Monday, April 30, 2012

The Cold Shoulder

Hillmomba, we have a problem.

Friday morning, I stepped into the shower to find myself in a tropical waterfall. And by tropical, I mean fed by fifty-degree underground springwater. I adjusted the control knob the best I could, striving for lukewarm.

Trying to change that water temperature was one mean feat. It has a little bit to do with Plumber H reversing the hot and cold pipes in half of the Mansion's faucets. There is no rhyme nor reason. Our bathroom sink is normal, but the shower is reversed. And it's got one big plastic fake-crystal knob with a red arrow pointing to HOT and a green arrow pointing to COLD. Except NOT. But I always forget if it's normal or reversed. You know, you adjust things out of habit after 14 years of living there, and when something goes awry, you don't remember which is wonky. And it's REALLY hard to figure it out when no matter which way you turn it, the water stays the same temperature. Cold.

Farmer H got up after my bone-chilling shower and determined that the breaker for the water heater had tripped. So he turned it back on. Because, you know, those things tend to fix themselves. Whatever made it trip was surely an anomaly. No need to investigate. We'll be in hot water for the rest of our live-long days. Except NOT.

Sunday morning, I had a normal shower. Farmer H did so as well. The #1 son could not even get hot water in his sink to brush his teeth or wash his face. I forget whether his sink is normal or wonky.

#1 texted Farmer H, who was on his way to the movies with The Pony. According to The Pony, that message was received. And Farmer H thinks the water heater has a bad element. So of course he rushed out and bought a new element and installed it so we could have normal hot water for the Monday morning showers. Except NOT. Farmer H let the goats out. Drove the Gator down to his cabin. Took the fake Gator for a spin. Roared across the front yard and up the road on our smallest, kid-sized, green 4-wheeler, emitting a cloud of gray exhaust. The water heater is on the other side of my office wall. No attempt to inspect it was made.

Farmer H is off on a business trip Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon. A reckoning is in order.

2 comments:

Sioux Roslawski said...

The possibility of no hot water all week? Yikes. Farmer H will be in hot water when he returns, I imagine.

You could always check into a motel and have Farmer H pick up the bill. The Honor Bar...maid service...and unlimited hot water--it all awaits you.

Hillbilly Mom said...

Sioux,
It reminds me of the summer he put the water heater on a timer. "Hot water for me, but none for thee." He didn't seem to understand that I wash dishes and do laundry during business hours. And sometimes put off my shower until after 6:00 a.m.