I've Had A Rough Day Today!
By cyrus123
@cyrus123 (6363)
United States
September 15, 2009 2:49am CST
As some of you know, I started a discussion titled "Jury Duty" not too long ago. Well, I went today and I still don't know if I'm going to get to serve or not. There were a lot of people there and they at first told us that they were going to divide us into three groups. Then, they decided later that they were going to divide us into two. I went at 9:00 this morning and we were there until about 10:30. We were told to come back at 1:30, which we did. We were told that there were a lot of trials this week. However, the judge told us that one of the parties had settled their case out of court amicably and there would be no trial there. He dismissed us after that and told us to come back at 1:30 tomorrow.
Well, this afternoon, we had a pretty bad storm here and lightning struck something here at my house. It scared me too death! It was so loud! It sounded like it just split something! My power was out and I reported to the power company. They came and worked on the lines next to the road in front of my house. It was on in about an hour. Well, now my water is not working! I have a timer on my water heater but I don't know if that would have anything to do with it or not. Anyway, I called the Jasper Waterworks night line and thy sent somebody out here to read my meter. The man they sent out here said that there was water at the meter so I must have a regulator here at the house that is stopped up. He said that I would have to get a plumber to repair it. In the meantime, I've just had to melt some ice to give myself a sponge off and brush my teeth. I've been so upset! I plan to call a plumber in the morning but I don't know how I'm going to manage since I have to be back at court at 1:30. I'm hoping her can come before 1:30. I live alone so there is nobody who will be here. Have you ever had a situation like this? What did you do? How did you manage if you've ever had to do without water?
3 people like this
12 responses
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
15 Sep 09
I have never dealt without having water that I can remember. I have dealt with not having hot water. I would buy water at the store and just wash up with water filled up in the bathroom sink. I'm sure you can deal with that for a day or so. If you call early enough the plumber should get there before your Jury Duty. If not, then schedule it for later in the day when you get back from Jury Duty. Good luck to you and let me know how it works out for you.
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Everything is somewhat better now. I bought some bottled water to help me out until the plumber got here Tuesday. I called him that morning and he said it would be later in the day before he could come and I told him I had to be at jury duty at 1:30, the reason why I was asking. I called the circuit clerk's office to ask if I could be excused from jury duty but she said the judge would have to okay it. I went to jury duty at 1:30. I told the girl who did the talking that it was very important that I be at home. I didn't tell her what the reason was but she said she would let the judge know. He was very nice about it and he let those of us go who had requested it.
When I got home, I called the plumber to see if he might have come while I was gone and he said he hadn't. He got here about 4:30 or 5:00 and he said when lightning struck the house Monday, it most likely struck the transformer on the timer of my water heater. That's why I didn't have any water. He said he didn't work on timers, though. He said I would have to get the plumber who installed it to work on it. I didn't remember who that was. It's been several years now. You see, I had this timer put on the water heater so it would cut my water off at night. That way, I can save on my water bill. Anyway, I called another plumber to come out and work on it and he said he would be here at 11:30 a.m. Well, he didn't show up. I called him again later in the day and the girl I talked to said that he said it would be in the morning before he could come. In the meantime, the plumber who came Tuesday had to bypass the timer so I could have water. I'm so thankful to have it now but I will be glad to get that timer fixed. I can get a proper shower now. I felt so yucky all day Tuesday. It was because I had to get a sponge off from ice I had melted and I was just tired from having to go to jury duty twice that day. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
18 Sep 09
What a mess I'm glad you were able to finally take a shower. I don't understand why the first plumber couldn't take care of the timer for you. Take care!
@Purviolilav (112)
• Philippines
17 Sep 09
Hi, cyrus123! Well, it had happen to me before when we were hit by a typhoon and I had no water for a week and we had to go about 5 blocks to get water using some pails. I really had to boil rainwater with a gas stove then cooled it off just to brush my teeth or to drink...yeah, the rest of the days really went to fetch water that hard...learned to drive a motorcycle and made lots of friends from another community but I survived. As per you jury duty, you need to show up there. You can call the plumber and have the fixing done when you are already at home . Living alone is really hard but everything happens for a purpose and within your limits and capability...I have learned that God gave us situations we can handle or within our means and if you can't just trust God as He will give you help. Take care and God bless!
