Sunday, February 12, 2012

Miniature victories

(this was written almost one month ago and never published, but I wanted to publish it now anyway because it records some of my time with Sweet Pea)

Today was a success! I vowed to get the water running, and get the water running I did! I awoke with a start at 10:30 am (went to bed at 3 am due to staying up watching YouTube videos on water pumps so that's a fair amount of sleep) chewed a raw clove of garlic, slammed an Emergency and went straight to work on Sweet Pea. I had spent the evening researching the possible problems, and felt fairly confident that I knew where to look. Underneath one of my bench seats in the "dining room" rests the water tank. One small part of it is not covered with wood so I could see the plastic tank half full. The top of the seat had been screwed in by someone, so I started to unscrew it, then came to realize that it had also been nailed in with old, rusty, but beefy nails.  I was able to remove all of the screws, but couldn't get the nails out, so I just bent the wood back on itself until I could get a clear view as to what exactly lay underneath.
From the previous night's research I learned that the water pumps usually live next to the tank, but in this case there was no pump to be found.  So I replaced the wooden bench seat, this time without the screws, and put the silver sequined seat cushion I've fashioned back on top too.  I was absolutely not going to give up today until I got the stinkin' water on, so I took a breath and just looked around.
That's when I noticed emerging from the wall next to the main door a long, scraggly collection of wires connected to a small black knob. I had seen it before, many times, as it's strange looking.  In fact, I'd considered ripping it out because it was so ugly, but never got around to doing it. Real glad I didn't do that.
Turns out the solution to my water problem was squiggling out of the wall right in front of me this whole time.  For some reason this morning, I went over to the wires and ugly black knob and fiddled with it. I turned the knob one way then another and lo and behold...lights came on! More than this, a noise from below the refrigerator also started up, sounding like a fan.  I was curious so I went over to the compartment and opened the door. I saw what I recgonized as a water heater and felt a flush of excitement that I was getting closer to solving this problem.  I didn't see anything resembling a water pump though, and no swithces that I could fiddle with in that compartment.
Miraculously (and hilariously) it dawned on me to stand up, turn around and try messing with the "Water Pump" switch on a small panel located near the door.
Once I did that the heavens opened up, small children started laughing, banks opened their tills and threw free money into the streets, and lovers who had been fighting forgot their woes and smooched under sparkling waterfalls. Well, it felt like that at least. The water pump came on, and had running water.
"Yes, I rule", streamed through my mind. Deservingly so I'd say.