Plumbing the Depths, a Random and Happy Tuesday Post

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It's time once again for a random and happy Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked and Sandee at Comedy Plus.  

Carl's parents, Ms. V and Mr. L, are "frugal."  Meaning, you don't call a plumber unless the house is flooding, or you have enough work for a plumber that it's worth what you have to pay for that first hour.

Recently, they decided they had enough work to warrant a plumbing call.  The plumber came, inspected, told them what was needed, and the parts have been ordered to fix everything (and almost every plumbing fixture in both the house and the apartment needs something done).  When the parts come in, he will be back to do it all.

Carl was told to pull everything out from under his bathroom sink so the plumber will have room to work.  He was handed a box.

Can you guess how many items from under the sink actually made it into the box?  If you guessed zero, you're getting to know Carl very well.

All of it was on the bathroom vanity or overflowing from the drawers.  At least, what wasn't on the floor was in the drawers or on the vanity.

The rest of the room wasn't so good, either.  He'd been so distracted by the bathroom that he'd made several messes elsewhere as well.  Not that he needs help.

There were more folded clothes in the dirty clothes bins.

Naturally, when you don't know where to put the dirty socks, put them in the electric razor case.  The case that is supposed to be in that empty box.

The empty box in the closet is what the stuff under the sink was supposed to be in.

The laundry was loads of fun, he'd put some things in the dryer without checking the pockets.

How did the Tums antacid tablets manage to not dissolve in the washer? i asked myself, seeing them in the dryer like this.  Then i realized, he probably hadn't washed those items, just gotten them rained on and so put them straight in the dryer.  Time for a rewash, and the Dustbuster hand vacuum to get all the Tums dust out of the dryer.

By the time i left, of course all the under the sink items were neatly in the box where he can find them if he needs them.  Where will they be by next week?  Your guess is as good as mine, but in the box would not be the right answer.

 Speaking of plumbers...

Loosely translated from Danish, this says,
"Were you giving advice to the plumber again?!"

Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Clean up Your Room Day -- one of those holidays that no one knows how it got started, but it's a good idea, especially if your house is decorated by teens in "Recently Ransacked" style!

Constitution Day -- Federated States of Micronesia

Golden Spike Day -- finishing the first US Transcontinental Railroad in 1869

Mother's Day -- Belize; El Salvador; Guatemala; Mexico (always May 9 in these countries)

National Shrimp Day

St. Cathal's Day (Patron of blind people, drought relief, epileptics, paralyzed people; Taranto, Italy; against blindness, drought, epilepsy, hernias, paralysis, plagues, storms)

St. Father Damien of Moloka'i's Day (Patron of lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS; Hawaii)

St. Job the Patriarch's Day (Patron against depression and ulcers)

Trust Your Intuition Day -- practice, and you'll get better at it

World Lupus Day   

Birthdays Today:

Kenan Thompson, 1978

Amanda Borden, 1977

Jason Brooks, 1966

Paul "Bono" Hewson, 1960

Phil and Steve Mahre, 1957

Donovan, 1946

Dave Mason, 1946

Marie-France Pisier, 1944

Judith Jamison, 1943

Gary Owens, 1936

Barbara Taylor Bradford, 1933

Pat Summerall, 1930

Ara Raoul Parseghian, 1923

Nancy Walker, 1922

T. Berry Brazelton, 1918

"Mother" Maybelle Carter, 1909

David O. Selznick, 1902

Fred Astaire, 1899

Max Steiner, 1888

Karl Barth, 1868

George Ross, 1730

Emperor Fushimi of Japan, 1265

Emperor Claudius, 213

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Twister(Film), 1996

"The Rest of the Story"(Radio), 1976

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major(Shostakovich Op. 102), 1957

Today in History:

