Saturday, February 19, 2011

A Man’s Place is Under the Sink

Popeye the Plumber

2011 Winter Quarterly Fundraiser, Day Four

Just before dinner last night Dymphna summoned me downstairs to address an emergency in the kitchen: a plumbing leak under the sink. She caught it early, and the amount of water that had escaped was minimal.

Unfortunately for our family, I am not at all handy around the house. If it goes beyond duct tape or a hammer and a nail, I’m not much good at it. In fact, the nail will likely be hammered in crooked. I’m hopeless at anything that requires real skill — if the problem can’t be solved by a combination of common sense and jury-rigging, a professional has to be called in.

Walt the PlumberFortunately for Schloss Bodissey, last night’s plumbing caper was within my range. The sink trap had gradually been pushed back and eventually popped the joint on the connecting pipe above it. Fixing drain pipes is like rewiring a lamp — a bit of thinking and a minimum of skill, and the problem is solved. Especially when PVC pipe is involved.

While I was under the sink, I was strongly reminded of our relatively recently straitened circumstances, which require that we avoid calling a plumber (or other professional) if at all possible. This hearkens back to the time when I was an artist, back when we were really poor — having to call a plumber in those days constituted a major financial disaster. I remember lying on my back in a pool of freezing water behind the bathtub one night about thirty years ago, when the pipes froze and burst during a vicious cold snap. Pipe wrench, crowbar, screwdriver, pipe dope — I don’t want to go through any of that again if I can possibly avoid it.

For a few years, while I was programming for a living, all of that changed. We could afford a plumber whenever we needed one, no problem! What a luxury.

Our plumber of choice is a woman, a tough burly country girl who runs her own business out of a pickup truck. If I were a real man, I could never call in a female plumber, or risk losing my Testosterone Certificate. But I don’t care — she’s easygoing and competent, and I love to talk to her while she lies on her back under the sink in a pool of water.

But not these days, not if I can help it. Hard times are upon us once again.

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Tip jarHard times are upon everyone else, too, it seems.

We’re getting a lot of donations this fundraiser, possibly even as many as we usually do. But the amounts tend to be modest these days — everyone’s pocketbook is a lot slimmer than it was a few years ago.

It’s deeply inspiring to realize how willing people are to share what little they have with the Counterjihad cause. For that we are eternally grateful.

Yesterday’s contributors checked in from these places:

Stateside:

California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania

Far Abroad:

Australia, Ireland, Italy, and the UK

Thank you all for your ongoing generosity.


The tip jar in the text above is just for decoration. To donate, click the tin cup on our sidebar, or the donate button. If you prefer a monthly subscription, click the “subscribe” button.

8 comments:

Steven Luotto said...

Like the Danes are still celebrating the time they won the European Soccer championship, I'm still celebrating the time I actually fixed something in the house.

Los testosterones have nothing to do with it: you are a noble, a blueblood.

I know that In a better world I would have 100 servants. In this one I'll have to make do with my German brother-in-law who can fix everything from wristwatches to washing machines.

bewick said...

I just paid my taxes and it hurt. Unfortunately don't have a jack of all trades brother in law so I'll have, eventually, to fix the plumbing, which burst a month or so ago in the big freeze, myself. In the meantime there's still a launderette nearby.
And Oh the hot water heat exchanger just gave up the ghost. (age - not the -14 temps). I was planning to totally replace the heating system soon but not this soon.
Like many I am currently a little cash poor but I'll review in the next day or so.
Thing is Baron it might help if you gave some sort of indication of what might be a reasonable monthly payment. That is from say 20% of your visitors. No point in erecting a pay-wall and many who follow GoV may not have the means anyway. Just a thought

Fjordman said...

I couldn't fix my kitchen sink if my life depended upon it, literally. I do stuff like searching for the Proto-Indo-European word for "Socialist," suspecting that it derives from the root meaning "demented squirrel," but I haven't been able to prove that one yet. I'm also looking for the PIE terms for "Gay marriage, "gender equality" and "baby shopping in Africa à la Madonna and Angelina Jolie."

Baron Bodissey said...

Fjordman: LOL! You must have been hitting the mead again tonight.

Bewick: The "subscribe" button on the sidebar takes you to an automatic $15/month PayPal donation.

Shirl in Oz said...

Sounds like you guys need me. I am the "home handyman" about our house. I have all my own tools and was recently treated to a "flower decorated hammer" by my MM (mere male). Isn't that cute

I use a drill, I can do plumbing, I paint, do woodwork and much, much more.!!

A few years back I was standing on the top rung of a ladder. We have 11 foot ceilings, being in a Victorian era house. I was removing the air conditioner filter for washing (Our air con is very different to that you have in the US and Canada, it’s reverse cycle)

I feel safe on the ladder, as the hall is long and narrow and I have a picture rail to hold on to.

MM arrived home and proceeded to tell me that I shouldn’t stand so high on the ladder, as it could over balance and I’d fall.

Now, what would you expect your average male to say ?

“Come on down dear… I’ll do that, I’m taller than you” considerably in our case.


NO. NO..not in my case

My MM said “I think I’ll treat you to a new ladder”


He did in due course and decided to be helpful and bought a double sided one, which is too heavy for me to lift and is not useable in our house. It is impossible to take it in and out of rooms as the hallway is not wide enough !! 40 inches wide… do your maths !!!!

Dymphna said...

@ Shirl in Oz-

It's the thought that counts! A wise woman rewards approximate behavior and then has her beloved, who is surely no "mere male" (after all, he was smart enough to marry her, right?)exchange the ladder for the one she really wants.

I would never buy the Baron any computer contraptions and he wouldn't dream of picking out my gardening gear.

Surely, Shirl, your mate has his own areas of expertise in which you stand second to him in skill and knowledge? For your sake, I certainly hope so!

The Baron always said he could do anything that required brains and no physical skill. OTOH, he has friends who can fix anything, cook like chefs, and are expert gardeners. They're computer whizzes, too. Fortunately for us, they also share our love of reading so on that level we meet as equals.

I'm with IoshkaFutz on this one: I was meant to have a hundred servants, to live in a place where my servants had servants. I think this is a trait inherited from my mother, who was always waiting for the Laundry Fairy to show up to wash, dry, fold and iron everything. I showed up instead. Except for the mess doing all that made of my fairy dust, it wasn't a bad assignment.

Ah, the things we do for love...

Shirl in Oz said...

That last line brings on a song

"Too many broken hearts have fallen down the river
Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea
You lay your bets and then you pay the price
The things we do for love
(the things we do for love)

Communication is the problem to the answer
You’ve got her number and your hand is on the phone
The weather’s turned and all the lines our down
The things we do for love
(the things we do for love)

Like walking in the rain and snow
When there’s nowhere to go
And you’re feeling like a part of you is dying
And you’re looking for the answer in her eyes
You think you’re gonna break up
Then she says she wants to make up

Ooh, you make me love you
Ooh, you’ve got a way
Ooh, you’ve had me crawling up the wall"

bewick said...

Thanks Baron - had never explored. Must admit I avoid monthly subs because, like yourself, cash availability varies now I no longer work. So I'll stick to the quarterly thing for now but at least I now what you need to keep going.
I couldn't say I'm poor but am sometimes cash poor.
Wish I were a Fjordman or Vlad so that I could contribute in other ways as well - but I'm not.
I'd offer Shirl a free working holiday in the UK but Oz is a far safer place (so far)