Week 1

Tuesday 1/6/09
Although I knew it from when I stayed with Erin in November, I had forgotten the reality of living a couple of hundred yards from a freight train yard. Did you know that they work at night? And that it sounds like they are in bed with you? Why do the back up alarms on trucks have to be so loud? Do I need to know that a truck is backing up a quarter of a mile away? How much danger am I really in? Am I asking too many pointless questions? Do I care what you think? Yes.

Both Linda and I are awake around 4 am because the airbed is too soft and we keep crashing in the middle. She wears earplugs, so has missed much of the auditory entertainment of the night, but gets to be launched in the air every time I flop around to change position. We should have remembered the bouncing/wave-action problem from our ill-fated waterbed experience of a quarter of a century ago, but one of the great benefits of a bad memory is that you forget bad things as well as good. From 4 until 7, we both lay still and quiet in order to not disturb the other’s sleep. That way, neither of us sleep nor accomplish anything else, yet we both get to spend all day feeling that the other owes us for the sacrifice we made. Lack of sleep is becoming a theme.

We finally get up and Linda makes a nice breakfast from the 144-egg carton we got at Costco. As someone who HAS a job, Linda points out that she has a lot of work to do for her business, and needs to spend a few hours on the computer. That leaves it to me to hook up that evil trailer again and drag it out to the house we bought that Linda has still never seen. I get to the house, back the trailer in and notice that the spare tire is also now flat. I don’t think this trailer is ever leaving this spot.  

After unloading the trailer, I find that some boxes did not survive the journey and everything inside them is soaked. I end up just dumping the contents on the floor, so they can dry out. The good news is that the guy from the power company is here to turn on the power! We have power! I can hear the refrigerator come on! I look inside and find salad dressing, jelly, some unknown items and a bottle of Amoxicillin dated 3/31/05. And quite a bit of various microbial growth. I try all the other electrical devices but remain in the dark with the ONE operational light bulb. I know what to do. Water! The circuit breakers have a switch marked “pump”, so I flip it on and go outside to watch the pump start sending water to both bathrooms and the kitchen. Let the cleaning begin. Five seconds of a weird electrical hum and then, silence. No water. I turn off the breaker and organize tools until hunger makes me drive back to the apartment for some food. I stop at Home Depot and buy light bulbs. When I get to the apartment, it’s 82 degrees and Linda, realizing a cold front is coming through tomorrow, insists we go to the beach. We pack up some snacks, wine and beach chairs and head to the beach. We are alone. The wind is picking up and it’s a little chillier at the water. I go in up to my knees. Linda goes deeper, but we wrap it up pretty quickly. No food, no wine. Instead we go to Archie’s beach bar for burgers and a brew. Worst waitress ever. Didn’t even know what beers were on tap. There were only 6 and I still remember them: Bud, Bud Light, Yuengling, Miller, Fosters and Samuel Adams American ALE. She said she was sorry, but they didn’t have any ales on draft. We left to get to bed early when Erin called to say that she and Angela and Angela’s father, who was leaving tomorrow to go back home to Kentucky, were going to Archie’s and could we join them? A quick u-turn led us back to the same table and waitress we had just left. She didn’t remember us, but managed to screw up their orders as well. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to bring the fries with a burger, even when asked 3 times. I guess it’s just such an unusual request. We had a good time, but are starting to become a little anxious to get to work and accomplish something.

Wednesday 1/7/09
Today we get something done! It’s our 31st anniversary and we figure we can work until 6pm, the wedding time, when we’ll celebrate. The pump is a priority and Linda suggests that it needs to be primed. Of course! The house has been vacant for over a year. Linda has to do some work for her JOB before we go, so I research how to prime the pump. Piece of cake. First stop is for cleaning supplies: gloves, bleach, cleaner, lime-away, water, and, of course, diet Mountain Dew. Try priming, water runs out where the pipe is cut. We decide that the pump can wait. Since the trash is picked up on Thursdays and Mondays, we have to start ripping out that stinking carpet. I should have gotten in better shape before starting all this work. I would have, except that I wasn’t in good enough shape to go to the gym. Exhausted and sore, we didn’t go out on our anniversary, although Linda did make a delicious chicken Parmesan and broccoli dinner.

Thursday 1/8/09
Research pumps online, spend hours at Home Depot looking at pumps and talking to salespeople who know nothing about pumps. Realize cut pipe is because holding tank is missing. Must have been attached to that cut pipe! Buy a pump and tank and miscellaneous piping. Remove the wheels from the trailer; go to Discount tire. They laugh. “Try K-mart.” I buy ink for Erin’s printer. Still sore from yesterday, I decide to show Linda properties that we didn’t buy. Somebody has painted the pink house! Erin and Angela come over for jar spaghetti, salad and Grandma’s brownies. Not quite what they served us, although the brownies are always a big hit.

Friday 1/9/09
Went shopping for more pump parts and a new mailbox. We had filled out the “don’t cancel the mail at this address, anymore” card and put in the old busted-up rural mailbox, but the flag wouldn’t stay up, so they mail carrier never picked it up. Got the tires fixed at St. Lucie tire, where they didn’t laugh. Worked on hooking up the pump. Trying to just hook into what is already there, since the exterior sheathing is going to be ripped off later and I’ll have to redo the pump plumbing then, anyway. Linda spent most of the day getting parts for me. It was like a Nextel commercial. “Beep – need a ¾ inch copper elbow. Beep - how many? Beep – better make it 2.” And, of course, I need 3. At 4:00, we go to watch a girls basketball game at a nearby school that Erin’s school is playing. Angela is the coach. The gym is carpeted, but inside. Most of the gyms are outside, often with roofs for shade and night game lighting, but no walls. Erin treats us to dinner at Hurricane Grille. Gotta stop eating out and having fun. Get something done!

Saturday 1/10/09
Went to the Fort Pierce farmers market for breakfast and veggies for the week. I had a Caribbean burrito and Linda had a smoothie and a Mexican egg sandwich. Live music was enjoyable and made me feel young. It was oldies from my elementary school years! Went up to Orlando to go to the only Costco that had any of the refrigerators (3) left that were only available until tomorrow – no rain checks. It was too good a deal to pass up, so another day the pump is not fixed – must have water for bathrooms and cleaning!
Big fresh veggie salad for dinner. Needed the veggies. Can’t live on turkey sandwiches.