The Roman armies under Titus open a full scale assault on Jerusalem, 70

Vienna's church orders all Jews to wear a distinctive garb, 1267

Scottish nobles recognize authority of English king Edward I, 1291

Amerigo Vespucci allegedly leaves on a voyage to the New World, 1497

Christopher Columbus "discovers" the Cayman Islands, 1503

Jacques Cartier visits Newfoundland, 1534

Scottish Protestants under John Knox uprise against queen-mother Mary, 1559

England forcefully annexes Jamaica from Spain, 1655

Benjamin Franklin first tests the lightning rod, 1752

Louis XVI becomes King of France, 1774

The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America, 1801

New York City banks fail, and unemployment reaches record levels, 1837

In India, the first war of Independence begins, 1857

The First Transcontinental Railroad, linking the eastern and western United States, is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah (not Promontory Point, Utah) with the golden spike, 1869

Romania  declares itself independent from Turkey, 1877

The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Nix v. Hedden that a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit, under the Tariff Act of 1883, 1893

The first Mother's Day is observed, 1908

J. Edgar Hoover is appointed Director of the FBI, 1924

First successful launch of a V-2 rocket at White Sands Proving Ground, 1946

Bill Haley & His Comets release "Rock Around the Clock", the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts, 1954

The nuclear submarine USS Triton completes Operation Sandblast, the first underwater circumnavigation of the earth, 1960

The Federated States of Micronesia  becomes self-governing, 1979

François Mitterrand becomes the first Socialist President of France in the French 5th republic, 1981

Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as South Africa's first black president, 1994

Deadliest day on the mountain: a rogue storm on Everest claims 8 lives, including experienced climbers, 1996

The Maeslantkering, a storm surge barrier in the Netherlands that is one of the world's largest moving structures, is opened by Queen Beatrix, 1997

Solicitor General Elena Kagan is the youngest Justice and third woman nominated for the Supreme Court of the United States, 2010

Microsoft announces plans to purchase Skype, 2011

An Indian fertility clinic announces that a 70 year old woman has successfully gave birth to a baby boy, 2016

The United States Geological Survey releases a report saying that some glaciers in Montana have receded by 85% in the last 50 years, 2017

Mahathir Mohamad is sworn in as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, the world's oldest leader at 92, 2018

Taxi service Uber becomes a publicly traded company, 2019

Water goes where it wants to, part 2,372.

"You do know you have a leak in your ceiling, don't you?" Daughter-in-Law Becky asked one afternoon around 3:30 pm.

No, i told her, i can't know about such things unless someone tells me.

"Yeah, the ceiling is dripping in the laundry room, almost right above the water heater."

She led me down the stairs, and sure enough, there was a tiny drip from the ceiling.

Let's see if there's any water turned on in the bathroom upstairs, i said.

"Are you sure it would be that?" she asked.

If there wasn't another floor above the laundry room, i explained, then we'd know the roof was leaking.  Because there's a bathroom right above the laundry room, there's probably a leak in a pipe up there somewhere.

"Well, someone was just up here and flushed the toilet," she said, when a search of said bathroom proved everything was turned off.

That could be it, i said, and sat down to call the home warranty company.  It was interesting, i only had to hold for about 3 minutes, and the representative on the phone not only told me exactly which plumbing contractor they would send, she put it in for them to call me back that afternoon and get me on the schedule.  A leaky pipe can bring down a ceiling, and they want to minimize damage.

After all the trouble we'd had getting help this past summer with the A/C, i was pleasantly surprised it all went so smoothly with them.

The plumber called within the hour and promised to come the following morning, which was fine.  As i would be at the shelter cleaning cat boxes, Sweetie was on high alert to let him in.

He was on time, this plumber, and he and Sweetie called me to ask exactly where the leak was.  As best i could i described the location, and told Sweetie to go upstairs and flush the toilet and see if that got anything going.   He asked me to please run home and help, so i left the shelter.  By the time i got to the house, the flushing had highlighted the problem and i came home to a small hole in the ceiling of the laundry room (i can live with that).

Back to the shelter i went to finish my work, while the plumber replaced the wax ring for the toilet.  We all have high hopes that this repair will take care of it, but the fixtures in this house are old and if we start seeing signs of a leak again we are going to need more extensive work.

This was covered by the home warranty, if it needs more extensive work (part of the pipe under the toilet removed and replaced), it won't be. 