2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
17 Sep 09
Hi Purvioilav! Thank you so much for your blessings! Everything is somewhat better now. I went to jury duty and I asked the girl who was with the circuit clerk's office if I could be excused. I told her that it was very important that I be at home. I didn't tell her what the reason was. She said she would ask the judge, however, and he said it was okay. He was very nice about it. You see, plumbers only come when they can. This was around 2:30 or 3:00 when we were dismissed and I was lucky I didn't miss the plumber. He got here about 4:30 or 5:00. He said when lightning struck the house the other day, it most likely struck the transformer on my timer (I have a timer on my water heater). It struck something on the timer, anyway, and he said that he didn't work on timers, himself, that I would have to get the plumber who put the timer in to work on it. I'm going to have to call the plumber who put it in tomorrow. In the meantime, he had to bypass the timer in order for me to have water. I'm just thankful I have water now and can take a decent bath. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@Purviolilav (112)
• Philippines
18 Sep 09
Hi, Kathy! I am very happy to hear that and thanks be to God! Keep in touch and God is always with you! Gems
2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
20 Sep 09
I'm happy to say that I had the valve that was struck by lightning on my timer replaced and everything is going good now. I just dread to get the bill. I did ask him if he could come earlier and I told him why but you know how plumbers are,
They don't always come when they say they will. I think they sometimes get so busy with other jobs and they get so behind. I also think they just come when they want to. You said you have lived in houses with no water and had to go to the creek to get some. That reminds me. I have a lake in front of my house. I could have gotten water from it, lol
! I'm just kidding. I wouldn't have used that water for anything, although I know people did it a lot a long time ago. Kathy.
They don't always come when they say they will. I think they sometimes get so busy with other jobs and they get so behind. I also think they just come when they want to. You said you have lived in houses with no water and had to go to the creek to get some. That reminds me. I have a lake in front of my house. I could have gotten water from it, lol! I'm just kidding. I wouldn't have used that water for anything, although I know people did it a lot a long time ago. Kathy.1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
15 Sep 09
When it rains it pours. sounds like my house. do u not have a friend who could come over & stay while u have to be gone. if not i'd call & tell them i couldn't make it for jury duty. I have never been called & i'm glad.when i was working my customers would have been very upset about me not being there. They were all spoiled rotten altho they didn't realize it till i had to quit. lol. Hope u soon get everything fixed. I hate it when things like that are going on.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
18 Sep 09
sEEMS LIKE THERE IS JUST ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER TO WORRY THE CRAP OUT OF YOU. GLAD U AT LEAST GOT WATER. hOPE U GET IT ALL FIXED SOON. I would hate not to be able to have a good hot shower every morning. Have a good weekend.
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
18 Sep 09
It's not that easy to get excused from jury duty. I called Tuesday morning and the girl I talked to said that the judge would have to excuse me. The summons that I got says that excuse from jury service is granted only in cases of extreme inconvenience, undue hardship or public necessity. If you don't show up, they can fine you or send you to prison. I went and I told the girl who was with the circuit court that it was very important that I be at home and she said she would have to tell the judge. I didn't tell her what the reason was. He was very nice about it and he excused those of us who had to be excused.
My sister lives next door to me but she doesn't drive any more. It probably takes about five minutes or less for her to get to my house. She has a lot of health problems, though, and she couldn't walk that far.
When I got home Tuesday afternoon, I called the plumber to make sure I didn't miss him. He said he hadn't been here yet but he came about 4:30 or 5:00. He said what most likely happened when lightning struck the house the other day, it blew out the transformer on the timer on my water heater. Or, it messed something up on the timer, anyway. That's why I didn't have any water. He said he didn't work on timers and I would have to get the plumber who put it in to fix it. I don't remember who put it in but I called another plumber. He was supposed to come at 11:30 this morning but he didn't make it. I called him later today and the girl I talked to said that he said it would be in the morning before he could come. In the meantime, the plumber who came the other day had to bypass the timer in order for me to have water. At least I have water and can take a decent bath now. I'm thankful for that. Kathy.
