I’m feeling better. Apparently the reaction I had to the new med (gemfibrozil) was a series of muscle spasms in my lower back. More than a week after discontinuing the med I still have a back ache; it’s not severe enough to keep me from going to work and is getting less and less noticeable as the days go by. Won’t go there again!

I was able to finish the shower faucet repair. I replaced the fitting that the shower head pipe fits into; I am not sure if the old fitting went bad or had just worked loose. At any rate, I replacing the fitting and tube that runs from the shower head to the faucet assembly. This  resulted in a non-leaking installation. We are glad to have the main shower back in operation!.

Here are a few photos of various plumbing bits and pieces involved with the repair.

Sharkbyte brand crimp ring and crimping pliers

Old shower head fitting

New red plumbing line to shower head in place. Note crimp ring just above brass fitting.

When I removed the old line I had tied a cord to the fitting (from the shower side) and pulled the old line out the access hole. I then attached the new line and pulled the cord to get the fitting back up behind the shower and back through the shower head opening. This actually worked better than I expected.

This closes out the “shower from hell” episode; the new faucet does not drip and works smoother than the unit it replaced. Even with the expense of specialized tools and parts it was cheaper to do this myself as opposed to calling a plumber.

Today is wet and overcast; we are getting some much needed rain but it does put a bit of a crimp in outdoor activities. Several tulips are blooming and trees, including the cherry tree and lilacs, are budding out. I hope we don’t get a late freeze as we would like to see as many flowers as possible this spring.

Some strong winds did come through and I had to get on the roof to remove some dead branches that had blown down from one of our cottonwood trees. I’ll try to get those to the compost area today along with the first of the grass clippings from the lawn.

Pam has completed the first week of her “retirement” and worked on several projects both inside and outside the house. Inside she started going through closets and sorting out stuff  (like photo albums, some to be delivered to the kids) and it looks like closet organization + recycle will be an ongoing project for the summer. Outside jobs included working on the corner of our lawn near the new tulip bed. She installed some lawn edging and transplanted some hollyhock plants, while also continuing to remove mulch from beds around the house. Pam has a list of projects to keep her busy.

I’m getting used to commuting by myself. Some mornings I really don’t feel like getting out of bed when the house is dark and quiet, however.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Four Cents Worth:

The tulip bed is at about 90% bulbs germinated, but the tulips that have started to flower are pygmy-sized.  I’m holding off on photos of Mary Lynn’s Memorial Garden until the tulips fill in and grow taller. Hopefully, both will happen after this rain we’ve been enjoying.

Being OCD, I decided to make a weekly list of things to do to guide me through my first weeks and months of “unemployment.” I feel perfectly free to pick and choose what I want to do on this list; if something doesn’t get done then something moves to next week.  (This week, one outside project needed to be moved forward due to wind and weather.) I do believe the closet purge project will be ongoing, but no pressure.

I make sure to find opportunities to read, play the uke, and spend time outside with the dogs. Not to mention sleeping later in the morning.  Some transitions are funny, like realizing I can wear all my clothes now and not keep some of them “nice” for work.  I wonder if I will forget how to apply makeup in a few months?

While monitoring online houses for sale (the retirement house hunt continues), I found a stunning mansion along the Mississippi River at 11 Park Place Keokuk, Iowa.

Mansion overlooking the Mississippi

More square footage and taxes than we would ever consider, but it ticks me off the price of this lovely historic property (with a view of Lock & Dam 19) is about the same as this dumpy trailer we now live in.  Gr-r-r-r-r.

Happy Trails.