So about 15 minutes ago my phone rang. I didn't really want to answer as I hate to turn business away and chances were it was a phone call with someone who wanted something that I can't do right now. So, I checked the caller id and dang, it was contractor's phone number.
I answered very politely and he identified himself and then asked if I had read his email I haven't been on-line at all this morning. He said he had emailed me and then said that we were in the same boat. I bit my tongue as I wanted to say, "Oh, did you hire a jerk who doesn't show up for weeks at a time" but I forced myself to ask him what he had done. He dropped a bunch of flooring on his foot and broke it. First thing I thought of was that if he had been over here working like he was supposed to be, he wouldn't have broken his foot.
Anyway, he is spraying the ceiling and I think is also going to start working on the tile. WHO HOO HOO HOO!!!
I called George to tell him the good news and said that I'm taking what I get from him right now and kind of praying that somehow, someway this gets done.
Virginia
QuoteHe dropped a bunch of flooring on his foot and broke it
I don't know how Y'all do it in Nebraska----but up here we pick up the phone and dial with our hands. cheesy. I'm sure you called a few of your customers to let them know you were laid up. Not quite sure how you did that with a bum knee and a fused back. Give yourself a merit badge for flexible, troop.
Kidding aside; I'm glad to hear you are getting some results. I hope his foot is tender enough that he stays on "light duties" [like, maybe your project!!!] until he's done.
Quote from: Darren Henry link=topic=13990.msg114159
I don't know how Y'all do it in Nebraska----but up here we pick up the phone and dial with our hands. cheesy.
/quote]
Funny, that was exactly what George said. Not to mention he had my email address and an email would have been sufficient. And, yes, I've called everyone whose projects I've been working on except for one and that's because his phone number is downstairs buried in a stack of post it notes. So if he calls, it will be on me. I'm hoping to hobble down there maybe Friday afternoon when we're back from my ortho appointment. Also called 3 or 4 people who called and left messages for projects and/or alterations while I was either at the docs or the ortho and politely thanked them for calling and then explained about my knee and so regretfully declined their business.
So, today he sprayed the ceiling. Bob has been down there as Ray left the main lights on in Sew & Sew. Also, he painted the walls in the new multi-purpose room. He's planning on adding a second coat tomorrow which is fine as he bought 2 gallons and has a full gallon plus of paint left. He's had a tile cutter in the new room for ions and I heard him fire it up a couple of times. He called his son over and had him drag it out to his truck. Told Bob & I that it wasn't cutting straight and that he's taking it back to exchange after he leaves here and that he will definitely be back in the morning (how many times have I heard that before). My fear is that he needs that for one of the other 3 jobs that he admitted to us he's working on and I won't see him for another month now. But, hey, at least I've got paint on the ceiling and walls now. I'm so po'd that I can't go down there and see what it looks like. I'm walking with crutches now. Funny story about that -- I'll put it in my limping wounded thread.
Virginia
Another happy day! Ray showed up a few minutes ago with a different tile cutter. He said yesterday that his plan is to get the tile in place today and then tomorrow he will get bathroom fixtures (including corner tub) in place and move washer and dryer. I reminded him that washer/dryer do NOT get moved until they can be operational in the new digs. Last thing Bob needs is to have to go to the Laundramat while I'm out of commission.
He's also going to install light fixtures tomorrow. Will ask him today about a bunch of other stuff like putting the box for the underground back up on a wall, mirror, doors for changing room, platform for customers to stand on, etc. I have a huge list of items for him to check off. Then there is the repurposing of the old laundry room (part of the contract). I'm trying to contain my excitement as it seems like he might really get this thing done. Don't want to get too excited as his mode of operation seems to be to work pretty hard 2 or 3 days 1 week and then disappear for weeks at a time. I would be soooooo happy to have this room finished while I'm banished to the upstairs.
I was getting bummed as it was after 9 and he's generally downstairs working by 8:15 to 8:30 if he's going to show up but I think he had to go by the rental place where he leased the tile cutter and swap out the one that has sat downstairs for the last month for one that works. I've already heard the hum of that baby so cross your fingers that the tile gets laid today. That's a huge thing!
