It's Time to Call the Professionals

There are a lot of things that I am able to do for myself. A lot. Especially for a woman. A woman that grew up, not even knowing how to pump her own gas. Yes, I have learned quite a lot! Mostly through experience. At 18, I moved out on my own. Into my own home. Yes, I bought a house when I was 18. I think I was crazy! But the lessons began.

A month into living here, the hot water knob in the shower broke. In the "On" position. And I didn't know anyone that lived here, in the town I had moved to. At 4 something in the morning, I call my dad. I got the run down of how to turn the water off. Um, my house was built in the late 1940s. There are no turn off valves. Another call, and I was digging in the dark, into the main water valve. You know the box. Usually in your front yard, that connects you to the city. Fighting off the bugs, I turned the water off.

About a year later, I went without hot water. For a month! Yes, a month. I didn't know what was wrong. Finally, my dad asked if I had a burnt fuse. I did. I figured out how to get the 2 out and went to Home Depot. I learned all about fuses. I learned. The man thought I was crazy. But I bought 12.

I went on to learn how to fix my lawn mower. How to change sprinkler heads. How to turn my heaters on and off. Even how to fix the leak in my roof. Basic things, that I think every woman should know. I still struggle at changing light bulbs in my hallway and outside. I am a little vertically challenged here. Even with the 6 foot ladder. But hey, in my defense, these 2 lights are extremely high.

But when it comes to household things, I have had to learn out of necessity. Almost all of my family lives 3-4 hours away. My friends, well I probably know more, than most of them. It leaves me. And occasionally, I will ask my neighbor. Because I have no boyfriend, husband, etc. That is the major negative to being single. Having to fend for yourself in these situations.

This time, I can't fix the problem. I had this problem about 6 years ago. All the water that drains from the sinks in the house, or the washer, comes up the drain in my shower. UGH! Because of the 1940s plumbing, I have to call a plumber. And he gets on the roof and does something. I don't know what. But after about an hour, it is fixed. I hand him a big check, and he drives away.

About 2 weeks ago, my problem was back. Well, my washer died about 2 years ago. So I don't have to worry about that. But every time I wash dishes, or my hands, or whatever, I get ugly black water coming up the drain in my shower. Not a huge problem. I can use the other bathroom. Except, the guy that was re-tiling it, well he flaked. And that bathroom now has huge holes in the walls. So I have a problem.

It's not an emergency. Not like when I had hot water spraying out my shower and had to immediately turn it off. But in a little over a month, I will have visitors. What am I supposed to say then? So I am digging up the plumber's number. I wish I could learn how to fix this problem. Because I know it will happen again, in a few years. And I don't have man that is here to fix all my crisis for me. ♥Besitos