Sydney Hours Before Meltdown
Apparently it’s Meltdown Season in Oysterville. I came home at noon-thirty or so from the Community Historian Class, had a delicious lunch of African Peanut Soup, took a nap, and awakened two hours later mid-sneezing fit.
What followed were hours and hours waterworks of indescribable proportions. Went through an entire box of CostCo-sized tissues, blew myself into a bloody nose which burbled onto sheets, carpet, and who-knows-what-else. Jeez!
The weird part is I feel just fine – no other cold symptoms like sore throat or congestion. Maybe it’s an allergy. Whatever it is, it’s interfering with my plans big time! In the interest of good-neighborliness, I’m staying home from the Schoolhouse Lecture this morning. No need to expose anyone else to my misery, catching or not. But I’m so sorry to miss out on Bob Duke’s talk and drone demonstration!
Greg’s Place Years Before Meltdown
Meanwhile, I see on FaceBook that Greg Rogers of the Oysterville Store is also having meltdown problems at his end of town. Far more serious than mine, his involve his septic system. Not only is that totally yucky, it will probably involve megabucks and maybe some litigation – at least according to his running commentary via social media. I am so sorry.
Septic woes are what we all dread here in Oysterville. Part of the problem is that we are so low-lying and, also, that we are in close proximity to Willapa Bay – a body of water that, so far, has been considered one of the least polluted estuaries in the country. I’ve heard that if today’s knowledge of septic effluent had been understood and regulated in the 1850s, Oysterville could not have been located here. As it is, homeowners need to be diligent about the management of their old septic systems. A failed system can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a legally acceptable replacement.
They say things happen in threes. Perhaps that doesn’t apply in our case. I can’t imagine what a third Oysterville Meltdown might be. Let’s hope it doesn’t begins with tsu…
Sorry to hear about your nose and Greg’s woes, Sydney. The heck of having to spend thousands of dollars on a septic system is that you’ve so little to physically show for the expenditure. Spent on a car, you have the pleasure of driving around town to let folks admire your purchase or even offer to take them for a ride. I’ve found it awkward to spend thousands on a septic system and invite folks over to use the loo.