straws & camel's backs and such...

[pintopiaffe]

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, I guess. Pipes froze during the flash-freeze on Sun/Mon. So I lugged water Monday for the horses.

It's 50+ degrees at 0230 last night, I get home, a trickle of water, but when I turn off the spigot, I think I can hear water/the pump running. So I shut off the pump until further daylight investigation.

Further daylight investigation reveals at least one huge broken pipe. Can't tell if there's others since they're buried inbetween the insulation and the floor. :cry:

Lugging water again tonight for the ponies--the good part is I work in public safety, so can always find a FD to get h20 from.

The bad part is this is the third storm like this and the coverall barns are toast. With gas, grain and hay prices the way they've been, I'm already working 7 days a week. I just really don't have the 'extra' resources for this. Certainly not the energy. :sigh: It's been a tough year and this does NOT help. :mad:

</end whine> If it was just me, I could get by until Monday with no running water. Obviously with the farm, I can't. I am just praying it's not a hugely expensive fix. :no: :cry:

[aprilcain]

we had to replace our line where the creek washed it out took forever to find the busted pipe cause it was about a mile from the house and it was under water and you can imagine how "fun" it was fixing just for it to blow out 3 more times between there and the house

[BestHorses]

UGH That sucks!!! Hang in there.

[Wellspotted]

Me too.

I've been really glad to get work at an office I love.

I work first week--car breaks down, eats up my first paycheck.
I work second week--miss almost one day's pay waiting for car to get fixed so I can get to work.
I work third week--holiday week--get paid for 3 days, use up most of paycheck on utility bill. Car needs a different repair job, which eats up rest of paycheck not eaten up by utility bill.
I work 4th week--most of paycheck will go to another utility and balance of second car repair bill.
I start 5th week--car is running "warm" again. Not hot, but not cool.
Seems I am working to get paid to pay for repairs to car that gets me to work.
Try telling family you can't do Christmas this year for adults and kids.
I feel I'm treading water in an outgoing tide. Not sinking yet, but can't get in to shore.

So why am I feeling guilty for venting? :confused: :rolleyes:

[Rallycairn]

So sorry for everyone's troubles. These things do add up and are VERY stressful.

Our year was like, starting last Christmas time ... cancer diagnosis in one beloved dog, MIL goes into hospital, sweet aunt is hospitalized and then dies (all before the New Year), meanwhile building the house addition we'd already committed to cranks up, we start taking our sweet dog to another state for chemo every week for 16 weeks, MIL goes to physical rehab center (which she actually enjoys, yay), and so on. MIL did get better within a month or so, but the other stressors remained -- house construction was going on and beloved dog's remission, which by all indicators should have lasted a year (he had the more tractable type of lymphoma, it was caught very early, etc. -- lots of good indicators, relatively speaking) lasted one month, we tried rescue chemo but thje cancer didn't really respond, we lost him in August.

House became a money pit and far more than we thought it would cost. It's sitting there partially built even now. Reassessment for taxes is huge (huge for everyone in the county, but of course we also added to our house). Economy takes incredible downturn. DH's job in some peril, we'll know more next week. I'm having chronic medical probs which are severe enough to have kept me from looking for work -- if I can ever get some actual treatment (and not just more tests) hopefully I'll feel up to looking for a job.

Sigh. Hang in there, everyone. At least we have our families (including our beasties), though we must so often bear losses there, too.

[mht]

And, of course, the amount of water the horses will drink is directly proportional to how far you have to carry it. Experience speaking here.:lol:

[McVillesMom]

When it rains, it pours, that's for sure. We've had numerous car repairs ourselves lately, and not even a nibble for a couple of months on our house (it's been on the market for 1 1/2 years, so we're paying mortgage AND rent here in Columbus). Plus my husband had to spend the night in the ER for a gallstone, but he presented with chest pain so had to have an echo, stress test and all that good stuff.

AND it's finals week. :dead: :lol: So to keep this HR, I haven't seen either of my horses since Sunday. But tomorrow is the last one, so the end is near!

Hang in there, everybody!

