Same Old, Same Old

I am finally willing to poke my little head out of the hole it's been in to take a breath of fresh air.  It sure has been a tough week.  Money is being siphoned from my bank account like there is an evil man with a straw on the other side of it.  The kids were without their mom for over five days because of the jacked-up summer schedule and neither myself or they are happy about it.  And trying to talk to the weasel in my life is like trying to walk on a tightrope with an elephant on my shoulders.

Same old, same old.

It gets very hot in Maryland during the summer.  I have been toying with the idea of a pool for some time now, and because my back yard slopes, none of the kiddie pools or blow up pools worked.  The slip-n-slide on the other hand, threw the kids face first into the fence after they dove.  Needless to say, playing outside in the hot sun lasted for a mere three minutes every day until one or both of them whined, "It's too hot..."  So, I bit the bullet and looked into getting a pool.

I researched pools, made the decision that I needed it to last for awhile and so went with a mid-range, above ground pool that had a warranty.  $ The cost was so-so.  Then I had to find someone who could install it. $  Before they could install it, the yard had to be leveled and so I had to get an excavator. $ After the partial installation (some of the pool pieces were missing), I had to get water delivered. $  They only filled it up half-way because I needed the installers to come back and finish the job.  They did, and now the water deliverers are scheduled for today.  $$  Around the perimeter of the pool is a five foot outline of the circle - all dirt.  So, to keep from getting mud into the pool, I need to get a two foot perimeter of pea gravel around it. $  I need someone to do the legwork for that because I simply cannot.  $  And then I need to put grass seed down on the other part of the dirt. $

Did I mention that we had a massive thunderstorm yesterday?  Oh yes.  What joy!  Enzo, the little bastard, likes mud and so rolled around in it at about 5am!  Because I had to run upstairs to get a towel to wipe the little bastard down, I kept the door closed.  He jumped on it to get in, whining.  He got the window, the door knob, the sides and the whole area in front of the door without about two inches of cakey mud.

The pea gravel is getting delivered on Friday.  The water is getting delivered today.  And the new water heater is getting delivered and installed today. 

Oh, did I forget to mention that the water heater went up amidst all the fun stuff about this pool?

It's lovely to be a homeowner.

But you know, despite the anxiety of the past few days (being without the kids having been the cause of most of it), I am proud of myself for getting through it without losing it.  I even made a cake yesterday.

We sang to Uncle Jeff yesterday, then we cut the cake.  I gave the kids a big helping each, staring at them as they both gobbled it down.  (I'm not a sweet-eater so I didn't partake but knew that it was good because of their enthusiasm).  When they asked for a second helping, I said, "Sure, why not?"  I gave them each another thin slice.  I went into the house to get napkins for their little hands and mouths.  When I returned to the porch, both of them had their heads back in the chair, and their hands on their burgeoning bellies.  I kid you not, they were moaning and said, "Oh... too much cake."  I had to laugh.  (They had only eaten a quarter of the second piece).

Oh, the things we do to indulge in the things we love!

So, the pool cost more than I could have ever imagined.  I have a 0% interest credit card, good for a year, that I can use to pay for it.  And so the water heater went up.  That's what my emergency fund is for.  And so, the dog loves the mud.  Who doesn't?

It's funny.  When I pull my head out from the darkness of the shadows, none of it seems so bad.  In fact, I feel kinda, sorta blessed.

Same old, same old.