posted 2005/02/15 at 18:08
Okay, now that I've gotten the early-week craziness out of the way, I can relate to you all the developments of Sunday ...
My maternal grandmother (Granny) died about a year and a half ago, leaving my paternal grandmother as my sole remaining grandparent. When Granny died, my maternal aunt (Aunt Jo) was named the executor to her estate. The less said about Aunt Jo the better, but let's just say that when we heard that Carrot Top was renting the apartment next to hers (no, I am not making that up), I actually felt more sorry for Carrot Top.
Anyway, Granny had been living in the same home that Mom and Aunt Jo grew up in, and when she died there was nothing left in the house. So far Aunt Jo has done nothing to divide up the estate, and so the house has been standing there all this time, unoccupied for the most part. (I think Aunt Jo goes up there every so often for a couple of days, but don't hold me to that.)
On Sunday my father went up to see his mother -- she needs a (minor) heart operation -- and he was also asked to check on some repair work to the furnace system at Granny's house. When he opened the door, though, the place was soaked. Apparently the furnace people must have knocked a water pipe loose or something, because the place was drenched. The living room ceiling had caved in, and I guess all the antiques that had been kept in there were ruined. The basement was flooded with several inches of water, and my father didn't want to move around in the house for fear of floors giving in on him.
So my father calls the local fire department asking them what he should do. They tell him to try to turn off the water supply if he can. The problem, of course, is that the valve he needs to close is way deep in the basement, and not only is there several inches of water down there, but the electricity is still on, making for one hell of a potential electroshock hazard. My father, being the courageous (perhaps idiotic) person that he is, does so, and then drives ninety minutes home in freezing rain.
So yeah, that kind of put a damper on things Sunday. Everyone's safe now, but we don't know if Granny's house is still insured, or whether or not we can hold the furnace repairpeople accountable for what happened. If the house and all the antiques are lost, though, that's going to be a huge chunk of money gone for both Mom and Aunt Jo -- assuming Aunt Jo ever gets around to dividing it up. More importantly, though, the house that they grew up in is probably a total loss at this point. Mom's handling it well, but Aunt Jo owns a big flower shop in Charlotte, and for her to get this news on the day before Valentine's Day ... well, you figure it out.
copyright © 2008 Sean Shannon