2 people like this
@anniefannie (1737)
• United States
16 Sep 09
i know jury duty takes up a lot of time it did for me after driving 20 miles to work and then taking off and driving 20 miles back home and then driving 20 miles to the court house and waiting, waiting.i hope i never get called again.i hope you have got every thing going by now and having a better day.i think being without water is worse then anything i have had to go borrow water or get some from neighbors and it is not fun.
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
17 Sep 09
I went to jury duty and I explained to the girl who was with the circuit clerk's office that it was very important that I be at home. I asked if I could be excused. I didn't tell her what the reason was. She said she would have to ask the judge and he okayed it. We all got there about 1:30 but he let us go about 2:30 or 3:00. I called my plumber when I got home to see if he had been here but he hadn't. He got here about 4:30 or 5:00. I have a timer on my water heater and he said when lightning struck the house the other day, it probably struck the transformer on the timer. It struck something on the tmer, anyway. He said that he didn't work on timers, that I would have to call the plumber who put the timer in. I'm going to have to call him in the morning. In the meantime, the plumber who came yesterday had to bypass the timer in order for me to have water. You see, this timer cuts my water off at night to help me save on my water bill. I'm probably going to have a high water bill this month but at least I have water now. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@debbie_19 (226)
• Las Pinas City, Philippines
16 Sep 09
Oh well, we have our own doze of rough day in our entire lifetime. Sometimes, it depends on how you see things. When you start your day hot tempered and think of it as one of your unlucky days, it would happen just the way you say it would be. As my mom always say, "the more you confess, the more it happens..." :) cheer up! You still have the next day to make a better one.
2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
17 Sep 09
I didn't exactly start out the day hot tempered, although I have done this. It's just that I went to jury duty that morning and then when we had that storm that afternoon my power was out for about an hour. I called the power company to report it and they came out and fixed it. However, I have a timer on my water heater, which cuts off my water at night to help me save on my water bill. The plumber said most likely when lightning struck the house, it blew the transformer on my water heater as well. That's why I didn't have any water. You don't realize how much you depend on things like this until you have to do without them. Anyway, the plumber said he didn't work on timers and I would have to call the plumber who put it in to work on it. I'm going to have to call him in the morning. In the meantime, the plumber who came yesterday had to bypass the timer in order for me to have water. I'm probably going to have a big water bill this month but at least I do have water. Things are somewhat better now. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
16 Sep 09
cyrus123...I have memories of those kind of things, but no longer have to face those difficult times. I live on a small Island, and when I moved here 30 years ago....the power was consistently out, sometimes as long as 9 days...most often 2-3 days! I purchased 2 Water Storage tanks, total 15,000 gallons which I fill from rain water (roof collection) and pump up! Now, I always have water, and I also purchased a Generator that powers most of the important things, fridge, freezer and lights, installed a wood stove! All was fraught out of neccessity! Course, now they have improved the Power Grid...so not needed as often, but it is a comfort to know that I can be self-reliant during power outages. Cheers!
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
17 Sep 09
Forgot to mention, cyrus, it was nice to hear from you...have wondered how you were?
You do NOT need another day like that, and sometimes I do wonder about plumbers! Here on this small Island, we had two (none anymore) and they were so protective of their territory, that if one was away (holidays or whatever) the other one refused to work for you, as it was NOT his installation! What baloney!
I do not understand the purpose of your timer, cyrus...how does it save money?
Hope your days are now much better...and take care!
1 person likes this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
20 Sep 09
I'm doing a lot better now. I'm happy to say that I got the valve that was struck by lightning replaced yesterday and everythng is back to normal now. I just dread to get the bill! The timer on my water heater cuts my water off at night. Therefore, it helps me to save on my water bill. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
17 Sep 09
I live in the states and we just don't realize how much we take things like water and electricity for granted until we have to do without them.
I went to jury duty and I explained to the girl who was from the circuit clerk's office that it was important that I be at home and I asked her if I could be excused. I didn't tell her why but she said she would ask the judge. He okayed it. We all got there at 1:30 and he let us go about 2:30 or 3:00.
