Yesterday
As Nat found out when she last visited, our toilet wouldn't flush properly...at all, really. The handle wasn't loose, but didn't do much good - like it was stuck.
I looked it up on the internet and discovered it was the flapper seal causing the problem, but the fix looked a little too hard for us. I can barely lift the top of the tank off - Hal can't do it at all.
I looked in there and verified that was what it was. If you pull the arm up reeeeaaaalllly hard, it'll flush. Then it drops and the suction seals it forever. Well, at least until we pull the arm again. (What ever happened to chains?)
The first plumber groused about, ignored the "dumb old lady who thought she knew plumbing", and told me it was the flapper seal. No shit McGrit. He said to replace it was useless, it would just seal shut again. It had to be rebuilt and would cost about $300. Bye, bye Mr. Plumber guy. I'd rather lift the toilet tank top every day.
The second plumber called. I asked him how much an estimate cost. His answer? "A Million Dollars!". Hahahahaha. I liked him already. An estimate was really $40, and will be applied to any repairs made. Could he come on Friday or next week. "I'm in your neighborhood, I'll be right over." Cool.
He listened to what I had to say, agreed with me, showed me where the problem was. Told me that that specific part was no longer available. If you wiggle the arm just so, it'll be good for a couple of flushes. He could replace the part, but the same thing would happen in 6 months. Or he could rebuild it for about $200.
He recommended we see if we could get by with wiggling the arm just so (I picture myself standing near the toilet, wiggling my arm abour). If we couldn't, call him back and he would rebuild it.
A couple of days went by. We couldn't stand it any more. And what a pain it would be at Christmas when the kids are here! I called his office back, they patched into his truck, and he said he'd be here first thing next morning. Which he was.
I wanted to hug the guy. Besides being cheaper, he was much kinder and offered other solutions. What a sweetie.
So he fixed it, I paid him, lectured him on smoking when I started to wheeze, and bid him a Merry Christmas as he whistled to his truck.
Hooray!
I've got 4 projects in the works now. One is a table topper of crocheted medallions all connected in a pattern. I was almost finished when I realized that one of the medallions in the middle was positioned incorrectly. Had to clip that one out and still have to link them all back together again, then do the edging.
BUT I was also working on another kitty blanket (finished it last week), this time with a black kitty, for a friend. Had to finish that first before repairing the medallion.
In the needlepoint room I finished one project which requires some sewing. I still have to clear out a place in the computer room, drag in my sewing cabinet, and set up my machine before completing that one.
So, I'm creating a needlepoint depicting night and day meeting (in the form of angels). Had to tear out the stitches 3 times, but I'm finally making some progress on that.
Healthwise, we're both doing OK. Hal still has patches of no-skin on his legs that we look for and treat every night. You know, those commercials that talk about wounds that won't go away and you didn't know what the heck that would be? It's a result of his diabetes and leg-swelling. Other than that, and his wild swinging legs, he's fine. Spirits high and having fun.
My biggest issue is my breathing, but have it pretty well in control by making short trips and taking lots of breaks. Haven't needed the wheelchair in months. Of course, we haven't gone anywhere vast, but still.....
\m\
I looked it up on the internet and discovered it was the flapper seal causing the problem, but the fix looked a little too hard for us. I can barely lift the top of the tank off - Hal can't do it at all.
I looked in there and verified that was what it was. If you pull the arm up reeeeaaaalllly hard, it'll flush. Then it drops and the suction seals it forever. Well, at least until we pull the arm again. (What ever happened to chains?)
The first plumber groused about, ignored the "dumb old lady who thought she knew plumbing", and told me it was the flapper seal. No shit McGrit. He said to replace it was useless, it would just seal shut again. It had to be rebuilt and would cost about $300. Bye, bye Mr. Plumber guy. I'd rather lift the toilet tank top every day.
The second plumber called. I asked him how much an estimate cost. His answer? "A Million Dollars!". Hahahahaha. I liked him already. An estimate was really $40, and will be applied to any repairs made. Could he come on Friday or next week. "I'm in your neighborhood, I'll be right over." Cool.
He listened to what I had to say, agreed with me, showed me where the problem was. Told me that that specific part was no longer available. If you wiggle the arm just so, it'll be good for a couple of flushes. He could replace the part, but the same thing would happen in 6 months. Or he could rebuild it for about $200.
He recommended we see if we could get by with wiggling the arm just so (I picture myself standing near the toilet, wiggling my arm abour). If we couldn't, call him back and he would rebuild it.
A couple of days went by. We couldn't stand it any more. And what a pain it would be at Christmas when the kids are here! I called his office back, they patched into his truck, and he said he'd be here first thing next morning. Which he was.
I wanted to hug the guy. Besides being cheaper, he was much kinder and offered other solutions. What a sweetie.
So he fixed it, I paid him, lectured him on smoking when I started to wheeze, and bid him a Merry Christmas as he whistled to his truck.
Hooray!
I've got 4 projects in the works now. One is a table topper of crocheted medallions all connected in a pattern. I was almost finished when I realized that one of the medallions in the middle was positioned incorrectly. Had to clip that one out and still have to link them all back together again, then do the edging.
BUT I was also working on another kitty blanket (finished it last week), this time with a black kitty, for a friend. Had to finish that first before repairing the medallion.
In the needlepoint room I finished one project which requires some sewing. I still have to clear out a place in the computer room, drag in my sewing cabinet, and set up my machine before completing that one.
So, I'm creating a needlepoint depicting night and day meeting (in the form of angels). Had to tear out the stitches 3 times, but I'm finally making some progress on that.
Healthwise, we're both doing OK. Hal still has patches of no-skin on his legs that we look for and treat every night. You know, those commercials that talk about wounds that won't go away and you didn't know what the heck that would be? It's a result of his diabetes and leg-swelling. Other than that, and his wild swinging legs, he's fine. Spirits high and having fun.
My biggest issue is my breathing, but have it pretty well in control by making short trips and taking lots of breaks. Haven't needed the wheelchair in months. Of course, we haven't gone anywhere vast, but still.....
\m\