Virginia
So, I knew it was too good to be true. Ray left a little before noon, said that he "was grabbing a quick bite to eat" and grabbing something that he needed for the tile cutter. Going on 2:15 and no sign of Ray. So, God knows when we'll see Ray again. A frustration that I truly don't need right now!
Virginia
[Zen voice] See the positive my child [zen voice].
If you assault some one with a pace stick ( in any orifice) , you're " abusive" (Whaaaa). Bend you're crutches over his head , and you're the "poor frail old thing " who was driven to "near break down". And you have two of them that you don't really like right now! She shoots ---- she SCORES!!!!!
Keep your chin up.we're all in this together---Red Green.
Quote from: Darren Henry on March 01, 2016, 05:21:51 pm
[Zen voice] See the positive my child [zen voice].
If you assault some one with a pace stick ( in any orifice) , you're " abusive" (Whaaaa). Bend you're crutches over his head , and you're the "poor frail old thing " who was driven to "near break down". And you have two of them that you don't really like right now! She shoots ---- she SCORES!!!!!
Keep your chin up.we're all in this together---Red Green.
Ah, yes, it is so tempting. So very tempting indeed. He always leaves every flippin' light in the basement turned on at the end of his work "day" so poor Bob is stuck with going downstairs in the evening to flip the lights off. Nice in that I know how much actually got done that day. Yesterday, being generous, he was here from 9:30 to 11:30 and actual work translates to 1/4 of the floor being tiled. Was supposed to come back after lunch but never surfaced. I suspect that one of his other jobs started riding his behind on something so he threw me to the wolves. After all, he knows I can't chase him all over town.
Anyways, 9 on the dot, he was banging on the back door this morning. He and Bob talked about Super Tuesday results for about 15 minutes, which was 15 minutes too long in my estimation. But, he's been down there hard at work ever since. I figure another 1/4 of the floor has been tiled at this rate. Today was supposed to be the day that the tub was brought in but I don't see that happening until next week if I'm lucky. If it happens earlier, I'll be thrilled. If it happens later, I'll be spitting bullets for sure.
So it goes. As I told my SIL, Jill, I'm just thrilled that anything is getting done but I am soooo ready for it to be finished, even if I can't be down there admiring it yet. But, progress is progress and always a good thing.
Virginia
Man, I'm shocked. 2:15 or so and still no Ray so I had decided that he wasn't coming back this afternoon and all of a sudden Joe started going ballistic outside. Bob went and looked outside and Ray was just coming through the gate with one of his boys ready to start his afternoon's work. Before lunch he told me that he wants to get the tub roughed in. Don't know if he'll finish the tile today or not. Spent some time before lunch comprising this huge list of what has to happen in each of the three rooms for the job to be completed. So far, one is completed finished and two are partially completed. It's a rather large list when put all together. Oh well. ; )
Virginia
Wow, this is a record -- 4 days straight and Ray's showed up. A little before 10 this morning. Only sure of the time because Bob had to take Joe to the Vet's for his rabies' shot. I was worried how the two boys would get along but no problems. Joe was real proud to be out with Bob and did as requested. Bob said that our Vet seemed shocked by how HUGE Joe is. 16 months old and weighed in at 70.4 pounds. When we got him they told us 35-45 pounds. He had that topped at about 6 months of age.
Anyway, hoped that we'd at least get the tub on our property today but probably not until tomorrow and that's only if our "gem" of a plumber makes it into town. Ray took about a 2 hour lunch break but did come back at least. He's been hard at it all day, still working on getting the "framing" for the tub done. He's pretty frustrated as his broken foot/boot is really slowing him down. I can relate but as I told him, at least you are getting something done and I am just the lump on the couch. Plus, as I wanted to say when he called from outside our gate on Monday and told me about his broken foot, the first thing that popped into my head was that if he had been here working last week, he wouldn't have dropped a pile of flooring on his foot.
