Reaching...

Yesterday was a BAD day... It started out with being late for work for a very good reason, a vehicle accident that I came upon on my way there. It only got worse from there. It was a day for heavy lifting and very physical work. My 50 year old body rebelled against doing this. There are days when I just feel as though I am too old for this job, physically. And then, the day got worse...

Our house is old... 71 years old, as a matter of fact. It has issues and with all the snow and sudden warm up and meltdown, water poured into the foundation. Hubby was home alone and was completely stressed out. Two rooms in the basement had 2-4 inches of water and the furnace was in danger of being ruined. He thought it would be a good idea to go out and shovel this wet, heavy snow away from the foundation. I told him that this is NOT a good idea. This is what they call "heart attack" snow. Lo and behold, after shoveling, he developed shortness of breath and chest pain. I was still at work when I found out that he was feeling this way. I hung up with him and immediately called dispatch to have an ambulance sent to our house.

I left work early and met him at the ER. He was in good spirits and I was happy to see him feeling better after some pre-hospital treatment. Because of the basement situation, I had to leave him there in the capable hands of the hospital staff and go home. They were still waiting for his lab results and a bed as he was staying the night for observation and a stress test tomorrow. ...

I was instantly overwhelmed and burst into tears as I walked down the stairs to the basement. I cried for 10 minutes, which we all know accomplishes nothing... I asked my Mom for strength. I know that there are people dealing with much more tragic things than a wet basement. But after everything that happened through this entire day, it was a tragedy to me. I've been trying to lose the stress in my life, not add to it. I pulled myself together and managed to fill and empty 18 large buckets of water before reinforcements arrived. My sister and nephew came to help me with the mess. They even brought me dinner.

I was cold, wet and feeling SO bad. However, we finally got a hold on the water and after several hours of work, the bulk of the mess was cleaned up. My body hurt and I was so cold and tired. I got the dogs fed, shop-vacced the basement again and eventually went to bed. It was not a very restful night as I anticipated the phone ringing or the basement filling up. I decided to stop fighting it and just get up.

The morning broke with some sunshine. The basement, while still wet, was at a manageable level for myself now. The hubby finally called to give me an update and with his lab work good and no signs of a hear attack in his cardiac enzyme levels, this was all great news. I've had to realign some priorities. Certain things need to wait until I can function on all cylinders again.

Home ownership can be a blessing and also a curse. Owning an old home is labor intensive. Especially these old duplexes that were thrown up with speed and little care for quality. I am thankful that I can own a home. It is just that this one is quite the money pit. New windows, new roof, new siding... and this year, a new foundation or SOME kind of remedy for the water flow.

Back to the hubby... I am waiting for him to call and say he is sprung from the hospital. I am waiting for his stress test results. If all is well, he can come home later today. That is a reason to smile... The rest? Well, it will all just have to wait.