Why is it home disasters that cause me to post?

I’m not sure why, either. Ahwell.

When I bought this house, I got an inspection done on it, like any responsible buyer. The inspector brought to my attention some water in the basement, but he theorized that it was due to grading problems in the front lawn, since we could turn off the water to the house, go look at the water meter, and not see the little red splotch move at all. Thus, no leaks between the city and the valve in the house.

Fast forwards to this year, where the problem has gotten worse. I figure it’s time for me to have someone do an injection seal on the foundation where the pipe penetrates from the outside. But I look closer…that’s a lot fo water dripping out of there..hmm. I turn off the main valve, and go look at the meter. Sure as anything, that little red splotch is spinning. Slowly, but….ARGH.

So tomorrow is a $4300 adventure. Maybe more. Ugh. They have to yank the whole pipe out and replace. Sigh. I’m handy, but I’m not that handy. I suppose if I was more inclined to do things myself, I’d trench it out myself and save money, but…argh. Ohwell. At least I get a 10yr warranty out of it. The house has already done its settling in its 30 years, so this should be the last time.

In other news, life goes well. The job I got back in October has proven to be one of the best moves ever. The management rocks, my co-workers are all great, I can see myself staying there for some time. I’m always challenged. And for me, that’s about all I can ask.

Going to start going to the gym a bit more often. I had wanted to get a personal trainer, but I think with this new expenditure, I’ll hold off on that and just do what I already know to do. I’ve told my dog he’s going to have to eat puppy chow for a few months, while I feast upon ramen. Money just got tight.

I’d been wanting to do some landscaping projects around the house, as well as replace the flooring in the living room, as well as string in some data cables and coax cables into all the rooms. I’m going to have to scale back my projects and only do things that I know I can do myself. The flooring shouldn’t be a big deal, I thinkthe pussywillow and Aspen I wanted to cut down are going to get another year, though…. But most of it is something I can do, given the right tools and a little training. (Read: A few days with the Internet.)

I love Spring. I love Summer and Fall, too, but Spring holds a spot in my heart as the time of year where everything miserable about winter goes away, and you’re left with sunny, but cool days. The flowers are already coming up in the beds, I think after this whole adventure is done, I’ll start putting in some real planters out there…as good of a time as any, I suppose.