The Leaking

DSC02214.JPG
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. While not the flash flood that was last summer, we discovered that the shut-off valve for our outside faucet leaks when turned on. It leaks inside the house, of course. Dripping inside the wall and soaking into the plaster.

I wouldn't have know this if the Roto Rooter plumber had not insisted I pry off four wooden panels. Of course, once the panels were off, the plumber came to the conclusion that removing them wasn't necessary.

I shouldn't complain though. After the plumber tightened a single nut (which was accessible from the start) he told me, "I was smart. I could be a plumber too".

Thanks, dude.

What's Your Bench?

Bench
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

This is ours. It's new and replaces the vanity that was a magnet for junk mail, magazines, dust, and pens. Now all that stuff can go in the baskets under the bench. We thought our Bean would want to sit on it so we put his favorite blanket on top. However, he seems content sitting on the couch or in our laps.

This marks the last post I have planned. So unless I accomplish a loosely-related home improvement task before next Wednesday, there won't be a schedule post. To be notified of when I resume posting I recommend Google's Reader, which 'watches' website, like Blogspot, and notifies you when its updated.

Grosser Than Gross

We cooked various meats throughout the winter. With the meat, came a lot of that troublesome grease. Not wanting to pour hot grease in the trash, nor down the drain I began collecting it in a plastic Super Bowl XL cup. During the winter months this worked perfectly - we could store the cup outside in the chilly temperatures and retrieve it when needed. Which was often. By the end of February we had a full cup of solidified grease. I thought of getting a wick and making a meat candle.
Then, like my thoughts, the seasons changed. I become occupied with spring cleaning while the solidified grease began to melt. This weekend we went to Philly and my Mom watched the cat. During her visit she must have carefully placed the grease cup (now liquid) in the recycling bin. I hadn't noticed this. If I had I certainly wouldn't have yanked the recycling bin with so much force. It wasn't just the grease that got over everything including me, the recycling bin, the deck floor that was the nasty part. It was that it smelled like rancid meat. Not just one kind of rancid meat. No, it was a vile bouquet of rancid meat smells.

I placed the foul recycling container on the curb for the morning pick-up. I had hoped that once the recycling folks dumped out the contents it wouldn't smell so bad. However after a day of baking in the sun a nasty, empty bin simply mocked me with it's stench when I came home. Defeated, I took it into the backyard and washed it out.