Sunday Reflections – 27 October 2020 – Quarantine Update 11

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Guys, it has not been a great few weeks. It appears that since we closed on the sale of our house, we used up every ounce of good luck we had. Making things worse, I sit here at my parents’ house being able to do nothing to improve our situation, frustrated and bored. We knew this month would be a trying experience, but none of us expected things not to go our way.

So, our closing date is not October 30th, as everyone hoped. At this point in time, we don’t even know if the house will be completely done by then. We still do not have countertops. The manufacturer took two weeks to turn the cabinet measurements into a countertop blueprint and needed another fifteen days after that to cut the granite, thereby annihilating that three-week estimate we were given. This all occurred a week ago.

Then, after many unanswered emails and phone calls to the sales rep who took our order, we finally got in contact with the store manager about our appliances. At the last contact, the sales rep told us our stove/oven was on backorder yet again through November 11th. What he failed to tell us, or didn’t bother to research, was that the manufacturer discontinued our stove/oven model and that there were no more available anywhere. I don’t know when he was going to let us know, but the lack of communication still appalls me. We were able to order a different model, albeit without at least one feature I really wanted, and we should experience no delays upon receiving it. Keep in mind, this is all over appliances we ordered in July for delivery in August. (Yes, the store is going to get a very poor review once we get everything and determine all works as it should.)

We opted to add a sprinkler system to our yard because we are lazy and a good part of the reason we bought this condo is that we wanted to do no lawn maintenance. Even this is turning into a point of frustration as the sprinkler system guy only works when he wants to work. This means, a system that someone else would install in two days has taken him three weeks to install, and he is STILL. NOT. FINISHED. His delays are causing delays in finishing the landscaping, and if he doesn’t finish his work soon (like this week), we might not get our sod put down before the end of the season. Which means an entire winter of a yard of dirt with two dogs. All because this jackass only works when the sun is out and there has been no precipitation for three days prior. We live in the midwest. Do you know how infrequently that happens at this time of year?

There are a few items of furniture Jim and his brother were going to build since they did such a fabulous job on our master bed. Due to delays and Jim realizing he does not have enough time, we opted to hire his brother to build them for us. Except he too is not very timely with his work. We entrusted the most important piece of furniture in the house – the bookshelves to house all 100 boxes of books we have – and we have no idea when he will finish them.

Even more frustrating, Jim cannot unearth the tools he needs to be able to make our closet systems (which he is doing by hand because closet systems are expensive and he can make something ten times better than those wire ones) because they are buried under all the boxes. If I had my bookshelves, we could unbury the tools. If we could unbury the tools, he could start on the closet systems so that I could unpack the bedrooms and bathrooms. Instead, I am looking at a situation where the only room I can 100 percent unpack upon moving in will be the kitchen.

Holly too is not doing well. She admitted to suffering from a depressive episode last week. Plus, Jim and I notice when we see her every weekend that she comes to us very quiet and a bit grumpy. It is only after staying with us for a few hours where she bounces into the happy, independent, confident young woman we know. I know that her BFF’s parents are taking good care of her, but I know she would prefer being with us, her things, the dogs, and in our own little family routine.

The silver lining is that the builder did set our closing date for November 12th. It should not change now. I don’t know if it helps or hurts to think of the fact that the house will be sitting finished for at least a week without us being able to move in, all because the bank requires ten days after the final appraisal, which they can do only when the house is done. It is taking all my energy to get through each day without cussing out this entire process because I know this is nothing but a blip in our life and the house will be worth it. Still, all three of us want our lives back, which won’t happen until November 12th.

Enough about me. Give me something good, people. What good is going on in your lives?