Anyway, when I got home, I called my plumber and asked if he had been here yet and he hadn't. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss him. Plumbers have to come when they can. He got here about 4:30 or 5:00. I have a timer on my water heater and it cuts my water off at night to help me save on my water bill. He said what most likely happened is that when lightning struck the house the other day, it blew the transformer on my water heater. He said he didn't work on timers himself, that I would have to get the plumber who put the timer in to work on it. I'm going to have to call him in the morning. In the meantime, the plumber who came yesterday had to bypass the timer in order for me to have water. I'm probably going to have a big water bill this month but at least I have water now. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
15 Sep 09
That really was a rough day. More like a mega rough day. I am wihtout water after heavy rains or storms. The pipes get blocked and this is awful. I always have two dozen large bottle of tap water stored and we will up the toilets so they can flush with this water. I also store drinking water. Then I take containers to work and the guys fill up for me and so we go on. Bathing from pans of cold water! I hate it too but hate being without electricity more
2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
15 Sep 09
The plumber came around 4:30 or 5:00 and he said that actually, the water was on. It was just that when lightning struck the house yeterday, it blew the transformer on the timer on my water heater. I'm probably going to have to have it replaced. He had to bypass the tansformer in order for me to have water in the house. This means that my water bill is probably going to be higher this month. I couldn't stand to do without it, though, and I was able to take a proper bath because of it.
This sounds like a good idea to have a lot of backups for water. I might want to consider this. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@bookreadermom08 (5614)
• United States
15 Sep 09
Oh my gosh, you have had a rough day for sure!! Yes, we all have had a day like that once or twice where everything just seems to go wrong. I hope you got it all worked out and things are back to normal now for you.
When we have days like that it really makes us appreciate the normal day to day boring days....
trust me with 2 kids, a school schedule, a car that decides to work only when it wants to, no money to get a new car, and then hubby cut his hand pretty bad at work and he was out of work for a couple weeks and we were already having problems with the bills before that --so we are really trying to make up for it now and get back on track.
I hope the rest of your day goes much better!!!!!!!
trust me with 2 kids, a school schedule, a car that decides to work only when it wants to, no money to get a new car, and then hubby cut his hand pretty bad at work and he was out of work for a couple weeks and we were already having problems with the bills before that --so we are really trying to make up for it now and get back on track.
I hope the rest of your day goes much better!!!!!!!2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
20 Sep 09
Yes, I got the valve on the timer that was struck replaced yesterday and everything is going good now. I just dread to get the bill. Yes, we don't realize how much we take for granted until something like this happens. When something bad like this happens, something good usually comes out of it, though. We just don't realize it at the time.
I'm so sorry to hear that your husband cut his hand so badly! Did he have to have stitches? I hope not and I hope it's doing much better now. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
20 Sep 09
I know just how you feel. It's rough to be without water when you haven't had your bath all day. I'm happy to say that I got the valve that was struck by lightning replaced yesterday and everything is back to normal now. Usually when something bad like this happens, something good comes out of it. It makes you appreciate the things we so often take for granted. Thank you for responding. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@caLpito_17 (21)
• Philippines
16 Sep 09
well i fall flat on my face when i was in our comfort room this morning because the tiles are wet ant sliery. for me thats a rough day!!!
2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
17 Sep 09
I hope you weren't hurt too badly.
I live in the states and we have to depend on people like plumbers to fix our water problems. Also, I get city water now, which means I have a water bill to pay every month. It can get expensive, I tell you!
Kathy.
Kathy.1 person likes this
@MrKennedy (1978)
•
15 Sep 09
Wow OP, you ARE having a rough day. I'm glad I'm not in your position at the moment.
I hope things improve for you though. And thankfully, I haven't ever been deprived of water in my home...YET!
2 people like this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
15 Sep 09
My water is back on now and I'm so thankful for that. The plumber came around 4:30 or 5:00 and he said that actually, the water was still on. It was just that possibly the transformer on the timer was blown. That is probably why I couldn't get any water in the house. Most likely, lightning struck it as well as the electricity in my house. I'm probably going to have to have that transformer replaced. The plumber had to bypass it in order for me to get water in the house and that means my water bill is probably going to be high this month. You don't realize how much you take things like this for granted until you have to do without them. Kathy.
