Does it smell musty in here to you?

That's how it all started. I thought it smelled ... musty... in the guest room/playroom. About three weeks ago, I found a corner of the carpet was wet-- not squishy wet--just maybe someone spilled a cup wet. I turned the fan on and it dried out in a short time. But it got me thinking about that musty smell.

Sunday Bryan moved a wicker basket of toys to vacuum and discovered the basket had black fuzzies growing underneath. He then turned the toy box on its side and discovered....

Whoa! Clearly there has been more than a cupful of water coming into this room, but from where? Naturally we think catastrophic - rain coming in the weep holes, cracks in the foundation, under the eaves, and of course it was something much simpler. My dad, the engineer who sees the obvious, asks casually, "Well, what's on the other side of the wall?" Uh-huh. A bathroom, with a shower.



It's the girls' bathroom, and instead of a tub, there is a step-down shower. To give the girls a bath for the last five years, we have always plugged up the shower floor and filled it with about 2-3 inches of water. We've never had any problems with water leaking before, though in the last six months or so, the girls have been filling it up with more water and splashing.

We pulled back the carpet along that wall, and the outside wall all the way to the other corner. Thankfully no mold on the pad. No mold on the slab. The only stain/discoloration is the mildew on the carpet, which hopefully can be cleaned. We ran a test by filling up the shower with water, as we normally would during a bath. Bryan filled it a little fuller than normal and voila! Water gushing in from the wall in one specific area. (Are we overflowing the pan? Or is there a hole?) After we cleaned up that water and the room dried, we ran just the shower. No water. Huge sigh of relief, the shower can still be used and we don't have to tear apart the bathroom.

Sadly, no more baths in the shower for little girls. Showers only. Meanwhile, the guest room now exists in a state of suspension - pulled up carpet waiting to be cleaned. I'll have to call someone out to replace the pad, and the sodden tack boards, and restretch the carpet. I hate leaving town with things so unfinished.

Did I mention that last night the dishwasher broke? No water leaking, and it's something relatively simple - the door latch is disconnected, meaning I can't get the door to open and we can't run the dishwasher (it's full of dirties that were to be washed last night.) Bryan unplugged it and took off the kick panel, the front door panel, and tried to get under the control panel, but couldn't. I'm sure there is an easy secret way that only repairmen know. I googled KitchenAid dishwasher like mad last night and never found anything about opening the locked door or getting into the control panel.

He was going to leave it unassembled last night, but I made him put it all back together. I can live with the guest room carpet pulled up, and a mildewed toy box in the hallway, and toys in the living room, but I refuse to have parts and pieces of a dishwasher stacked in the kitchen. Repairman says first available appt is Friday afternoon.

Taking a breather

Well it's like a calm between the storms. The hectic crazy days of the past two weeks are behind me, and the excitement of the impending SAA meeting is building on the horizon. One last weekend, and the one more week of work before we leave for the Society of American Archivists national meeting in Washington DC. www.archivists.org When we return it will be August, there might be a new baby in the family, and Cameron will start 2nd grade a few days later.

Where did the summer go??

A few images from Grandma's services in Oklahoma City.

After the services, we went to Coit's to offer a frosted mug root beer toast to Ray & Wanda. Coit's is this unassuming, aging little drive-in type place. Bryan remembers coming here at a very young age with Ray. They always had frosted mug root beer, onion rings, and ham and cheese sandwiches.

Oklahoma City also means seeing old friends again. The first night we came into town, we met up with friends for dinner at Bricktown. Christopher got along fairly well with those two little Texas gals. Heather spoiled them all.The first time I met Bryan's friends in Oklahoma City, the Bricktown area renewal with a canal was just a concept. Now it's a thriving beautiful area of restaurants, walking paths, Sonic headquarters, and don't forget the buffalo!

The second night, after services, was more relaxed as we gathered at Heather's house.

Bryan & Brad played catch--occasionally they threw Cameron the ball-- while Brenna & Heather kicked the soccer ball. After dinner we attemped to use our exhausted minds to play word games like Buzzword and Taboo. It quickly dissolved into petty sabotage (ah, brothers) and hysterical laughter a la Dumb & Dumber.

Cameron & Brenna think Oklahoma is O.K.! LOL.

Remembering Grandma

Bryan's grandma, Wanda Lee Melott Connally, died on Friday, July 7 after suffering a massive stroke. We were on our way to McKinney to celebrate Bryan's birthday (July 7) and Grandma's return home from a long-term rehab facility where she recuperated from an earlier hospital stay. Her death was unexpected, though not entirely a surprise.
Our last visit was Easter Sunday. We had such a happy visit, even though Grandma was in the hospital. Cameron & Brenna really enjoyed giving Grandma her ladybug Easter basket.

Grandma was a very strong, spirited woman. She was a huge influence on her daughters and grandsons. We will miss her so very much. Her obituary can be read here: http://www.turrentinejacksonmorrow.com/detail.php?id=1757

I recorded an oral history interview with Grandma back in 2004 about her family and growing up in Oklahoma. Her daddy was a section foreman for the Santa Fe railroad and they lived in a house next to the tracks. She used to play on the tracks all the time - leaving pennies and nails and things to be flattened by the passing trains. She left Macomb immediately after her 1943 high school graduation, moving to Oklahoma City where she found work as a teletypist at Western Union during WWII. She says she enjoyed the job, except for the inevitable "We regret to inform you..." telegrams. Here she met Ray Connally, whom she would marry--in secret--because they didn't want anyone at WU to know they were married.

I know that Grandma knows how much we loved her, and how much we wished we could have lived closer to be a daily part of her life. I treasure the memories I have of staying at her home, our conversations, our laughter. I learned many things from my relationship with Wanda. Including her peanut brittle recipe!

Remembering Grandma. She is now with her family in heaven.

Alexander the Sleepy

New nephew Alexander is one week old. David & Leah invited us over on Sunday to see the baby. He was sleeping, taking a long afternoon nap most of the time we were there, but finally just before we left Leah decided we could wake him up.

The girls were a little hesitant to get too close, but Uncle David encouraged them to climb up for a closer look.

Mom & Dad dropped by with both their moms for a quick visit. We took a few "four generation" photos. I'm sure there will be many more in the months to come.

Sure is beautiful having a new baby in the family.

Baby Mania

Babies are popping out everywhere. First we introduce my nephew, Alexander David, born Sunday, June 25. Alex is my brother & sister-in-law's first child, and my parent's second grandson. Anytime a baby is born it's special, and Alex enjoys the privilege and responsibility of carrying on the family name.

The next day, June 26, we welcomed twin girls, Eliza Claire and Ruby Caroline, born to very good friends of ours. They have the honor of being born on my grandmother's 80th birthday, and so now we share another birthdate in common with them. (Brenna was born on Sam's birthday.)

Another friend, whom I know through AHA! is expecting her first child, a girl, to be named Clover. So far, no word from her.

UPDATE: Clover Chilton was born June 30 in the wee hours of the morning. 9 lbs 6 oz and 20 1/2" long. Mother & baby girl are doing great.

And we still have a while to wait for Junie B., my sister's third child and second daughter. Because my sister and her husband never reveal the child's name until they are born, we assign the baby another name. In my house we call her Junie B. but my sister calls her Trixie. I can't call her Trixie - it's the name of my best friend's dog. I refuse to call my neice by a dog's name. I can't wait for the formal introduction, which should be held sometime in early-mid-August.

Meanwhile this was just a test post to see if I know what I'm doing. I think it will take a while to get the hang of this blogging thing.