In the end we got through the day alive and almost sane. A quick shift of venue, a rushed packing of all the parts and pieces, three trips home to retrieve forgotten items and dinner was served.
Turns out that the day after Thanksgiving is not only "Black Friday" for the stores, but plumbers as well! While my conscience was clear that I had not stuffed up the sink by shoving five pounds of potato peels down it, I could hear the skepticism in the plumber's voice. Unfortunately, the equipment he would need for the job was awaiting a part so he gave me the name of a plumber buddy of his.
Not willing to wait for a return call from the second plumber, Michael (the elder) went out and purchased a 50 foot snake to clear the clog.
Up to the roof climbed my two intrepid DIY guys.
Into the vent went the snake.
Out of the vent came a scream!
A scream! Can you believe it? Quickly, Michael pulled the snake out! What could it be? It sounded like a cat, but it was only a two inch pipe...all I could think of was Baby Jessica caught in the well. It was awful.
There weren't too many choices on how to handle the situation. My choice was move. Michael's was to use water and blow the unfortunate critter out. This was the logical solution which made neither of us happy.
Michael (the younger) thought the whole thing was quite exciting...first the sinks overflowing, then washing pots and pans in the bathtub and finally the scream. He became information central and had all the girls entranced.
For better or for worse, depending on who you are in this story, the clog finally cleared and the sinks drained.
As I cleaned the crud out of the kitchen sink, the plumber returned my call. At first he sounded disappointed that the problem was solved, but when I told him the part about the scream, the relief in his voice came through loud and clear.
Well, once the bathtub is cleared of parsley, the holiday will be behind me. In the meantime, I think I'll go work down some of those left-overs!
