Down the Drain

By Jim Hagarty
2012

So the laundry tub drain is plugged. Fill the stupid tub with hot water. Burn my hand reaching in to pull the plug. Nothing. Fifteen minutes to empty the tub. Get a wire hanger, stick it down the drain for a while. Nothing. Pour a whole gallon of vinegar down. Nothing. Rats. Will need to call plumber and will need to part with $100 at least.

Frustrated. Then I remember Google.

Run upstairs to laptop. Enter laundry tub drain blocked. Four million hits (seems like it, anyway.) First one: Fill tub one-third full then use toilet plunger to free drain which is probably blocked by lint. But make sure to block second open pipe where washing machine water enters. So, stick plug in top of pipe. Get plunger. Tharump! Plug blows right out of top of pipe. Water shoots down laundry tub drain like crazy. Can’t believe my eyes.

OMG I love the Internet sometimes. Sorry Butch (real name), my friendly plumber, but we both know you’ll get me another day.

Author: Jim Hagarty

I am a 72-year-old retired journalist, busy recovering from a lifelong career as an unretired journalist. This year marks a half century of my scratching out little fables about life. My interests include genealogy, humour and music. I live in a little blue shack in Canada and spend most of my time trying to stay out of trouble. I am not that good at it. I also spent years teaching journalism. Poor state of journalism today: My fault. I have a family I don't deserve, a dog that adores me, and two cars the junk yard refuses to accept. My prized possessions include my old guitar and a razor my Dad gave me when I was 14 and which I still use when I bother to shave. Oh, and my great-great-grandfather's blackthorn stick he brought from Ireland in the 1850s. I have only one opinion but it is a good one: People take too many showers.