Geez! It's been crazy around here for the past few weeks. The girls both had personal crises towards the end of the school term, Jeff is working himself to death, and my Dad announced that he's getting remarried ... right NOW. My world is a little off-kilter at the moment.
I'm trying to be happy for Dad. I know he's lonely and Harriett seems like a lovely person, but I don't know her at all. I've only met her once, briefly. I'm finding it hard to imagine her in my Mom's place. I know that she isn't trying to fill that role, but in my mind my Mom and Dad are a matched set. It's disorienting to think of him sharing his home with anyone else.
And the way they've gone about it is ridiculous. Let me vent for a minute here. Not only did he spring it on me, but they decided to get married on Christmas Day. I guess that made sense for her side of the family because her son from Chicago would be in town, but neither my brother or sister could attend on that day and, if they were excluded, I was seriously thinking about boycotting. Of course, all of the planning and information was being transmitted through my Dad, who is often a bit confused, because I don't even have this woman's phone number or address. I asked Dad yesterday for her address and he didn't know it. He just knows how to get there -- he doesn't know the apartment number.
Anyway, it may all work out. They agreed to postpone the wedding until Jan. 21st so everyone can attend. And they also met with an attorney yesterday to sort out a pre-nup. He's 87 and she's 88. I want them to enjoy the years they have left and keep each other company. I want to be happy about this. I'm trying.
So, on top of everything else, when I came downstairs early Saturday morning I noticed water near the kitchen sink. When I opened the cabinet, water spilled out on the floor. I turned around and went back to bed. It was too much. Later, after I'd screwed up my courage, I pulled all the sodden crap out from under the sink. It was a lot of wet stuff but it wasn't the first time I've had plumbing issues with that sink, so most of it was in plastic containers or wrapped in plastic. The pipes were dripping in three different places. And continued to drip after I turned off the water supply taps. It was a mystery. I sopped up the mess and put bowls under the drips and called the plumber.
Of course, since it was Saturday, the plumber didn't answer and I left a message. A few hours later, I left another message. A few hours later, I called another plumber, picked out of a hat. Fortunately, the second plumber came right away and showed me that the 25-year-old faucet on my kitchen sink was kaput. The water was still flowing because the cut-off taps were so old and stiff that I hadn't turned them all the way off. He didn't have a faucet in stock to replace it, so there was nothing he could do for me except charge me $100 for the service call.
Then Jeff called from the airport. He just flew in from Colorado and his car wouldn't start. Would I come and jump him? I tried, but the car wouldn't start and he went into a rage when I insisted that we leave it and deal with it the next day rather than waiting who knows how long for AAA to come. He had had a long and difficult day and a dead car was the last thing he wanted. In the end, I took him home and headed back out to Home Depot -- armed with an Internet video on "How to Replace Your Kitchen Faucet."
It was after midnight when I finally finished installing the brand new chrome finished Delta faucet with two spray options and a built-in spray wand. Everyone else had gone to bed. It worked and it didn't leak (although I didn't put everything back in the cabinet until I was SURE). It was a victory.
I'm trying to be happy for Dad. I know he's lonely and Harriett seems like a lovely person, but I don't know her at all. I've only met her once, briefly. I'm finding it hard to imagine her in my Mom's place. I know that she isn't trying to fill that role, but in my mind my Mom and Dad are a matched set. It's disorienting to think of him sharing his home with anyone else.
And the way they've gone about it is ridiculous. Let me vent for a minute here. Not only did he spring it on me, but they decided to get married on Christmas Day. I guess that made sense for her side of the family because her son from Chicago would be in town, but neither my brother or sister could attend on that day and, if they were excluded, I was seriously thinking about boycotting. Of course, all of the planning and information was being transmitted through my Dad, who is often a bit confused, because I don't even have this woman's phone number or address. I asked Dad yesterday for her address and he didn't know it. He just knows how to get there -- he doesn't know the apartment number.
Anyway, it may all work out. They agreed to postpone the wedding until Jan. 21st so everyone can attend. And they also met with an attorney yesterday to sort out a pre-nup. He's 87 and she's 88. I want them to enjoy the years they have left and keep each other company. I want to be happy about this. I'm trying.
So, on top of everything else, when I came downstairs early Saturday morning I noticed water near the kitchen sink. When I opened the cabinet, water spilled out on the floor. I turned around and went back to bed. It was too much. Later, after I'd screwed up my courage, I pulled all the sodden crap out from under the sink. It was a lot of wet stuff but it wasn't the first time I've had plumbing issues with that sink, so most of it was in plastic containers or wrapped in plastic. The pipes were dripping in three different places. And continued to drip after I turned off the water supply taps. It was a mystery. I sopped up the mess and put bowls under the drips and called the plumber.
Of course, since it was Saturday, the plumber didn't answer and I left a message. A few hours later, I left another message. A few hours later, I called another plumber, picked out of a hat. Fortunately, the second plumber came right away and showed me that the 25-year-old faucet on my kitchen sink was kaput. The water was still flowing because the cut-off taps were so old and stiff that I hadn't turned them all the way off. He didn't have a faucet in stock to replace it, so there was nothing he could do for me except charge me $100 for the service call.
Then Jeff called from the airport. He just flew in from Colorado and his car wouldn't start. Would I come and jump him? I tried, but the car wouldn't start and he went into a rage when I insisted that we leave it and deal with it the next day rather than waiting who knows how long for AAA to come. He had had a long and difficult day and a dead car was the last thing he wanted. In the end, I took him home and headed back out to Home Depot -- armed with an Internet video on "How to Replace Your Kitchen Faucet."
It was after midnight when I finally finished installing the brand new chrome finished Delta faucet with two spray options and a built-in spray wand. Everyone else had gone to bed. It worked and it didn't leak (although I didn't put everything back in the cabinet until I was SURE). It was a victory.
 |
| Out goes the old faucet |
 |
| In goes the new faucet |
 |
| Waiting for the cabinet to dry ... |
2 comments:
Sounds like a case of everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink! Super impressed that you installed a new one! Hang in there.
I understand exactly how you feel my life over the last 3 weeks has had many similar issues including a leaky kitchen sink. Deeep breaths.
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