Plumber arrived...and it's a BAD break where I thought it was (under the window), but it extends towards the sink and access there is through the bedroom closet -- which IS a problem. The tub enclosure might have to come off, too, but that's held on by screws not cement so that's no real problem.

Sigh.

But moving everything in the that needs to be moved to get to the bedroom closet should actually get me closer to my ultimate goal of beating the bedroom into submission. The problem is that our house is like the kid's game with the numbered squares and one empty square...only we've never had the empty square. And the closet itself is a problem that I've not been willing to face for awhile. First I have to clean up the flying squirrel shit. Then I have to move one wall of videotapes. I have NO idea where they're going, even temporarily. More than likely, stuff is going to have to be stored on the bed. Which means that, since the guest room bed is also cluttered and unavailable, looks like I'll be sleeping downstairs on the recliner for a few nights. It's a very comfortable recliner, so that's not really a hardship...just different.

My sensible plumber (you have no idea how grateful I am that he replaced the shutoffs last spring!!!) would prefer to put off the repair until any possible frozen bits of pipe are unfrozen and either broken or not broken (Friday or Saturday), so he can fix it all at once (instead of having several possible crises to fix over several days).

I can live with no water in the bathroom for a few days. We have a composting toilet and this is one of the REALLY good times to have a composting toilet! And I'll call my hair stylist and go there to get my hair washed, maybe tomorrow. But all the moving in the bedroom is the opposite side of the room from the problem I've been working on, which is clearing out stuff in front of the trunk, moving the trunk and the chair and cleaning out the cat poop (Sabine being upset with Rufus's confiscation of HER litter box), then rearranging the trunk so I can put a litter box between the trunk and the dresser. No, there is no way to keep the cat(s) out from under the eves or out of the bedroom...

I just put plastic between the pages of the one important paper item that got soaked. I mostly lucked out, especially as far as all the current important papers on the table, but the booklet for the large model of the Globe Theatre (in the cellar) that I'd like to sell was in the bookcase and took a hit. I cut up some plastic bags and put the pieces between each page so they won't stick together. When it's dry, I can iron the pages... Tom's yearbooks only got wet on the edges.

Jeri and I were going to go see "The Hobbit" today... She, by the way, is fighting a couple mechanical problems in her car and with her internet/phone set up. So she is currently offline and will be offline until probably Friday (or Monday).

I'm exhausted. And it's not even two o'clock... (But at least I just had a nice lunch.)

Linn