Friday, August 27, 2010

Anybody Got a Bucket??

Plumbing:  The bane of my existence for the last couple of years.

Having seen the recent   Magpie prompts, all I could think of lately is all of the plumbing problems currently plaguing this old house.  To that end, I was prepared to post a diatribe on the subject, but no one really wants to hear about that.

Suffice it to say we are down to one working sink - the kitchen sink - which only had a leaky drain pipe - was temporarily and easily fixed with duct tape (thank you, Red Green).  The fixture, however, has now failed and needs replacement.  I've got the parts for both the drain and the tap, but not the gumption.

Damn, I'm so good at my "profession".

Of course, the irony here is that our business involves water which, in turn, involves some plumbing.


To add insult to injury, it's almost been a year since I did my four-day stint in the hospital for an internal plumbing problem.  Lately - well, for the last couple of weeks anyway - I'm suspecting my bowels are planning a surprise anniversary 'blast'.  I've been hearing rumours and rumblings, so I'm not prepared to be smacking my forehead on the underside of the sink in a mad dash attempt to reach the "facility" while I'm installing a faucet.

Besides the leaky plumbing, my skin has also sprung a leak.  Well, sort of.  It's been so hot and humid that I break into a sweat merely by walking to the fax machine just twenty feet from where I sit.  It is so sticky here that you could use me as a  Post-it note bulletin board.

Now our dishwasher has decided to go on strike.  The lights come on, "but there's nobody home" which means, of course, I have to hand wash all the dishes in the sink with the leaky drain and the faucet that leaks into the bucket under said sink.

Normally I wouldn't complain about getting 'sweaty' while I do all these repairs as we have a pool and I could always go for a dip to cool off.  But, noooooooo ... karma has shit on that too.  The pool sprung a leak some time ago and it has been empty ever since.  Well, it's not so much empty since recent torrential rains (we really don't get much of any other kind here) has thwarted our attempt to locate the leak.

Oy.

So, I'm off to find ... my rubber boots.  And a bucket.

20 comments:

  1. Double O- I feel your pain. When it's so hot and sticky, I expect to find ants in my underwear. And I hate plumbing problems. (They always happen when Alex is away, and I am not a plumber by profession.) Look at the bright side, it's almost winter. Well, sort of almost! I forgot. You don't "do" winter where you are. Shoot!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda: "...ants in my underwear." Ha, ha! I get it - I really do! Me mom's been suffering from prickly heat. I suggested it may be mosquitos, but it isn't (since 'mossies' don't bite me, I wouldn't know). No worries, though. It's becoming relatively cooler at night (no "ants in the pants"). And, believe it or not, it gets - or has been getting in the past few years - quite cool down here. I can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  3. 00dozo, good to have you back! Sorry to hear about your plumbing problems - personal and otherwise. I just lost a ring down our bathroom sink. Unfortunately there's no trap so God only knows where the hell it went. And no water in the pool? Boy, have you got it rough. I see from your temperature badge it's 99F there. Say, where do you wash up? You and yours take turns having a bath in the kitchen sink?

    ReplyDelete
  4. That doesn't sound good at all! I think you need a break from the Bahamas. Perhaps even a permanent break. Have I mentioned that Finland is the best place in the entire world to live in? No plumbing problems here. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. dufus: Thanks! I really didn't go anywhere, but it's been so stinkin' hot that I didn't want to sweat on my "new" keyboard and risk shorting it out (that, and the heat has left me almost brain dead lately).

    How do you not have a sink trap? - oh, wait a minute - just not a removable one, maybe? The contractors must have been Romans. Oy!
    ;-) (yeah, a little too obscure?)

    As for 'baths', our last refuge is the shower in the garage. It works, sort of, but poorly designed - like everything else, it leaks. (Geez - I'm starting to sound like Woody Allen - God help me!).

    The temp here is slooooowly dipping every night. This is a good thing. At least I don't wake up at 3am sweating my ... (well, I don't have those, but something similar up north)... off.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ziva: I'd be on a plane in a second (that is if I wasn't afraid of flying)! I was born in late February, during an Ice Age many years ago, so I've got thick skin - yeah, I can do Finland no problem!

    Ha! I would've shown up for your sauna party but, hell, I've got my own here! At least I was there in spirit!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! That does not sound like any fun! I will try to bribe the water gods to bestow their blessings on you. What you're going through is ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Reffie: Oh, yes! Please send some of those sweaty muscular types with their cold compresses to dab my oh-so-tender and feverish forehead! (And grapes - I need fresh grapes!!) I'll send them onto your place next!
    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, and I'm so sorry your belly is bedeviling you! Dang!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Linda: Thank you, sweetie! It's slowly getting better, as is the heat (or lessening thereof). I hate to take meds for such a thing, so tonight we are having rice (with stir-fry, of course).
    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can't fathom what it's like to have all of your plumbing leaking at the same time. Sheesh. Hope you're feeling better soon and all of your plumbing problems can be fixed with some type of tape. Duck, duct, plumbers, gorilla, whatevah!

    Thanks for continuing to support Cure JM. 3 days of voting left!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cheryl: Ha, ha, ha! I have to laugh because here they actually carry a "Duck" Tape brand! And, thank-you ... 'leaks' are common around here - I'll be fine.
    ;-)

    I don't wanna jinx it, but I think Cure JM will get it's grant!!! *fingers, toes, legs and eyes are crossed*

    ****And anyone reading this, please visit Cheryl's site for the link and vote - it only takes a minute!****

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think I could do Finland better than the Bahamas. You can always pile on more clothes, but there's just so much you can take off. I don't do heat. I get all bitchy and brain-dead.

    Sorry about the plumbing. Don't ya just hate it when everything goes to crap all at once?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jayne: Oh, yes! Finland in a heartbeat! It's always easier to get warmer than colder, in my opinion. Yeah, me + heat + hot flashes = don't talk to me until I've had a few ... ice baths.
    ;-)

    About the plumbing: I got it done without a concussion! We still have small leaks (NOT my fault), but it will do for now. I'm just happy I don't need rubber boots to do my dishes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. "Anybody Got a Bucket??"

    All I can think of is the bucket scene in Monty Python's Meaning of Life even though that has nothing to do with your post.

    Plumbing issues are the worst. We're kinda screwed without proper water. No electricity, no prob. No water...crap.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Double O- That nasty Earl is hopefully keeping his distance from you. Please be safe, Honey.

    ReplyDelete
  17. CheesyMike: Ha, ha! You are absolutely right about the title thing, my fellow 'Pythoner'! Besides the external plumbing, my 'internal' plumbing was also giving me problems (hence the bucket reference). But, I'm not dead yet! (And, thankfully, I didn't need the bucket after all.)
    ;-)

    I got the kitchen faucet in yesterday - YAY to me!! Yep - being without water sucks worse than no power.

    P.S. Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed your vacation!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey Linda: No worries about Earl - looks like he's gonna be a pearl, and I hope the places he does hit will not be hit too bad. "Fiona", however, is now on the move .... hmmmm, damn women!
    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I guess the good news is that you'll probably get wiped out by a hurricane or flooded with the ocean as soon as that giant iceberg that broke off of Greenland a few weeks ago melts. Then you'll be forced to move somewhere cooler, like Finland or Hell.

    ReplyDelete
  20. BonyMike: Ix-nay on the urricanes-eh. The flooding (in my kitchen) has ceased and I'd sure welcome an iceberg, flooding or not, but it will probably be the size of an ice cube by the time it reach.

    ReplyDelete