No, I’m not kidding actually, and I mean that literally! Before you assume we are idiots, well ok so we are idiots, but lets just pretend for a minute that we aren’t and let us be in peace ok? I mean really we’ve done enough self deprecation already. Besides could a genuine idiot use a word that big in a blog post? I think not.
We had a small soft spot in the floor, and Beau went under and saw nothing, and I mean NOTHING. So we thought it must just be a weak place in the floor. Then over a few weeks the floor just collapsed. So we started pulling it up and found a really scary big mess.
Apparently some previous owner, had put down a layer of particle board OVER the plywood sub-floor. This made for a very sound floor, BUT also sandwiched a sponge between layers of flooring, which as I found out is very very bad.
Our homeowners insurance (bless you Lana) covered part of the damage. Our policy didn’t cover small continuous leaks, but did cover big gushing leaks. Basically I was at her mercy and she was VERY generous, because as I pointed out to her several times she could have just denied our claim and nobody could argue with it. But she didn’t, so for anyone shopping for home owners insurance I have to recommend State Farm. They really were like a good neighbor!
The dishwasher apparently was leaking, and so the sub-floor was ruined, and also the floor joists. At this point we realized that we had to replace the sub-floor, the joists, the stringers, and half the WALL, as well as the STUDS. ugh. We were just sick at this point. But we rallied and both of us were big enough to not do any finger pointing. In fact I have to say that this project went so smoothly, with very little fighting over the actual project. Most of the fighting was over my in ability to deal with the mess in the rest of the house. The mess in the kitchen was bad enough though
My Dad was kind enough to come help and after a few days, the joists were replaced, and two stringers, and half the wall. It was hard work, and I was so tired, so was my Dad and Beau. Although I noted at one point that it seemed at least one of us was doing a lot of sitting around?
Ok, well maybe just sitting anywhere AT ALL would do this, I was just funning.
Here is the hard working man, with the fruits of his labor. I did most of the tearing out, because he has a mold allergy, and gets sometimes very severe bronchitis, so I did as much as I could to limit his exposure. I let him do this part though. I went sheep shopping to relieve my stress. Mary Wick, my friend bought a lovely little ram from Malinda, Minwawe Tornado. This was quite the foreshadowing, as you will see shortly.
Here we actually are putting down new sub-floor. We were so happy! You don’t know what you got, till it’s gone as they say. That is poignantly true with floors. See! And idiot would never use THAT word either. But anyone who had water gushing out their dishwasher and didn’t KNOW it seems to be an idiot to me….dunno just saying. In our, well really my defense, I don’t really mind if people think Beau is an idiot, the water was running UNDER the vynal flooring, so we had NOT A CLUE! Beau isn’t an idiot either, and not only can he use those words, but he probably knows how to spell them without assistance.
Looky how happy I am to be a proud floor owner again.
So, now I have bought new laminate flooring, and will be building new cuboards tomorrow. Beau bought me this trailer, well it’s his too, but I was so happy it was like my birthday or Christmas or something.
The goats of course love it. It doesn’t look like much, but we can clean it up fairly easily if we want. I’m just happy to have a way to go on trail rides!
It so happens that I was so down in the dumps I decided to buy myself 2 new ewes, so I emailed Minwawe to ask if she had any left. It so happens that I brought home five ewes, and two little boys.
Can you tell Whirlwind who is from Minwawe too is happy to see her old buddies?
There are several black isets and one gray. I am happy to have them because these black fleeces are SOFT. SOOOO very soft! So I have a new breeding goal, to breed some very fine and soft black fleeced animals. They also have some really beautiful spotting genes and are all very small, compact ewes. They can use a little help in the tails, but are all ok. I think I am going to have some really beautiful lambs this year.
Once they decide I’m not going to eat them, I’ll get better pictures.
Here is Mandy “waving”. I worry, she has developed an odd habit, of waving at us. I worry that her leg is stiff or something. She had an old injury that caused her a slight limp at her previous home, be she doesn’t and hasn’t ever limped here. If I remember correctly it was this leg. There is no swelling, no heat, no noticeable soreness. Nothing at all. But she walks up to you and waves. I think instead of an injury she’s attempting to use the Jedi mind trick - “You WILL give me that grain” (waves leg).
SEE! It only works on the weak minded, so there, I’ve proved that I am NOT an idiot, despite rotting out my whole kitchen floor and not knowing it until it caved in.
4 Responses to “Oh Where oh Where can my Precious Floor Be?”
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So your new sheep are from Peeps? I’m so glad she was able to sell some more, and you were able to get them! I got a very disappointing thumbs-down on a new ram purchase, so will have to appreciate the lovely sheep I have, and the lambies they can produce.
Wow.
One, that looks like a HUGE undertaking.
Two, those joists must have been a B***H!
Three, I cannot believe you as a mother of (whatever the latest count is) did not have a psychotic episode with greatly reduced kitchen facilities for x amount of time!
Four, well at least it didn’t wait until the weather turned to freezing, that would have been much, much, worse.
Congratulations, it looks like it turned out well!
Well, there was a sort of hysterical steam blowing off episode….but well that’s in the past
Oh that did not look like fun!