Knee Deep in Hot Water

Today was Super Bowl Sunday and yes, it was a joy to see Joe M. in his cameo spots and I did love seeing my favorites, the Rolling Stones play at half time. Wasn't in it for either team. Would have been nice to see Seattle win as a West Coast team but was sort of nice to see Pittsburgh win as the underdogs and to see the Buss get his Super Bowl ring before retiring. But that isn't what this blog is about. It is about me and my day.

It started off as a fairly normal Sunday. I got up, let the dogs out, picked up the paper and gave the dogs their breakfast. I was just about to take them for their walk which I try to do first thing in the morning when it is quiet and there are less people and dogs around when I took a look at the painting I have been working on and thought, "maybe I will do a little touch up before I walk the dogs". I fixed my breakfast and sat down to touch up the tulips that I just can't seem to get right. As I was sitting there, I suddenly heard the sound of water, lots of water, whooshing somewhere. "Where", I thought, "is that water coming from?" I checked the dishwasher - not running. I checked the sink - water off. I checked under the sink and, when I opened the cupboard door, out came a flood of water - hot water. My glasses immediately fogged up and I couldn't see a thing, but I could feel and hear floods of water spraying everywhere. I immediately panicked as thoughts of my friends flooded house rushed through my head. How was I going to stop this water. I grabbed a bucket and put it under the sink. No good. Water everywhere. I threw bottles of cleaner, dishwasher tablets, plastic bags - all the things you store under a kitchen cabinet out onto the floor so that I could get under the cabinet. No time to do it in a neat and orderly fashion. I remembered there were 2 valves under the sink to turn off water. One of them, I could reach easily and turned it off. Nothing. The other one involved me sticking my hand into the hot, spraying water to turn off. I tried - burn, burn - could not do it. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my wrist and tried again. A little headway but the towel was soon soaked and I was burning myself again. All the time, I am talking to myself like an insane maniac, "What to do, what to do?", "Help me, someone help me", "Help, help", "Water, water, turn off the water"....... I grab a plastic bag and wrap it around my arm. This finally allows me to turn off the second valve. Still no good. The water is gushing everywhere. The kitchen is now about ankle deep in it. The rug in the kitchen is saturated and blue and green dye is coloring the water on the floor. All the time, the dogs are just sitting there watching their sopping, rambling master like it is the most fascinating thing in the world - and maybe it was. I ran out front and tried to turn the valve, not even knowing if it was the right one. When I couldn't get it to turn, I figured it was the wrong one and maybe I needed to go turn the one out back. At this point, the panic was really high. I called Dad and Mom answered, "Calm down", she said. I cried out, "I can't. You don't understand. The water is now ankle deep. My house is flooding." Click went the phone. I called back thinking I had lost the connection. Answering machine. I left a sobbing message not realizing they had hung up and were rushing over. What to do? What to do? I was running out of ideas. I ran next door to my neighbor, Helen and rang her bell. She answered very concerned and I asked, "Do you know how to turn off the water?" She was in her bathrobe, too but ran over and quickly turned off the valve in the front of the house - the same one I tried and couldn't get to turn. She got it to turn and the relief washed over me as we heard the water stop. I was a wet, soppy, teary mess by this time. She looked at me and asked if she could help clean up. I wanted to say yes but was embarassed to ask for help so I didn't answer. She looked at me and said she would change into pants and be right over. I went in and picked the stuff up off of the floor and put it on the counter. I opened the door to the garage and a flood of water washed out of the kitchen into the garage. By then, Helen was back and Mom and Dad were there, too. Helen picked up the rug and put it out into the laundry sink in the garage. She brought towels and threw them down around the edges of the kitchen. I ran to get more towels. She found a broom and started sweeping the water out into the garage. I found another and started sweeping, too. Dad got under the sink and turned off the third valve that I couldn't find because it was behind the spraying water. That turned off the hot water and he showed me that the leak was the hot water pipe to the dishwasher which had come loose and the rubber stopper was worn out. He also told me that, in the future, I can turn the water off at the hot water heater and it will stop the hot water. Helen finished up the sweeping and left. Mom and Dad went home so Dad could change and I continued cleaning and drying. Dad came back and we went to Orchard Supply, bought a 79 cent part and he fixed the pipe. Turned all of the water back on and no leaks. Yeah. Dad left. I finished the cleaning and drying and started washing all of the towels we had used. Fortunately, the linoleum and rug in the kitchen as well as the slant of the kitchen towards the garage, kept most of the water contained. There was no leakage through to the hallway and only a little into the dining room. Under the sink was very wet and still smells like wet plywood. Hopefully, it will dry out soon. By this time, it was too late to walk the dogs. Sorry dogs. I hopped in the shower and dressed to go to my friends for the Super Bowl. Helen came over when she saw me in my car ready to go and asked how I was doing. I hugged her and thanked her. She was about to mow both of our lawns but I talked her into letting me do it tomorrow instead. Then, I was off to the Super Bowl. I had a well deserved beer as soon as I got to my friends house and the rest of the story is where we started here.............

When I got home, there was an email from my last "date" titled "Lone wolf moving on". I thought it was a rejection but, noooooo, he was asking for another date! How can a date go so badly for one person (me) and the other one (him) be so clueless? Now, I need to find a way to kindly say no. He did make it a bit easier by totally twisting the very few words I did say to him (in between all of his) on the date. Of my working with dogs and the training of my own two dogs, he mentioned me talking about "controlling" them when it was him that had said that and me that had said it wasn't about "control" but about giving them boundaries so they understand their role in the pack. He then went on to say that he guessed men weren't as intimidated by dogs as women are and so don't need to "control" them! And then he went on to say that being "handcuffed is what marriage is all about". Ugh! I couldn't sit through another 3 hours or even 3 minutes with this guy. He said his last girlfriend became schizophrenic and left him. I can imagine why. Next!

What a day!