Meet "Shelly the Plumber"

My job description grew today when I put on my plumber's hat and made quite a memory with the kids.

I was peeling carrots for the soup I am making for tomorrow's dinner for supper club. Instead of putting the peels in the trash I opted for the easy way and decided to put them down the disposal. Bad choice. As a result, my sink got clogged and I was faced with a plumbing issue that had to be solved.

I tried several things to try to unclog the sink. I sent Braden to get the plunger and even tried using it multiple times with no results.

By this time the crowd had gathered and the kids were curious as to what I was doing.

Without any hesitation I decided to look under the sink and try to figure out what was going on. Imagine me with my head stuck under the sink and all three kids peering in trying to see what I was doing. It would have been a priceless picture.

I quickly (and I was so impressed with myself) realized what the issue had to be. It had to be that the pipe was clogged from the disposal to the main pipe. I knew this because I ran water down the other side of the drain and it did not get clogged.

So, I asked Braden to go get me a really big towel. I anticipated that I might have some water come out when I disconnected the pipe. Again, yeah for me for even thinking that, right?

Well, as soon as I got the pipe disconnected it showed carrot peelings crammed so tight that water could not get through it. I celebrated my find and began unpacking the carrot peelings. All the while I was bragging on myself to the kids....Look how mom figured this out....yeah mom!

Well, what I did not anticipate was the amount of water that would come gushing out once the carrot peelings were removed. Water SURGED out of the pipe and flooded the area under the sink, soaked my jeans and sent the kids running for cover.

My immediate reaction (after I yelled for them to go get lots of towels...BIG towels) was to laugh hysterically. And then the kids started laughing.....

At some point in this widow journey it became ok to laugh about the predicaments I find myself in instead of crying over them. I remember the first year or so every time something went wrong in the house I felt helpless and frustrated that he wasn't there to help me.

Now, most of the time, when something like this happens I find myself jumping in and trying to figure out....and then laughing at myself if I don't or if things don't go quite the way I expected.

Don't misunderstand me, I don't want to be "Shelly the plumber"....but since I have to be, we might as well have fun at it....


For good laughs and great memories, I am grateful.