Yesterday morning C noticed a pool of water in the basement crawl-space below the staircase in the back of the house. I had a look myself and witnessed water gushing through the brick wall.
ZUT ALORS!!
We grabbed some towels and shop-vac and sucked up what we could before the vac gave out. At that point C called the accountant who was due to arrive an a few hours to work on our taxes. If anything trumps taxes, a flood in the house would be it.
The water gushing through the bricks eventually stopped and what was left of the water receded, I guess into the floor or somewhere. I'm really not surprised about the flood considering the amount of snow and water there has been this past winter and spring. There's also a hint of musty smell in that area from time to time so I suspect that there's been a leak for longer than we think. We've just never seen any water coming through the wall.
We managed to get a hold of a basement waterproofing contractor who can come by on Thursday at the earliest to have a look. Of course we're in peak water in the house emergency season so we have to wait our turn. I left a message with another contractor, but the other guys come highly recommended by a friend of ours.
I have a feeling the reapair is going to be major. Waterproofing usually is, isn't it? Anyway, Thursday's assessment will tell all.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Leaky pipe AGAIN!
C noticed a splotch of someting under the sink again last weekend.
Zut Alors!
We never did get the leak fixed last year because it stopped on it's own somehow. But now it's back. It's so weird. Why does the pipe drip a few times and them stop?
Maybe we should just spear some silicone caulking around it once and for all and be done with it.
Still, so weird!!
Zut Alors!
We never did get the leak fixed last year because it stopped on it's own somehow. But now it's back. It's so weird. Why does the pipe drip a few times and them stop?
Maybe we should just spear some silicone caulking around it once and for all and be done with it.
Still, so weird!!
Eaves continued
I spoke to Pierce from Tip Top Trough yesterday to get a quote for the repairs that have to be done. Nice guy and he seems honest so I haven't bothered to get other quotes. I did read a bunch of reviews about the company beforehand and they were all positive, so why not?
Now that we're well into rain season, I just want to get the work done asap, so no need to shop around.
Weather permitting they should be coming by end of next week to get the job done. It's nice to get another project crossed off the list. It's also nice to ge this done before the neighbours start to complain about all the water that gushes over the side of our house during a big rain. I don't ever want to be responsible for someone elses basement flood.
Now that we're well into rain season, I just want to get the work done asap, so no need to shop around.
Weather permitting they should be coming by end of next week to get the job done. It's nice to get another project crossed off the list. It's also nice to ge this done before the neighbours start to complain about all the water that gushes over the side of our house during a big rain. I don't ever want to be responsible for someone elses basement flood.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Electronics
C and I made an emergency trip to Futureshop this weekend to buy a new printer. We needed to print a parking pass and we already asked the neighbough last weekend. The old one suffered an ink leak and I have no idea how to clean it up, nor the patience or time to figure it out.
I suspect that the last time I got the cartridge refilled it wasn't closed properly, or I didn't install it properly and cyan blue got into the cartridge area and messed up the other cartridges.
Turns out that a brand new printer that comes with brand new ink cartridges costs less that a full pack of new cartridge replacements for the old printer. I actually knew that already, but somehow it took this long to get ourselves over to Futureshop. We're a bit lazy when it comes to electronic upgrades.
And since we were there we picked up a new keyboard too. The old one had a few sticky keys - I suspect because of the tea spill incident a few months back. This new one is super slim and super quiet. No more need to type quietly so as not to wake Lauren in the next room.
With all these new peripherals, our 4 year old computer is suddenly looking ancient. Never mind though. The last thing I want to spend more money on right now is a new computer, so fingers crossed that it keeps on keeping on.
I suspect that the last time I got the cartridge refilled it wasn't closed properly, or I didn't install it properly and cyan blue got into the cartridge area and messed up the other cartridges.
Turns out that a brand new printer that comes with brand new ink cartridges costs less that a full pack of new cartridge replacements for the old printer. I actually knew that already, but somehow it took this long to get ourselves over to Futureshop. We're a bit lazy when it comes to electronic upgrades.
And since we were there we picked up a new keyboard too. The old one had a few sticky keys - I suspect because of the tea spill incident a few months back. This new one is super slim and super quiet. No more need to type quietly so as not to wake Lauren in the next room.
With all these new peripherals, our 4 year old computer is suddenly looking ancient. Never mind though. The last thing I want to spend more money on right now is a new computer, so fingers crossed that it keeps on keeping on.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The non cold
Just when I was taking notice that I have not been sick with anything for the past two months, I got a sore throat on Tuesday. Booooo...
It started with a strange sensation in my throat in Sunday, which I ignored. Monday was good, but on Tuesday there was definite irritation. I've been taking Oregano drops, gulping spoonfull sof honey and lathering Vicks on my nose and around my chest for the past few nights, which has helped, but today my nose has started to drip. It's evolving.
The thing about this cold is that it's so mild. I've had some doozeys in the past year, but this one is just present enough to be annoying. A little sore throat here, a little nasal drip there, a tiny bit of fatigue all around, but really not al lthat bad. Like I said, just annoying. I suppose this better than the full-blown variety.
