Friday, March 2, 2018

All Is Well In My World

The flow of water running through pipes was reinstated very late last night. The canine contingent and I stumbled off to bed at 11:30. My plumber (aka HeWho plumbs) did offer to wake me so I could shower. Wake me? Why on earth would he want to do that? Let sleeping dogs lie!

I had a magnificent shower this morning. It was all I could do not to stand there until the hot water was gone. But I restrained myself and went on to clean the kitchen. And all the paint brushes. Feeling quite accomplished I decided to tackle the huge mess awaiting me in my laundry room/pump room.

First, I would need to describe what actually happened there. HeWho plumbs had reckoned the problem to be the pump. This prompted him to purchase another pump to pull the water into the system. New pump #1 failed. He diddled with the wiring and the breakers and on and on all day. Yesterday he arose early and returned new pump #1 and come home with new pump #2. 

This led to his discovery that the breakers were bad and assigned me to look up a federal pacific 2 pole 20 amp replacement. Not a daunting task with my friend Google. While I looked, he left and returned with one. Making me think he had given me some busy work to make me feel useful. I have no need to feel useful, I am content to be useless and go on about my reading and holding dogs in my lap.

Having identified the problem, but already having constructed a sizable puzzle of PVC pipes and elbows and lots of smelly pipe cement, he diddled more and finally succumbed to having a man with more knowledge help. This was when I gathered my dogs and retired to my bedroom. I stayed on after the departure of the helper. I would occasionally hear some noise, but I ignored it for quite some time.

I finally ventured out to check up on him. He was drenched, head to toe. EVERYTHING was drenched, as the pipe ruptured under the pressure of the water. He thinks he may have not waited long enough for the glue to dry. I left him to play in the water and parked myself in front of the TV, dogs in my lap.

This drenching happened THREE more times. He even changed one set of clothes, only to wet another set. I ignored all this, as it was getting later and later and I knew no shower would be forthcoming. Decided I would have all day to deal with the mess today.

Today is here. Did he use the mop or wet/dry vac to attempt a clean-up? No, he did not. He put a box fan in the kitchen, since the water went all the way into my kitchen and another fan in the laundry room. The kitchen floor was dry when I awoke this morning. But I have a long rug runner going down the middle of the laundry room. Atop this runner, anchoring it to the soggy floor was new pump #2 and all the glorious, convoluted pipe structure making it impossible to move. The rug was keeping the floor wet and water squished up into my shoes as I wiggled by the roller coaster looking construct to try to get to the washer.

I took what I could outside. My dryer sheets are wet, there is, in fact, a layer of water atop that appliance. The cat food is wet, the cat litter is wet and I have emptied the mop bucket  too many times to count. The fan is blowing in there now.

Unfortunately, on one of my trips outside to take wet stuff, I opened the gate to put some things away from canine curiosity and Toni Louise gained freedom. She ran, of course, and no manner of cajoling, promises or threats, appealed to her. I thought about chasing her, then just gave up.

I alerted her master to the situation and then went to the front door where she waited for me. These adventures do not endear her to me. But, all is well in my world. I have had a shower and my kitchen is clean.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You deserve some major award.

Joanne Noragon said...

I am speechless at your fortitude.

Val said...

If you'd been working alongside HeWho, you would have gotten your shower last night! Three times.