Today is:

Advocate's Day -- India

Bartender Appreciation Day -- with a guide to help you show your appreciation to the Heroes Behind the Bar 

Caldwell Country Christmas Parade & Fireworks -- Columbia, LA, US

Cape May Christmas Candlelight House Tours -- Cape May, NJ, US (tours of homes, b&bs, guesthouses, hotels, and churches for 3 consecutive Saturdays)

Chester Greenwood Day Parade and Celebration/Ear Muff Day -- Farmington, ME, US (celebration of Farmington's most famous resident, the inventor of the ear muff!)

Christmas Candlelightings -- Coshocton, OH, US (Roscoe Village opens for Christmas fun for 3 consecutive Saturdays)

Christmas on the Prairie -- Wahoo, NE, US (Christmas 1800s prairie style; through tomorrow)

Clerc-Gallaudet Week begins -- celebrating the pioneers in education for the deaf

Coats and Toys for Kids Day -- ME, US (charity drive across the state; even if you aren't in that state, there is probably a charity near you that would love to have your help)

Day of Remembrance for Bogatir (Great hero) Svatogor -- Asatru/Pagan Slavic Calendar

Fairy and Goblin Taunt-and-Tease Saturnalia -- Fairy Calendar

Festival for Bona Dea -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of chastity, fecundity, the earth, and fertility; a women's festival)

Festival for Serket/Selket -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (scorpion goddess, who healed from their sting; date approximate)

Holiday Happiness -- Upper Arlington, OH, US (Christmas fun for the family at the local public library)

Hollywood Beach Candy Cane Parade -- Hollywood, FL, US

International Day of Persons with Disabilities -- UN

International Day of the Basque Language

Live: Family Christmas at the Benjamin Harrison Home -- Indianapolis, IN, US (Christmas as it would have been during the life of the 23rd US President)

Make a Gift Day -- internet generated, and go ahead, 'tis the season

Natchitoches Christmas Festival Parade -- Natchitoches, LA, US (the biggest day in the Festival of Lights in Natchitoches, parade day and the first fireworks of the season)

National Apple Pie Day

National Ice Cream Box Day -- internet generated, for those who love ice cream that comes in the rectangular box, and being the first to dig in

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day -- be grateful you have one

Norskedalen's Old-Fashioned Christmas -- Coon Valley, WI, US (log home Christmas and fun for all; through tomorrow)

Pompaia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (procession dedicated to Zeus; date approximate)

Reinvigorate Your Brain by Reading Something Day -- internet generated, and good to do every day, don't you think?

Shaker Christmas Fair -- Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, ME, US (traditional holiday church fair)

Shalako Festival -- Hopi and Zuni Native Americans (dates of main festivals and dance ceremonies vary by area, but usually the weekend nearest the 49th day after the 10th full moon)

SKYWARN Recognition Day -- National Weather Service, NOAA, and Amateur Radio Operators, working together to report dangerous weather conditions

St. Francis Xavier's Day (Patron of African missions, foreign missions, missionaries, navigators, parish missions, Agartala, India; Ahmedabad, India; Alexandria, LA; ) related observance
     San Francisco Javier -- Navarre, Spain (special observances)

Takata no Inoko -- Sakurai, Japan (offerings for peace and good harvests)

Tamale Festival -- El Centro, CA, US (tamales and arts and crafts, a fun way to holiday shop; through tomorrow)

Telescope Day -- marking its invention by Galileo in 1621

Tinsel Day -- remember when this stuff used to contain lead?


Anniversaries Today:

Illinios becomes the 21st US State, 1818


Birthdays Today:

Alicia Sacramone, 1987
Amanda Seyfried, 1985
Bruno Campos, 1974
Holly Marie Combs, 1973
Bucky Lasek, 1972
Brendan Fraser, 1968
Katarina Witt, 1965
Daryl Hannah, 1961
Julianne Moore, 1961
Julianne Moore, 1960
Rick Ravon Mears, 1951
Ozzy Osbourne, 1948
Jaye P. Morgan, 1932
Jean-Luc Godard, 1930
Andy Williams, 1927
Ferlin Husky, 1927
John Backus, 1924
Nino Rota, 1911
Carlos Montoya, 1903
Joseph Conrad, 1857
Charles Alfred Pillsbury, 1842
Gilbert Charles Stuart, 1755


