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Murphy's Law?

Last week I told you about the car problem. We managed to solve it, and we were able to survive budget-wise. But of course, this kind of joke shouldn't happen too often if your finances aren't sky-high. And of course, you guessed it... Murphy's Law seems to strike. The next problem is already presenting itself. What now?

Ah, we live in an old house, where many things seem as old as the house itself. It does have its charm. The wooden floors upstairs make creaking sounds even when no one is walking, the windows always have to be open to prevent moisture problems, a charmingly colored bathroom from the '70s, with a bath that is too hideous to take a bath in. By the way, we can use it very well to wash blankets that are too big for our washing machine. And then I don't even want to mention the ingenious way in which the drains are made, including ingrowing tree roots. And just when you think that all that old tinkering has been going well for a while, then suddenly the water in the sink miraculously stops draining properly.

The Beginning of the Adventure

It all started earlier this week when I wanted to do the dishes full of good intentions. A romantic idea, right? The warm suds, the sound of clattered plates, the illusion of control in a chaotic household. Until I noticed that the water wasn't draining properly anymore. Seriously, sink? Can't you just cooperate for once? But of course, I still had the illusion that I could achieve something with baking soda. And that seemed to work, so I thought I had fixed it. Unfortunately, yesterday it was the same story again, and today it hadn't suddenly miraculously gotten better. Time to take a serious look at this problem. Getting a bottle of drain cleaner is not my first solution, certainly not in this drain.

But even though these simple solutions unfortunately don't work here, a blockage is nothing to be afraid of. I'll fix that, I thought. How optimistic of me.

The Search for the Sacred Drain Cleaning Spring

My first plan: flush the drain with hot water. Not boiling water because the drain here can't even handle that. But boil water, add a little cold water, and flush. Unfortunately, this didn't work either. So the more serious work had to come in. The drain snake. You know it, that enormously long, flexible spring that you rub into the drain so that you can tackle the deeper blockages. Sounds great, right? That's what I thought too. All I had to do now was find that thing in my partner's tool collection.

Let me take you to our utility room. Or, should I call it the Jungle of Lost Tools? Seriously, how I'm ever going to find that spring in this collection of tools is a mystery to me. I came across a lot, think of hammers, bolts, nuts, saws, drills, sanders, angle grinders, sandpaper, face masks, chisels, screwdrivers, nails, and screws. In short, I came across an abundance of tools and handy things. But the drain cleaning spring? Nowhere to be seen. Maybe it has a secret mission in another dimension.

After spending a fair amount of my day searching, I gave up the search. And then frustration struck.

The “Attempt without a Drain Cleaning Spring”

Don't worry, I thought. At least I can open everything again and determine with certainty that it is not in the siphon. We also still have a plunger within reach, so I tried that too. An hour and a water ballet in the kitchen later ... The result? The kitchen floor was soaking wet, I was ready for a shower and the water in the sink was draining ... exactly as badly as before. But hey, it hasn't gotten any worse, so that's something? Right? The conclusion? Unfortunately, this blockage is deeper. Literally and figuratively.

Considering Options

Time for a reality check. Option one: continue the search for the spring. Maybe it's hidden under a pile of tools, or my partner has conveniently stored it somewhere (read: made it untraceable). Option two: call a drain cleaning company. And that sounds the most tempting. Professional help can solve such a problem within a few minutes. Only the bill they hand over ... Let's just say that that's just not an option at the moment.

Why I Don't Let My Day Be Ruined

At this point, my courage sank and I would normally decide that my day was ruined. But today I didn't feel like that. I refuse to let my day be ruined by a stupid sink. The water is still draining, not like it should ... no, definitely not. But I tried my best, and I can't solve it today. So instead of ruining my day, after a shower, I put on my outdoor boots, grabbed Skipper's ball, and went for a nice walk with him. A happy dog ​​and fresh air help a lot against frustration. Okay, the beginning of the walk was unfortunately not as relaxed as I would have liked. The mailman came by on her three-wheel scooter and if there is one thing Skipper can't stand, it is the mailman on her electric three-wheel scooter.

Luckily the rest of the walk was a lot more relaxed and we were able to enjoy it anyway. Now I'm going to decide what painting I'm going to create because there is little point in worrying about something I can't solve today. This problem is not running away, actually, it doesn't run at all), for the time being, but that doesn't mean I'm going to waste my energy on it any longer today. Tomorrow or Monday I'll go look for the spring again. And if even that fails? Then we'll have to look for another solution until we can call the drain cleaning company. Who knows, maybe I'll wash dishes outside for a few days. A camping idea like that... also very romantic, right? We'll see, for now, I'm going to occupy myself with things that do make me happy.