A tough week; truck in the shop. More delays, and a lot to do. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Is this week over yet? 

Friday the 13th. It actually hasn't been any worse than any other day this week, but this entire week has been . . . hmm, arduous. That's a polite word for it.

The pace this week has been surreal. Given the fact that I'm having great difficulty with, you know, breathing right now (thanks to the mold exposure), I can't even walk with any speed, much less run, and yet this week has careened along at a breakneck pace. I tried pushing a box on the dolly today, not a particularly long distance, nothing I haven't done a thousand times before, and I had to stop and let Wings take over.

It's not just the health issues, although they're complicating everything else. The guys mismeasured, and so we had to order more tile for the downstairs bath (although they keep saying they're a full 16" tile short and yet they have two full tiles that can be cut to fit, which means all they'd be short is the backsplash that's now needed to fix the sink fuck-up, but whatever). At any rate, the same tile was going to be my kitchen countertops if/when we can ever afford to do them, so I ordered enough for all of that today. Shout-out to all the folks who sent Home Depot cards, because I used the last eight of them on that, which cut the bill by almost 2/3.

On top of that? The fricking plumber (not our plumber; the one they went to try to special order the valve for the sink drain) ordered the wrong damn part, and this after our plumber having provided them with exact measurements AND a photo showing both the drain and said measurements by way of a ruler atop it. So we are now two weeks behind on the sink for our bathroom. Our plumber came over to look at parts I found on the Lowe's site, and we settled on the one he thought would work, which will not be in to the SF store until NEXT Friday. Then I went to Amazon, and for an extra six bucks, we'll get it Monday.

On top of that? Shade is in heat. The truck is in the shop, where it's been for three days already, and will be until sometime next week. There's a starter problem, which is under warranty because we had it replaced earlier this year; the tires are bald, which is not. For a truck this old, they don't make the right size tires anymore, which means four new rims plus four new tires, we're squeezing out the funds for half that: the two front rims and tires. Not good for balancing, etc., but they're the worst off, and I won't have to worry quite so much that Wings is taking his life in his hands every time he goes somewhere in it.

But they got the shower stall tile finished (laid, at least), and the floor except for the line behind the door on the left. They'll grout on Monday. They think I'm nuts because I didn't go with ::ahem:: Navajo White for the cream-colored pebble tile for the shower floor. But aside from the fact that I hate using anything with appropriative names, it wasn't the right shade, nor was anything else, and then I discovered a shade called New Adobe, which is the same warm russety terra-cotta shade as that in the wall tile (and in the plaster on the downstairs walls). It even appears in the pebble tile, where some of the stones have oxidation on their edges. So they'll return an unneeded gray and pick up the New Adobe in its place on Monday.

In the meantime, we'll be trying to get as much other stuff done as possible this weekend to move along the liveability factor. But there's still a very long way to go. We have to get the bathrooms functional, and right now, neither of them is. There's still exterior work to get done before winter really settles in, and interior stairs and shelving and don't even get me started on the currently-nonexistent kitchen. So please, keep sharing our links:

• Wings's direct PayPal link;
• Wings's site, for sales;
• Lowe's cards (the physical version) via our Amazon wishlist;
• Lowe's e-cards (delivered via e-mail) here; and
• Home Depot cards via the company site. The e-version using my e-mail address is great; I take the tablet to the store with me, and they scan it off the screen.
• Our Amazon wishlist generally.
• Wayfair gift cards, to replenish all the furnishings that the RV has destroyed in one way or another.
• Partial registry #1, from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's not complete; what's on it so far are drapes for the upstairs, associated curtain rods, bath rugs for both bathrooms, and doormats and a few other miscellaneous items. Most important: curtain rods/hold-backs and drapes for upstairs; towel bars and associated fixtures for the downstairs bath.
• Partial registry #2, from Wayfair. Also not complete, but covers a number of the area rugs needed for the upstairs and some kitchen items. I've finally added a bunch of items to it, although nothing in the way of small tables or lamps or kitchen items beyond three basic things, because yesterday proved to be a time-suck of epic proportions, and today was more of the same. What I did get to is all of the rugs for the whole house, and a few basic furniture items. But about Wayfair, and VERY IMPORTANT: They make it possible to crowdfund each item. So if you'd like to help, but the prices are too much for one person? You can kick in 20 bucks, or ten, or five, on any one item; many small donations can add up to one item. Even the backordered/out-of-stock items can be crowdfunded in advance. Right now, the two most important items are probably finishing funding of the chaise and the microwave (they get the microwave back in stock every few days), both of which are already partially funded. It's a slow process, but every day I find a few more items that fall into the badly-needed category, because the wiring and mold and lime and everything else in this toxic tin can has destroyed so much of what we used to have. I'm sickened by the amount of stuff we have to throw out (on top of the things that were simply ruined, such as the microwave fried by the wiring in this place).

Just like last night, I still have work to do tonight, and this was again a difficult day kin a week that was difficult for both the pave and what I mentioned in my final post last night. For now, many thanks and much love from us both, for donations, gift cards, shares, recs, moral support, and just generally helping me not lose my mind. Not much has changed on the health front:  As I've been saying daily, it seems, this has been a difficult day health-wise, with my flare itself seeming to flare, no doubt in part due to our high winds and drastic weather changes. But there are also the breathing difficulties, and sundry other issues secondary to the AI problems, and so I am moving very, very slowly, and accomplishing things only with quite a lot of difficulty. I'm going to be slow, and late, and unfocused; please bear with me while we try to get into a much healthier space. We are both so thankful for each and every one of you who made it possible for us to sleep now, for the first time in seven years, in a safe and healthy (and warm!) place.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.