Mostly, I'm just glad that he's here working, albeit more slowly than any of us like. Sooner or later, this project may get done. And some wonderful day, I'll be in the basement again happily working and will be able to use this wonderful room. At least that's my fantasy this week.
Virginia
Kind of amazing. Ray worked every day last week, though Tuesday he was a no-show in the afternoon and Friday he didn't come until around 1, which worked well enough since I had my ortho appointment.
He came up and was talking to us Friday before he left and said that he had the plumber from "Hell" laid on for Monday. After he left, Bob and I both agreed that plumber would blow us off on Monday. So, Ray popped in around 10. He and Bob talked for a few minutes as Bob was down doing laundry. We had some issues with the washer and outlet not working yesterday. Bob came back up and said that Ray had told him plumber wasn't coming until tomorrow. I'm betting it's not until Wednesday that he actually shows. Ray stayed busy -- he put more mud down a couple of places in Sew & Sew. I was glad to hear that as before my knee fritzed out, I had found several places that definitely needed a "redo" so was glad to hear that Ray had discovered that. He got everything sanded down and got the second coat painted and also added the texture to the external wall (we didn't dry wall there because of all the pipes). Not sure what all else he got down as I haven't ventured down stairs yet.
Anyway, glad that things are still progressing. I'm still amazed that the project isn't finished yet but I'm thinking that one day in the near future, I'll have an incredible room and Ray will be just a very unpleasant memory. He's a very nice guy to sit and chat with and eventually he does good work but he's truly slow, slow, slow; without putting the no-show, no-call, no-email stuff into the equation. Live and learn. I'm just glad that we're not out all the money we paid him. I told Bob that I'm sure he had a pang of conscious when he found out about my broken leg/knee. If that what it takes to get it finished, the pain and aggravation are well worth it.
Virginia
Ray was here today but as I predicted the wonder plumber did not show up. Honestly Ray is really not ready for him. He has laid the tile but has not grouted it. Would make more sense to get it grouted to where appliances and fixtures can be installed before briging Dean it but what the heck do I know.
I am strolling down there tomorrow morning. Strolling actually translates to carefully sliding down the stairs on my butt while balancing my crutches so I can navigate down there. I have a ticket for a chair that is being picked up Thursday and have no idea where the ticket is. Also need a couple of numbers off a spreadsheet for a tax form.
I'll poke my head in my new room and see what it looks like. I'm also going to get everything I need organized for Ray or hubby to bring up so that I can finish the dining room chairs for my customer upstairs.
Wonder how long it will take the plumber to show up this time.
Virginia
Ray (contractor) sent me these three pictures this afternoon. Comments are backwards for the first two pictures, just flip flop them. My bad!
One shows the changing room:
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi629.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fuu20%2Fvirginiafahnestock%2FIMG_2252_zpsnc9y5fky.jpg&hash=cd571cf0bcbe8b08a7cc91b33b87cb54) (http://s629.photobucket.com/user/virginiafahnestock/media/IMG_2252_zpsnc9y5fky.jpg.html)
Woodwork you see to the left of the room looking in is my cabinet that houses the fold-away ironing board. We moved this from the old laundry room to the new multi-purpose room.
Next picture shows the rough-in for the bathtub:
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi629.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fuu20%2Fvirginiafahnestock%2FIMG_2251%25201_zpsaotyqnmv.jpg&hash=973910557a408c4f7607bf5e294bc343) (http://s629.photobucket.com/user/virginiafahnestock/media/IMG_2251%201_zpsaotyqnmv.jpg.html)
To the right of the tub is a narrow opening with a contractor belt hanging. That area houses the connection for the water as well as the controls for the underground system.
