Week-long Sickness

A week ago today we moved back into the condo after having the new floor put in.  We were sick…we are still sick.  Well, make that Marcia is still sick, I am doing much much better. 

This is the type of cold that holds on to you for a long time.  Yes, I still cough sometimes…but for the most part, that is all over.  As for Marcia, each day now is getting better…since yesterday…which means today is better than yesterday, but yesterday was as bad as last Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc. 

     

Thursday and Friday were fairly productive on my part.  One of the reasons we wanted to get rid of the carpet was due to high dust within the old carpet fibers.  Multiple vacuuming did little to rid the dust.  With the carpet gone, I dusted the ceilings, the walls, corners, just about every place one could think of.  Even though I had cleaned the ceiling fan real real good back in November, it was dusty as could be again here in March.  Friday, with the dust gone, it was time to clean the new floor.  We decided upon the Libman Freedom Spray Mop because the cleaning pad (top right) can be washed and used over and over and over again.  One can use the cleaner of their choice, which you put in the attached tank.  We put one part Vinegar to around ten parts water.  The floor was vacuumed with our Rumba, and it took about ten minutes to clean it with the Libman.   The hardest thing was trying to find a Lowes that still had one in stock.

Watching church from home again Sunday…although the coughing and sneezing are starting to subside…they do hit either of us, sometimes both of us, from time to time.  Heck, would hate to let out a big sneeze and wake everyone up!     

Got a copy of Skruffy’s Test results.  When we left Alaska, her liver tests were essentially “off the charts” but falling.  Happy to say, all of the liver tests now show she is right smack in the middle range.  HURRAY!!!   As for her diabetes…we had a Fructosamine test done, which is a blood test that is used in animals to measure the average level of glucose control over the past few weeks.  A reading of 300-400 is good…she came out at 331.  The vet said that her diabetes is very much under control.  HIP-HIP-HURRAY!!!!  The blood test monitors over 40 different things, and only 3 or 4 items are barely over normal, and one was barely under normal.  The vet said that for a 9 year old girl, she is in great shape.  And to think…nine months ago Dr. Meezie said those frightening words…”IF SHE MAKES IT THROUGH THE NIGHT”  If one needs to be reminded just how sick she was, read my post, “Skruffy’s Last Bark?”…guaranteed to bring on the tears….

Floor Done, Back in the Condo…with Head Colds

FINALLY!  We are back into the condo.  Although we would have liked the Vinyl Tile, the Vinyl Plank is also nice. We are VERY PLEASED with the floor.  No squeaking, not too loud when you have shoes on, no noise when you are bare foot.  Yes, pitter-patter from Skruffy's feet, but we knew that up front.

Saturday was the day they were able to do the floor.  I arrived at 7:30, they arrived at 7:45…they were gone by noon.  Here the underlayment, which is plastic on one side and a felt-like material on the side you see, is being put down.

I left shortly after 8, came back at 9:30 and the living room was nearly finished.

    

The only thing left for the floor is that the transition strips between the Vinyl Plank and the original tile needs 48 hours of curing with weight on it.  The upper left is the entrance hall, the upper right is the master bedroom to master bath.  The light brown in the floor matches the browns in the tile very well.

    

Along with the change also comes a change in furniture arrangement.  In the very first picture of this posting you can see the display case is now against the “mirror wall”.  The table that use to be along the mirror wall is now our TV table…only table that was long enough for the 40” TV.  The entertainment cabinet that use to be in the living room  is now in the bedroom, and the dressers are now on each side of the bed.  Hey, I was even smart enough to be sure that my dresser was on my side and Marcia’s dresser was on her side.

    

EVERYONE is happy to be home.  Bubba’s outer mouth infection seems to be getting better.  Skruffy had her first full exam since her sickness in Alaska and she is doing well.  Monday or Tuesday I am going to drop off the paperwork from Alaska, which I could not get to because of the floor, and pick up her compete blood workup.  It will be interesting to see what the results are…and I will be sure to share those results.

Meanwhile…BOTH Marcia and I have terrible head and chest colds.  I started getting sick Thursday night, on Friday she wanted a quick kiss, and despite me telling her she was going to get sick…yes, by Saturday she was coming down with it and today (Sunday) she has it full blown too.  Thank goodness for drugs…Tussin DM is doing the trick for me, and Marcia is going to try it tonight too.  I think I tied my record for sneezing all at once again…lost count at six.  It is never fun to pack or unpack the motorhome...it is way worse when you are sick.