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Camelot"(Musical), 1960
"Troilus and Cressida"(Opera), 1954
"A Streetcar Names Desire"(Play), 1947
Alka-Seltzer, 1931


Today in History:

Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England, 1586
In an uprising over mining licenses, which came to be called the rebellion at the Eureka Stockade, more than 20 goldminers at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia are killed by state troopers in what many claim to be the birth of Australian democracy, 1854
The trial of Jefferson Davis starts with the first blacks on a US trial jury, 1868
Settlers arrive at Petach Tikvah, Israel, 1878
The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine, 1904
Neon lights make their public debut at the Paris Auto Show, 1910
The Quebec Bridge, after almost 20 years of planning and construction, opens, 1917
The first successful Technicolor movie, "Tall of the Sea," premiers in NYC, 1922
Chinese refugee ship "Kiangya" explodes in E China Sea, killing 1,100, 1948
Paul Harvey begins his national radio broadcast, 1950
At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human, 1967
Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter, 1973
In one of the worst industrial disasters ever, a methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills thousands and injures hundreds of thousands, 1984
In Ottawa, Canada, representatives from 121 countries, not including the US, Russia, or China, sign The Ottawa treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines, 1997
XCOR Aerospace makes first manned rocket aircraft delivery of US Mail in Mojave, California, 2005
The Nissan Leaf, one of the first mass marketed electric cars, is launched, 2010

Oh, by the way.

Well, about the repairs.

And so on Thursday, the plumbing company that the home warranty company uses here in town came over.  Only one plumber came this time.  Usually the company sends two, but in this case, it was one nice young man who had been assigned to make 11 calls that day.  They were that busy.

He was easily able to solve our slow-draining bathtub, and he made it so that we won't have that problem again.  We have too much hair, human and cat, in this house, to have any kind of mechanism in a tub or shower that catches and holds the stuff in the pipe.  Better that it just go on through, if it gets stuck downstairs in the big pipe, we have an outdoor clean-out.  Somewhere, we do.  We'd have to find it, it's overgrown now, but it is there.

We do not, however, have an individual outdoor clean-out for the kitchen sink.  The warranty company requires that kitchen sink stoppages be cleaned out from the outside, so you can't blame them for sink damage.  No snaking it from the inside, which i was afraid to do anyway, concerned i would push the onions further down the line and stop up more stuff.

Anyway, no clean-out for the sink, they cannot do it, not under the warranty.  They can, however, come back this next Tuesday with two people and a ladder and a machine and go through the vent in the roof.  That, and capping off the lines to the now completely irreparable dishwasher so we can remove it (the sink backup went into it and i will never be able to get it clean, and the pump was gone anyway) is going to cost a few of hundred dollars.

Meanwhile we have a big bowl in the sink that all water has to go into, and when it's full it has to be poured into a large pot, and when that's full it has to be taken outdoors and poured out.

Did i mention that Tuesday morning is also when i have an appointment to get some items on the Jalopy fixed?  Kevin has already ordered the parts.  The parts that need replacing would keep the Jalopy from passing inspection, so i'm glad they went out now, two months after this year's inspection was over, but still.  Yes, i could go until closer to the next inspection to get it done, but then the check engine light would stay on all of the time, and if something really went wrong with the engine, i'd never know unless i stopped to have them pull the codes every week, which i am not going to do to them they are already too nice to me for me to be bothering them like that.

Also yesterday, while i was waiting my turn to do laundry (yes, there are 7 adults currently in this house, we have to take turns), i heard a familiar dripping noise with a sinking feeling.  The A/C is stopped up and leaking again.

It's just the start of the leak, barely at all, but we have to get on this right now or we will lose the unit.  Yes, the warranty company would cover this, but for only $25 more than the deductible i can get Sweetie's old friend Kurt from where he used to work to come over and do it today, without having to wait a week to get scheduled, and he will also check over the whole unit and make sure there are no other problems.

