One morning i was getting ready for work. I was on my way out the door. I opened the cabinets under the sink to throw something away in the trash bag when a smell hit me. It was that stale mildewy stench that signified the presence of sitting water. I yanked everything out from under the sink. Everything was soaked and dripping.
I placed the lantern on the floor near the cabinet and ran the sink. The water came pouring out of a joint in the pvc pipes. I sighed. I needed to go to work, but i couldn’t have the homestead without a sink. I put my bags down and got under the sink in my scrubs, trying everything in my power to force the little rubber ring that had come loose back into place between the two pipes. However, it had morphed into a kind of warped oval shape and was no longer round. The rubber had become hard and brittle. It was no longer pliable and wouldn’t bend where i was asking it to. I threw my hands up. I wiped the excess water from the bottom of the cabinet, left the cabinets open to dry the area out, and made a mental note to stop by the home depot on the way home. I needed at least one piece from the plumbing aisle…maybe an extra plastic part to go over the pvc pipe where the two pieces were connected if it still leaked upon replacing the first part.
The best things the sellers had done was to leave the tags on every single thing in the tiny house, including the windows. I felt all houses should come in such a state, so trips to the home depot could be made more easily. I pulled the original tag from the pvc pipe and stuck it in my pocket. I would bring it to home depot to make sure i got the right sized piece i was looking for.
The little rubber rings came in two-packs. I purchased the corresponding size for the pvc pipe i had under the sink. Then i took out the old brittle ring and put in the new soft rubber ring. It immediately smushed between the pipes and i tightened the plastic ring that sat atop both pipes as far as i could get it to one side. Then i turned on the sink. Dry as a bone. I had fixed the water leak. I put the remaining rubber ring in the kitchen drawer. When this one wore out i would be prepared.
On the way home i had stopped at the gas station up the street from my property to fill up my car. as i put the nozzle into the car it leaked gas everywhere. I thought that was strange, as i hadn’t paid for it yet, but didn’t immediately connect the dots. As i entered my credit card, it did not ask for my zip code, which the pump had always done before. I stood there pondering the differences as the gas pumped into the car. It was then that i noticed a tiny orange sticker the size of a nasal bridge strip placed on the left bottom corner of the pump. It was nowhere near the keypad or the place to insert one’s credit card. It was upside down but if i craned my head i could make out the words written in orange against an orange backdrop “tamper evident”. As my head swiveled to the red sticker next to the keypad i noted that it was indeed sliced through. Well, shit. I spent the next two hours cancelling my credit card and calling all the establishments that i had on auto pay to tell them i wasn’t purposely evading scheduled payments but it would be a few business days before i could get them my new card number. I also had several items on back order. The companies had not yet charged my card for those items. So i had to scramble and call them to let them know not to cancel my order and that a new valid card number would be in their possession within a week. All in all, it was not the most positive day, but i was learning that i could handle more than i thought i could.