Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Tuesday's Adventures

Homemade Gata (Armenian Cookies) from Neighbor S

Last night, after dinner, I did the dishes and ran the garbage disposal.  There was a bit of a whoosh sound and a lot of black debris spurted out!  I assumed it was coffee grounds - my daughter has a metal reusable coffee filter called a phin coffee filter (apparently used to brew coffee in Vietnam) and while I try to dump the coffee grounds into the kitchen compost container when I wash it out, there are still some coffee grounds that get washed down the sink drain.  Later, my daughter was in the kitchen and said she stepped in some water near the kitchen sink and asked me what it was and I said I probably spilled some water when I did the dishes.  She put the kitchen rug over the water and we forgot about it.  Still later, I went to rinse out a dish and afterwards, I noticed water leaking out from the cabinet under the sink!  I opened the door and water was dripping from the garbage disposal and it was all quite wet in the cabinet!  Oh, no!  We pulled out the plastic totes with bottles of dishwashing detergent, and other cleaning supplies I keep under the kitchen sink and put down towels to mop up the water!  I was rather upset to have a non-functioning garbage disposal just days before I was supposed to cook Thanksgiving dinner!  Fortunately, the sink is a double sided sink and the side without the garbage disposal was not leaking and could be used.  And my daughter reminded me that we had two bathtubs if we needed to wash the pots and pans in one of the bathtubs, instead.  Anyway, I decided that I would place a call to the plumbing company I have used before, in the morning.  

I was up relatively early and called the plumbing company at 8:30 a.m.  I explained the situation and asked if they could send a plumber out this afternoon, because I had to go to a doctor's appointment at noon.  They said they could send a plumber out right away and they should be able to repair or replace the unit before I needed to leave for the doctor's appointment.  It was $150 minimum charge and $225 if the unit was hardwired and they needed to replace it, plus cost of the new unit.  My leaky disposal is several years old and I thought it was better to replace it.

While I waited for the plumber to arrive, I brought in the one trash can that had been emptied and accepted the delivery of the second sheet set.  Then, I set about making a cup of tea for myself.

The plumber was here before 9:00 a.m. and took a look at the disposal unit and told me I needed to replace it.  He asked if I would buy it and I asked if he could buy it for me and I will reimburse him.  He was agreeable to do that and said it would come to about $145.  I might have got it a bit cheaper if I had bought it, myself, but, I was willing to pay a bit more for the convenience.  Besides, by this time, I was starting to feel a bit shaky and faint!  I recognized the signs of low blood sugar and I knew I needed to sit down and drink my tea!  

It has been a long time since I last felt the symptoms of low blood sugar, but, I think I have been not as careful with my diet in recent days and my sugar levels probably spiked and dropped rather rapidly.  I rested a bit and felt fine, afterwards.  

The plumber was done with installing the new garbage disposal by 10:00 a.m.  Parts and labor cost $145 + $225 = $370.  I reimbursed him for the parts with cash and paid the rest with a check.

Then, I rested until it was time to go to the ophthalmologist appointment.  The appointment went well.  My eye pressure was fine, my vision was only a little worse than it had been last year, the eye scans for diabetic retinopathy were clear, and my cataracts were still the same size and not ready to be removed.  I was asked to come back in one year's time.

It took all afternoon for my eyes to recover from being dilated.  I lay on the sofa with the blinds closed and my dark glasses on and dozed a bit.  

While I was resting, neighbor S brought over some gata she had baked.  She knows that my daughter loves her homemade gata.  I had a small taste of one, but, I'm leaving the rest of it for my daughter.

Later, I washed all the towels and the kitchen rug that we had used to mop up the spill from the garbage disposal and daughter relined the totes with fresh paper towels and put everything back under the sink.  

Brunch today was half a bagel with cream cheese (me) and a bagel with butter (daughter).  We had leftovers from earlier meals for dinner.

Today, I am grateful for:

- My low blood sugar episode abated after I had a cup of tea and rested
- The ophthalmologist visit went well
- Daughter was here to drive me home, afterwards
- The plumber was able to arrive this morning to tend to the garbage disposal
- The gift of homemade gata from neighbor S

Today's joyful activity was resting all afternoon and feeling better in the evening!

Plans for tomorrow include tending to the garden with M, making the cranberry sauce and cornbread ahead of time, another load of laundry, and tidying the house a bit.

How was your Tuesday and what are your plans for Wednesday?

18 comments:

  1. What a good job you were able to have a plumber fix your garbage disposal ahead of your Thanksgiving meal and your daughter was there to help you.
    I'm glad your ophthalmologist appointment went well and again having your daughter drive you home was a big help.
    I have glucose tablets at home and in my handbag ready in case my husband ever has low blood sugar but it rarely happens these days. Take care x

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    1. It was great to have the plumber fix the garbage disposal today. I've used this company a few times and they've done a good job, each time.
      Yes, I had a good ophthalmologist appointment and I try to schedule the appointments for when my daughter is home so she can drive me. One time, before Covid, one of my cousins drove me and another time, another cousin's daughter drove me, but, these days, I try to have my daughter drive me.
      I should get some glucose tablets - I rarely get low blood sugar episodes, these days, but, I sure had one today! Thank you, Eileen; I shall discuss it with my doctor when I see her, next week.

