JOAN’S BLOG – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008 – SID THE PLUMBER (NO, THIS IS NOT POLITICAL)

For those of you who are new to my website, you may not be aware of my strict policy of prohibiting political discussion from this website. There are plenty of other sites for that, so when I refer to Sid the Plumber, believe me, I am talking about plumbing , not politics.

Before Alzheimer’s Disease, (as my life seems to be divided into BA and AA), my husband hooked up, repaired, took apart, and put back together, every piece of electronic equipment  in our house. He was in the electronics business, and he was very good at his job.

HOWEVER, even before AD, except for plunging the toilet  and fixing a washer on a faucet, if he went NEAR a toilet, sink, bathtub, or pipe, with a wrench , I would beg and plead on bended knees to PLEASE call a plumber, as in someone who was licensed, knew what they were doing, and would not flood my house . He usually acquiesced, not because he thought he could not accomplish the job, but because he didn’t want to listen to me spiral into hysteria. I have an aversion to floods in the house.

Now imagine, if I reacted like a crazy woman to Sid the Plumber BEFORE AD, you can surmise what went through my mind yesterday morning, when I was called into the bathroom to “Look at this – the toilet never stops running.”  I know how a “running” toilet sounds. I heard nothing. I saw nothing unusual. Off came the top of the tank  (always a bad sign), and I was shown that the water level was not up to where it should be, as he proceeded to put his finger inside the toilet bowl, and show me a droplet of water that was coming from ………I guess the tank. Then he put his hand inside the tank, and started to fiddle with some gadget, exclaiming, “I need to fix this.”  In my head, I was screaming, “NO, NO, NO.” Out loud, I said, “It’s nothing. It’s not that bad. Please leave it alone.” His next words were enough to strike fear in the hearts of Alzheimer wives everywhere- “I’ll call my friend, J. He’s handy. He’ll help me.”  I love his friend. I really do. But let’s face it – they became fast friends when they met at an Alzheimer’s meeting.  I don’t think I could handle the two of them with screwdrivers and wrenches aimed at my toilet. To my utter shock, he dropped the subject.

Yes, I do know it probably needs attention, but I know a handyman who can assess the situation, and recommend a plumber who won’t charge me $200 for an hour’s work, as the last one did.

Lately, Sid is remembering the oddest things, usually those I would prefer he forget. I can only hope that he forgets all about the “running” toilet.

©Copyright 2008 Joan Gershman 

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