— was that the world was about to go slightly nuts. Like this:
0900: Awakened by Beemer. Feed cats. Shower, dress, eat a little something, spend the time until approximately 1200 puttering around the Web, tidying website, etc.
1200ish: Peter wakes up. More showering, dressing, eating. Peter points out to me small waterspot he’s noticed in the bedroom ceiling. “Might be a leak in the roof,” he says. “I’ll take a look at that later… it doesn’t look serious.”
1400ish: We drive over to Fountains and Decor in Dublin to get the pond supplies and pond plants I’ve been wanting. Score numerous marginals, including some nice water iris, and also (something I didn’t think I’d find there) two gorgeous topiary “standard” bay trees and pots for them, to go by either side of the front door. Also a new enzymatic/bacterial anti-algae formulation to kill “blanketweed” in pond. (The stuff is a nuisance: with these long days’ worth of sunlight, and the speed at which the stuff grows, I have to clean out the pond pump every other day, sometimes every day.)
1700ish: Return home in triumph. Stick most plants into “shallow end” of pond to be dealt with tomorrow, put others in shallow dishes of water. Introduce magic anti-blanketweed stuff to pond via filterbox. Peter goes upstairs to take a look at the waterspot through the attic access in the upstairs bathroom.
1715: Phone rings. Editor calls to let me know that copyedited manuscript for Wizard’s Holiday is on its way. Says he likes book, too. A lot. In the middle of this very pleasant phone call, which frankly could have gone on for another hour or so before I got tired of it (if indeed then), hollering comes from upstairs: “GET ME A POT RIGHT NOW!”
Uh oh. Drop phone in cat bed, race upstairs with saucepan. Find perspiring husband trying to shut down leak (which broke loose bigtime as soon as he touched it) from joint between cold-water storage tank and hose that leads to the well outside. Give husband pot. Husband places pot, runs downstairs, throws master circuitbreaker for house to kill power to well pump.
Fish phone out of cat bed, say goodbye to editor (with intense regret). Call landlord. Landlord promises to call plumber first thing in the morning. (And does, too. He’s a super landlord.)
1800-0845: Power restored to house…but not water: P finds the circuitbreaker that handles the pump, shuts it down. Funny how sometimes you can skip a shower, if you’re busy, but if you want one and can’t have it, life becomes unlivable. Ditto re: drinking water, etc.
0500 this morning or thereabouts: Husband comes to bed, says his lateness is my fault because I wrote a good book which kept him up reading. At this time of day, my only possible response is: “Yeah, big deal, tell me all about it sometime when I’m conscious.”
0830: Wake up suddenly (once again, cat has failed to get me up at 0600, but maybe this is a good thing.) Realize the plumber is going to be here any moment, and besides that, numerous things are scheduled to be delivered: chair, plants from Fountains & Decor, MS. via FedEx, etc. Leap from bed and start tidying the place. (Should have done this yesterday.) Urge husband also to leap from bed and start tidying the place. Response not unprintable in reality, but I can hear P. even when he’s got the silencer on. Nonetheless, husband leaps from bed and also starts tidying. All things not good for plumber to see (i.e. much piled-up laundry, many unshelved books, etc) thrown into P’s office with great speed and door shut. Husband pulls on clothing, lies down again to resume sleep.
Tea cannot be made because there is no water. In slightly grim mood, go out to fishpond to feed fish. Mood changes to utter shock to discover that fish are in exactly three inches of water and looking most bemused. Where did all the water go since yesterday??!! Discover that after dosing pond filter box with magic anti-algal stuff, box was not replaced in proper position to make sure that all water re-enters pond properly. Since approximately 5 PM yesterday, pond has been quietly emptying itself down the back of the pond shell.
Because water is cut off from house before well to keep cold-tank leak under control, pond cannot be refilled until plumber arrives. Bubble positions her small interested self on stones surrounding pond and gazes down at fish which are now in only three inches of water instead of three feet of it. Tempt Bubble inside with kitty milk. Bubble drinks milk, returns to fish. Several times.
Reflect that it’s an ill wind, etc., and that with only three inches of water in the pond, this is a good time to plant in the marginals along the back (unreachable when the pond is full). Do so. This also protects fish from Bubble.
0900: Plumber arrives. Thank Herself! Plumber fixes leak in approximately five minutes, departs. Pump turned back on. Water again, hurray! Now we can have tea. But first run outside to start refilling fishpond.
0915: Peter checks leak one more time, just to make sure, then goes to have shower. Discovers that only hot water works…no cold. Hear him thinking things, in great detail, silencer or no silencer. (This is, after all, the same plumber who installed our shower cubicle upside down.)
0918: Aeron chair arrives at last. Much joy, for about two minutes. There are things more important than chairs right now. We both want a shower a lot.
0920: Peter disassembles shower. Nothing wrong with that.
0940: Peter goes into attic space, discovers that plumber shut off cold water feed to shower while working on tank, forgot to turn it back on. P now does so. Cold water now running to shower. Hurray!
1000: Unbox chair. Chair is wonderful. Hurray! Mail arrives. Mail contains check for recently written short story. Hurray!
1015: Fountains and Decor calls. Bay trees (now potted) will be delivered today. Hurray!
1100: Finally have cup of tea. Sit down in chair for first time. Pond is full again. Hurray!
Sheesh. It’s a good thing I didn’t have anything to do today…