Anyhoo... I'm hoping it will be short lived. I'd like to enjoy the upcoming weekend rather than spend it in bed.
It started with a strange sensation in my throat in Sunday, which I ignored. Monday was good, but on Tuesday there was definite irritation. I've been taking Oregano drops, gulping spoonfull sof honey and lathering Vicks on my nose and around my chest for the past few nights, which has helped, but today my nose has started to drip. It's evolving.
The thing about this cold is that it's so mild. I've had some doozeys in the past year, but this one is just present enough to be annoying. A little sore throat here, a little nasal drip there, a tiny bit of fatigue all around, but really not al lthat bad. Like I said, just annoying. I suppose this better than the full-blown variety.
Anyhoo... I'm hoping it will be short lived. I'd like to enjoy the upcoming weekend rather than spend it in bed.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Blue lipped mischief maker
I am constantly amazed at the amount of mischief a little kid can get into even when they're at arms length away.
The other day I was washing some dishes at the sink and had the dishwasher running while Lauren was buzzing around my feet. The dishwasher, by the way, is literally a foot away from the sink. After warning her not to touch the dishwasher buttons and swatting her away a few times so I wouldn't step on her, she suddenly burst out saying "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I looked down and noticed that the dishwasher "Start" button was blinking.
Of course I start my own outburst saying, "Oh no Lauren! What happened? What did you press?! What button did you press?!" which prompted more "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry", and then tears. I quickly realized that she managed to open the dishwasher door, so I closed it back into place and checked the floor for puddles. Thankfully no water got out and the washer continued its cycle as normal. I suppose Whirlpool had meddling toddlers in mind when they made this model.
Later that afternoon I was in the office with Lauren typing at the computer while she was playing with crayons and paper. Again, no more than a foot away from where I was sitting. I glanced over and saw that she had glue ink smeared all over her lips and fingers. And not just any ink. Lauren had gotten hold of the cue tips that I was using earlier to mop up ink that had spilled from a cartridge in my printer. The stuff stains badly (I myself already had blue stained hands) so of course I burst out saying "Oh no Lauren!" while she started up with "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" as I whisked her into the bathroom and proceeded to scrub her face and fingers. I noticed then that she had put the cue tips in her ears too.
The stuff finally came off after several minutes of vigorous scrubbing with lots of soap. Thank goodness I caught her in the act and the ink was still wet. Any longer and she would have had blue lips, fingers and ears for days.
Some parents say that they have eyes in the back of their head and can see everything. I'm still waiting for my extra eyes to sprout.
The other day I was washing some dishes at the sink and had the dishwasher running while Lauren was buzzing around my feet. The dishwasher, by the way, is literally a foot away from the sink. After warning her not to touch the dishwasher buttons and swatting her away a few times so I wouldn't step on her, she suddenly burst out saying "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I looked down and noticed that the dishwasher "Start" button was blinking.
Of course I start my own outburst saying, "Oh no Lauren! What happened? What did you press?! What button did you press?!" which prompted more "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry", and then tears. I quickly realized that she managed to open the dishwasher door, so I closed it back into place and checked the floor for puddles. Thankfully no water got out and the washer continued its cycle as normal. I suppose Whirlpool had meddling toddlers in mind when they made this model.
Later that afternoon I was in the office with Lauren typing at the computer while she was playing with crayons and paper. Again, no more than a foot away from where I was sitting. I glanced over and saw that she had glue ink smeared all over her lips and fingers. And not just any ink. Lauren had gotten hold of the cue tips that I was using earlier to mop up ink that had spilled from a cartridge in my printer. The stuff stains badly (I myself already had blue stained hands) so of course I burst out saying "Oh no Lauren!" while she started up with "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" as I whisked her into the bathroom and proceeded to scrub her face and fingers. I noticed then that she had put the cue tips in her ears too.
The stuff finally came off after several minutes of vigorous scrubbing with lots of soap. Thank goodness I caught her in the act and the ink was still wet. Any longer and she would have had blue lips, fingers and ears for days.
Some parents say that they have eyes in the back of their head and can see everything. I'm still waiting for my extra eyes to sprout.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
So it seems I was a bit quick in thinking that it would be an early biking season.
The city got a big 'ole dumping of snow last week. For the whole day it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was very impressive actually. I should have known though. I've lived through over 30 winters in this country and it's never really over until it's OVER. Like in May. Even though calendars everywhere had March 20 marked as "First Day of Spring".
Ah well. It does seem to be warming up a bit. Hopefully enough for me to pull out the bike for real by next week.
The city got a big 'ole dumping of snow last week. For the whole day it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was very impressive actually. I should have known though. I've lived through over 30 winters in this country and it's never really over until it's OVER. Like in May. Even though calendars everywhere had March 20 marked as "First Day of Spring".
Ah well. It does seem to be warming up a bit. Hopefully enough for me to pull out the bike for real by next week.
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