So, after a 2 1/2 hour drive, I arrived at my destination! It was super hot and humid, but I unloaded and unloaded and unloaded some more until everything but the Chaise was in the condo. I was drenched with sweat. After turning the air conditioning down to 72, I took a seat on the floor and waited until my hair stopped dripping and drank my last bottle of water.
Feeling somewhat recovered I drove to my local Publix and bought water and some food for the week. I did have the good sense to turn on the refrigerator when I got there, so by now it was nice and cold. I lugged all that stuff home and deposited a 10 pound bag of ice in the freezer. I then proceeded to fill a glass with ice and poured water over it. I drank 2 bottles immediately and for the rest of the day, I kept sipping.
At about 2:30 the mattress was delivered. At 3:00, I was taking a nap. enjoying the coolness. Ahhh.
I set an alarm for an hour later and finally dragged myself out of bed about an hour and a half later.
Huh, it seems a bit warmer in here than it was I check the thermostat, lower the temperature. NOTHING! Great.
I then go and look for water shut-off to turn the water back on so I can take a shower. No idea where it is, I look inside and out. NOTHING! Great
I start to sweat because now the termp inside is 82. I decide to look around for someone to ask.. a neighbor, anyone. I know the people on both sides of me are home so I knock repeatedly at each of their doors. No answer. So I hop in my car, and start driving slowly around the development looking for someone outside. The first person I encounter, is an older man, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, bare foot, drinking a glass of wine. I decide to pass on him and continue driving. After making a complete circuit of the neighborhood, bathrobe man is my only hope.
So, I put down the window and say, excuse me, do you live here? And he slurs that he does in fact live here in the 'cell block' behind him. Ooook. So I ask him if he knows where the shut off valve is for the water. He says, Oh I don't mess with anything like that. So I proceed to plead my case and also add in about the air conditioning--of lack thereof. He says, well let me call Joe somebody. He is on the board. So I give him a business card with my number and pray he remembers until he gets back to his place .
I return home and wait. Sweating. About 20 minutes later, a knock on my door and it's Joe. A nice looking guy about my age. He says the shut offs are either inside or out. He looks in the closet of my sun room and says, definitely out. We go outside and he can't find it. Just as we are ready to go back in, he spots it. It's been painted the same color as the stucco and kinda blends in.
Water problem solved! He then proceeds to look at the thermostat and breaker. No idea. He suggests I go and buy a fan. GREAT It's now 84 degrees inside. After he leaves, I call the Home Warranty company to place a claim. Turns out that no air conditioning, in Florida, in the summer does not qualify as an emergency. And it will take a minimum of 48 hours for someone to get back to me
I go and buy a fan.
I make it through Saturday and Sunday sleeping with the fan pointed directly at me and through the day, I move it around to wherever I'm at. UGH. By Monday, I am online filling out a request for bids on Thumbtack. I get a response within 1/2 hour. A minute later the phone rings. It's a Contractor !!!
I tell the woman my story and she says, oh well, we can have a Tech out there today. Today? As in Labor Day? Yes!!!!!!!!
So around 6:30 a truck pulls up a guy gets out, looks briefly at the thermostat and exchange and then sets up his ladder and is on my roof checking things out. I hear his drill a few times and then he comes down with the verdict. Ideally, I need a new central air system. In Florida, most units last about 10 years on average. My unit is from 1999. Now, I knew the unit was old but was hoping it would last another year or two. But that wasn't meant to be.
He says it probably has a slow coolant leak and that if he puts coolant in the unit, it will work again, but he can't say for how long. He said it could last 2 hours, 2 months or 2 years. I tell him to add the coolant. I will be happy if I can have one decent night of sleep at this point. Immediately after he does that, the unit turns on and I see the temperature inside drop from 84 to 83....I could have wept.
We talk about the cost of a new unit and he checks and says they could install this Thursday. Hmmm.
The issue is, with me not being here all the time, if the AC does go out the humidity will cause all sorts of nasty mold to grow very quickly. So, I decide to bite the bullet and have a new unit put in.
Great
Now we are current and I can say the AC is still working and I slept like the dead last night. Then my friend calls me and asks me if I have been watching the news. Oh God now what? Are we at war? What? Ummmmm........ just a Category 5 hurricane headed towards you. Great
So after I run my errands, I do what any sane person in the path of a hurricane would do............I head for the pool to catch some rays.
After listening to some of these men that were sitting in the shade of the clubhouse talk, I wanted to slit my wrists. Bathrobe man was there--clothed this time but with his wine. He was talking about when to evacuate and telling everyone that if it hits the near us this whole area will be flattened with winds that high. A kind of a know-it-all type naysayer that has experienced everything you have and done it better or had it worse. UGH.
And, you will never guess who I ran into while I was at the pool: Remember Tan Mom... or it could be Magda from Something about Mary!!
After all that pleasant talk, I came back to my place and changed into dry clothes and decided to go and get gas.
This was interesting...................The Madness has truly begun. In line to get gas at Wawa.
I've been thinking of driving up closer to Sanford because of rush hour traffic etc.. well now it will be evacuation traffic if the hurricane comes our way. So I have a hotel room for Thursday night about 20 minutes from the train station and will leave Friday afternoon on the train............Could really be a crazy train if we are being followed by the hurricane. Great
So, tomorrow I have a new piece of furniture coming. I think I am going to think a good thought and have it delivered. As for getting the AC put in......I may postpone that until I can get back down here.
So that's all for now Folks. Just another crazy week in my life. Prayers, positive thoughts etc would be greatly appreciated by Florida!
TTFN
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