Ah, the joys of homeownership. We had some sewer issues the other week during a big storm, and thought we’d solved them, but upon returning home from Branson discovered that was not true. In fact, one of the pipes in the back yard was completely broken, and so that means that a large sum of money is spent fixing it, and that also I had to send an email to my students saying, please don’t use the bathroom here until further notice. Good times!

The work is being done quickly though, and for that I am so grateful. Shortly after we made the decision to get the work done with the company we chose (Roto-Rooter, because they could do it right away, and the other places were booked until at least early next week, and we were at a “do not flush anything” point already,) people were stopping by the house marking with spray paint where not to dig. Seriously, that happened within an hour! And then before 8 am this morning we got a knock on the door, and then before I knew it, this machine was in our back yard!

Then the man used it to dig a giant hole, and we saw when he dug up some of the old broken red clay pipe.

The house I live in is from 1906, so the sewer system is pretty old and strange. There are definitely some weird things, but it had worked really well up until it didn’t. The pipes under the house are evidently going to be in need of replace sometimes “soon” but they aren’t an emergency.  I’d love to do some different repairs on the house (look at that porch, it’s a sad thing!) but time and money aren’t infinite, as we know. I’m just thankful that this work is being done now, and that our plumbing systems will be back in full service soon. I have often said that indoor plumbing is man’s greatest invention.

These guys are such buddies, aren’t they? The weather is getting warm, the cats are adorable, the toilets will be able to be flushed with abandon soon, and the semester is more than half over. Life is good.