[WaningMoon]

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, I guess. Pipes froze during the flash-freeze on Sun/Mon. So I lugged water Monday for the horses.

It's 50+ degrees at 0230 last night, I get home, a trickle of water, but when I turn off the spigot, I think I can hear water/the pump running. So I shut off the pump until further daylight investigation.

Further daylight investigation reveals at least one huge broken pipe. Can't tell if there's others since they're buried inbetween the insulation and the floor. :cry:

Lugging water again tonight for the ponies--the good part is I work in public safety, so can always find a FD to get h20 from.

The bad part is this is the third storm like this and the coverall barns are toast. With gas, grain and hay prices the way they've been, I'm already working 7 days a week. I just really don't have the 'extra' resources for this. Certainly not the energy. :sigh: It's been a tough year and this does NOT help. :mad:

</end whine> If it was just me, I could get by until Monday with no running water. Obviously with the farm, I can't. I am just praying it's not a hugely expensive fix. :no: :cry:

Certainly feel for you there. Lugging water royally sucks. Somehow my mare and mini donkey drink 30 gallons a day and I am lugging every drop all winter long as the only water is in the house. Didn't have it tehre until we recently replaced all the broken pipes so I feel lucky for that. Wish I didn't have a disabling spine disease and have orders to not lift over 4 lbs but that cant' be helped. I'd fix your pipes for you if you were close. I know how to do that and am quite the solderer. Hope you are able to fix them soon and stop the lugging.

[jeano]

Had to tote water back in the day in OH, before I got a water line to the barn with a frost free hydrant--during the winter a hose wouldnt do and although we had a drainpipe from the barn roof to the trough, you couldnt rely on rainfall to keep it full, esp not in winter. So one day I'm toting, didnt latch the gate and I had a horse loose and cavorting on the highway....that took a couple years off my life.

I had an empty rental house once that I failed to winterize--bust pipes, horrendous water bill, ruined floor and all. Yikes.

Glad I live where the worst thing that winter could bring would be a prolonged power outage--if no electricity, no pump, but I could pretend I was in the cavalry and lead the horses to the pond twice a day and they would survive...

[pintopiaffe]

Jeano, one pasture has a running brooke, with actual improved access to it... though it's overgrown a bit since my ponies really don't *get* it. Luckily the blue-eyed medicine hat is SMART about those things, she'll lead them down if need be.

Misery does love company, but I'm sorry for everyone else in the same boat. :(

Even a year ago I was much more 'comfortable' than right now.

I guess I'm going to have to make a homeowner's claim. :dead: I'm *terrified* at how much my premiums are going to go up. They're already unbelievably awful, and I shopped around just to GET insc, not to mention rates. (hurricane zone+mobile home+ horses= no one wants to TOUCH me. :( ) But this is way more than I thought. The insulation is all soaked and possibly needs replaced, at the least needs a salamander running under there for long enough to dry it all out. I've no idea how many pipes are burst other than just the one--as they are between the insulation and the floor. :dead:

And... <drumroll> we're going to get dumped on tonight. "Significant" snowfall. :dead:

:lol:

Oh well.

Seriously, The barn fire in Windham was on the news last night. I cannot, not, not imagine loosing ALL my horses in one fell swoop. Honestly I'm not sure I could go on.

So things could be much, much worse. This is just some time and effort. It IS fixable, eventually. I have to remember that.

[Hear_my_echo]

Can you get one of these or smilier in your barn:

http://www.water-tanks.net/acatalog/Agricultural1300_Litre_Water_Storage_Tank-.html

It'll save you carrying water from the house to the horses- you can insulate them pretty cheaply too. Not sure if it's in the budget. Another idea is to get a kid's sled, like this

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/213ifIHSX5L._SL500_AA200_.jpg

and some water containers with a lid. Put the water containers onto the sled, and drag the sled. :) Much easier on your back. :)

[slpeders]

The insulation is all soaked and possibly needs replaced, at the least needs a salamander running under there for long enough to dry it all out.

ok -- I REALLY don't mean to discount the rough year, I'm really sorry it's sucked and totally understand...but the visual I got of little salamanders running around in the ceiling of your mobile home to dry out your insulation had me giggling hysterically. I'm seeing a salamander running around with a tiny blow dryer.... and I'm SURE that's not what you mean, but it's a cute mental image!

