Plumbing Experience

A couple weeks back, I decided to fix the leak in our kitchen faucet. After testing the existing parts as being the culprit for the leak, we found that they were not the problem. The hot water side was the side that dripped, so we had to always keep the water turned off under the sink. It was a pain every time I wanted to run the dishwasher because I had to reach under the sink and turn the hot water valve on, which is getting more and more uncomfortable as my pregnancy progresses. I finally decided that I would just replace the whole faucet. I thought, "How hard can it be?" ! It wasn't hard to do, but when you get the wrong parts, then misplace a part, then buy that part, then find the original part....it got to be a little frustrating! Not to mention trying to fit under the sink, inside the cabinet, to unhook pipes and then re-attach them, without a good angle to get at them!.....The story is this. I purchased the new faucet and finally wrestled the old one out to find that the whole faucet was made of plastic, including the part you attach the water pipe to. That would explain why it was leaking. It was a piece of crap! Anyway, I got the new one put in place without too many difficulties, had everything hooked up and turned on the water. No more dripping!! I was so happy.......until I looked underneath and saw water leaking out of the connection(compression) joint! As you will find out if you do some reading, compression joints are a one time deal! If they fail, you have to replace them, so I ran the 15 miles to Lowe's to get a replacement compression joint. If I had been smart, I would have brought the "failed" part with me. I didn't. I ended up with the wrong part. So the next time I went in to Lowe's I took the compression joint, the adapter that it was attached to and the copper water pipe. I figured that way I could not lose it! It was about 18" long. WRONG! I get home with my new parts, which now consist of flexible hose instead of the copper pipe, which eliminates the compression joint dilemna. But the part that I really needed to keep track of was the adapter piece that everything connected to, and I managed to misplace it! I looked in the car, on the ground, in the house and even had the store look for it! To no avail. So I drove the 15 miles to Lowe's (because I was determined to finish this!) and picked up a new adapter piece. Of course, that is when I find the original piece! So back to the store to return the new part. It was a long and drawn out process that, in the end, with all the right parts, only took me 20 minutes to complete! I really like the new flexible hose instead of the copper pipe and thought maybe I would replace the cold water side, but decided that I am not going to fix something that isn't broken! Not after my experience! I will be staying away from any plumbing renovations for a while!

Dog Run Update

This is the original height that Louis built the Dog run. Bronx just sailed right over without any effort.

This is what the Carriage House looks like now. Hopefully Louis (& friends) can get it all down this Spring. I would like to start preparing the ground for a future garden and transfer the bushes in front of the house to the back yard as a barrier between us and the school parking lot.

The Dog Run is finally complete!! Louis had to keep building it higher to keep Bronx in. All the materials used to build the dog run are from the carriage house you see in the top photo. I plan to plant flowers that like to climb to cover most of the walls. If you know of any plants that would be good for this, and aren't totally invasive, let me know! It will be interesting to see how it all looks in a couple years! The first photo is the start of the shelter within the Run for Bronx to keep warm in this winter. (If/when it turns cold!) It will be raised off the ground and "insulated" with sheetrock, carpet and blankets...If Bronx would ever leave the blankets alone!

Long Awaited Pregnancy Photos!

I finally got around to having some pics taken. Caisha did the honors one morning when I had an audition in Des Moines. (Which I got!)I am about 24 weeks along.