It was 35 degrees in the house when we arrived on Friday and in the 20s outside. I was glad I had donned my long underwear and warm outerwear as well. We ran the wall furnace until Mike got the fireplace insert going but it remained mostly cold in the house that day. Upstairs was downright frosty. Mike wore a skull cap he wears under his motorcycle helmet while I wrapped my neck and shoulder in a crocheted shawl. It commenced to snow Friday evening and continued through Saturday morning. It's hard to tell how much snow we have -- 9 or 10 inches maybe -- so we really didn't expect the plumber on Saturday. Therefore one does what one has to do -- he fixes things himself. The upstairs commode Mike thought he had fixed was leaking badly. He discovered a broken gasket, which he replaced with one from the cracked tank still in the yard. That fixed the leak and we were relieved!
Next up -- the fridge. No water -- no ice. Mike removed the pump and re-installed it and somehow -- he doesn't know how -- that worked. Who needs a plumber?
Well, we did. We were still minus the downstairs commode and we had a slow leak (less than an ounce per hour) under the house.So when the plumber said he was coming, we were more than pleased.
The trip to the farmhouse should take half an hour, and then we began to watch for the plumber. And when he wasn't here after 20 minutes or so, Mike decided to call him. He's driven here twice before but it was a few years ago, and this place isn't an easy find. (That's one of the reasons we like it.) Yes, he did need directions, he said, so Mike tried to ascertain where he was and help him out. When he still wasn't here in another 10 minutes, Mike called him again. Aren't cell phones wonderful? I don't know why the poor lost plumber wasn't calling us. Probably a guy thing. . .
Finally here he came. The county had plowed our road Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, but of course, they don't plow the lane. We watched to be sure he made it -- up the first incline, up the last steep pitch -- yay! he made it. It was nearly dark as he set to work, but I guess that didn't really matter. Long story short: he installed a commode and fixed our leak.
Now, we have just one more fix -- the spray faucet in the laundry room. That will wait until spring.
It moderated today. Snow slid off the roofs and the icicles are dripping. It's raining right now but may become snow again as temps drop. I think it's safe to say, though, that we'll have a "White Christmas" here. KW
3 comments:
Good report! I hope Bess did not hold that uncomfortable position for long. I feel sorry for my poor, sweet Nellie dog.
I watched the dogs and didn't feel that Nellie was uncomfortable. They are dogs, you know. I think we should expect that Nellie will exert herself if she doesn't like it.
Assert -- that word should be assert.
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