First World Recovery Problems

So the owner of Clearwater Pools, our long time service company, saw the pix of our pool post Irma, and told me it was more than matter of chlorine shocking and clean up.  We needed to drain the thing, and clean it, and then refill and "start over."

Thursday a subcontractor came by, a nice, portly young man named Brian, and placed a pump in the now swampy mess.  He said it would take 4-5 hours to drain, and I needed to unplug the pump when it ran dry.  It took 9 hours -- our pool is VERY deep -- close to 8 feet on one end.

Yesterday am Brian came by, and cleaned out the prodigious amounts of leaves and branches, and then showed me what I sort of suspected -- the finish was coming off.  The pool was put in 20 years ago, and the composite finishes last 10-15.  But we agreed to go ahead and refill the pool anyway -- if they did the refinishing while the pool area was still a mess, which it will be for another 2-3 weeks, it will result in a bad surface.  So Brian and his man cleaned it, and set out my garden hose for the re-fill.  I started filling at about noon -- 23 hours later, it has another half to go.  As I said, the thing is DEEP.

Meanwhile, there was, of course, drama on the landscape front.  My friend from Broward referred a fellow for the job.  He said it was too big -- it required heavy equipment, especially to remove a huge ficus that fell across my pond.  He sent his brother in law Omar.  Omar quoted me $6K.  I agreed -- he was to start next Wednesday.

But Wifey still wanted a quote from Sara -- the person who put in all the landscaping, and is a true artist.  We figured her quote would be absurdly high.  Not so fast.  She came in at $4200, and said she'd try to save some of the trees.  Only problem was -- we needed to wait three weeks for the job, which was not really a problem for the non OCD when it comes to house stuff, Wifey and me.

I had my Broward friend call Omar to tell him thanks but no thanks.  Yesterday am, his English speaking nephew called.  My next day cancellation, he said, had cost Omar work.  I should still pay. I told the nephew no dice -- he was already clearly trying to gouge me, and post Irma I couldn't imagine any tree removal guy couldn't get more work than he could handle.  But, I said --  my friend would speak to him.

She did, and called that it was resolved.  Omar told her he didn't want money from me -- just wanted to make me feel bad for cancelling.  Ha. As if.  I spend many hours with potential clients, and sometimes don't get the case.  It goes, as Arthur Miller wrote, with the territory.

So for now, the pool if filling, and the landscapers are due.  I also called in my small roof repair request -- 4 cracked tiles -- and called the accordion shutter company to add a few more.  Some of the panels I have to put on are getting a bit too tough for this now mid 50s homeowner...

Wifey really, really wants to move and downsize.  The problem is, places we like -- Gables or Grove, are so expensive, that I'll have to pay what my current house costs for a place half the size.  For now, we stay.

Meanwhile, life in the First World goes on.  Maria and Norman, tailgate hosts extraordinaire, considered not having a party for yesterday's game.  But they pressed on.  Mirta came by, and off we went to the stadium.

It was awesome.  I saw my dear brothers and sisters, and we ate, and drank a bit, and the Canes started slow but came on big -- they might move into the Top 10 this week.

We laughed a lot, and finally got to debrief about D1's Big, Fat, Colombian wedding.  Everyone said it was the best they had ever attended -- the dancing, the food, the love.  When the photos from the crew from Jacksonville come in, I look forward to a lovely night of reliving it.

Today the couch calls to me.  The Fins play at 1.  Then we have to visit the ancient suegra, and then meet Kenny and Joelle for dinner in the Gables.

Fall is here.  Storms are leaving us alone.  It's a nice time -- First World Problems are the best kind to have.