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  2. What a complicated day. I'm glad you had a plumber available so quickly. Garbage disposal units are less common here. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow ❤️

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    1. Thank you, Angela; I probably made it more complicated than it needed to be, but, at the time, I was feeling rather flustered! I'm glad that the garbage disposal was replaced and the matter was taken care of right away. One less thing to procrastinate about!

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  3. Funny you should ask. We have a mold problem, and health, and money problems. I'm not sure what we'll do! We are on the East Coast in Virginia and just had a huge rain. (Which we needed and are thankful for.) It just seems the older we get, (mid-70s), the less money and the more problems our health isn't up to anymore!
    God has always gotten us through...no doubt, though my faith is sometimes small, HE will get us through again!
    Bless you, Bless!

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    1. Hello, Bluebird! Welcome! I'm sorry to hear about the mold, health, and money problems! I hope that things improve and your faith will help you as you deal with things.
      I looked for your blog to leave a comment, but, you haven't posted in a few years and I wasn't sure if you had closed the blog or if it is still active. Please let me know.
      Thank you, and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, tomorrow.

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  4. So much going on here-- big fix problems; in bad health and our mid 70s, roof's gotta be replaced and we've gotta do something with our mold problem! That's just a few things we've got going on!
    Have a blessed week, Bless!

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    1. You do have a lot going on, Bluebird. Plus, everything seems even worse when there's poor health to contend with, isn't it? Hope you can get the mold problem attended to soon as that can affect your health even more.
      Thank you, Bluebird; hope you have a blessed week, too.

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  5. It's never a good feeling when you find water where it shouldn't be. I'm amazed that you were able to find the problem and get it repaired so quickly. Now you can concentrate on Thanksgiving without worry about the sink and disposal.

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    1. I was very glad that it wasn't a burst pipe or something like that! And happy that the plumber was able to fix it quickly. Like you said, I can now prepare for Thanksgiving without worrying about the leak! :)

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  6. How wonderful that you were able to get someone to replace/repair the disposal right away. That was a blessing in and of itself. Happy Thanksgiving, my friend. xo Diana

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    1. Yes, it was a blessing, wasn't it? I was very thankful that the plumber was able to replace the disposal right away!
      Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Diana; hope all is well with you.

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  7. Crisis abated! That all worked out about as good as you might hope for. That's super that the plumber was able to come right out and take care of it. Yes, you could've managed but it's nice not to have to deal with the one sided sink on thanksgiving.
    I made the stuffing today which I like to get done the day before all ready to stuff the turkey with tomorrow.
    Lots of high winds overnight and rain here in my area. It's starting to calm down now. I just walked around the yard a bit but everything is so sopping wet so I will clean things up tomorrow or the next day.
    We missed our yard waste pickup (something we do not want to do in November because we have so much of it this time of year.)
    We decided last night not to put it out ahead of time because of the high winds. Wouldn't you know for the first time ever they came bright and early at 7:15 (instead of the normal 2-4 in the afternoon)
    I normally put it out but it was raining and blowing so my husband, being the nice person he is, had gotten up to do it. He had just put two of the containers at the curb (we had 5 plastic trashcans and maybe a dozen or so bags -so a lot) when they came. And they were not going to wait (can't blame them) for us to finish. So next week should be really something lol

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    1. Yes! Crisis abated and thank goodness for that! :D I remember one year, we were getting ready for an almsgiving, and the garbage disposal backed up! Fortunately, at the time, we had a very helpful neighbor, Glen, who brought a pressure hose and managed to clear the clog!
      I heard on the TV that there was a storm headed up east, just in time for Thanksgiving! I hope the high winds and rain didn't cause much damage to your property.
      Well, of course the waste collectors arrived bright and early on the one time you didn't put everything out the night before! Isn't that how it always works? Oh, well, you'll have everything ready for them, next week!
      I made my cranberry sauce, today. The turkey is thawing. I might prep the green beans tonight, ready to cook tomorrow. :)

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  8. I'm so glad you got that plumbing problem fixed so quickly and in time for you to leave for your appointment. I'm sure you were ready for a rest after such a busy morning and feeling shaky, too.
    I've done very little today, just plain lazy but feeling better bit by bit.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady; I was glad that the plumber could attend to the garbage disposal right away! I needed that rest in the afternoon!
      You are not being lazy; you are resting and recovering your health! From what I've read and what my daughter has said, it takes a while to get over the fatigue.

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  9. So glad you were able to have the plumber come out so quickly and get it fixed! Also pleased to hear that your appointment went well.

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. Yes, it all turned out well!

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