I’ve got a pile of limbs in the yard that need to be burned.  So in preparation to do so safely, I drove the riding mower around to where the water hose is rolled up.  We got this thingy that is hooked to the outdoor faucet and holds over two hundred feet of water hose.  All I had to do was turn on the faucet and pull the hose out.  Since I had so far to pull it, I hopped on the mower, held on to the hose and drove to the corner of the yard.  Then I turned around and drove back to where I wanted to turn and take the hose to the wood pile.  When I got there, I squeezed the trigger on the sprayer to be sure I didn’t put any kinks in the hose.  Nothing sprayed.  So I followed the hose back to the roller.  I knew before I got there that something was wrong.  I could see water spraying out from where the faucet was. 

I rushed in the house and got a wrench and then headed to the water shut off.  I expected it to be hard to turn like it was at the house I grew up in.  The shut off turned so easily I was able to do it by hand. 

Now I could inspect what I had broken.  I pretty much spent the next hour removing the underpinning where the pipe used to come out of.  Had to dig down about eight inches and then remove some screws.  I quickly surmised that I was going to have to cut out a five inch section and I found that there was a pipe sticking out with a cap on it at the corner.  I was not surprised to find that odd work had been done.  The previous tenant of the place didn’t have even half a load of brick in his cart.  I figured since I was gonna do this, I should do it right. 

I checked to see what I had on hand.  I had plenty of PVC pipe that I could cut, but I only had one coupling and I needed a new threaded adapter for the faucet.  It was getting late by this time and the sun was starting to set.  Too late to go to any hardware store that evening.  Thankfully we keep bottles of water on hand just in case of any problems. 

The next morning we went to the new hardware store that is only 13 miles away.  Even though it was Saturday, we pretty much expected it to be open til at least noon.  They didn’t even open that day.  We then had to head back through our little town to Lowes, which was 25 miles after that.  I didn’t get any cement with the parts I got, because I thought what I had was what I needed.  Before heading back, we ate at Wendy’s. 

It was after 3pm when I got under there and started working.  I got it all set up and waited about thirty minutes before I turned the water on.  I immediately heart a pop followed by the sound of water rushing.  I turned the water off and checked it out.  At first I could not find the faucet and piece of pipe I had fixed it to.  It had blown at least ten feet from the trailer.  I had to clean that up and this time I let it set for over an hour.  This time a different joint popped.  Turned the water off again and checked it.  Turns out that I was able to pull off that work I had done apart.  The stuff I was using didn’t hold any of it except the threading. 

I decided that I would use Goop.  I’ve been using it for years with crafts and had not found anything it would not hold.  I just knew that I would have to wait longer for it to set.  So I took all the parts inside and cleaned them and then put it all together with the goop.  Then I returned outside and used the goop to attach my work to the pipes under the house.  We let it set til morning. 

Next morning I turned it on and it held for two hours.  Now I was at a loss.  I was going to have to go back to Lowes to get what I needed and I really didn’t know what I needed for cement. 

My mother knew someone that lived nearby that could help, but we would have to wait until after 1pm to call him.  So I relaxed until then.  Once she got hold of him, he came over in an hour.  He showed me what I should have bought for cement.  He then applied it to where the pipe had come loose and we waited only one minute before turning on the water.  We then stood there and watched it for about ten minutes and nothing happened. 

Two hours later I was in the bathroom when I heard that pipe pop again.  I went out and it had come apart in one of the other joints that I had used goop on.  It was now almost 6pm and I knew I could not make it to Lowes before they closed.  This time, we had to let the water run for a bit while we filled up jugs. 

Next morning I went to Lowes and found exactly what that man had shown me and I also got extra parts.  I figures that Goop had ruined all the parts I had used and I was gonna start all over.

Even though it is only 25 miles to get home, it can’t be done in 30 minutes.  It takes almost and hour because of all the curves. 

By the time I got home I had a new problem that really worried me.  My tongue was swelling up on the right side.  The last time that happened, I ended up getting trached.  Here I was ready to put the pipes together and also needing to go to the ER.  I didn’t want to leave mother in a house without water, if I was going to be staying the night in the hospital.  So I went ahead and put the pipes together.  This time it held with no problem.

I had to clean up some before I had mother take me to the ER at the VA in Little Rock, AR.  That is a 30 mile drive.  We got there with no problem.  Mother dropped me off at the ER door and then she went to park.  Last time I came to the ER, they took forever to see me and I was in great pain.  This time they rushed me into a room and started and IV.  They took blood, checked my PB and temp right away.  It seemed like with each person that came in to see me, I had to stick out my tongue for them to see. 

The Doctor came in to see me within ten minutes and ordered some shots.  One was a steroid and the other was Benadryl.  By the time that the results from my blood work came back the swelling in my tongue had begun to go down. 

The  Doctor is rather certain that I had an allergic reaction to the fumes of that cement used on the broken pipes.  It was they only thing I have been in contact with that could cause what happened.  Now I have an excuse for working on broken pipes.

I was then released and sent to the pharmacy to pick up the pills they want me to take for the next 10 days.  While waiting for the pills, I went and got my travel pay.  That is the part I like about the VA.  They pay me to come see them.

After I got my pills, we went and ate at a truck stop buffet and stuffed ourselves before going home.  The first thing I did when we got home was check those pipes. 

More of my Writing:

*  Big Back Yard
*  Attic Floor
*  Thump Drag