Good Evening! Yes, that's a whole nuther thread, but I'm too tired to figure it out.
Lots going on, some funny, some bad/good news, some somber. I'll share the highlights.
First to get here were the guys to pump the septic tank. I showed them what I thought was the riser to the tank, then went back inside to keep busy on the house. About fifteen minutes later one of them knocks on the door and asks if I have a hose they could use. I go to take him around back, but as we go past the truck his buddy's standing there, and his front half is brown. He looks just like Wile E. Coyote after the dynamite goes off in his face, except instead of black he's a sort of brown color in front, his rear half unscathed. Apparently when they put the hoses on the truck they cap the ends, and if they're not clean the material in there generates gas as it continues to decompose. And the next guy to come along and uncap them should know to do so slowly, but this one is new, and learned a lesson the hard way. It was hard to keep a straight face, and I did feel sorry for him, but when he took his sunglasses off to reveal a Rocky Racoon face, I broke down. At about that time his partner admitted to having the same thing happen to him the previous week, so there was a bit of pay-back going on there as well. :laughing::laughing::laughing:
Other contractors have been providing estimates for repairs, and it's now painfully obvious that there hasn't been any maintenance done on the house in the last fifteen years. As a result, repairs will not only be expensive, but will take much longer than the realtor would like, as she obviously wants to get her commission from a quick sale. But she is right in pointing out that now is the time people are shopping, especially folks with kids wanting to get moved before the summer is out. But this isn't a family house; it's too small, but it is perfect for a soon to retire couple looking to downsize. It has a first level with kitchen, great room and master bedroom, everything a person needs. Then there are two bedrooms and another bath upstairs for visitors or hobbies, and a full but unfinished basement that's perfect for a man cave. It sits on a ridge with a great view of rolling hills, the surrounding hills are wooded, and there's almost no traffic on the road out front. A perfect out of the way retirement home only 20 minutes from all your favorite big box stores. I'm left to wrestle the right balance between what's worth fixing and will bring at least a break even at closing time, and what is just putting lipstick on a pig. The contractors have been great, once given the situation, and none have pushed for a Cadillac treatment when all that's needed is to get the old Ford back on the road.
I thought I had the sulfur smell out of the water by removing the anode rod from the water heater, but it came back. So today I replaced the water heater. The kicker there is that the drain valve on the old one wouldn't, even after reaming it with a piece of copper wire and flushing water through it from the house supply. It'll have to remain one of the great mysteries, as I left it full and heaved it out of the way to get the new one into place. Just now I turned the water on for the first time since the swap, and it still stinks, but before getting excited I'll let it run to rinse all the bad water out of the lines.
I've had the better part of a day now working with an auctioneer sorting through the contents of the house, which varies from junk to useful to collectible. So far, for instance, we've found no less than eight pocket calculators and untold numbers of extension cords. On the other hand, I've opened three boxes full of US and Canadian mint proof set coins, including some gold pieces, and just this morning unearthed another briefcase with boxes marked as silver coins that I won't know the real contents of until I dig into it.
Then there's the old boy's '98 Toyota Tacoma pickup, which seems to have rusted out frame rails, apparently a common problem on this era of Toyota truck. Stopped by the dealer yesterday and showed them some pictures, and after checking the VIN I was informed that there was a service campaign, but it closed a few years ago. Since the truck didn't get looked at then, we're out of luck. So I called Toyota corporate today and got pretty much the same story. Then I did a google search and discovered at least two class action law suits, but seeing as how I'm just trying to liquidate the assets, that's going to be left to whoever ends up with the truck. The real pitty is that you'd never suspect that there's a problem, as that's the only rust on it. I've had two Toyota trucks in the past, but after this fiasco, I probably won't get another.
That's just the tip of the proverbial ice berg, and I've still to fix dinner and the faucets are still running, so I'll sign off now. I have been keeping up, almost, and will hopefully come up for air before I take to the road once again...:confused2:
