Today I took a hot shower for the first time in over a week.
It was pure gloriousness!
I took my sweet sweet time. I turned it as hot as I could bear.
You may have figured it out by now but just in case you haven't.
WE HAVE HOT WATER!!!
The gas is back on.
Remember when I said the "Furnace shouldn't be a problem thanks to warmer weather?" I really need to start watching what I say! The weather got cold this week and this morning it was down in the 50s inside the house. We were all in jackets huddled under blankets hoping that the process of getting the gas turned back on would be quick.
I'll be honest I figured the process of turning the gas back on would take at least 3 or 4 days. I assumed the plumber would arrive late in the day and bring the furnace up to code. Then he would have to contact the city inspector the next day because it would be after hours. The city inspector would have no openings that day so he would have to come the next day. He would arrive later in the day and do the inspection. Once we had that approved we could contact the gas company. Except of course it would be after hours and we would have to call the next morning. They would come out either late that day or even the next day. Of course this was my best case scenario. I figured we could also hear something along the lines of, "we have no one available until next week."
What actually happened was nothing short of a miracle!
The plumber arrived early in the day. His work was finished quickly and he let me know he would have his office call the city inspector to come out and approve it. He said he hoped the inspector could come out today. I figured it would take some time for the office to actually call the inspector so sometime the next day was more likely.
Shortly after the plumber left I got a call from his office letting me know they had already contacted the inspector to come out. They said he should be able to make it out today but would not be calling beforehand so we needed to make sure someone was home. That wasn't a problem. Again I figured it would be at the end of the day. We would still have to call the gas company out after the city inspection so I wasn't holding my breath on having heat or water today.
A few minutes after I got off the phone the inspector knocked on the door and told me he had already completed the inspection. We passed. He said to wait ten minutes and then call the gas company to schedule our service reconnection.
I called the gas company expecting to hear that they were booked for the day. After several minutes on hold and struggling through the voice prompts . . . "Please speak your zipcode." The Princess screams, "Aaaahhh Maaammmaaa Aaaaahhhhh!" Voiceprompt, "Was that 00070?" Me, trying to yell louder than daughter, "No!" Voice prompt, "I'm sorry I did not understand you. Can you repeat that?" Me, "NO!! Princess, "Aaaahhh Maaammmaaa Aaaaahhhhh!" Peanut, "MOM I'M HUNGRY!" Dog, BARK ARF WOOF HOWL BARK! I finally locked myself in the bathroom and they said they would send someone right out.
A very short while later he arrived to restore service. It took about 20 minutes and he came in to make sure all the pilot lights lit.
We were in business.
The house started getting warmer and we waited for the water to heat up so we could take showers!
I know some people love baths. They find them soothing. I feel that way about showers. Baths hold no appeal for me. If I am dirty and need to bathe, washing off the dirt into the water and then sitting in it, seems counterproductive. In fact it seems downright icky. How can I relax in that? I've really tried. I have even tried taking a shower before the bath, cleaning out the tub, taking a bath, and then taking another shower. Didn't help. I sat there the whole time obsessing about how yucky that water was. It also gets cold too quickly. The shower stays hot.
The shower is my refuge. When I'm stressed, I take a shower. When I'm upset, I take a shower. It's my first aid. My husband always knows I'm sick when I take back to back showers. When I have a migraine, I take a shower. When I have an upset stomach, I take a shower. Aches, pains, tension, labor pain. It cures everything! Ok, it didn't cure my gallstones but it did help soothe the pain until I finally gave in and went to the doctor.
Today's shower, after more than a week of cold sponge baths, was one of the best showers I have ever taken. Nothing like going more than a week without one to remind me of how truly wonderful and magical it is.
In addition to our showers today we were finally able to run a load of dishes. We haven't been able to do that in a week either. The dish pile is truly monstrous. I'll get to the rest tomorrow . . .
I was also finally able to brush my teeth today!
Kidding! Of course I've been brushing my teeth. I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention.