Third picture just shows the area where the washer/dryer will go:
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi629.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fuu20%2Fvirginiafahnestock%2FIMG_2253_zpsfvpohrv3.jpg&hash=a74cd6cf6f285c54b871906c47825739) (http://s629.photobucket.com/user/virginiafahnestock/media/IMG_2253_zpsfvpohrv3.jpg.html)
The tile shows up nicely. Has kind of a old fashioned rough look to it. If you look up at the ceiling, you can see how Ray sprayed it. Guess that it's grey mixed with white. Haven't seen that up close yet so just based on what he said as well as how it works. Nice to have some new pictures to show. Plus obviously he's done quite a bit of work here the last 8 working days.
All comments appreciated. Getting real bored mostly hanging on the couch. : ( These pictures brightened my mood considerably!
Virginia
I'm feeling pretty proud of myself today. Checked my email today and had an email from Ray. Explaining that he'd be in and out today, blah, blah, blah. His next line was that he understood that there wasn't much money owed him but he was running short, needed to pay for some supplies and wanted about $300 after supplies were paid for he and his boys for the weekend. Would I mind giving him a check today?
I've given him checks as we've gone along, electrician, plumber, he needed to pay his assistant and so forth. I expect to do that -- it's common in contracting field to get draws as the job goes along. But, you always leave a portion that is due kind of a carrot to insure the job is finished and that any issues are resolved. I'm down to $850 left due which is right around 15% of the job and a reasonable amount.
So, I thought and thought and thought before sending a reply. Don't want him PO'd so that I don't see him again for another month but every time I've given him money, he disappears for a minimum of a week. Doesn't give me much incentive to pay him anything, ya know?
So, finally I decided to outline what I needed to know. Basically, where is our plumber (told 4 different days that he was going to be here and never showed), second we still don't have possession of the bathtub (the most expensive item in the job) and definitely need to have that stowed in the garage before I plunk over $500.00 and third, since he admitted he needed to work another job Friday and Monday I needed an assurance that he would be here on Tuesday and get rolling on this job. That I really needed it to be completed so that we can try to start restoring order to our lives. Ended it by telling him that as soon as he gets the bathtub in our garage or downstairs that I will be glad to issue him a check for $500.00. Then told him again how pleased we are with how the new room is looking and how excited we are to have it completed and start using it. Pressed the send button and figured that I was going to p*ss him off again and it would be another month before we see him again.
But I knew Bob would absolutely kill me if I gave Ray any more money without having possession of the bathtub. Bob has been saying for weeks (before Ray came back to work) that if we had the tub in the garage, we could hire someone else to finish the job.
Much to my shock and amazement, a little after 4 PM I got a reply from Ray. Still no firm date to get the plumber in here (I'll drop everything the moment I hear from Dean -- plumber -- and get him over to your house, will absolutely be done with everything by the end of next week PERIOD!!!, said nothing about where the bathtub is but said that it was ok about the $$$ -- he would come up with something else from somewhere else. That he got help on his job for tomorrow and so he'll be here Monday as well as Tuesday.
I admit that a little break from all the noise and commotion will be nice. Joe doesn't react well to the compression noises and assorted loud bangs and pops. Will be really glad to see the job completed; just need to be a little more patient but between the length of the job already and the fact that I'm restricted mostly to the couch, I'm a little low on patience. So it goes.
Virginia
Let's see, went out to breakfast with hubby, used crutches to get to car, restaurant, car and into house. Had a new customer coming over this morning so used my patented "slide on my butt" method to get downstairs while carrying the crutches. As soon as my customer got downstairs, I asked her if she would indulge me by walking along side of me so that I could get into the new room and see first hand what it looks like. Love, love, love it! Except that he needs more texture and paint on the concrete wall. Oh, and the rest of the crap that belongs in the room needs to be in there was well.
So, after I sent Ray my no message yesterday, a bit later I got a "No problem, I'll come up with something else" email back from Ray. Came upstairs after my customer left and had another message from Ray. After he and I worked on the Indian restaurant, he did a bunch of remodeling for one of the owners of the restaurant. I knew back in January that he was having problems getting paid for it. The guy would tell him he was running short and then say "Oh, can you do xyz for me" and Ray is stupid enough to do it. Think he said the guy owes or owed him something like 3K. So, in his email today, he says that now there are 2 customers that owe him $$$ and could I please reconsider. How the H do people live with themselves by screwing people over like that and why on earth would my contractor be so stupid as to let the non-payment business compound itself with the first customer, not to mention a second customer?
