Dot`sThoughts

Cleaning out a lot of old papers I came across a letter I wrote back in Feb. 2003.
I had forgotten all I was going thru back then. I had lost Walt in July 2002 and seemed like everything started falling apart, one right after the other.
Well, this day, on Feb 8th of 03. I had just filled my washer to do a load of washing and once the washer was filled with water it just stopped working.
I had to move the Dryer to get to the washer plug. I pushed the plug in tight, but still it didn`t work. But one of the leveling legs fell off the dryer when I moved it.
I decided that leg could wait till I figured out the washer. Next I went to the cellar to check the breakers and sure enough, something had knocked off the breaker. I never did find out what had thrown the breaker off, but it never happened again.
Once I threw the breakler back on the washer worked just fine. So while the clothes were being washed I figured I better fix the dryer leg and have it ready before the washer shut off.
I tipped the washer up far enough to slide some boards under it. Then I was able to screw the leveling leg back in.

Well, I thought, Good, that is done and it wasn`t too hard. Was I ever wrong as when I pushed the dryer back to the wall it wasn`t level. So I pulled it back out far enough to put the boards back under so I could re-adjust that leg. I should have been smart enough to tighten all the legs the first time. But, no I didn`t. And tipping it back up allowed the other levering leg to fall off.
Are you laughing yet? I remember my kids laughed when I told them about it.
I finally got both legs tightened and the washer leveled and was able to do two loads of washing and drying with no more problems.

Then the next morning I found the bathroom sink leaking. Luckily I had bought Walt a new pipe wrench a few yers before. All I had to do was tighten the pipe and the leaking was cured. A few months later the water in the tank for the seat wouldn`t shut off. I ended up grabbing a shoe string and tied the lever up inside so no more water could run into the tank. I cleaned up the mess and headed off to the wood place and bought a new tank inside works. Once I got it replaced in the tank that problem was solved.
Much has needed repairing since Ii wrote that letter.

Since then, in the last three years I have replaced the insulation in the attic side upstairs ceiling, plus covering it with some heavy plastic which warmed the house enough that I have ordered furnace fuel one less time every winter. With the high price of fuel today, it sure has helped.
Next it was the main roof on the house that I had to have new paper and new roofing tiles replaced. Once that was done ( two of my sons did that for me), then
I had the bad eave boards replaced along the back of the house. This cured the leak that had showed up in the upstairs bedroom.
After that There was the time I laid down the house keys to refill the dogs water dish and the dog jumped up on the door and shut it. The handle was already in the locked position as I was ready to leave when I noticed the water dish getting low.
I had fixed all my doors so they couldn`t be opened by a credit card, so a daughter climb up the high ladder to see if the upstairs window might be unlocked. No such luck. We thought we were going to have to break one of the small door window panes to unlock a door. Then I remembered there was no inside casing on the door in the laundry room and I was able to break in there. That meant buying wood to repair the door frame. Then I bought casing to put on that door so it is sealed tight now.
Then the kitchen addition roof started to leak. The boys made a whole new roof over it. Another problem solved. Next was a broken window. A son hit the window to kill a wasp and then I had to replace the window. I also had to add to the kitchen roof as the eaves were running down onto my outside light meter box and building 2 inch thick ice over it. Another problem cured. There was lots more, but I could write a whole book about all I have done or had done for me in just the last 4 years. Like I still have a cracked garage floor from when we had the earthquake a few years ago. It had also broke a window in the shop that had to be replaced.

Well you get the idea. Everything started falling apart soon after I was on my own here. And all I could think about was what Walt had said when I first wanted to improve the house. He said " It will last for as long as you and Ii ever need it, let whoever gets it next do the repairs".
You guessed it, the one who had it next was still me. I had to get all the repairs done.

This last year is the first I haven`t needed to do more repairs so I was able to redo part of the bathroom and start enjoying myself making things in the shop. Walt never liked me working much with 5-in- one combination saw, drill, lathe ec. , he was always afraid I would get hurt. We finally sold it to our youngest daughter and I got the table saw I wanted. It had gotten way to hard to lift up that heavy drill press, and the arthritis in my hands made it impossible to hold the sharp tools for the lathe work. I pray there is no more major repairs in the near future,