The thing is, it could always be worse, and i know that, so i'm keeping up on my gratitude list, and remembering to breathe.  Also, to laugh.

"Mom, I have big plans for the 4th!" Bigger Girl told me.

What's up? i asked.

"I am going to see Jodie and Callie out in the country for a weekend of snakes, fireworks, and home-made redneck hooch!  And I promise all of those things will be had separately."

No matter what is going on, how can anyone not be grateful after hearing that?

Today is:

Adonia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (date approximate, but always in July, a ritual to honor Adonis)

Build a Scarecrow Day -- keep the crows out of that field of freshly growing corn out on the back 40!

Cherokee Green Corn Ceremony -- honoring maize goddess Selu with thanksgiving for the maize harvest; date approximate, as many towns set their own times to celebrate

Distressed Elves' Creditors' Day -- Fairy Calendar

Flag & Anthem Day -- Curacao

Freedom From Fear of Public Speaking Day -- as proposed by Beverly Beuermann-King, because you don't want to blow it when your big opportunity comes because you are afraid to speak out!

Hop A Park Day -- US (several years ago the Colleyville, Texas, Park and Recreation Commission started this celebration on the first Saturday of July, which is National Parks and Recreation Month; go visit a park today, or make plans to do it soon!)

I Forgot Day (the day to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other special days that you forgot during the first half of the year)

International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship -- Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, Eau Claire, WI, US

International Day of Cooperatives -- U.N.

National Anisette Day

Palio di Provenzano -- Siena, Italy (horse race and pageant, named after the Madonna di Provenzano, whose church is in Siena)

Rebildfesten/Rebild Festival/American Independence Day Celebration -- Aalborg, Denmark (the town dresses in red, white and blue, celebrating with BBQ, American beer, and more; through the 4th)

Remember to Feed the Hummingbirds Day -- internet reminder to be nice to these beautiful creatures

Rockport Art Festival -- Rockport, TX, US (top artists from around the country line the waterfront today and tomorrow, with good music and good food to add to the fun)

Second Half of the Year Day -- because 2016 is a Leap Year, the second half of the year started at midnight

St. Swithin's Day (Patron against drought; of Stavenger, England; Winchester, England)

The Dam Experience -- Warsaw, MO, US (fireworks viewed from land and boat at the Truman Dam)

Tour de France -- through Sunday, July 24

Try to Find Your Slinky Day -- the weird holiday of the day!

Violin Lovers' Day

World UFO Day -- unfortunately, a real day observed by many around the world (on the "anniversary" of the UFO crash in Roswell, if such a thing even happened, which i doubt*) 

*i believe that if there's life elsewhere, it shows its intelligence by staying away from us!


Anniversary Today:

Prince Albert of Belgium marries Paola Ruffo di Calabria, 1959


Birthdays Today:

Lindsay Lohan, 1986
Ashley Tisdale, 1985
Johnny Weir, 1984
Jose, Jr., and Ozzie Canseco, 1964
Jimmy McNichol, 1961
Ron Silver, 1946
Vicente Fox Quesada, 1942
Richard Petty, 1937
Polly Holiday, 1937
Dave Thomas, 1932
Medgar Evers, 1925
Dan Rowan, 1922
Ken Curtis, 1916
Thurgood Marshall, 1908
Jean René Lacoste, 1904
Hermann Hesse, 1877
Thomas Cranmer, 1489


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Andy Williams Show"(TV), 1957
"The Lawrence Welk Show"(TV), 1955
"Finlandia"(Sibelius' Op. 26), 1900


Today in History:

Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine, 1698
Vermont  becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery, 1777
Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James Garfield, who eventually dies from an infection on September 19, 1881
Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinque take over the slave ship Amistad, 1893
Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi obtains patent for radio in London, 1897
The first zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany, 1900
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight 1937
The first Wal-Mart store opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas, 1962
North and South Vietnam, divided since 1954, reunite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1976
The AbioCor  self contained artificial heart is first implanted, 2001
Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon, 2002
Planetoid Pluto's fourth and fifth moons officially receive the names Kerberos and Styx from the International Astronomical Union, 2013