Anyway, I mulled it around in my head a bit. Entertained it for a brief moment but got the sickest feeling in the pit of my stomach, especially since he never answered my question in the original email about the location of the bathtub. Bob and I were watching some old rerun of something or another. Once the show was over, before he could get another old rerun going, I told him about Ray's email yesterday and my response. Let him finish exploding over that one and then told him about today's email and asked him what he thought about that. I expected a "Not only no, but h*ll no" kind of response. I asked him a second time what he wanted me to tell Ray and he said that the bathtub needs to either be in the garage or in the basement and that the plumber has to be in the basement because without both of those items in place, our project is at a standstill.
So, I emailed Bob's response to Ray about 30 minutes ago. So far, no response back. But seriously, every time I give this dude money, he does a no show on me for a minimum of two weeks. That's the big reason I don't want to give him money. I figure either way I'm not going to see him for a while, at least this way I'm not out a bunch of money. Figure right now, we're even as far as how much money I've given him.
So, the saga continues. Ready to start taking odds as far as the chance of him showing up here Monday to do work. I just really want to get this job finished.
Virginia
So, we last left off with Virginia telling Ray that no more money is going his way until the bathtub is on our property and the louse of a plumber is downstairs doing his job. I should say that the plumber is very well qualified. He has taken and passed Grand Island's Master Plumber test so he more than qualified to do the work. He's just not well motivated or something. Or Ray is using him as an excuse to not show up. We have no way of knowing what the real answer is.
Ray's first email on Thursday was that he would be in and out this past weekend working on "details". Of course, after I declined giving him any more money, I knew that we would not see hide nor hair of him over the weekend. I was on the fence as to whether or not we would hear from him any time this week. I've lost all confidence in this guy because of how he comes and goes as he pleases and how little he gets done every day. Checked email while we were eating breakfast and, much to my surprise, I had a nice, chatty email from Ray. Told me he was puttering around his house and yard today and that he was going to "get a definite answer from Dean, the plumber, this afternoon". Also said that he would drop whatever he was doing and would meet Dean at any time to get this stuff finished. Man, how many times have I heard this from him?
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow (6 month check-up - WHO HOO) and at first emailed Ray that. When I told Bob, he was like "That will be Ray's excuse to not show up - "the only time Dean could come was while you were at your dentist appointment". Thought about what he said and knew Bob was correct so I sent Ray a second email that said to get Dean whenever and if it coincided with my dentist appointment, Bob could dump me and come back here to meet them as we're maybe a dozen blocks from the dentist's office so less than 5 minutes to get back here. Haven't heard back from Ray (course he did say that getting in touch with Dean was his afternoon project).
At any rate, I'm pleased to see that Ray doesn't appear to be just blowing us off. In my world, the $850 + extra for some stuff that got added on is just a ton of money and I would be moving Heaven snd Hell to please the customer to get paid but I'm not Ray. Will let you know when he says that Dean, the plumber, is available.
Virginia
So no word from Ray this morning about date/time for the plumber's arrival. Bob was beyond stewing all morning. He wasn't saying anything that I haven't already been thinking. My problem is that I'm already PO'd at myself for hiring the guy and not giving him the heave-ho months ago so then when Bob starts in on him, I start internalizing it and kicking myself in the behind. Bottom line is that I don't want to hear it a second time from him as I'm already saying it to myself but probably stronger.
