Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Things Fall Apart

I mentioned that so many things went wrong last week that I didn’t even know where to begin. But the week is over now and I’m not going to whine about it all.

I will tell you a funny story, though.

After I show you some icy scenes taken on the property last Wednesday.

 

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The ice that came last week was damaging to so many areas around us. But where I live, we didn’t have much damage and it had melted by late morning. When I was coming home from running some errands, the only ice that could be seen was up at the top of the hill where we live.

 

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I decided that I’d better get out and get some photos while the getting was good.

In the photo above, you can see some equipment left over from the power line repair that had to be made earlier in the week.

 

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It really was pretty.

And our power had come on by this time, so that was great.

 

 

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On Thursday, however, as I sat at the doctor’s office for a check-up, I received a text from my son. He informed me that he’d just cleaned up a big flood on the kitchen floor from the washer that had overflowed. He said he’d used every dry towel in the house but he got it done. He checked the washer hose and it was backing up from the drainpipe into the house, so he texted to tell me that I might want to call the plumber.

Yay. Immediately, I felt my blood pressure rise.

My son had to pick me up from the doctor’s office when I was done, because he’d borrowed my car that day to get to work. So when he picked me up (and after I had called the plumber), I then asked him what he’d done with all the wet towels. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” he told me, “I took care of everything.”

“Yeah, but what did you do?” I asked him. I told him I was thinking of putting them all into a couple of laundry baskets lined with our biggest plastic trash liners. And he said he’d had a better idea. And that I would see.

When we pulled up, I was appalled to see that he’d lined up all the towels along the concrete walkway that leads from where we park the cars to the mudroom door. My good set of Ralph Lauren white towels plus all of the towels we use on a regular basis were lined in a row and I said, “Noooo!” We then had some words about it and I decided to just let it go after trying to get them off the ground and realizing they were already frozen to it. So we walked on them. And the team of plumbers walked on them the next morning when they came to fix the kitchen water line. It was the end of a very long and lousy week and I just felt like I didn’t even even care any more.

On Friday, I texted my son before I came home from work to tell him that I didn’t care what he did to get them up, but I want my towels off the walkway by the time I come home. And when I arrived, there they were – all piled up against the house – like so many boards of wood. It was so ridiculous that it made me laugh out loud.

And that night, I stayed up until I had every last one of them clean. And I just want to thank the stars and the moon for Tide laundry detergent. That’s all I’m sayin’.

 

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Here’s wishing everyone a good week to come ~

123 Signature[5]

48 comments:

Annie said...

I'm laughing because I can see the frozen towels all lined up. Sounds exactly like something my son would do. I actually have "good" dish towels hidden in my bedroom. I only bring them out when he's gone so I can protect them from stains, burns, and chemical experiments. Love your stories and pictures. Hope your sense of humor survived the crummy week.

Connie in Hartwood said...

Oh, Kate, you poor thing. What a week you have had. Your optimistic attitude is contagious, and I intend to channel it when things here get tough. Good night, sweet dreams, and I hope tomorrow is the start of a much better run of luck.

Cloudia said...

*Fuming* *Speechless*

Admiring your saving humor






ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

=^..^= <3

jinxxxygirl said...

Oh NOOO! You didn't get a picture of that??? LOL! Hugs! deb

Michelle said...

What a beautiful lady cardinal photo!

And here I've been hoping my son might gain some common sense and wisdom as he gets older…. :-/

Custom Comforts said...

That is so funny, but not. I feel your pain. Kids often have the best intentions, but not the experience to back them. So hope your week gets better. You gave us a good laugh and mental pictures of towels stacked up like boards. I'm still smiling.
Cindy

Jill of All Trades said...

I am so sorry. Sorry for the "flood" and towel fiasco and I'm sorry for LAUGHING! Oh my, you just have to laugh don't you. Here's to warmer days!

Anonymous said...

It just goes to show what a huge difference there is between a male brain and a female brain when it comes to problem solving. Thank God for Ralph Lauren either way. LOL

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

Well I've got a story similar to yours to tell today... give me a few minutes...come on over and have a good... laugh?

*sigh*

Kerri Farley said...

Hoping things "Fall Together" instead of Apart soon!!
We have a big storm headed our way.....I hope you are not in it's path!!

Kerri Farley said...

And I meant to add......LOVELY captures :)

Sheila said...

What a week you have had. I think you should send your story into "that's my Tide" moment. Great images!

Country Gal said...

It's not funny but it is in a way lol .
Oh Kate frozen good towels and backed up washer pipe that flooded the kitchen I would of had a bird then laughed about it lol . I am glad I could of sent my Papa over for free to fix the pipe and get rid of the clog he did ours a few years ago . I hope your week goes better . Awesome photos ! Thanks for sharing . Have a good day !

JaneK said...

What? No picture of the board towels?
Definitely one of those weeks that is only funny in retrospect.
Have a better week :-)

thotlady said...

Beautiful photo of the cardinal. At least I think it's a cardinal. Lovely.

That is such a man solution. Yikes!

Nancy said...

It's the male mind and the way they think.....Sorry you had such an awful time but glad you got them all clean....

Your ice shots are fantastic and the cardinal is beautiful....

Daryl said...

what? no pictures of the towel boards?

i would laugh but really its not ha ha funny

xox

it's me said...

I have 2 sons(on their own now)--but I am not sure they would even have tried to clean up the mess when they were here. Maybe not even notice it.

Nice photos of the ice covered trees--glad you didn't have much damage. Last time we had 8 inches of snow we lost many mature trees and branches from weight of the frozen precipitation.

