Another family project.

How time flies by. I had resolved to keep up with my blogging, but here it is, a week later, and i still haven't written a word. Of course, my life is so quiet and uneventful that I don't have much to write.
We did bestir ourselves yesterday, and emptied out our hot water heater and put in a new heating element, which turned out to be quite a task. For some reason, any time we attempt any kind of plumbing job, we turn into maniacs, arguing about what steps to take, calling each other names, and threatening all kinds of physical damage to each other. I have known plumbers who could cheerfully tackle the most odious of tasks. even singing a little ditty while cleaning out a clogged toilet or jammed garbage disposal. One plumber i know traded flirtatious repartee with female guests at a Thanksgiving dinner while clearing the kitchen sink and unclogging the drain. Not so with my husband and myself. We transform into snarling beasts.
The day started out in a tranquil fashion. My husband rose at 7:30 and attached the garden hose to the drainage faucet, as per instructions from the owners manual. He turned off the power, shut off the cold water line into the heater, and opened the faucet. A few drops trickled from the end of the hose. Then nothing at all. When I arose at 9:00 he was muttering to himself, shaking the hose, and shutting off and reopening the faucet. It had completely clogged up with lime deposit and there was no way to reopen it. After a few pithy remarks to each other, I sneaked off and called the help line for some advice. The technician was most helpful, advising me that there was no way to dislodge the lime buildup except by taking off the hose, jamming a thin piece of wire up into the faucet and wiggling it around until we have the line unclogged. I reported this information to my husband, and he reluctantly tried the system, with no result. Finally, to make a long story short, we took the faucet off and a stream of water shot out of the hole, reaching out to the edge of the patio, and allowing us to empty the tank. This could not have been done if the heater had been installed inside the house, but luckily it worked for us. After the tank was empty, we installed a new heating element, and the job was done, seven hours after it had been started. Of course, we immediately forgot all of the rude things we had said to each other, and were inordinately proud of ourselves for completing another task.
Why don't we simply call in a professional to do these things? I wish I knew. Anyway, that is the latest from our household. We have no more projects planned. It's going to be a slow, lazy summer. Take care, keep in touch.