Reflection Pond in A Bedroom?!?

While it might sound peaceful to have a reflection pond in your bedroom, let me be the first to tell you....it's not!

And to answer a dear friends question, "Really, Tara Has to Move Again?"  The answer is YES!

Let's start at the beginning....

• On Wednesday, September 7, the toilets stopped working at the house (again).
• On Thursday, September 8, the plumber came, told me there was nothing wrong and got them working again.
  
• On Monday, September 12, the guest toilet stopped working. Then the kitchen sink began gurgling and smelled like a porta potty. We went to the master bathroom to see what was happening there and one toe into the master bedroom, we felt the water. It was a smooth layer of water about a quarter to a third inch deep across the bedroom floors. My entire bedroom was underwater. 
• I immediately emailed my landlord and texted him. Nothing. So then I called. He told me that I would have to wait until the morning so he could call the owner. I explained that restoration companies work 24 hours and his floors were getting ruined along with all of my stuff. I also explained that property management is 24 hours a day. 
• I got a call back, asking if he could come over. I told him yes. 
• Meanwhile, a friend came and was using his wet/dry vac to get at least 10 buckets of water out of my room. 
• The property manager came and just kept saying they had a great plumber and they just do not know what is going on. I told him that my friend, who is a master plumber suggested it may be a belly in a sewer pipe. The property manager told me that while my friend may have a master's degree, he had a Ph.D. and knows about plumbing. I tried to correct him and he would not stop talking. When he finally did, I explained that I didn't say master's degree, I said master plumber and I too had a doctoral degree, it wasn't about degrees, it was about a significant plumbing issue in the house. During this conversation, he asked what my plans were for the house - I told him leaving. He asked if I would consider leaving early, I said as long as I wasn't help liable absolutely. 
• They finally got a restoration company and he came out to the house at 1 AM. Oh what a night!
• I now refer to the old house as the Swine Pen, since pigs live in their own filth. Two weeks into living at the house, I had plumbing issues. I think three floods and at least five toilet back ups shows there is an issue. But I do not have a Master's in Plumbing so what do I know?!?
• On Tuesday, September 13, I put a move in motion. What was supposed to be a 7-8 week move turned into a 10-day move. Plumbers came to get the toilets working again; however, no camera.
• On Wednesday, September 14, day one of moving commenced (7 hours from arrival at the Swine Pen to departure of the new house). Flap was terrified of the movers so I had to put him on my lap for three hours so he could cuddle with me. Pan had to be next to me to keep her calm as well.
  

• On Thursday, September 15, a plumber came to camera the line. At first, he said he didn't see anything. Then he said, well there is a small belly and a small crack in the pipe. He also said it was very dirty around the entire 4" pipe, which would suggest a problem. He thought maybe on the city side. I told him the city came out in March/April and said their part of the line was clear. He said, well we really need to camera the line when it is clogged. I told him that I had suggested that multiple times but no one listened. He told me that the next time it happened, do not let anyone unclog the line until it has had a camera put in it. I told him that I was out of there so he needed to share that with the property manager.
• The next several days was spent moving small, do not lose in the move items to the new house. Packing things up. 
• On Monday, September 19, mom met the bug guy at my new house. He informed her that the yard had the biggest nest of compact carpenter ants he had ever seen. There were some in the house but he thinks he mitigated the situation - he will be back in two weeks so we will see. 
  
• On Thursday, September 22, day two of moving commenced (8 hours total). Mom and I then did a second run to the house to get the cats and some stuff. The cats were hunkered in the closet, scared to come out but eventually we wrangled up all three.

• Once everyone was in their carriers, we headed to the house for our first night. 

• The cats were of course terrified with all of the water and the different people coming and going. When we got the house last night, Flap disappeared for the majority of the night and the girls cautiously started emerging. Not even lobster treats got them out.  I woke up at 3 AM to find Flap sleeping next to me and Pan on the floor in her box close by. Marmalade was across the room.
  

• It only took a day and everyone is exploring and hanging out.
• Late Friday, September 23, my landlord (after four days of deliberation and two emails) decided they would take back the house on Monday so they could begin demolition work early. I had to spend the late afternoon/early evening calling all of the utility companies to get things turned off but as of Monday morning at 9:30 the nightmare of the Hell House/Swine Pen will be behind me.
  

Of all of the moves in my life, while it was a whirlwind, it went smoothly. Thank goodness mom has retired because she has done the heavy lifting. I am very thankful for everything she did, even though I had to tell her to take it easy sometimes because she was trying to do everything herself. The moving crew was great - very polite, respectful of my things and the houses, hardworking, young men. While they would prefer that I have less books, I have been hearing that every move, they did tell my mom that this was a very organized move, even though it felt very chaotic. 

I need to stop making plans...they always go in a different direction. I was able to help more in this move then the one 11 months ago; however, I could definitely feel the effects. I am taking things one day at a time and know that it will all work out.

For tonight . . . I'm just sayin' XOXO