Friday Repairs, Paperwork, and Dinner

I rose close to 8, having ignored the sunrise, and finally found the kitchen and made coffee. It was a bright morning, and the day would be dry and hot, reaching 86ºF (30ºC). My lawn is brown except under the trees, where the dew drips and supplies a small bit of water. Water is expensive here, and I have never invested in sprinklers, and anything I plant must survive the heat and nearly non-existent water for months. Hot summer roses are smaller, but the roses seem to enjoy the sun.  I wait, after learning the hard way, that plantings are in the fall to allow the plant to grow deeper roots before facing the hot summer.

I took the whole morning working on a long blog, over 1,600 words, to cover Thursday. As I finished, with some distractions, around noon, I got a note from Jeff A that he is inbound. I showered and all of that. Jeff arrives, checks out the kitchen sink, and then heads to Lowe’s for supplies. I am eating the last of the tamales for lunch in the office when he arrives.

The 1996 install that I did of the “Bone Crusher,” a mid-sized but better quality garbage disposal, shows no leaks now, and the paper I put under the sink shows no drips. Still, we proceed as the leak could ruin the new flooring if it happened while I was away (though that is unlikely, as the leak was related to leaving the sink dripping one night). I return to the office while Jeff A gets going.

I book dinner in Detroit for Deborah’s birthday at the Whitney Mansion, but later we agree to move the date and the time. I check on Jeff, and his knuckles are bloody. Removing my 1996 installation was difficult and required breaking the device free. It is both amazing that a 1996 disposal is still running and that it would leak now when all but glued in place.

Jeff reworks the connection, and a power socket is now in place of the direct connection. The first location is blocked by something unexpected, and there is a test hole that needs to be filled, but soon the power is now plugged in, which I feel is safer and more standard.

The install goes sideways as the new one’s plate, the only exposed part in the sink, is bent and looks cheap. This version has a special version with an LED light in the sink to help with smells (?!) and requires another power connection to a cheap wall wart. Ugh! Back it goes to Lowe’s (another trip for Jeff) and a new one, slightly cheaper, but the plate looks normal, and there is no weird lighting thingee.

The rest of the assembly goes well, but there is a leak. The dishwasher hose clamp is replaced, and that solves that problem. There is a knock-out we miss for the dishwasher, which codes out when it tries to discharge. An eyeroll from both of us, and the hole is made by hitting the knockout with a screwdriver and hammer (and yes, you are not supposed to abuse a screwdriver like that, but that is what always happens), and now the dishwasher works.

All done, and I cover Jeff’s time and supplies. My Mr. Fix-it days are mostly over. I live alone, and it is a bad idea to climb a ladder. I might replace a filter, and I can replace an outlet, but I stop there.

I check in with Barb, Emma, and Gordon, and they are still in Seattle and having a good time. They won’t be back until late, so I worked on some church paperwork and set up my new game, Vestige. I also rested for a bit, as I am suddenly tired. Still jet-lagged from Michigan, I think.

I find I have naan and some Trader Joe’s frozen India-style dinner, and have that as I only had a banana and two tamales for the day. I reheat it all, and it is excellent: butter chicken. I watch more Ted Lasso and make it to season two.

I talked to Deborah before she went to bed. We try to start and end our days together.

I meet the family at the Beaverton Carts near City Hall. They have a late dinner while I discover a banana cake dessert, excellent! I hear that they enjoyed the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum near Seattle. From what I heard, they thought driving in Washington was crazy (I agree), and they thought the Pike Street Market was crowded and tourist-filled.

They enjoyed Hash in Olympia on the way in (here), and it is recommended.

I returned home, read the rules for the board game, and soon was sleeping. Still getting tired earlier.

Thanks for reading.