Tuesday

 

We cleaned up the house from the demolition. Our contractor said that there is no way to get rid of all the dust, no matter how many times you vacuum or mop. He said to get used to it. For the next two months, there will be a film of dust on everything. Nevertheless, I bought a new attachment for our shop vac and vacuumed the house again. It feels cleaner, and each time I get more and more chunks. Toby is enjoying the increased traction.

The contractor came over before lunch to take a look before they get started tomorrow. I shared with him my two concerns. The first had to do with the shower plumbing. The old pipes and diverter are embedded inside the hollow concrete blocks. I had expected 2x4s in front of the concrete blocks where the plumbing would be. He said our situation was common, and that the new diverter box would fit in that hole, even if they have to fabricate a wood box inside of it. Or chip out more space. He said they have even broken through to the outside once, but said that wouldn't be necessary. 

The other concern had to do with the plumbing supply for the tub. It comes through the floor through copper pipes, in the wrong place, of course. I knew they were going to have to jack hammer a new trench for the drain because the new tub is round and the drain will not be in the same place. He said the plumber would probably not use the existing copper supply, but instead install new pipes. From where, we don't know yet, but not from under the slab. He's concerned about leaks under the slab.  So there will be a trench for the new supply pipes. I think there will be a lot of jack hammering. The contractor was not concerned. He was more concerned about measurements and getting the new round tub and the tub filler in the correct place. Bottom line: I was worrying about "how" and he was worrying about "where." So that's good.

My prostate biopsy came in negative. Out of 12 samples, there was not a single cancer cell. He said that was not unusual. He explained that the preliminary screening tests (PSA, DRE, MRI, and urinalysis) showed indicators of cancer, but the biopsy is the only way to be sure. He will see me again in 6 months. 

John's having a biopsy tomorrow, so our friend brought us dinner. This time she made spaghetti squash and chicken casserole and a loaf of bread. 

We are two lucky guys.

I needed to return a wall control unit that I ordered for the fan that was discontinued. I was trying to find the printer and get it working so that I could print out a shipping label. John said, "Just drop it off at Whole Foods. You don't need a label or even a box." Huh? How did he know that? He said he noticed people at the customer service desk bringing things in to return to Amazon the last time we were there. Sure enough, in the Amazon returns process, there's the option to drop your item off at the customer service desk at Whole Foods. No label, no package required. Amazon sends you a QR code that you show customer service and they print the shipping label and box the item up if necessary. I think my sister, Pam, tried to tell me about this a while back, but my eyes rolled back in my head at the mention of a QR code.