Listen to the Wind

Was the theme in both of today’s sermons. Of course, neither minister know what is going on in my life at the moment … and I had a hard time reeling it in at church. I wanted to stand up and say, “I’ve heard the damn winds! And your Lenten story of the congregation member who came home last Sunday to all of her downed limbs being picked, as someone else’s “Listen Blessing” AIN’T HELPING ME.” I heard the wind, and now I’ve been out of my house for seven days.

It goes without saying I am thankful to everyone who has taken me in and sheltered me during this time. I’m just tired, a little stressed out, and wanting some respite. But I keep hearing the wind – and it’s a big sucking hole blowing over my (former) savings account.

The electrician didn't get to my house on Friday - because he was finishing up another job, because he is flying out Tuesday to Colorado because his mother has had a massive heart attack. He DID get to my house yesterday - and started working on my stuff. While he was under the house, he noticed something was spraying water onto my hot water heater and the electrical leading into the tank.

He called me.

I drove over there and joined him under the house. There's a thing called a "capacitor" or "expander" or some damn thing, it's attached to the joists above my hot water heater. It's a tank - and sits outside the hot water heater. (I thought it was a filtering system). Apparently hot water heaters expand when it get hot? And this thing keeps the pressure from blowing out my pipes? (makes no sense to me, but I'll Google it next) .. anyway - there's a hose that goes into it. And there is a brass fitting that links the hose to the tank. And the BRASS FITTING has a pinhole failure in it. (think of a bolt) and the hole is in the hex of the bolt. Not the threading mind you, and not the tubing, but the bolt itself.

This failure has happened sometime since last Monday, when the electrician was crawling under the house. And it's been spraying this very fine mist all over the top of my hot water heater - which has led to the corrosion/rusting of the outside of the tank. It has also spraying directly on the electrical going INTO the top of the hot-water heater. We (two guys from church and I ) took apart the face plates on the side of the hot water heater unit. The wiring there is dry - and we've left the face plates off, so the rest can dry out too.

I've also turned off the water out at the street, the water valve going into the hot water heater, and flipped the breaker in the breaker box to off.

I keep trying to tell myself how lucky I am. I keep trying to remind myself I am not alone. That I should be praying to God. But honestly - I'm not doing so good.

Plumber can't come to my house 'till Monday (maybe), City of Raleigh MAY NOT be able to inspect my house on Monday - and the electrician leaves on Tues AM. So - I have no idea what/if/when anything is going to happen and I'll be back in my house.