Some of you are aware that my mother had to have surgery yesterday on a suspicious lump in her thyroid, so I've been in NC all week. We spent all day from 5:30 in the morning until 8 at night with breaks for lunch and dinner at the hospital.

Thankfully, it appears that it was benign, but they still took 1/2 of her thyroid. She's also recovered quite nicely. She came home today and no sooner had we walked in the door and Karl calls. The entire apartment is flooded, from a hot water heater busted.

So, I quickly pack up and head home a day early and just got in. I can't get in my kitchen or bathroom because of all the things he's moved in there. We're walking around on concrete that they've pulled up all around the furniture.

One of us will have to miss a day this week while they lay new carpet in the apartment, and paint the entire apartment. I have to miss work on Monday while they do something else with the new hot water heater (not sure what). I've been in this apartment since 1994, so you can imagine how much I've accumulated in that time.



I get to change all the rats out tonight and tend to all the herps - most all of the snakes have pooped and peed.

Then my parents' neighbor had a tree fall through their roof from their next door neighbor cutting down a tree. A large branch came crashing through the window in the kitchen as they were feeding their three young children, spraying glass on all the children. Luckily, they were unharmed, but a few choice words were shared with the neighbor. It also took out the power on the street, and the power company had to be there to change out a transformer.

It's been an eventful weekend - I'm pooped!