When it rains it pours ... raw sewage, apparently

What was supposed to be a challenging week at the Banner Graphic office with me rarely at home has instead turned into a challenging week at home with me rarely at the office.

The short version of the events of this week is I need a nap.

Want the longer version? Here goes.

The complicating factor here at work has been a short handed news staff. We all bid adieu to our beloved Lauren Boucher over the weekend and faced the reality on Monday that we have yet to interview a replacement (still waiting on a qualified resumé, actually).

We've certainly made due, with hard work from all involved, but on a small staff to begin with, being one down is huge.

Then over the weekend I discovered that my dryer was no longer drying. Some investigation revealed it was not actually a problem with the dryer, but with the vent hose. It had been pulled from the floor and not reinstalled correctly. So on Sunday evening, I sent out an email saying I'd be late to the office Monday morning. Instead, I'd be venturing into our tiny crawlspace -- my absolute favorite place on the Jernagan homestead.

Fast-forward to Monday morning, and Nicole and I awake at 5:30 a.m. to a vomiting four-year-old. And so it was that we all three stayed home from work/school on Monday.

A bit later in the morning I ventured into the crawlspace. Not only was I unable to fix the dryer vent problem, but I discovered an even worse problem -- a leaking sewer pipe.

Now, before anyone freaks out here, there isn't raw sewage leaking all over our crawlspace, but there certainly is a problem and it certainly needs to be fixed, sooner rather than later.

Amidst all this, I went back to work on Tuesday (a double shift, in fact), only to miss most of Wednesday as well. This time it was a combination of some work I needed to do for my elderly dad and finally getting Miles to the doctor. It turns out he had the stomach flu, just as we suspected. But at least now we have the facts and know it's not something worse.

And as for today? I'm back at work (although I'm split shifting to be home in the afternoon) and Miles is back at school for his 100th Day of School celebration. He'd been thinking about it all week as he missed three days, so I'm glad he felt well enough to return.

So, the kid is getting better (as they tend to do) and a handy and friendly neighbor has offered to help me fix my home maintenance issues. We're also a lot closer to getting things with Dad squared away.

All of this, we hope, is getting taken care of just in time for the stretch run of Nicole's pregnancy. Baby No. 2 (a little girl this time) is due April 5, but we're figuring on late March. Here's to bringing her home to a healthy and functioning Jernagan home.

But back to the work problem. Does anyone know a good writer and designer?