Underwear, or Outerwear? That is the Question.

Okay......... I have water again. After the fix yesterday when I gleefully washed the dishes and was all aglow with shower anticipation...... all hell broke loose; or should I say water? I was sitting here with a nice hot cup of tea. Posted my blog and decided to treat myself to an hour of reading before I tackled the aftermath of the repair job. I heard the pump click on, then off, then on......... not good, a sign of trouble. I don't know how long it did that before I became aware of the sound. I was reading!


Now, had I been really paying close attention I would have questioned the water pressure I had while washing the dishes. True, love of my life was showering through part of this task, but the water pressure was still not good. I wondered if the re-route might have something to do with it. Meant to mention it, but I was busy packing a good meal for him to take to work. I had cooked a big pot of chili and I carefully prepared two separate servings and packed two small containers of sour cream and sharp cheddar, along with saltines. I made sure he had enough to share with his co-worker. I am wonderful, don't you think. Any way, the water pressure went unspoken.


I reluctantly rose from my gaggle of dogs and blankets and left the world of blog to do a little investigating. I saw the growing lake of water as I rounded the corner to go to the kitchen. I immediately waded into the pump room to turn off the hot water, thinking that the repair must have some how come undone. The pump was still going on and off like crazy and I was wondering if it would take a minute to calm down........ hey, I am not a plumber person! I waded back through the kitchen and headed into the store to go out the side door to the laundry room and bathrooms. My sewing room is on the side there close to the registration desk and it was flooding, too.


I knew it had to be the laundry room. I was right. The outside faucet had burst and there was water everywhere. It was dripping from under the outer wall. Laundry room drain could not keep up with the flow and it was coming under the wall into the house. I ran back in and turned the pump off and called he who plumbs. He informs me that there is nothing he can do until he gets home. Really? He was annoyed at me for telling him that our humble abode is now a wading pool?


Both mops are outside and frozen. So I just left the water to dry on it's own. This is the one time I am ecstatic that my floors are concrete with a faux finish. I crawled back into my cocoon of animals and blankets after changing into dry clothes and huddle the evening away with my laptop and TV, getting up only to stoke the fire and take the dogs out............ I NEVER GOT MY SHOWER!!!!!!!!


He who plumbs comes home and although I am longing for that shower, I take pity on the man and tell him to just go to bed and fix it in the morning. Morning arrives and surprise, surprise...... the repair will require a trip to a hardware store. Gee, wouldn't you think he would stock up on these things that he uses to cap off the pipe?


The minute the water was back on I gathered together all the layers of apparel that I would wear and rushed into the bathroom to claim my shower. I warned the man that should another break occur he should not attempt to turn that water off until I emerged from my shower!!! For the first time in almost a week my whole body was wet and soapy all at the same time! My fingers and toes and yes, even my nose was warm .......... all at the same time! I had the water so hot that my nerve endings were tingling from the scalding my skin received. I looked like I had a sunburn. It was glorious and I will never take a hot shower for granted again!


But, now the title of this post. The pipes are holding together, but, I lack confidence in them. I need to do laundry. So, I ask myself, if the pipes only hold up for one load ....... what'll be? Underwear or outerwear. I am out of long johns, so I am sporting two pairs of pants as I write. Love of my life has a pair left (he owns more underwear than me), so I think underwear. But, wait, he is almost out of socks and they are black and he will need some dark clothes washed, too. What a dilemma. Should I mix light and dark together and get enough clothes in one load to carry us through should the pipes fail us again? Or, do I wash them separately and hope for the best?