This morning

I slept late this morning, and was awakened when Ellen came in and asked if I could make a quick "emergency" trip to Jackson for a plumbing part - the plumber had arrived over at the house with the wrong part this morning and Paul needed the right one ASAP. I was willing to go, but it worked out that Ellen could go quicker - I wasn't dressed and had not had breakfast - so off she went; Paul and Harry are over at the house and I'm at the condo alone. I just had breakfast and will now shower and get dressed. I was just looking back a year at my blog and was reminded that this was the weekend of Tamar's bat mitzvah last year. It was also just a year ago that my old upright piano was moved out of my study and taken to Green Mountain Camp. I have had many occasions in the past year to miss that piano!

It sounds like we will all move into the new house when we have to leave the condo. The basics will be in place - water, electricity, heat if needed, a working kitchen. It will just be inconvenient  - when Paul needs to finish a room, stuff will have to be moved out and then moved back in again when he is done. It is far from ideal to have people living in a house when you are trying to finish it! But it is not uncommon - that was our situation back in 1973 when we built our house in Vermont and moved in before it even had flooring - just sub-flooring. Paul's house at least has nice hardwood flooring down already - as of this week! I remember what a pain it was to have tons of stuff packed into a house when it was not finished. Truth to tell, there are closets in our house that are still unfinished 45 years later! The sheet rock never got sanded and painted. I hope that will not be the case for Paul.

I am hoping that today or tomorrow I can make a trip to the NAPA Auto Parts store in Thayne - the next town south of Alpine - and see if I can get a refund on the NAPA alternator that was installed in Eden, NY and only lasted four days. If they can't actually give the refund, I hope that can at least tell me what I have to do to get it.  It comes to over $500!

Later:
Ellen got the part, delivered it, and the water is on at the house. What is not yet on is power to the electric water heater. Cold showers for now! (Of course, we have hot water at the condo).