I have several small items to report on this week, including a plumbing horror story and receiving two new household items.

Last time I noted I needed to change out the tub/shower faucet in our main bathroom. I knew this would be a nasty job, as the working area is very small and this place uses plastic plumbing (which requires specialized tools I do not own).

For starters, access to the back of the shower in the main bathroom is through a closet in the master bathroom:

Access to shower plumbing is though a linen closet.

In this photo you can see more of the plastic lines and fittings:

Shower plumbing

Note that in this photo the line running up to the shower head is disconnected. The reason:  I had to order a crimp tool and crimp rings to make the connection water-tight. I tried other methods, including small hose clamps, but could not keep the top fitting from leaking. The crimp tool and rings are on order from Amazon and should be here in a few days. Hopefully I will be able to finish this job once those items have arrived.

In the interim we have been using the shower in the master bathroom. This one we call “The Coffin” as it isn’t much more than an RV shower, very small. It needed some work (hasn’t been  used except for storage in years), particularly on the hot water side, but thankfully I’d accumulated enough small parts to make the repair. I hope in my next post I’ll be able to report a completion to this whole episode!

A few other upgrades were completed this week. We’ve been talking about getting a bulk water dispenser for awhile, to help save costs and reduce the amount of plastic we recycle. Pam uses bottled water for a variety of cooking purposes, plus as drinking water for the indoor cats and dogs. I drink bottled water while commuting and when I’m out on ATV and motorcycle trips. Bottled jug water runs about a dollar a gallon (and includes a lot of plastic recycle), refilled bulk water is thirty-nine cents a gallon locally.

Looking on-line, I found a unit that appeared to would fit our needs. Brand is Primo and the dispenser is available from a few different sources; Pam had a discount coupon from Bed, Bath, and Beyond so we ordered the Primo through them. Our local grocery store carries the empty jugs (5 gallon) so I bought one and filled it. Here is what the working dispenser looks like:

Primo water dispenser

We calculate the savings in water cost will pay for the dispenser in 3 – 4 months.

Another household upgrade involved replacing our aging Hoover vacuum cleaner. While it still works, and we still have a few bags for it, the vac is definitely on the way out. Pam has commented — more than once! — that she would like to try a Dyson [animal hair] vac because of the amount of dog and cat hair that accumulates in our house. (3 dogs, 6 cats) Newegg Company, known for their lines of electronic and computer gear, put out a sales bulletin that featured  refurbished Dyson vacs so I ordered one. This is one of the “ball” vacuums (a bagless model) that Dyson is known for:

Dyson [animal hair] vacuum

In its first use the Dyson picked up quite a bit of material and seems to be easy to maneuver around furniture. Here’s hoping this investment gives us good service for a long time.

A rain/snow mix is in the forecast for today along with several upcoming nights below freezing, but generally the weather is typical for this time of year and during the next week conditions will improve. Buds are beginning to appear on the lilac trees and I look forward to seeing those blossoms, providing a late freeze does not wipe them out (as it unfortunately did last year).

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Woo-hoo — the 100 tulip bed (AKA Mary Lynn’s Memorial Garden) now has about 60-65 bulbs total poking through. Much as I suspected, when I walk to that end of the lawn to check on bulb growth, it usually triggers a wave of sadness. I miss my friend and frequently ponder her loss.  Grieving is a tricky thing.

Happy Trails.