Yesterday when I went downstairs to the former man-cave, I noticed something. It smelled a little funny and the running sock I had just put on was wet. Great. Water.
Roughly a quarter of the cheap carpet-over-concrete was soaked. Using my sage-like troubleshooting skills, I deduced it was coming from somewhere. I also quickly deduced it was taking way more time to figure out than I cared to allot to something so stupid.
Neighbor Phil: Hello?
Me: Have I mentioned your being retired is fantastic, or that you’re my favorite neighbor?
Phil: Parker and I will be down in a second.
He’s the guy that has (in no certain order):
- Shown me how to use a string trimmer. They sell string separately, you know…in different colors.
- Shown me how to use a snow blower. I feel like a bad ass after that whole thing is done. A frozen, sweaty mess is always good for the psyche.
- Laughed at me for not having the patience to learn how to use a zero turn mower. Really? Those side steering sticks are as useless as the ones on the Ellipticals at the Y. Plus, I don’t chew tobacco.
- Ridden shotgun in our other neighbor’s car to bring my car home from a pool hall. Oops.
- Called me when his wife had a headache to find out if her iPhone was at my house or in the street somewhere between our two abodes. Her oops.
- Corrected my grip, back swing, and every other thing I (according to him and my 92) was doing wrong on the course. I do love golf.
- Watched a chick flick with his wife and me on NYE, after whipping up some delicious appetizers and making sure the straw in my wine glass never clogged.
And…he’s the guy that came down yesterday with his son to tell me I had a pinhole leak in my main water line. One that obviously had been leaking for at least 2-3 weeks and needed immediate plumbing help.
Two air-movers later – along with one industrial-sized dehumidifier, $480 bucks, and a suggestion from a 12 year-old that I should make that room into a “woman-cave” so I would know about these things sooner – and I’m all set.
