Note to Readers: Home maintenance issues have kept me occupied

Normally, I get at least one Reflections post and maybe another type each week, but when the main water shutoff valve in the basement broke, that kind of absorbed my attention for a few days after my initial WTF moment.

Of course, it broke on a Saturday on a holiday weekend. We had to shut off the water to set up the icemaker in a new, top-freezer refrigerator most likely made in China, but when it was time to turn it back on, the Demon Murphy struck and the valve…just broke. This isn’t my valve, but it looks about as bad.

That valve came with the house when it was built in 1951, so 73 years is a pretty good lifespan, all things considered.

The bottom line is that the water stayed mostly off—only a dribble to the faucets—because that was the only position that wouldn’t flood my basement again, which is what happened when the main line backed up back on April Fool’s Day.

What’s the cost of a plumber on a holiday weekend in NE Ohio, you ask? $700 minimum. Cost on a regular Tuesday? $375. Guess which option we took?

My wife and I reminded ourselves that there were people who would envy having indoor plumbing at all, only to having to fill up the toilet tank with a couple of gallons of water drawn from a store or a well to flush the toilet each time.

So we ate out a few times and I discovered that the Cleveland Pizza Company makes really good pizza.

Anyway, that’s done, and now we get to ride herd on insurance adjustors and general contractors to get the basement repaired. Annoying and time-consuming, but we’re just grateful we 1) Have a basement to repair and 2) Will most likely be able to get it done without bankrupting us.

Just 20 years ago we would have had neither thing.

So thank you for your patience. I should have a new Reflections in a day or two, and I’m working on a post about the apparent infiltration of the Libertarian Party by our parasitical political establishment.

Thank you for reading, and as always, good night and good luck.