Friday, November 5, 2010

Weekend Recap Part II: Water Line & Lack of Linebacker

If you haven't read Part I yet, here is the recap.  Long story short, my basement looks super fabulous and much less congested with non-functional potentially leaking gas lines! 

Of course, I couldn't find myself doing nothing while Freddie worked diligently on beautifying my basement.  I did attempt to stay out of his way by being upstairs, but he called me for assistance and then I decided I should be close by to help.  We enjoyed several hours of conversation including his becoming a snobby foodie and his favorite dishes to cook as well as traveling.  I worked on freeing up a couple of old galvanized water line pipes that were put through a cement wall and of course Freddie helped me!  He commented on how I'm a "doer" and wondered if I got those skills from my father.  He didn't forsee that there was anything that I wouldn't accomplish if I set my mind to it.  I did tell him that I had my limits, which included not removing gas lines, but removing the asbestos duct work for the furnace years ago - that I was OK with!

After the water lines were removed, I noticed a copper flexible line was dripping water.  The line went from my utility storage room through the laundry room and to the furnace.  The line was not connected.  I decided it would be great to remove it, although the line was secured by copper pieces nailed into the wood boards.  I managed to free the line into the laundry area.  Sitting on the top of the freezer, with a ladder in front of me, I took the hammer overhead to pry off one of the connectors (I'm sure there is a real word for those metal dohickie pieces!).  Unfortunately, I lost my grip on the hammer and it came flying at me. 

Right to my face.  The claw end of the hammer punctured under my left eye, missing my eye by an inch!  Then the hammer bounced to my lip and then onto the floor (although I have a nice bruise on my knee that I'm thinking it may have hit my knee in transit to the ground too!).  Immediately my eye began to swell as tears surfaced.  Immediate PAIN.  I headed upstairs to see the damage.  Quickly, both under the eye and the lip began to swell.  My gum was bleeding but fortunately my tooth wasn't loose.

Being a boxer or a Domestic Violence victim was not part of the Halloween weekend!  I immediately texted AG to tell him that due to my hammer mishap I would be canceling our plans to the Winery.  He suggested I wear sunglasses and we go to the movies, which I declined as well.  Although I would have been right in par for my holiday injuries with AG that I incurred biking with him on Memorial Weekend as posted here

Freddie noticed immediately the bruising that was occurring on my face.  He had heard something fall but hadn't heard a peep out of me, so hadn't realized I had managed to injure myself.  I told him, "Unless I am dying, I won't say much!"  He suggested a regime of icing, heat and then pressure to the pooling blood with frozen metal to alleviate the bruising and said I would be good to go by the evening.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel so "good to go" and I stayed home, lights off and watching movies. 

I did however, manage to remove the copper water line and the basement looks super!  Freddie even suggested that I can now put in a drop ceiling.  I'll pass on that, for now.

I have to imagine that if ever I were to have a mugshot...it would look like this:


Of course this was shortly after the injury.  The good coloring and swelling came later.  I only hope that next time, I win! 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look at you including links!! I got so excited I had to leave a comment immediately. Now back to read the post.

Ms. Independent said...

I do occasionally try =) Just not very good at it!