Life Since Napa

So here's the main reason why I've been so quiet lately...

 

 

Can you guess?

We had a water issue just before we left for Napa. In fact, my husband almost didn't go at all. We had known for some time that there was a slow leak in our outdoor water line that connects to the main line at the street. The problem was that outdoor line runs a good 160 yards through woods and under a creek. Last month we finally found someone that could come trouble shoot the leak for us. We found a company that could run pressurized gas through the line to find the leak. Everyone else (water company included!) had told us any significant leak would be obvious by a wet spot in the ground. Ummm... not at our house. Not when the line goes through woods and a creek!

So the leak people came and found the leak... it was in the pipe where it ran under the creek. All the leaking water was going in the creek. We would have NEVER found it by looking for a wet spot. They found it because when they put the pressurized gas in the line it started bubbling out into the water.

OK. Leak located. We were going to find someone to fix it when we got back from Napa. It had been leaking for months. What's a few more weeks?

Two days before leaving, we suddenly lost water pressure in our upstairs bathroom. The leak had gotten worse. We figured that the pressurized gas must have popped whatever seal the pipe had left in the leaky area. We shut the water off to our house and left for Napa. My husband considered staying behind to coordinate getting it fixed but then figured we could find someone by phone just as easily and nothing would change since we had shut the water off.

So... we found someone to look at the line while we were gone. We would need a whole new water line. The weather needed to be a bit better... Arrangements were made for the new line to go in on Friday (3/6).

We got home on Monday night. We decided to turn the water one once in the morning and once in the evening so everyone could shower, flush toilets and we fill up jugs for the rest of the day. Just like camping. We could do this for three days... or so we thought! By Friday things were pretty tense around the house. I had spent Tuesday at the Laundromat washing everything from our trip. We really couldn't cook because I couldn't wash any cookware or dishes so we had to pick up food everyday..

Thursday night we were told the weather would still be too bad and the job would be pushed to Monday. Friday morning I turned the water on at the road and found we still had no water at the house. Our line had completely ruptured.

Saturday I upgraded my membership at the fitness center from an individual to a family so my family would have someplace to go to shower! The kids decided we were teetering on child abuse. My older daughter found friends to stay with...

Monday the plumbing people came. It was suppose to be a one day job. I am sure they now think our property is cursed...

I spent the day at a Pediatric Advanced Life Support recertification class and then had to run my daughter to a choir concert. The plumbers were still working when I got back from the concert so I went to the fitness center to run and shower there. My husband met me there as I was just about to leave. He was dropping my older daughter off for a shower and was going to the store to buy more water. I thought his head was going to pop off...

We have a VERY rocky yard. I can't get anything to grow in it. The are rocks the size of basketballs when you try to dig in it. The plumbing peeps were using some kind of boring machine with a drill bit to lay the new water line. They kept hitting rocks which made for slow going. They broke their drill bit. They put the backup bit on. They broke the back up bit. Oh, wait, they also accidentally cut our cable line. So now we had no water, no internet, no TV, and no phone...

We picked up Chinese and played Euchre Monday night. Ahhh... family time... you should have been there.

The new drill bit was going to be overnighted but wouldn't come til Wednesday. Tuesday the cable people came out and ran a temporary line that looks like an extension cord across our property. When the cable line in our driveway got cut, it also knocked out service to the rest of our street. The plumbing people also came and ran a temporary pipe into our house so at least we would have water. We ran four loads of laundry, two loads of dishes, and flushed all the toilets.

Wednesday the plumbers returned with the promise of getting the new line completed... or at least that was the plan. They went to work with the new drill bit in place, only to find that when the other bits broke on Monday, somehow the engine block had cracked. The boring machine overheated and became nonfunctional. Another knock on the door. We'll be back tomorrow when we can get a new machine.

Today is tomorrow and I'm still waiting... they may have fled the country by now rather than come back to my yard. I'm stuck here waiting because someone needs to be home when they show up. Running has been on the back burner this week. I did meet with a coach yesterday and I'm going to have a new training plan starting next week. I hope to have water by then!

Pictures from top to bottom...
The now nonfunctional boring machine
Our temporary water line
The excavator that cut the cable line
Our temporary cable line

Appreciate your water!