My handyman is going in for surgery, so I had to call a plumber next. When John the plumber arrived to give an estimate, we started poking around some more to try and figure out where the leak could be. In the process, we ended up disturbing a nest of yellow jackets. They swarmed and attacked, and we both got stung. My arm is still swollen today, but he definitely got the worst of it. He had a rip in his pants, and they all made a “beeline” for it, stinging him thoroughly in his nether regions and causing him to leap and squeal all over the driveway! (If this ever happens to you, there is a bug spray at the hardware store that shoots several feet, and you just aim it at their hive/hole in the ground and keep spraying until it’s gone.) John recommended I get a second opinion, so I called around and Travis showed up. It turns out that he is the grandson of the former owner of my home! His grandpa was a sweet little Irishman named Smokey McNaughton. I never met him, and he passed away 2 years ago, but I heard many stories of his kindness and compassion. It felt really good to be able to gift Travis with his grandpa’s old mailbox, which was knocked down recently. It has a shamrock on it with his grandpa’s name on the side. Anyway, Travis offered the better quote by quite a bit, so he won! The leak was under the pavement, so they had to slice the asphalt with a special drill bit and dig a trench through the yard. They were here all day, but now I have water again after having it turned off for over 24 hours. It truly makes you appreciate the wonders of water when you have to go without for awhile, that’s for sure!
I noticed my water bill was a bit higher than usual this month, and when I called about it, I found out that there was a leak somewhere on my property. I got to work sleuthing out the culprit by putting food coloring into the toilet tanks to see if the color leaked into the bowl. All was well with the toilets. I then checked all of the outdoor spigots to be sure they were shut off, and they were. I then had to undertake the very daunting task of crawling under the house to check. I had successfully avoided this task for the entire 5 years that I have lived here, and was so scared that I had to call a friend to be on the phone with me when I bravely crawled through the spider webs and dirt. No leaks to be found under there at all… My handyman is going in for surgery, so I had to call a plumber next. When John the plumber arrived to give an estimate, we started poking around some more to try and figure out where the leak could be. In the process, we ended up disturbing a nest of yellow jackets. They swarmed and attacked, and we both got stung. My arm is still swollen today, but he definitely got the worst of it. He had a rip in his pants, and they all made a “beeline” for it, stinging him thoroughly in his nether regions and causing him to leap and squeal all over the driveway! (If this ever happens to you, there is a bug spray at the hardware store that shoots several feet, and you just aim it at their hive/hole in the ground and keep spraying until it’s gone.) John recommended I get a second opinion, so I called around and Travis showed up. It turns out that he is the grandson of the former owner of my home! His grandpa was a sweet little Irishman named Smokey McNaughton. I never met him, and he passed away 2 years ago, but I heard many stories of his kindness and compassion. It felt really good to be able to gift Travis with his grandpa’s old mailbox, which was knocked down recently. It has a shamrock on it with his grandpa’s name on the side. Anyway, Travis offered the better quote by quite a bit, so he won! The leak was under the pavement, so they had to slice the asphalt with a special drill bit and dig a trench through the yard. They were here all day, but now I have water again after having it turned off for over 24 hours. It truly makes you appreciate the wonders of water when you have to go without for awhile, that’s for sure!
3 Comments
10/13/2012 12:59:00 pm
Wow. That's an adventure and a half! Bees are nothing to play around with. I'm so glad you survived! But I really feel sorry for the poor guy, too. Oh my. I know what I'm talking about. When I was 18, I was driving with the windows down, and a bee flew in and landed on my shirt. I was in a panic, but since I was driving, there wasn't anything I could do at the moment. The stupid bee actually crawled down my shirt and into my pants. Then he stung me. It hurt like crazy. Fortunately, he hadn't crawled down where it could really have done some damage. Maybe that's why I hate bugs!
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10/13/2012 12:59:59 pm
P S - I sure would like to be under that waterfall! :^)
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Sandy
11/14/2012 12:22:19 am
M, I had to laugh when the plumber told you to get a second opinion. Think maybe he'd had it w/the bees? Amazing that you were blessed by your inconvenience by meeting Travis! I love stories like this! Did you do the rice experiment? I think I will. I'll letcha know what happens.
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AuthorHi! I'm Marguerite Bryant, but most folks just call me "M." This blog will be a place to share my musings and inspirational ideas. Categories
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