Anyway, Bob left for a store run this morning and while he was gone I decided that I would just go ahead and call the freakin' plumber myself. Left my phone number for Dean to call and he returned my call almost instantaneously. Not what I expected based on Ray's comments on how hard he is to get hold of. I identified myself to the guy and reminded him where I live and what work he was doing and followed up by telling him that Ray had the tile done and we were ready for fixtures. He said that Ray had talked to him about toilet/sink only. I reminded him that we also have a corner tub. He asked me if Ray had the rough in for the tub done and I was able to respond affirmatively. He then said that he was totally swamped and that he would get to it as soon as he could. I told him that just wasn't a good answer, that I needed a firm date as far as when plumbing was going to be completed. He promised me that he would have the job done by Saturday afternoon at the latest but that he hoped to get it done sooner. He also said that Ray had gotten hold of him Tuesday evening and that was the first he had heard of him. So much for Dean giving him the run around for 4 days in the last 2 weeks about coming the next day and then the next day.
So, I emailed Ray, that I had gotten hold of Dean, etc. Maybe 30 minutes later, Ray emails me back that he was "waiting to find out where Dean was so that he could go pick him up this afternoon." Also said that he was working on his house -- say what??? Bob & I were reallllll unhappy about that little nugget. About 1 to 1:30, Ray shows up, no plumber, with a new helper and his 3rd grade kid. They brought the toilet and vanity sink down to the bathroom. Ray came up and chatted a bit and then said that he was going to install the toilet. As usual, made 3 different supply runs. Left to go get a "bit" from Ace (4 blocks away) at 3:30 and said he would be right back and then would get the toilet attached to the floor Never came back -- I was so shocked - NOT! Also said that plumber had gotten a DUI and that was why he was going to pick him up but then he decided that it wasn't his problem to chauffeur the dude around. At that point, Bob jumped into the discussion and told Ray that if the guy doesn't show up this week, he is absolutely fired and that if we have to pay a little more to get a different plumber that is not an issue but this job needs to be finished.
Then we go back to the 50 million dollar question of "where is my bathtub as well as a bunch of smaller dollar items". Ray says that he and new helper are going to pick it up tomorrow so that they will be ready for the plumber whenever he shows up. Something about the way that he said "it" sent off a warning bell in my head. I said to him "This is the 3-piece tub, isn't it?" and he said "No, this is the original 1 piece that we looked at in December. They've been holding it for me." I felt really bad because his kid was in the room but it just slipped out. I said "Dude, you told me that you got a store credit on that and ordered a 3 piece tub. You know that "f-er" won't go through that narrow doorway." He kind of stammered and stuttered around and then said that we would "just have to get it through the door but that he would." WHO HOO! This is going to be so much fun.
So that was my day with my contractor.
Oh, and George forwarded to me an email that he received from Ray yesterday. You may remember that George is getting ready for a costly kitchen reno ($40K) and before Ray revealed his lack of a work ethic, we referred him to George. He went over to look at George's kitchen in January but never got back to him with drawings, cost, etc. We let George know early on that he did not want to hire this guy so George has contracted with another person. Anyway, last night he gets this real chatty email from Ray --- telling him that he's going to finish my job this week (I don't think so), that he'd been screwed out of some money by a couple of the docs from the Indian restaurant and so forth. Kicker was that he was wondering if George still wanted numbers from him and that "if you have hired somewhere else" that's ok with him. Just let him know if he can help him out in any way.
Dude is incredible and not in a good way. Sheesh!
Virginia
So yesterday was the day when Ray promised to deliver the tub. Nope, didn't see the jack wagon all day. Figure he started drinking early and went down town as there was a huge street party, including an Irish band. I might have been tempted to see what all the excitement was about if I wasn't using sticks to get around.
I emailed him this morning that the tub has to get here today since Dean promised "NLT Saturday for installation". I really don't expect him to show up at all. But whether or not I see the tub today or tomorrow, our regular plumber will be called for installation should Dean not show up and frankly at this point, I'll tell Ray to cram it. The bits and pieces in the new room, I can find a handy man to do for not an arm and a leg. Same as for what is left in the laundry room repurpose. Would be nice to get the vinyl storage system I had picked out as well as the alteration pedistal but I can buy a pedistal for not much over $100.00. At any rate, I'm done screwing around with that a*hole. Will take matters into our hands and get stuff done, a bit here and a bit there. I'm grateful that the painting was completed and the tile put down. Really want that tub but my daddy had a saying about wanting in one hand and you know what in the other hand and see which one fills up first. I'm sure you've heard the saying before.
