Monday, January 11, 2010

shop talk



I’m sort of single minded right now.  This week is going to be very busy.  I need to get this job finished while we have 4 or 5 days good weather, and by ‘good’ I mean above freezing.  Actually, it’s going to be pretty nice, mid to high 50s.  Since some of what we do is done either outside or in an unheated shed, freezing temperatures adversely affect our ability to work.  We went in to the city today to do the prep work for the sandblasting that has to be done tomorrow.  Also the cream etch background needs to be done as well.  Going to make for a long day.  After that it will take a couple of days to do the metal leaf applications.  And I also need to make progress on our other jobs, if only to be able to say honestly, “I worked on your job this week.”


When I say we went into the city, as in past tense, that’s what I mean.  We went in, worked, came back.  Because, you see, we have a gas leak at the city house (I explained all about that here ).  That’s the other thing we have to get accomplished this week.  So, the first order of business after opening up the house, which was frigid by the way (it was warmer outside than inside the house), opening the shop, checking on big Mama (the turtle), surveying the yard, checking the mail...OK, I guess it was the sixth order of business; we called the plumber.


“We have a gas leak,” we say.


“Gas leak, huh?” sez he.  “Get in line.”


OK, I may have made up that whole conversation but the end result is the same.  Due to the unprecedented very rare never ending tenacious week four days of sub-zero zero very low 20s, water pipes were geysering all over the city.  They’re a tad busy right now.  Maybe tomorrow.  Probably Wednesday.  Which means unless we want to sleep in an igloo all week, we are commuting.


On the upside, we had two checks waiting for us when we got there.


13 comments:

  1. ellen it seems like you're all sorts of busy! i've felt that feeling of it being warmer outside than in when a house isn't heated properly. strange. have a fruitful and creative day. steven

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  2. And I thought we had it bad here in our mid forty four degree Celsius heat.

    I hesitate to go outside to do the shopping because of the headache inducing conditions. Ghastly.

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  3. I'm surprised there aren't extra crews, maybe with the gas company, doing repairs? Gas leaks can be so dangerous, you are wise to commute! Hope it's fixed soon, have a good week ...

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  4. I hope the end is in sight...fingers crossed for central heating!

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  5. Oh dear, all those frozen and leaking pipes. That is very frightening.

    It's not good for your work, this weather, and I hope you'll be back in just the right amount of heat soon.

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  6. Gosh, I do hope they get it fixed right away! Good luck with your work this week, Ellen.

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  7. You have definitely kicked 2010 into gear, oh yeah.

    I love your made-up conversation with the plumber. It COULD have happened that way, and your imagined repartee is probably a lot more amusing than what was really said.

    I like you, Ellen. You're so YOU. Yeah.

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  8. Personally I'm getting tired of all this moving back & forth between the city & the country. Whew! What's the ETA for getting everything in the country so you don't have to go back & forth to work? I'm exhausted! (I'm of course, just kidding - but it does sound exhausting!)

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  9. My word - everything seems to be hitting you at once. I cross my fingers for warmer temperatures for you.

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  10. This is a little off topic of gas leaks and sandblasting, but...

    Do you love what you do? Or do the deadlines and demands stress you out?

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  11. Sounds like my life of late! Tell ya what, I will send my handy-dandy repair man, love of my life, to give you a hand. He can re-route that pipe and cover any hole he leaves with cardboard....... I will even throw in my staple gun!

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  12. Ellen, that last paragraph made me laugh out loud. I hope you are hanging in as you finish this project, as while it has warmed up a little, it's raining today. May all things go YOUR way now.

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  13. Checks are always nice. Gas leaks and companies with no time to fix them? Not so much.

    Hope you're not frozen solid by now!

    )O(
    boo

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.