Olfacta says:

    I’m so sorry you’re having house trouble and that you lost some stuff. I guess you just have to wonder sometimes about who puts these houses together.

    We’ve had our share but nothing like this story: The guy across the street was having new wood floors installed. The crew finished and left. He realized that his cat wasn’t around anywhere. He could hear her meowing, but couldn’t find her — until he traced the sound and discovered that the cat was under the floor! She’d gotten into the sub-floor and the crew had just nailed her in there. He couldn’t reach the contractor until the next morning, so had to listen to the inconsolable cat howling all night. Luckily the cat made it and I guess he has a pretty good home-remodeling story to tell at parties for the rest of his life.

  • Tom says:

    Oh Ann, I am so sorry!

  • pam says:

    Ann,
    I’m so sorry to hear about your deluge! Glad the perfumes are safe, but sorry about everything else. And sorry for all the others of you living through all this disasters–floods, fires, hurricanes, etc.

  • tammy says:

    I know this is heresy, but I’d mourn the loss of my sentimental nick-knacks more than my perfume….I don’t have any perfume that’s irreplaceable, but I have several things given to me by people long since gone that I couldn’t replace. (A tea set painted by my grandmother, etc.)

    Best of luck, Ann!

  • Kirsten says:

    Sympathising with your woes, Ann…hugs from the UK!

    We had a burst water main disaster a few years ago in our kitchen – it was relatively contained, and we were extremely lucky we were in the house when it happened.
    But it happened just a week before we moved house and exchanged keys with the new owners. It made an already stressful time almost unbearable.

    Like everything life has to throw at you, you get through it, and come out the other side a little tougher and more resilient.

    The reason we covet and cherish “things” is because they mean something to us, they speak to us and us alone, and I am really sorry for your loss. I hope you find many more things to treasure and replace them ;)

    x

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  • Maureen says:

    OMG, I can’t believe this happened to you…the planets must be out of allignment or something. Last night I went to get a warm raincoat out of my hall closet by my front door. Now, I haven’t opened that closet in a while, because I had lightweight jackets & sweaters in my bedroom closet that I had been using until now. When I opened the closet door, the walls & ceiling & floors a & all of my winter coats & gloves & boots, etc, were covered with mold! Not totally, but it still looked like something out of a horror movie. We have had WAY TOO MUCH rain here in suburban Philly, and I guess ther is a leak in my roof over the closet.
    I washed my raincoat, and some scarves. Twice. They are hanging up to dry. They smell OK, so I guess I salvaged them. I pulled my wool coats out to the cleaners. They are in my trunk to go after work. The leathers may be ruined. I will probably have to trash a lot, becuase I don’t think snow boots would do well in the washer & dryer…may just have to try for the h**l of it.

    I put in a claim to the insurance co. & am waiting for the adjuster to call me back. AARGH! What away to start the week. I definately feel your misery…what a pain in the A**, and I can just imagine what a mess this is going to be. As far as sentimental loss, my late husband’s Indian Jones hat is ruined..now I never wear it, and I used to kid him about it when he did wear it, but after he passed 7 years ago, I just could not get rid of it. It just always made me smile when I saw it there in the top of the closet.

    I just put on a couple of dabs of Bois des Iles to calm down.

  • maggiecat says:

    Actually, we’ll be commiserating with you today, I think! I had an apartment flood, right before I moved into my first house, and it was nighmarish and stressful. I didn’t lose anything of sentimental value, at least, and I think that’s worse. Take care and I hope things are back to “normal” (whatever that is) soon.

  • Suzanne says:

    Thinking of you, Ann. Hang in there. <33

  • Janice says:

    Ann, so sorry to hear you’re going through all this! I hope everything is back to normal soon with the new flooring and everything—and your furniture—all in place! And I hope you have a nice, calming perfume that helps you cope in the meantime.

  • Dana says:

    So excited to read this dark morning that I was the winner of the Tauer samples (yes, I sent an email to give you my address), but sorry to hear about your mess. I’ve experienced something similar in a sewer backup in our finished basement years ago. What a pain! Also, we had guests over for dinner for my husband’s birthday in April and I knocked the corner of a hanging shelf with my shoulder. As our guests sat there stunned, antique china cups and many pieces of glass rolled right off the shelf onto the hardwood floor and crashed into a million pieces! So, I feel your pain about losing many treasured pieces. I don’t know if it was worse or better than I actually did it myself! I hope you get your life back to normal a.s.a.p.!

  • Ann says:

    Thanks, everyone, for the good wishes; you guys are the best! I’m just thankful it wasn’t worse and we still have a house in which to live.

  • Marsha says:

    I have a friend who said that men never look behind anything. Even though the doors to your hutch were glass! At least the ones that were responsible for it had to listen to the horrible noise they must have made.

    I hope you get the rest of the house settled down soon!

  • Sherri M. says:

    Ann, I am so sorry you are having to go through this!

    Hoping you are out of the pod and into a newly decorated (hope you’ll have fun with that, at least) slab soon. Hugs from TN!

  • FragrantWitch says:

    Oh no! That is terrible! I am so sorry to hear that you are living on a slab ( insert mental air- guitar solo here). Thank heavens no perfume came flying out of your armoire ( otherwise the movers would have been ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ )but sentimental things are so devastating to lose. My mom just had a water valve burst in her house as well flooding her downstairs craft room. Fortunately most of the materials were in plastic storage units and the sewing machine was safe but from the sounds of things it is one gigantic pain the a**. Hope you are back to normal soon! Maybe Chaos is a good scent in the meantime?? :-)

  • Tulip says:

    A teacup is the only item salvalged from my SIL’s home after the recent fire here in Texas. Too bad about your pipes.

    • Ann says:

      Oh, no! So very sorry to hear this. I shouldn’t complain at all because it could be so much worse and I know how devastating a fire can be. Hope everyone was OK and they will be able to rebuild.

  • Musette says:

    Ann,

    Yes, it is just ‘stuff’ – and you’ll survive the loss.

    But it still sucks!

    My worst was when I got a call from my dog-walker that a water pipe in the upstairs bathroom had severed and water was pouring down the stairs. I was at my office and she was yelling “you have to come home RIGHT NOW!” – I lived in the far western suburbs and took the train in. I called the Fire Dept who were kind enough to come shut the water off and I was fortunate that some very good friends are contractor/builders. By the time I got home the house was mostly vacuumed out. Losses were relatively minimal but sooooo much clean up.

    b-(

    Hoping you are de-podded, soon!

    xoxoox>-)

  • Francesca says:

    I’m so sorry to hear this! Both the flood and the loss of your cherished items. You’re so right, it’s hard to lose things with rich associations.

    Our house flooded during Irene but we saw the water starting to come in so we were able to prevent damage to rugs and furniture. All day with two wet vacs running. But nothing broken, and unlike half the poor people in CT we never lost power.

  • HemlockSillage says:

    Oh, no! I am so sorry you are dealing with this. What a nightmare. Hopefully, you’ll not have to be pod-people for long! Best wishes to you and your family as you deal with this as best you can; may clean ups and repairs go quickly. Hang in there, and be well.

    • Ann says:

      Thanks! We really appreciate your good wishes. We will end up with a nice home makeover when this is all done, but I still wouldn’t wish it on anyone.