Previously on anniemiz, I blogged about what is apparently the slow and arduous process of one brother remodeling our mother's bathroom. My dad died in March. He had been very ill for a while. This brother, Bro #1, helped out a lot wrt my dad's care. He also works long, hard hours at his job (home health aide). He also worked on his BIL's house which, so they say, needed repairs urgently, more so than my mom's bathroom. Okay. Fine. But it's now a year that my mother has been w/o a bathroom bc her bathroom is still gutted.
So, I'm talking w/my mother on the phone in early August. She mentions that Bro #1 had been over that weekend and put in the bathroom floor. Joy! I was very pleased to hear that he was doing something. I was still going ahead w/getting quotes bc you never know, this enthusiasm might wane, but pleased nonetheless. Maybe this was going to work out. This picture is from early August, a few days after that phone chat w/my mother.
Here you see the 'floor' that was 'put in'.
It's two pieces of wood that don't even fully cover the area that needs to be covered. Granted, there's a little work underneath that you can't see here, i.e., some sister boards nailed to the floor beams to make the new bathroom floor level, but still! (Why he felt the need to level the floor I don't know. Sure, level floors are desirable and ideal, but now there'll be a difference of a few inches between the hall floor and the bathroom floor. Just what an 82 yo person needs: a trip hazard. But I digress....) Those two boards represent the progress that was made during the months of April, May, June & July. At this rate, my mother - perhaps all of us - will be dead before the bathroom is finished.
Bros #2 and #3 and I have settled on this one guy's quote and are comfortable w/him. He's an older guy, this is his second career after retiring from law enforcement, longtime friends had work done by him and are very happy,.... Bro #2 spoke w/mom over the phone about it briefly the other day. Then I spoke w/her more at length about it over the phone a few days later. She did not dismiss it out of hand. She said she wants to think about it some more. I hope she's not just postponing an out of hand dismissal.
I also hope that Bro #2 - and/or possibly #3 - will talk w/#1 and try to get him to agree that this is a good idea. And then, most importantly, to tell my mom that he (#1) thinks it's a good idea. If she's concerned about hurting Bro #1's feelings or firing him on an all-volunteer job, then #1's approval would give her an opening to accept having a contractor do it. There would still be ceiling and soffit repairs and painting to do in the kitchen, so #1 could work on that. It would still be as annoying as all get out bc it will take forever to get that done and the kitchen will be a mess during that whole time, but at least a) she can take a bath; b) he'll still be involved; and c) the hole in the ceiling/floor will be completely covered.
I can't believe how incredibly stupid this situation has become. I have to admit - and I'm sure readers have noted - that I'm hardly objective about this situation. Sure, I don't think one should make such a grand gesture to anyone else, get started and then leave things in a useless condition. Personally, I don't think you should do that to your mother, who also happens to be my mother. And there's also the disbelief that I am related - by blood! - to someone who would do this to someone else, namely, their mother - nay, especially their mother - who is in no position to pay for someone else to come in and fix his mess. Grrrrrrr.
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