Wednesday, October 10, 2007

It's Broken

What is it? Oh, it could be so many, many things. Poor Allen is finding it hard to keep up with all of the repairs and replacements around here. It is frustrating.

Some of these things are really not his responsibility to repair anyway. The leaks in the roof, for instance, should certainly be handled by the landlord (the same guy who told us that the roof didn't leak anymore; that all of those stains on the ceiling were from before they repaired the roof). We have leaks in almost every room of the house, so this is starting to get just a bit annoying. So far, in spite of multiple trips to the roof by the worker the landlord sent over, the leaks just keep getting worse.


Recently, we started to notice water under the kitchen sink, coming from the plumbing. So, here is another repair which should really fall on the landlord. But we know he will send the same fellow who "fixed" the plumbing the last time, using strips of rubber from a bicycle innertube, a pretty hair ribbon, foil, a substance resembling dental floss, and some black water-soluble glue stuff. Hmmm, perhaps we'd be better off seeing to this repair ourselves.

Now, the knob on the brand new washing machine is messed up, and eventually we are almost certainly going to have stripped the threads on that knob. What happens after that? I don't know. Perhaps I will be using a pair of plyers to turn on the washer? It's not like we can get replacement parts or hire a competent repairman, you know.

During one recent shopping trip to San Pedro Sula, Allen purchased a new microwave (the computerized controls stopped working on the old one), a new crockpot (we dropped and broke the glass lid of the former crockpot), and a new rice cooker (I don't even remember what happened to the old one . . . it has been gone for a long while. Fortunately rice can be cooked in a pot on the stove).

Tonight, as Russell prepared to drive off in the pickup truck, he discovered that the key had broken off - in the ignition. He and Allen were out on the street until midnight trying to get that broken bit out. At midnight they wisely decided to go to bed, and return to this problem in the morning.

Oh, but I really want to end this on a brighter note. Allen has fixed the drainage problem in the yard, so we no longer have to bail the yard during heavy rains to keep from having a flood in the storage area/carport. I think that's pretty wonderful!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Trish, have you tried a magnet? That might loosen the key.

Kim & Dave said...

Yes, the carport not flooding is a good thing! :-)

Richelle Wright said...

Thanks for letting us know we aren't the only ones with such problems - just last night I "fixed" a leak in our water heater with a an old rubber innertube, hoping it would hold long enough to bathe the kids and get the plumber here the next day. We are forever changing locks, repairing leaks in the roof, changing light bulbs and replacing compressors on our fridge due to the unstable electricity. Just keeping up with all that is a full tim job, isn't it!

Glad your carport flooding situation has worked out.

Trish said...

Hey Aaron, thanks for the suggestion. We weren't able to find a magnet powerful enough to make a difference though. Eventually, the entire ignition was replaced. At least it was possible, in terms of having parts and people with the skills to do it. I guess I'll choose to be thankful!

Thankful also, for the non-flooding carport, especially right now when it is pouring down rain!

And, Tim and Richelle . . . anytime I find that I can possibly make your life seem more 'normal,' well, I'm on the job! ;-)