Murphy's law

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

Monday

7:45 – I take the 3 minute drive over to the condo. 

8:30 -- the two installers arrive.  Fabio, from Brazil, and another guy from Cuba who is a bit older, wiser, but does not speak much English.

8:55 -- I am back at the motorhome.

9:30 – I get a call from Fabio, he needs to show me something…

9:40 – I arrive, the carpet is up in the living room, the bedroom has much of the large furniture.  Fabio has a meter is his hand.  In many spots of the living room the meter is showing 85% moisture reading…along the outer walls it is more like 20%.  “IF” they try to put the glue down on the floor, within 3-5 months there is a likelihood that we will have vinyl tiles coming unglued…not good.

10:30 – I head back to the motorhome, call the salesman…he is having a colonoscopy and has to head over to the hospital at noon.  The installer has convinced me that the best thing is to change over to Vinyl Planks, which have a underlayment which is moisture proof.  The salesman puts in the change order as I head back to the condo.

11:00 – Fabio is on the phone with the moisture specialist.  They talk about how the readings are very high, including in the bedroom where they have cleared most of the carpet. 

11:15 – After hearing much of the conversation, we decide that the floor needed to be treated with a moisture resistant compound, and it would need to be grinned to give the compound something to stick to.

11:45 – I get the price for the moisture compound, the grinding, the underlayment…another $2.50 per sq. ft.   Thank goodness it is a small condo and we are only dealing with 40% of the total square feet.

12:00 – The installers head to Tampa (hour away) to pick up the sealer, I go back to the motorhome.

2:00 – Talk to Fabio, he is still at the distribution center but nearly ready to leave. 

2:15 – Talk to a manager who needs to confirm that I know, understand, and agree to the extra charges.

2:45 – I head back to the condo.

3:30 – Installers come back.

5:30 – I am back at the motorhome, installers have left.  They have grinned the floor and laid down the goop on the floor.  We turned the A/C down to 70 degrees.  With about 1/3 of the living room done I notice the sliding door is open, so Fabio takes off his shoes and walks through the goop in his soaks to close and lock the door.  I am sure he tosses the socks away.

    

    

Tuesday

Can’t do anything until the goop dries.  I do go by after Marcia and I enjoy a nice dinner at Rusty Bellies in Tarpon Springs…my first time there.  It was GOOD!  I had the ‘E. Sea Rider’ -- Skewers of grilled shrimp and grilled sea scallops with a grilled fillet of Salmon with a Caesar Salad and Broccoli Carrot mix.  Marcia had the ‘Rusty's Pot Belly’ -- Steamed shrimp, oysters, clams, mussels, and a snow crab cluster. Corn and potatoes are in the pot, but she did not eat them, and brought some of the seafood home.  She too had a Caesar Salad.  Earlier in the day we took Bubba to our new Vet, just a mile down the road from condo.  Skruffy has gone here since she has been a Service Dog for her shots and county license.  Bubba has a bacteria infection again around his mouth.  Dr. Jennifer was great, and she said she has been treating another Cocker who has it worse than Bubba.  7 days of antibiotics, and special medicated wipe along with a prescribed powder.  When I can get to my clippers again, I need to cut the hair lower around his mouth…Bubba can’t wait for that!  He tried to nip Dr. Jennifer a few times as she probed his mouth with her tongue stick…but she is fast, and she said his teeth are looking fine, just the flaps alongside his mouth.

Wednesday

7:30 – I head back to the Condo. 

8:00 – still no Fabio and co-worker. (I cannot pronounce the co-workers name, let alone try and spell it!) 

8:15 – Fabio calls and is leaving Tampa with the flooring. 

9:45 – Installers arrive.

9:55 – It is determined that the flooring goop is still to wet.  We turn down A/C to 65, put the ceiling fan on high, put a box fan blowing over it.  They unload all the flooring so at least I won’t have to wait for Tampa traffic next time they drive up here.

10:30 – Back at motorhome, paid for two more days.  I doubt the work will be able to done until Friday now.  With my luck, they will do it tomorrow, and we will be out of the park by nightfall, paying for a night we end up not using.