[matese]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Joan, what a horror story that would be any time but now, during a pandemic, where everybody could be a potential carrier, I cannot even imagine. What a strong woman you are to manage all of this and keep it together. Having workers more than even a half day in the house is extremely discomfiting and nerve-wracking to me. You've had weeks of it! Years back when my waterheater broke(of course, after 9:00 PM during July 4th weekend), our fire department came out and stopped the water to the tank, vacuumed up all the water, put out their big fans and that was a day. Later, insurance agent came, a plumber replaced the water heater and flooring was replaced in another day. Nothing like you've been through and I was a wreck! One lovely Christmas Eve, back yard drain backed up after everyone left and poor Roto-Rooter guy came out that night, putting a whole different spin on the season.

When Gabe and Lu first moved in, childless & just starting their jobs, family, etc., they were always friendly and sweet and as their family grew by 3 kids, while I was still working, every childbirth, Christmas and sometimes at Easter I would take over gifts for the kids and food, plus every free turkey we got at the grocery store for purchases over $99.00, etc., went to them or neighbor on the other side or across the street. After hip surgery when my son who stayed with me afterward had gone to work for a day, Lu ran me to the pharmacy to get Rx. refills, brought groceries over for me. I've always given Christmas presents to my closest neighbors and their small kids as long as I was working. They'd occas. give a present or bring over dinner, cookies, a cake, etc. Gabe has brought me many delicious dinners he's cooked, can do the most delicious meats, veggie dishes. Teenagers that get too loud with their bass music, etc. get a visit from me asking for lowered volume, but always with a sack of snacks in return for lowering the volume and occasionally, their parents send me back a cake or something via that very teen and those same teens wave and smile every time I see them.

When I was hospitalized unexpectedly B4 Christmas, the other next door neighbor took in my delivered packages as they arrived to keep any of the frequent passers by from taking them as this is a very busy street w/an elementary school at the end of it. It's always been a sweet neighborhood and we've been pretty interactive. Good, giving neighbors are a necessity down here.

You are very lucky to have such caring neighbors. In all honesty I don't know how I got through it. I had to sleep on my sofa which has recliners at each end for 3 weeks, not a comfy sofa, Cody sleeps under the blankies with me, now he was sleeping at the end of the sofa, he was waking me at 1:30, 3:30AM to potty which he has never done, I guessed he was cold and reason he was waking up at odd hours. Never once did I shed a tear seeing my house being torn apart. I am on a mountain, no gas on the mountain, we have to use propane. My gas dryer had to be converted to propane by my propane company. April 1st I got my 2nd delivery of new appliances, I called my propane company to send someone over to install the converter kit and hook it up. I was told they are on emergency calls only, you have no heat, you smell gas a tech will come, other then that no tech will come into your house. I begged and pleaded with them, I was told they will not force a tech to enter any ones house unless it's an emergency. That's when I cracked. To think it could take months to get this dryer hooked up is the straw that broke this camels back. The plumber was here that day, saw and heard the rage I was in, told me to calm down lol he would convert the dryer after all the work was finished and he did that this past Monday. Now neighbors on both sides and one across the road saw these trucks and workers here for 5 weeks, never once did any of them come over and ask was there anything they could do to help, yet, if they ever are faced with what I had, I still would be the first one to offer what ever I could do for them, and they have husbands. Guess it's all about how ppl are raised.