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TMI

 

 

On a painfully hot Monday afternoon Mr. Howard County Teacher lay down to take a nap after a morning of music curriculum writing. As he drifted off he thought he noticed a crack on the ceiling. When he awoke it looked as though the crack was getting bigger. That’s when he heard the crackling noises.

Alarmed, he grabbed his phone and sprang from the bed as the seam connecting the sheets of drywall opened up and pieces began to fall. He ran downstairs. His wife, Mrs. Retired Teacher, sat in the recliner recovering from recent abdominal surgery. She could tell from the look on his face that something was not good.

As he recounted the series of events they heard a heavy thump. A big chunk of their bedroom ceiling was now on their bed. 

Telephone calls were made. A report to insurance was filed. The insurance company requested more photos which is how Mr. Howard County Teacher happened to be in the bedroom when the rest of the ceiling collapsed. He escaped, as they say, with minor cuts and bruises. Everything in their bedroom was now covered in pieces of drywall and insulation.

On the advice of a family friend, who is a professional contractor, they spent the night in the first floor of their small Columbia quad plex. Mrs. Teacher lucked out and got the sofa. Mr. Teacher had a rough night in the La-z-boy recliner.

It is safe to say that:

1. There was no sign of a leak or anything leading up to this event which would have indicated a possible cause. 

2. Neither Mr. or Mrs. Teacher have undergone any kind of previous life experience that would prepare them to handle this. 

Wait, here comes:

 3. The primary bedroom is the one room in their house which is completely and thoroughly a total mess because they were planning on working on it over Mr. Teacher’s summer vacation. 

Sorry, one more thing: 

4. Mrs. Teacher has severe asthma so probably won’t be able to help in remediating the mess.

Did I mention she is also recovering from abdominal surgery?

Mr. And Mrs. Teacher are both inherently shy people who hate to trouble anyone and actively go out of their way to avoid asking for help. I suspect they may need some help this time, though they are too dazed at the moment to figure out where to start. 


*****

Dear friends, 

Yesterday was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I fear that, for the first time ever, it will be necessary for me to say in a very public way: 

Help. We need help. 

Mr. Teacher is now asleep on the couch and doesn’t know I am writing this. So be it. I can’t help clean and I can’t lift heavy objects but I can write. 

If you have been through a similar situation and have pointers I am all ears. This is not the summer vacation that Mr. Teacher and I have been looking forward to. 

The tagline for this blog is: Where Columbia and Howard County Intersect. Yesterday my life suddenly became all about the place where our ceiling and bed intersect. It’s going to be a long, long day.


Village Green/Town² Comments 


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