Turns out there was a busted water main at the end of my driveway. The City diligently sent out a maintenance guy within an hour - which was awesome. He pumped the water out of the hole and declared that the busted pipe was on our side of the property line - which was not so much with the awesome.
So, the ZenHusband started digging and I called my dad, who just so happens to be the best darn plumbing contractor in the tri-state area. (I can't even begin to estimate how many thousands of dollars that fact has saved me over the years. Thanks, Dad.)
So, that weekend, Handy Dad and The ZenHusband got to play with a jack-hammer and shovels and PVC. Oh my.
Two six-packs and 12 goddammits later, they'd replaced the section of pipe and filled in the sinkhole at the end of my driveway. Huzzah.
This morning, I went out to my car and saw this.&%*#$^@%!
So, yeah. Looks like we get a Mulligan on the water main repair. Oh joy.
Our house is more than 50 years old and the pipes out there are all original, so, we figure that pretty soon we'll need to replace that whole line from the City hook-up to the house.
Apparently, we are just going to start by doing it one section at a time.
The Good News is: The kids think it's way cool that we are the only house on the block with a moat.
The Bad News is that Handy Dad is out of town this weekend (Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!) and The ZenHusband has a shoulder injury that the doctor warned against aggravating.
So, guess who gets to dig a big ol' hole this weekend?
That's right! The four-year-old!!!
Okay, no. Me.
But don't worry, The ZenHusband says he'll be happy to supervise and point out whenever I might be doing anything wrong.
Wish me luck. Or, you might want to wish him luck, or at least speed. To, you know, avoid any accidentally wide shovel swingage that may or may not occur.
Actually, knowing my husband, he'll end up down in that hole with a shovel and a pipe-wrench despite Doctor's orders. So, I guess a little kibitzing can be forgiven. :)
So, what are your plans for the weekend? (If you're planning an exotic trip or glamorous event ... lie to me, 'kay?)
I am definitely not going to be digging any holes unless you count my own grave. Also exotic vacations are not in my future. My girlfriend's birthday is tomorrow and we are going out for some sushi, drinking, and karaoke. Doesn't that sound like a perfect night? I hope you have a good weekend despite your troubles. If I lived near you I'd offer to help out with that hole, I really would.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested, email me about what I'm doing this weekend.
ReplyDeleteAs for your hole, are there no young-ish kids in the neighbourhood looking for some extra cash? We had a kid (probably 12) come by and offer to mow our lawn (front and back) for $5 (CANADIAN... that's like money that jingle in US currency). I'm sure you can get a hole dug for $10.
You should really just have a hole digging party! Bring a bottle and spade and dig away!! ;)
ReplyDeleteWe won't be doing anything fun and exciting here, just getting invitations ready for my sons first birthday party.
Gwen: I do believe you would be over here with a shovel and six-pack. You're such a sweetheart. :)
ReplyDeleteSFD: Now you've got me curious. E-mail on the way. hole-digging: There really aren't many kids in our neighborhood. Only a couple of little-little ones and a couple of bratty wanna-be hoodlum teens down the way. Since I don't have any interest in bonding with the hoodlums, I'll pass on them. But I'll give some thought to where else I might rustle up some child labor. :)
Michaela: BYO Shovel, huh? I like it. :) Happy-almost-Birthday to your little man! Can't wait to see pics from that. He's so adorable! :)
"Two six packs and 12 godammits" is fantastic. Good luck with the moat project. This weekend, we're entertaining neighbors for the first time (I mean in ways other than the inspired ensembles we wear to fetch the paper in the early morning hours). Not sure if this is too much closeness -- sometimes it is good to keep neighbors and social life separate. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteA moat's not a bad thing to have in these troubled times. Keeps the barbarians out.
ReplyDeleteI will send Band-Aids. Shovels cause blisters! The adventures of homeownership are not always joyous! I am sending you a big hug!
ReplyDeleteK: That's how my mom and dad describe the relative difficulty of manual labor. Aren't they a hoot? Hope the dinner with the neighbors went well? If you kept all your clothes on for the whole evening, I'd call that a success. Or, maybe, a failure, depending on which scale your using. :)
ReplyDeleteFree Man: Or to keep them in, as the case may be. ;)
Jen: I still wouldn't trade the joys of homeownership. As it turned out, this job called for a much shallower hole and was a more simple repair than last time - hurray!
And Hubby did, indeed, defy Doctor's orders and did the digging, afterall. I didn't even have to bribe him with kinky sexual favors or anything! Good man. ;)