The past few weeks

I've probably started new posts a dozen times since the last time I checked in, but I haven't been motivated enough to finish any of them. That's not to say that nothing has been going on around the old homestead. The week before last it felt like I did nothing but drive to Columbus and back. That Monday, Clara had surgery to remove her extra toes.

Waiting for surgery. Totally oblivious.

Those poor sweet feet. :(

She was pretty much conked out for the rest of the day.


Don't think those casts slowed her down, though. A few minutes before the picture above was taken, she was crawling around in the hospital crib, even though it was clear the anesthesia hadn't totally worn off. Three days later, she managed to get out of one of the casts. After a frantic phone call to the surgeon, I was back on my way to Columbus to get another cast put on. The doctor told us not to worry too much if it happened again because the cast was only there to keep her from pulling out the stitches, and she didn't seem at all interested in doing so. Tom played in a table tennis tournament in Columbus on Saturday, and we were on our way there when she managed to wiggle out of the cast again. What a stinker!

When we got back from Columbus for the third time that week, we discovered that our basement had taken on water in a major way. It had always been a little damp and musty, but nothing prepared us for the 10" of water that awaited us. We got record amounts of rainfall in April, and even the driest of basements around here were pretty wet. Even so, I tried to remain grateful that this was the only real damage done at a time when tornadoes were ripping through much of the country. So after Mass and lunch with Tom's family on Easter Sunday, we spent the rest of the day pumping water out of the basement. It was certainly a memorable way to spend the holiday!

We had a guy come over to give us an estimate on finishing the other two bedrooms and adjoining bathroom. While we felt like his pricing was fair, it is still more than we want to pay out. He's willing to just do the framing for us and then let us take care of the next steps. It's nice that he's understanding of budget constraints, unlike many general contractor horror stories I've heard.

So that's all the news for now, unless you want to know how I feel about the royal wedding (gorgeous event, now leave the poor couple alone) or Osama bin Laden (feeling guilty that I'm relieved a person is dead) or the cancellation of All My Children (mad as hell). Lots of other house-related projects in the works, so stay tuned!