[dressagetraks]

Just for a hopefully sorta cheer up message, I also live in a mobile home with addition way out in the country, in tornado alley, small insurance company, many wouldn't insure this, etc. In 2002, a storm ripped off half my roof, literally half. It rolled up the roof on the addition like a giant's sleeping bag, left the original roof untouched. It then downpoured into my house (that half of) like a waterfall all night. I was up all night moving stuff to the other half between emptying buckets into the bathtub, and it only took about 10 minutes for each bucket to fill.

New roof, new insulation, new ceiling fixtures and lights, new ceiling, new outer wall, new floor, new carpet. $$$$.

The insurance company paid without complaint and never raised my rates. Adjuster came out, took one picture of the rolled roof/giant's sleeping bag, and said, "Send us the bills." It did take me 3 weeks to get a contractor on the job, but that's another story. That was a busy storm, apparently.

Best of luck.

[DressageGeek "Ribbon Ho"]

hugs to everyone going through tough times, and best wishes things will get better for all.

[Rhyadawn]

That sucks PintoP

When I was farm sitting a couple months ago some part of the septic system went on the property. I still don't understand exactly what happened, but there was no water pressure, and the fixpeople had to rip up the driveway to get at the lines and replace 20feet of pipe.

3 days of calling the fire department for twice daily delivery of H20 for 44 horses. It wasn't even like I could haul water from the house to the barn because there was no water pressure anywhere. The first night I went to the militia and borrowed 20 jerrycans to fill at my house and bring them back so the horses in the barn had water till morning.

It never rains

Hope its not as serious and dismal and it sounds..

Keep smiling

[NoDQhere]

I feel your pain and frustration. It has been quite a year here, too. First in June we had a major flood. Took out a lot of fence, Beautiful Horse Guard on wood posts all tamped in by hand. :cry:.

Then in early November we had a major blizzard. About 2 feet of snow and winds up to 87 miles an hour. More flattened fence and drifts packed so hard that the horses could walk over the fences. Then a broken waterline. Yikes! And it keeps snowing, raining and blowing like a banshe. Enough already and it isn't even Christmas.

Keep your chin up. SPRING is only 4 months away. :eek::eek::eek::eek:

[pintopiaffe]

:lol:

Love the salamander imagery. Up he'ah it's what we call the bullet kerosene heaters? I dunno what they're really called.

Dressagetraks--that is VERY encouraging. I have to suck it up and call the Insc co in the am. I'm going to try to include the roof shingles and furnace flue that were also destroyed by the wind the week before--dunno if that'll be allowed or not. But I don't have a choice. Cost is going to be WAY more than deductible... way more than doable... I've got to make a claim. It might help that the Gov declared a State of Emergency for storm #1. I dunno about Mon into Tues. But the damage from storm #1 pretty much caused the subsequent damage. We'll see.

Misery really *does* love company, BUT--I'm sorry there's so much of it!!! Been a hard few years guys, 'eh? Hang in there. We'll make it. One way or another!

[slpeders]

Sending my mental support, for whatever it's worth, to everyone. It does seem like it's been a tumultuous year in so many ways. Too much loss of life and property.

My current beacon of light: only 10 more days, then it starts to stay light longer. :) I'm having such a hard time getting myself to the barn in the cold and dark once I get home - and with a new, fancy-schmancy mare, I should be all motivated! somehow though, I am not. I am sure there is some part of me that is maybe not quite as ready for that next partner as I thought, so I tell myself that it's ok to go slowly.
So I guess that is my bit of advice to dealing with all the difficulties being faced by the folks here -- just go slowly and cope each day, knowing that if you need help, it's only a few keystrokes away. :)

[tikihorse2]

Oh, jeez. I wish I had some good advice to give everyone, but I don't. Just want to say that you'll all be in my thoughts and prayers. *HUGS*

Kim