Sometimes I sit here trying to keep informed and make at least somewhat intelligent comments about “the news” — then sometimes I just get, should we say, distracted by home repairs and maintenance.
It’s the home repairs and maintenance part I hate the most! And nothing ranks higher on the “hate list” of such stuff for me than plumbing problems. When you live in a really, REALLY old house (just over 100 years old, I think), you find out that pipes are fragile and pipe joints generally cannot be budged with anything short of a bulldozer. Not a good combination.
But the biggest problem is that I am completely ignorant and inept about most home repairs and maintenance — and plumbing probably comes in second on that list of ineptitudes, just below electrical issues. (I have this irrational fear of someday working to install a beautiful new Moen kitchen faucet while I’ve forgotten to unplug the garbage disposal and being seriously injured or killed by electricity combining with water while I’m standing in it.)
My last two home repair projects both have been plumbing related. I reinstalled some plastic drain pipes that connect the garbage disposal sink drain to the main sink drain in the kitchen. (My son did the installation initially and cut the plastic pipes about 1/4-inch too short. Takes after his dad, I guess.) And I actually replaced the small faucet in our nearly-antique-but-really-just-falling-apart-from-age bathroom sink. (That one I got right the first try; the pipes are easy to reach and I generally have to replace it twice a year.)
Ah, well, the joys of home ownership. Now I’m going to wash off a bit, settle down with some coffee, and read about the many ways the latest Wall Street multi-billionaires have found to make money off our home mortgages.