Resolving Frustration

Well my list of frustrations yesterday included not having Evan’s bathroom completed.  We have the holes in place for the shower, toilet and bathroom sink. We even have the kitchen sink hooked up to drain out, no  faucet till this week. We just did not have the ‘stuff’ line hooked up to the septic tanks. Had about 100 feet trench to dig and hook up to the main line.  Having a place for all the stuff to go was essential, so Keith had come to another ‘stall’ as we were waiting for the septic guy to be able to fit us in.   Evan has been coming over to the BIG HOUSE for his OUTHOUSE.

This week the septic guy came!! Whoo hoo.  Kirk did a great job, dug and hooked up in less than 8 hours.  Keith went out the same night and bought a toilet. Next day we bought the kitchen faucet and bathroom sink.  Keith put in the kitchen faucet that night.  Turned it on and the sink started to fill.  Keith worked on it about an hour trying to plunge and such. Decided to call it a night.  We figured Evan had poured some grease and gunk through and it needed to be cleaned at the trap.

I finished grouting the kitchen counters yesterday, and told Evan “This weekend we will get most of the plumbing done. Promise.”  I should not do that.

This AM we got up, slowly. Last night we celebrated with an ex coworker of Keith’s, yesterday was her last day with the Post Office, soooooooo happy for her!! Keith’s day will come!  Also yesterday I started an exercise class at the church, an hour of pure torture, my butt and thighs were SCREAMING at me this morning.  So slowly we started moving.  Planning to start with the kitchen sink and move on to the toilet and bath sink and be finished by 1 at the latest.

Lee calls.  He is helping cook for a ‘date night’ at our church tonight, Keith is helping him cook.  Lee is coming out to get the potatoes that he had his ‘help’ pick up for him yesterday.  Lee and Tanah and Ty arrive we get to visit with them, just as Lee is about to leave he asks ” Mom are you going to town today?”

I say “Later.” I am planning trip after we get all plumbing done to go get mirror for Evan’s bath.

Lee says ” Good I figured I would take Dad with me and we would unload the wood at the church and you could pick him up. Dad that ok with you?”

Keith says “Well we were going to do the plumbing in Evan’s first, but I guess we could get the mirror now.”

So, at 12 we have finally finished with the wood and picked up the mirror and driving home hungry, so we stop at Jason’s.  Keith has announced that he has to be back at the church at 3 and the flange on the toilet will have to be set in concrete after he chinks out some concrete to make it level with the floor. So we will probably just fix the kitchen sink drain issue.

We get home and time as it is we must wash and wrap the 65 potatoes that are Keith’s assignment and get them cooking before we work on the apartment.

Keith has decided to take the P trap off, that is bound to be where the clog is.  It is not.  Then he decides after we can not run a wire up and around the other part of drain, maybe more clog there.  The lines out of the apartment have been in place for MONTHS, just waiting for the septic to connect, so maybe some of the dirt accumulation has clogged it somewhere.  We should have checked that before we connected everything and buried it. I feel my frustrations building.

Keith cuts the line under the sink so we have a straight shot to push through.  We push wire through, some resistance, then it is gone.  Weird.  Keith has me check the toilet line as he blows air through the sink pipe, nothing comes through.  So logic says something is in the way between the sink and toilet line- before it goes out.  MMMM. Oh and Keith has to go shower now for evening. ARGGGGG. No resolution to my tension, just a bit more of a tug.

Keith goes in, after he tells me HE is not the one that promised the plumbing this weekend.  Man oh Man tension is getting tighter and tighter.

I contemplate what he has said, about the plumbing, I think if I can do SOMETHING maybe I can get us a step further.  I think about the shower drain, which is just 3 feet to the right of the toilet drain.  I pry off the plastic cover, look in a dark hole, grab a paint roller extender and poke it in. Resistance.  Jab, resist, jab, resist jab, clear…. Maybe!!  I pull out the pole, blackish water drips off. I then search a flashlight to look in.  Finally find one,  turn it on, look in and— YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIKKS, beady black eyes surrounds by slimy goo squirm at me.    I screamed like a girl.

HUGE toad was in the drain. He probably was camping out in the open drain and then we trapped him in when we closed everything off. His only place is to live as close to the fresh air as possible, the other way is a stinky methane gassed suffocation.

That scream was so relieving! I must do it more. As I laughed at myself and our ‘clog the frog’ I walked to the house to tell Keith.  Keith was getting ready, and a bit cold from our last conversation.  Clog was a great ice breaker.

Keith left for cooking at church.  And I went to get Clog out.  The pipe is about a 24 inch drop to the T, Clog is propped just at the bottom above the water. Water is what stands in the drainage, right now just water. Each time I poked at Clog with anything, he would puff up and fill the whole pipe.  First thought to drop a washer tied to a string, get it under him and pull and maybe it would urge him up.  Nope, just hit him on head.  Poured water through made him wiggle and the washer fell under him.  Pulled and he would come some but eventually let the washer pull passed him.  I did this about 5 x’s. Then I started a search for something stiff that I could push past him and hook him with to pull. Finally decided on a hanger, from Evan’s closet.  I worried at first about poking him, then realized I had come to the tension point of wanting relief so much if Clog became a shish kabob I could live with that.  I ran down the hanger, still had the washer on the string down the hole too.  I started pulling, easily, it was working, pulling both. I got him just inches to the top something adjusted and he started to fall, I may could have grabbed him, physically, but mentally I had to not.  Second try, just the hanger, I hooked underneath and started to pull, he was coming, I worried a bit about the poke, then thought about all the crippled toads I see when it rains, either maimed from the cats, dogs or shovels, I gave a swift pull and he was out, splat on the floor. Ta Da!!! One frustration  down!!!

Clog has no war wounds. I scooped him in a coffee container, and took him over to the yard, took his picture and sent him on his way.  Hopefully the clog was only Clog, we will see tomorrow.