Bob and I are off for breakfast and then I'll sit in the car while he runs into the store for a couple of items. Not brave enough on crutches to blast through a store yet and don't intend to be that confident on them. See ortho 2 weeks from today and hope on hope that he'll let me start putting weight on it again, even with the brace on that would be fabulous!
Have a great day all!
Virginia
No word at all today from my wonderful contractor - no phone calls, emails and my tub was not delivered here by him. So Bob & I talked after supper and decided that we would just call our plumber Mon or Tues and pay them to install the toilet and vanity sink. Give it some time to see if we ever see Ray again and if so, we are going to jump in the truck with him and have him pick up the tub while we are in the truck with him.
So, just a few moments ago our phone rang and it was the plumber. Said he just wanted to let me know that Ray was going to pick him up around 9 and so they expected to arrive around 9:30. He had brought all the tools home he needed to do the installation tomorrow. I asked him if Ray had said anything about my corner tub. He said that Ray told him that he would drop him (plumber) off at our house and then go pick up the tub from there. Not sure I believe that all of this is going to happen but certainly encouraged about the possibility of this all happening. At least this information came from the plumber, not my very unreliable contractor.
Virginia
I should have known better. Just set me up was all. Got up early so that I would be cleaned up, dressed and give the dogs a chance to run amuck outside before the idiots showed up. They were supposed to arrive at 9:30 or thereabouts and my bride and gentleman from the wedding party at 10:30 for her last fitting for a bridesmaid dress for a mid-April wedding (I altered the bride's bridesmaid dress for the mid-April wedding and then altered her bridesmaid dress for the bride's Memorial Day weekend wedding). I need to do a second fitting on her bride dress and we've been holding off on that fitting for: A) Ray to get out of my hair; and B) me to get healed so that I can get all the construction gunk out of Sew & Sew. While Danielle was trying on her bridesmaid dress, mother and I chatted and she asked would I be ok with doing the fittings in their basement. I chuckled and told her that I was going to ask her if we could do that since my idiot contractor can't seem to get it together.
She loved what I did to the bridesmaid dress. Ugliest dress I've ever seen. Lace on the upper bodice, but not delicate, looks like the first time I tried to tat: thick and clumsy looking. Color is just a funny hue, not pleasing to me, my bride or her mother but the wedding bride apparently liked it. Bodice had darts at the bosom and built in bra and Danielle hated both of those things. Also had a bunch of inverted pleats in the skirt which I absolutely loved. So, I took out the built in bra and the darts and then made a series of inverted pleats in the bodice that matched up with the inverted pleats in the skirt. She loved it! Yaeh!! Need to tack one down more securely and that dress is done. Mom paid me for both dresses today and she'll run by first of the week and pick up the dress after I get a chance to tack that pleat down again. Was nice to actually earn some money! Who hoo! Also, got all the guys measured so that they can order their tuxes. Worked on taxes down stairs for a while, still no contractor or plumber so finally gave up and came upstairs to rest my leg. It gets swollen pretty easily. Will stretch another chair later this afternoon.
Anyway back to idiot contractor and plumber. Tried to call plumber and got his "do you want to page me" message. I left my number for him to page me but never heard back from him. I was actually holding my breath as I just wasn't convinced that Ray would actually pick up Dean. Evidently, he got popped for DUI recently and lost his license. Anyway, I believe the only option left is to officially "fire" both Ray and the plumber.
Just got an email from Ray and he alleges that he drove over to pick up Dean (he doesn't live in Grand Island) and that the dude either wasn't there or didn't answer the door. He promises that he will be there on Monday with a new plumber, we'll get everything set and the rest of the stuff he has at his house set up, blah blah blah. So, I'll sit tight and see what Monday brings. What a goat rope.
Virginia