Boy has winter slapped us in the face. It was in the teens yesterday and when I mentioned this to spouse, he said, "Shit, I have to close the basement trap at the other building." WHAT?! What do you mean close it? It's not closed? "I opened it in the spring to let the basement breathe." While I admire his generous disposition toward the respiration of the building, I couldn't help but imaginightmare (a new word I've coined, feel free to use it) the pipes bursting and flooding the basement, destabilizing the building causing it to crumble into itself. I might have been shrieking and flailing my hands a little.
"Calm down. You say the same thing every year. I shouldn't even have said anything."
More sputtering and but, but, buts from me, and then he said he'd go over and fix it. Unfortunately, the tenants weren't home all day and we need to enter the ground level apartment to access the basement. All day I had disaster thoughts. Luckily this morning the temperature has risen above freezing, so I can relax.
15 comments:
What a relief that all is well that ends well. I often think that those of us who think out the worst case scenario are the very ones who typically save the world, without the world's knowledge, nor their gratitude.
Odd how that works out isn't it?
I was ignorant of the fact that you owned two buildings. I assumed you sold one when you got the other. Since I assumed it made an Ass out of Me.
Our local weather predicter each year said that this year will be one of ups and downs. He expects record warmth in January. Only two cold snaps under zero degrees F. I hope he is right.
I have imaginightmares all the time so I will use your new word, thankyouverymuch.
I went to bed it was 0 and woke up to -14C with a -23C windchill. Oh, and we have fresh snow. Fuck. That's all I'm saying about that.
Is Serge concerned that your building has asthma?
I'll send you a nickel (American) for each time I use your new word. That's how it works, right?
I can't get the image of you shrieking and flailing out of my head.
Imaginightmare: good word, that. Especially since I think I experience it most often at 3 in the morning.
Sometimes I freak out like my Mom (and for her causes) sometimes like my Dad (ditto). Dad is the one who gets loud and flails his hands. In a very butch way, of course.
As long as the pipes didn't burst, that's what matters! (But I'd have been freaking out, too.) :)
"I might have been shrieking and flailing my hands a little. "
Ha. That's awesome.
Hey send some of that cold stuff down my way so I can experience an imaginightmare.
There's nothing quite like an old fashioned spat with the gay husband, is there?
Ah, the low-level domestic drama that is Torn and Serge.
Basements are scary things. ;) We don't really have them in Australia. I think it might be because of the snakes and spiders and other nasty creatures. But I can't be sure.
Then again, there is a place in Australia where the houses are all underground cave type things. So, I could be wrong.. ;)
Cheers!
Snoskred
www.snoskred.org
I had a very long day day in our basement apt holding a blowdryer to a newly-kicked hole in the wall to aim at the frozen pipes. A cheapo-lazy contractor had insulated OVER the pipe not behind it. There was much about that apt that could be termed a trap (fire trap, death trap, von Trapp (I wish)).
best line: you say the same thing every year.
so it seems this is perhaps a recurring imaginightmare?
Normally when reading your posts I think myself more like you than Serge, but when it comes to this basement thingy, I am more like Serge and my Spouse is more like you.
Had we been in this situation, he would have been riddled with horrible, disaster scenes until I closed that basement trap, AND he'd be asking me every 5 minutes if we should go back over and make sure its still closed.
Glad to see we're not the only 2 well-matched freak couples out there!
Mark
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