Roto Rooter

Used to be that twice a year we'd need to have our main sewer line cleared of tree roots. With a few trees gone from the front yard, it looks like we are down to once a year. I keep the receipts up in the bill basket, because I can never remember the last time they were here, and with the name change a few years ago--it went from Gene's Roto Rooter and Sewer to Metro-something.

Our main line sewer plug access is hidden in the front bushes. I marked it with a huge rock that looks like a pet gravestone, so it is pretty easy for me to find. But, man, I wish I had had my strong, beefy, muscular, and way-more-coordinated husband dig it out this morning, but he left before dawn. We realized last night that we best not put it off any longer. The toilets gurgled over Christmas, but they often do if I run the dishwasher, washer, and then drain the tub or flush at the same time the appliances are dumping. Last night, we found mysterious puddles by both potties. But, they had not overflowed. Things had stopped for a few minutes when I emptied the tub, but then everything slowly went on down.

But, I dare not risk it by doing a load of laundry nor dishes until the plumber roto rooter comes. We are third on the list. Yippeee. I put the washer on a soak load, but it looked like it emptied after two hours. This just is not a good time to be without a means of soaking and washing stained towels. I have a washer full. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to my perpetual leaking/gushing/spotting and my appointment at the gynocologist is this Thursday. I have never had a period last a whole month before.

I woke up at 3am and listened to the trucker radio show on WBAP for a while. When I am restless, that wakes up Bob. So, he got up super early and went for a walk or jog--he came back sweaty. We ate the last of the heavy-duty muffins for breakfast. I love packing in the fiber in muffins--and these had pecans, oats, jam, and whole cranberries.

noon---the plumber has come and gone. I had the main plug all dug up and ready. I know to open the garage door and plug in his extension, and have a tub ready to dump water. Soapy water. And he was here and gone in ten minutes. It had been over a year. He found a plug of roots near the house, and another near the street. So, it needed it. And he explained the mystery of the two puddles by the potties. After lots of plunging (low flow cursed toilets) the wax rings have given out. So, replacing the wax rings will be the next not fun job for Bob. But, Bob's butt crack is way better, in my humble opinion. $80 with the five dollar senior discount. Don't you love that slap in the face? I am only 52, but I guess I look one hundred.

Too funny. But, now I am able to run the dishwasher and the washer and take a bath. And flush the toilets. We are free flowing again.

When the boys were toddlers, I bought wax rings by the case. And kept them in the inside bathroom closet because they would melt in the garage. Bob thought I was crazy, but our toddlers were flushing fools. They were a team. They flushed onsies, and washrags, and it wasn't until we caught them trying to flush rubber ducky that they were busted. We put a L-hook on the bathroom door after that. And weekend after weekend, Bob would have to lift the commode and fish out what they flushed, and reset it with a new wax ring. That was back in the days when Walmart was not open 24 hours a day, and forget plumbing supply or Home Depot even on Sunday. Ah, the memories. Now our firstborn has a child of his own. I wonder if the grandchild has flushed anything yet. Nowadays, children have more interesting things to flush like cell phones, and such.