A different kind of minimalism?

The minimalism BLOGGING may have dropped out of cyber world…but the purging, I am glad to say, continued on into this summer.  Craigslist has been a big tool.  We sold a bed set, a guitar case, and a few other smaller items that I obviously didn’t need because they are already forgotten!  Granted, I’ve acquired things for the newborn…but I am only saying yes to offers of giving if I truly need it!  And being that I am SUCH a pro now, I know exactly what to expect this go round.  (haha…that’s what I think, huh?). 

And here as we begin August, I want to take a turn into something that is a bit of a twist in minimalism.   Sure, the chain of events that I’m about to tell you (in summary) are not the circumstances we prefer….but being that things happen & you can either find the positive or wallow in the negative…I am looking upon it as a new challenge.

Ok, I don’t feel like telling every single detail because it’s exhausting, but here’s the gist of what happened:

It’s Friday afternoon now.  Well, on Monday, I heard a noise that I was becoming all too familiar with:  a clanging on what sounded like the hot water tank area.  Tan & I knew the dogs had found a new cool hideout under the house via our crawlspace, but I knew Tan had rigged up a temporary “gate” to keep them out while we figured out a permanent solution.  (bear in mind these dogs have full access to a often-AC’d garage).  He had also (somewhat) convinced me that the dogs can not do anything to the gas or water pipes…too sturdy.  However, hearing that sound again on Monday morn left my “gut” feeling funny.  What does a girl do?  Call Dad!  And Dad about hit the roof.  He stays out of the Hubbert business, but on this he was pretty vocal about how those dogs can NOT be under there, period.  Danger, danger.  So the protective momma in me went into high gear & I called ONG to request a pressure check.  The info I gave them garnered an “emergency” response…I tell ya, I had a guy knocking at my door within 5 minutes!  

He did find that we are leaking gas at 3ft/hr…the equivalent of what you need to light a pilot light, I know now.  He shut off our gas & told me I must call a plumber to do further inspection, then we’d need a city inspection.  In my head I am feeling relief & thinking a couple hundred dollars to keep my babies safe is no biggie. 

We have an honest, fair plumber…been through a few ice storms with us ;) ….yet he was the bearer of bad news on Tuesday.  He had to be the one to tell us he found a tiny, tiny leak ABOVE the house, right near the hot water tank (not one that was even remotely dangerous) and being that we were now shut off by ONG pending city inspection, we’d be required to fix everything that was out of code.  Apparently, it is very easy to fall out of code, as it changes a lot.  He told me he sure wished I had known to call him FIRST instead of ONG.  Apparently this cycle of turning off the gas then getting a mandatory city inspection is a tangled web that you don’t wanna get it.  I get it, ONG has to be safe, has to avoid liability.  I won’t harbor anger at them.  We just had a new hot water tank put in 3 years ago, but plumber man found $2000 worth of things on said hot water tank that would have to be updated to be ready for the city inspection.  And as for under the house….he would have to reschedule to come and check for any more leaks, which is more $$, not to mention the costs if he does find any more.  So, we are suddenly needing $3000-4000 in the midst of a season in our marriage that is already ‘lean,’ if you will.   We are floating through this season on almost-maxed credit cards, a lifestyle neither of us had even remotely lived before, as we get past this time of me almost done with a Masters yet pausing to have babies. ;)

And that last part is not woe-is-me at all.  Tanner and I have a game plan with an end in sight, so being in a temporary lean time is not anything we worry about.  However, making a phone call to ONG because you wanted your babies to be safe leading to 3 or 4 thousand dollars to come up with was not in the plan!

All that to say….. we are brainstorming before we call back dear plumber.  We are considering selling Tanner’s truck and becoming a one-car family for a while.  (and how he loved his ol’ beat up truck he just got merely to get to work in!).  I’ve got to get an antique dealer over here, which is something we were gonna do eventually anyway.  So, when there is a will, there’s a way.

But…here’s the thing…we’ve been without hot water and our (gas) stove for five days now.  It’s not that difficult!  Electricity would be tough, yes…but gas, not so much.  Tan & I both agree that lukewarm showers aren’t bad at all.  Yes, that is correct, our water does not even GET cold due to our lovely 112-degree days.  In these dog days we don’t crave steamy showers anyway.  Same goes for the stove---definitely not wanting to heat up our lil’ house with the oven.  But, yeah, I am already missing my sautéed fresh produce I was in the habit of serving up via stovetop since we have three gardens giving us fresh food (thank you, God, for Joanna’s bounty, my dad’s bounty, and ours!)

If it were winter time, we’d be up a creek…our heat is gas…..but I have managed to find one sliver of positive in this record-breaking  heat---you don’t need gas for the home!  I almost want to now see how long we can go without.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, I do a sanitary job on the dishes. J  First, you microwave a tub of water & then pour it in the sink.  Voila!  And, sorry granolas, we are totally buying paper plates & cups this week just to minimize the amount of dishes I must do that way.  It’s mostly knives (for cutting the produce!) and baby items.   So, getting this city inspection will eventually happen…but it’s not a threat.  We can take our time.  I may get creative with more cooking ideas with the toaster & microwave as my only tools!