Posts in.....posts out and other stuff

So let's see where we were.....this time last week we were ever so excited because the posts were completed and we were awaiting the amazing carpenter that was going to create my masterpiece. Last Saturday morning, Hubby and I were sitting in our backyard admiring the posts when up pulls a truck with 3 guys to the front of our house.

It's them! They had finally arrived! I was sooooo excited! The deck was finally just a few nails short of complete!

Yeah, not so much! Carpenter and his crew load all of the materials into the backyard and then they begin to measure and discuss and suddenly there was silence and head shaking. :(

That's right folks! Why should anything be easy for me? The sub-contractors that installed the posts were idiots and according to the Carpenter they were all wrong! Not aligned, all different heights and all in need of being dug up to start again!

Can you say F*CK?

I can! In many different tones and levels of loudness!

Yesterday they dug up the posts, they dug new holes (that are like 4 feet wide and 4 feet deep!) making my backyard look like moonscape! Honestly, who could dream up this shit! This morning the inspector came to re-inspect the holes and everything is fine. Apparently the Carpenter is coming to frame the deck and put up the fence tomorrow and will finish it on Thursday....

I'll believe it when I see it!

Today our new stainless steel Weber BBQ got delivered! Yay for that! We won't be using it until the deck gets done but....well it's gonna be nice to look at!!

On another unhappy note, I've booked the appointment for our poor old girl to be put to rest. She's doing some crazy shit that can't go on much longer. In her vomit the other day we found an old washrag that she had eaten! She's sleeping in my closet and because she doesn't want to go downstairs to relieve herself, she's just going and doing both on my side of the bed on the opposite side of the room. Now we have no carpeting, just hardwood; but I object to getting up to go pee in the middle of the night and stepping in wet or squishiness, if you know what I mean!

So tomorrow at 3:30 pm we will say our final goodbyes and wait with her as she goes for her final sleep.

I'm very sad and yet relieved that she won't be suffering anymore!

This weekend is a long weekend for me and I soooo need it. I've arranged for DD#1 to stay home for the weekend and watch over DD#3 and make sure she gets to work and back etc....so that Hubby and I can go away to a friend's cottage for the weekend.

So, a very busy week ahead, leading to another busy week next week when bathroom reno's begin and the roof gets done!

Maybe some time I'll be able to really enjoy all this new stuff at home! Maybe.....

Just the posts and nothing but the posts!!!

My frustration levels are mounting. The rise of bile from my tummy each morning as I survey my backyard and see our progress on the deck increases to the point where one day....when the contractor finally arrives I will probably toss my cookies right on to his big ole workboots!

So where were we the last time we spoke....oh yeah, it was a happy day and the sun was shining....
Fast forward to this morning.

Today, I have 8 cement posts in my backyard. No deck. No fence. Just posts.

Want to do a quick flashback and hear the story? If so...just keep reading..if not, stop for the love of all that is sacred!

Last Wednesday when I went to get my building permit that they had told me was ready, I was surprised by a lovely gentlemen that informed me that I required yet another type of permit and this one came along with a significant requirement in the form of a $200 fee, a $1,500 deposit and yet another 12-14 business days wait time. It was 4pm. I was caught off guard and just burst into tears....poor front desk man, watching this 45 year old woman blubbering at his desk must have given him nightmares for a week! By the time I had caught my breath, composed myself somewhat and was able to actually talk it was 4:30 and the Town's offices were closed for business...this was gonna be a miserable night!

When I got home that night, I called our town councilor and explained to him that I was confused by this whole permit process and I really couldn't understand why oh why hadn't they just said something in May when I applied for the building permit that I might require this Site Alteration permit because we were changing the grade of the land? I mean it was right there in the plans, removing grass replacing with rock, building the hot tub platform by raising the grade 20 inches in a 7x7 foot area. Had I known, I would have made the application the same day! I was actually beside myself! Our councilor agreed and said he would see what he could do the next morning. The other thing I noted upon reading the building permit was the steps that had to be inspected..the first inspection is due once the holes for the deck are dug (before the cement is poured!) Now, I have officially broken the law of building inspectors everywhere! AHHHHH! More tears followed for hours after that discovery! I'm probably the most honest numbskull out there...I mean really I now know why folks don't get a permit for a deck!



On Thursday morning prior to my meeting in the city, I went to the town offices to submit the application and make the necessary payments. When I walked into the offices the poor guy at the front desk just looked at me with fear all over his face that this crazy woman had returned to cry at his desk. I had to giggle a bit and soothe his fear. I told him everything was fine. I understood the requirement. I had come to make the application and pay to get the process rolling again. I apologized for soaking his stationary, creating the electrical hazard with the pool of tears so close to his desktop computer the previous day and he said he completely understood my frustration. He even said he was going to try and see what he could do to speed things up. Next stop, building permit office to break the news that I jumped the gun and had the posts done complete with cement....need some advice here gentlemen! We made an appointment for the building inspector to come out the next day. There I would have to explain to him how much of a building code moron I am!

On to my meeting...

When I returned to my office at noon after my meeting, I called home to see if there were any messages from the town councilor. He had called to let me know he was playing telephone tag with the person he intended to speak to but he still had hopes that he could speed the process.

At 4:00 my office phone rang...Hi, this is the Town calling to tell you your permit is ready for pick up! OMG somebody was definitely looking out for me! When I went in to get the actual permit the nice man behind the desk just smiled and after I jumped across the desk and laid a big smooch on him I thanked him profusely! (I didn't really smooch him, but I thought about it!!) He just smiled and said, enjoy your weekend ma'am, good luck with your deck!

The next morning the inspector came and I explained how I had moved way to fast in my excitement and I told him that we had honestly had been trying to do everything within the letter of the law and never had I thought this would be such a complicated process. He laughed at me and showed me his little appointment scheduler that said the following:

"very nice lady, needs advice"

He passed my posts for the inspection and told us he was going to leave the note on the file!

