If you have been reading this blog, you have most likely noticed that most of it is not written in ‘real’ time. My story begins in the summer of 2010 and currently I am in the process of ‘catching up’. There are several reasons for this.
I formulated the idea for this blog a while ago, reserved the url and then let things percolate for a while. I had – and still have – difficulty with any position that involves tipping my head and neck and unfortunately using my laptop falls into that category. Presently, I write bits of a single post in spurts, save them and after several sessions finally publish. Daily posting is difficult. Additionally, due to my physical limitations as well as the amount of sheer junk, progress on the basement was slow not to mention tedious. On most days there would not have been much to write.
Quite frankly, I wasn’t going through things with the best attitude either. I was resentful and angry about having to deal with the amount of clutter and collapsing basement, not to mention the other million-and six-repairs that needed to be done because things were neglected for far too long. Just sorting through a few boxes made me feel physically awful which, in turn, had quite the negative effect on my attitude. It was, and still is, a ‘catch 22’. I couldn’t – still can’t - manage the house or negotiate stairs, need a ranch condo, but I had to fix the basement in order to sell the house and was under a time crunch to do so.* The junk had to be cleared out before work on the basement could begin. Daily rantings of F the basement, F the stairs, F the house, F my back, F my neck, etc. weren’t exactly what I wanted to post.
Which brings me to the present. When the major repair work on the basement began, I slowed down my already slow pace and am taking some much-needed breaks. (Nice breaks, not “Shit I need to go lay down and ice my head/hot pack my neck and back again.”.) As I was puttering around and writing this week, I listened to the news of the tsunami and resulting escalating disaster in Japan unfold. The photos and videos of the destruction were almost beyond comprehension. Those lucky enough to survive lost everything, including family and loved ones. Now, the explosions and fires in the Fukushima nuclear reactor and potential for dangerous levels of radiation fallout make the situation dire. Hell, at least I have a basement. And while the house still needs an unbelievable amount of work, it’s still standing. Though they no longer live at home, my kids are safe and in one piece. So, while I have been in the middle of my own world listening to news of Japan, I think of what people there are going through and wonder how they are managing to cope with daily life against overwhelming odds.
Still, this is my blog and I will continue to tell my story. However, when events outside my small corner of suburbia inspire me pause, to think and reflect, I will blog about that too.
A brief, but excellent explanation of the Fukushima nuclear reactor leak can be found at: In graphics: Fukushima nuclear alert
* The basement was slipping off of the foundation and had developed numerous cracks including mid-line horizontal cracks. Most people don’t realize this, but winter is a dry season; precipitation falls as snow and does not penetrate the ground until spring when it melts. The added moisture in the soil from the melting snow and spring rain will cause the soil to expand and this in turn increases pressure on the walls and pushes them in further. In November, I had one wall that was pushed in at exactly one inch and could be repaired successfully without a ‘dig’ (See the post ‘A Crack Primer’). Had I waited until spring, the wall would have caved in more than one inch necessitating a ‘dig’ and the cost would have been greater. (And, though the cost of repair was fair for the amount work done, it was damn expensive as it was.)
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