Nancy said...

Bless your son for taking care of it all. xo

Anonymous said...

Oh honey...that is so awful and funny at the same time. I'm sorry...but happy that the towels are clean. Boys....they just don't get it...

RURAL said...

Oh Kate, my heart goes out to you, at least after it stopped laughing at the situation. Men, and agh....

It's always the cherished items that they grab when something is needed for a quick clean up.

And I can sympathize, we've just finished dealing with the backed up laundry line, resulting in a new found friendship with our plumber. He's on speed dial....

I hope it all goes well.

Jen

Low Tide High Style said...

Your icy images are lovely, and that female cardinal shot...sigh! I'm sorry about your towels, but I'm thinking in 10 years this will be one of those "remember the time" moments when you all laugh about it!

xo Kat

donna baker said...

Oh, Kate, wish I could hug you. Those sorts of things will kill me. I simply cannot deal. We've had snow on the ground for weeks and though it will all melt by the weekend, it will be a mucky mess for some time. It just doesn't do that around here. Anyway, I got a generator installed for my peace of mind after 2 ice storms. Don't ever want to go 8 days without electricity ever again.

Hilary said...

I was scrolling down patiently to see the picture of the frozen towels leaning up against the house......but nope. I will have to visualize it myself. :)

Lisa Gordon said...

Much funnier retospectivly than in the moment, I am sure! Glad everything has settled down for you now. :-)

Lee Owenby said...

Can't believe you didn't take a photo of the towels. Love the story and the photos - 3rd from the top and the bird are my favorites.

Anonymous said...

You have to love having boys though! Sometimes I just look at mine and wonder what goes through their minds. It's funny though to think of him pulling and peeling them off the frozen ground. :)

I do hope this week is better for you. xo

Nellie said...

Oh, Kate! I believe I would not have handled this as well as you did! I hope the towels have returned to their original beauty with all your special care. Hugs, Nellie

wayne15575 said...

Oh, Katie, the trials and tribulations of being a home owner....LOL. See you tomorrow.

Linda said...

Oh my. I guess it could have been so much worse. Glad it was just towels and a small quickly fixed plumbing issue.

Jeanne Walker said...

Not funny now...but will be a funny story to tell in the future! Men just don't think like us women folk! Love the photo of the Lady...cardinal red is such an awesome color! Seeing the icy trees reminds me of two ice storms we live through in Mississippi...not so much fun! Happy Week to you!

leahtbug said...

I love it! Why? Because my sons would have done the same thing and I would have done the same thing as you. Men and women think so differently!!! I love your blog, just gotta say.

Reena said...

Oh my! This is so sad that all one can do is laugh. Why do men do such stupid things like this??? And of course, we end up with the mess to clean up. I am absolutely amazed you were able to get them clean. But oh the misery!
Love that last cardinal!

Candace said...

Somehow I think this may have been the solution for many members of the male species. Beautiful photos but I'll pass on the ice...and snow...and cold...

Hilary said...

Oh my .. the towels. What are you doing with white anything when you have sons? That lapse in.. thinking. We call it Manbrain.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Glad you can now see the funny side of it Kate. I don't expect he will ever do anything like that again in a hurry!

sharon said...

Aren't sons just wonderful!! Sounds something like what my son would do. Such a darling he is. And he thought he was being so creative. :)

Carolynn Anctil said...

Men have a different perspective about alot of things...at least you can laugh about it. It's a good thing your son was there to avert the worst of the disaster, anyway.

That cardinal is a cutie. Love them!

Debbie From Illinois said...

Guys sure have a different way of thinking. I am glad it all worked out in the end and your towels survived!

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

I can relate.

Just today I rescued two board-like towels that had been rammed into shallow cardboard boxes by a well meaning sister or other family member thinking one of the outdoor cats was going to use them. Uh, no. The towels were stuck to the cardboard, so I had to bring them inside (box and all) to dry in the bathtub where they remain until I have the energy to face them again. Which may be spring at this rate. At least I only had two to deal with.

You have my utmost sympathies.

Sabrina Steyling said...

Oh you definitely should have gotten a photo of those stiffened towels! But your son did make the effort, so he gets kudos for that, right?

...and for making you laugh at the absurdity of it all :)

JC said...

Boys. Men. Mine would have done the same.

My Mom used to tell me, if the house is still standing and the cats and dogs are ok, everything is fine.

GailO said...

I honestly cannot imagine why your son would lay them out along the walk?! What could he have been thinking!

Hope you fared well over today's snowstorm...It is finally starting to get to me:(

The JR said...

oh lordy......I don't think my heart would have made it thru that towel incident!

mrs mediocrity said...

Oh my, that shouldn't have made me laugh out loud, but it did. Oh my gosh... boys are such dorks sometimes.
I can totally see my son doing something just like that.

And you got them all clean!! Wow!

I hope your troubles are all behind you and that you have a nice relaxing weekend. xoxo

Lili said...

Oh now I want to see the towel boards...I can certainly picture them though. So glad it was good for a laugh to balance out the rough week you had. Yay Tide! Yes I especially love my Tide too and the Co. that makes it even more. xoxo

Stephen Andrew said...

Oh my god. Please have a glass of wine. You deserve it. This winter is starting to take its toll on all of us I think. Picturing the frozen towels leaning like boards...I'm sorry but I am laughing with you on that one:

forgetmenot said...

Beautiful wintry scenes--and that cardinal is awesome. Mickie ;)