Aimee and I just laughed!

Anyway, that should have been a great funny story to tell the grandkids about but the damn saga continues and because of the possibility of having to wait for the permit my contractor cancelled delivery of the materials last week and moved on to start another job. I'm hoping I can do something to lure them back to me this week cause the hot tub is supposed to be going in on Friday!

Ah, the joys of renovating!!

In the meantime, last Wednesday night DD#1 and her man asked me to go with them and his parents to look at a house they were thinking of buying. We went and it was absolutely beautiful. They put in an offer, rec'd a counter offer from the seller and they are now the proud owners of a beautiful home that they will take possession of at the end of July provided the house passes the building inspection tonight. We've asked my Dad to be there during the home inspection so that Jen's interests are protected (and so my Mom can go and have a look at the house) We don't expect any problems there! I will post pictures of her new house at a later date (maybe I'll have pictures of my finished deck then, LOL)

So for now, that's all I got....
Have a bright sun shining day!

Finally getting somewhere!

Today is a pretty good day!

Woke up this morning, showered, coffee on and contractor in the yard!! YAY!!!! All this before 7:15 am. Honestly, who could ask for anything more?

Today work has finally begun on my backyard refuge. This is good news as I was really concerned that Hubby might become homicidal if they didn't start soon! The posts are getting dug and placed for start of fence and deck! This soothes the Beast that is my husband

Doctor's appointment this morning provided a little mind rest for me! Mammogram came out clear. The ultrasound not so clear but certainly with much better outcome than first imagined. I have a number of cysts that an upcoming appointment with a surgeon will be biopsied and also another test called a ductogram. This will indicate which ducts may have a problem and require removal which can be handled in day surgery. Overall....very good news I think!

Tonight I am going with my eldest daughter and her man (and his parents) to see the house that they are putting in an offer to purchase on. It's a very nice semi-detached in a really good neighbourhood and they are very excited. That makes me excited for her!

Today is turning into a bright sunshiney day!!

Hope yours is too!!

No News is ....just that....NO NEWS!

I'm tired. Yup, I'm emotionally spent.

The last month has been one of many ups and downs.

Our old girl (the dog) was diagnosed as terminal and she's still kicking around and pooping where ever she has to....even in my dining room, YUCK! Makes me crazy but I totally understand husbands feelings on it and for now we will let her live out these final days in peace.


My backyard masterpiece has not yet begun! Delay after delay are making me fricking crazy! The first day the crew was to show up...nothing! Why you ask (me too!) Well apparently water skiing isn't the safe and fun sport that we might think it is and the lead carpenter broke his foot and is out of commission for 6 weeks or so. No problem, I say, find another carpenter! Another carpenter was found and now further delay's have cropped up...first, the project coordinator forgot to call the utility companies to have line searches done...you know the whole call before you dig thing....it's important. Well that took a further 3 days because everyone and their grandmother is doing construction right now and they are super busy! So now that is complete and the post holes are supposed to go in today...

I officially hate the Weather Guy! That's right that really attractive face on tv that tells me it's gonna rain today (thunderstorms in fact) and what do you wanna bet my holes ain't gonna be dug today! Tomorrow it's supposed to be nice and the posts could be done then...but Friday it's gonna rain again!

AAHHHHHHHHHH!

My hot tub is in! Good news right! Great news in fact, except that I don't have a deck to put it on and all these delays mean that the tub is not being delivered until Friday the 20th!

All of this is making things tense at home! Husband is saying things that he doesn't mean just because he's frustrated. This in turn makes me even more anxious about everything and as I said...I just can't take much more. I hate that I drive home after work at night and use that time to cry! I'm not generally a crybaby but I don't think there has been a dry drive home in two weeks. It's almost like I can't stand to face what waits for me next at home!

Last weekend we played in what was to be the chance to win my Vegas vacation for this year. That's right, our 8 ball team was playing in the regionals for the grand prize, the all expenses paid trip to Vegas...we failed miserably! I played and lost and then two of my team mates followed me and did the same thing. Within 4 hours all the work that we had put in over the year was gone...yup, just like that! I cried that night and I'm still actually bitter about it.

This weekend the Girls 9 ball team enters into the same competition for the same prize and I can assure you.....we will be playing to achieve a much different outcome! There will be no sad tears dammit!!! Only tears of joy!

Okay, the last thing that's been causing me grief is the whole booby issue... I went for the mammogram and ultrasound as scheduled. That is not supposed to be a comfortable experience and trust me it met expectations. Nothing like flattening the girls and seeing what's up! The ultra sound should have been a relatively non-event except that the little bimbo technician taking care of it couldn't keep her mouth shut and half way through decided that she would ask me a question that would send me into hysterics.... what could she possibly ask that would make you hysterical you ask?? Are you ready? ....

" So, are you here just checking to see if your cancer has spread further?"

Yup....this sent me into tears and her into apology mode. Anyway, my doctor says she had no business saying a thing! She's a technician that knows nothing and is not trained to diagnose. My Doctor was reporting her and although I feel bad that she may lose her job....well I feel bad for anyone that may have to suffer that kind of stupid question.

I don't have the results from my tests yet. Tomorrow morning I go to see my Doctor and we'll see what's going on. This is another thing that is making me crazy and another reason that I cry each night. The uncertainty that comes with all of this is very stressful, mix it in with everything else and I've decided that I need a planner. Kind of like a Wedding Planner...you know they come in, they see what you have to accomplish and they make it happen. My planner would be a "Fix my Life Planner".

Anyone want the job? Let me know and I'll send you the job description.

Keep Smiling Friends....cause it will make me feel better if at least someone is!