Goodbye Lise!

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Below is a peaceful picture, taken at the Chinese buffet in town the day before Lise left. We were sated, having eaten ourselves into a food coma before going home.

Daughter Lise and I walked to the stop sign the day she left. We expected a pleasant day, not an explosion. Son John $ came from his shower as we arrived at home. His explanation was shocking. When he turned on the water, the toilet behind him exploded! Water shot across the room, knocking a bottle of shampoo off the shelf in the shower. He knew where the cutoff valve was behind the toilet and pushed against the spewing water to reach it. The hose that brings fresh water to the toilet had broken. Gallons of water covered the floor, but he sopped it up with towels and kept the flood from reaching the wooden floor in the hallway. His first thought was that it was good that he was the one in the line of fire, not one of us.

We are not sure what happened. The day before, both Lise and $ went below the house with me to change the water filter. (We have a well, and all the water we use goes through that filter.) I couldn’t turn the valves, nor could I unscrew the container with the filter. $ did it all, and he pressed a button to release the pressure. He thinks it was back pressure that caused the water line to the toilet to explode hours later. Lise immediately called the plumber, and he promised to come first thing the next day. Whew! Things were under control. We proceeded to take her to the airport. I took a shot of my son and daughter as they smoked outside the airport.

John and Lise washed all the towels, and they were drying as we drove her to the airport. As we put them away, he pointed out the bits of toilet paper that were clinging to the wall. I took quick photos before he cleaned the wall.

I’m very thankful $ will be here to tell the plumber exactly what happened in the bathroom. We hope the man will be able to diagnose the problem so that it won’t happen again.

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Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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29 thoughts on “Goodbye Lise!”

  1. Having lived to tell about my plumbing issue in November, thanks to dropping the tiny Dixie cup into the toilet while flushing it, I can identify with the mess. As you know, I put the Dixie cup over the sink drain to thwart centipedes and it flew out of my hand while removing it to wash my hands and flew into the toilet. I should have shut off the water right away, but put in toilet paper to ensure the cup went to the main drain. Not a smart move. I did get all the wall-to-wall carpeting in the bathroom dry, by propping it up with cups which functioned as “risers” and training an oscillating fan on the elevated carpet was no picnic for the following week. Sigh.

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      1. Thank goodness these experiences are in the rear view mirror for both of us. Every time I go downstairs I see the missing panel in the ceiling and I am reminded why that happened. It is a suspended ceiling with soft panels … it was sopping wet and would not have dried out. And, it is ironic as all the more centipedes and/or spiders can now drop out of the open ceiling, the nemesis I was trying to avoid.

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        1. Home owning is not for sissies. Last night the refrigerator began to leak. It could be 18 years old. $ shut off the water to it, which was a quick fix. I’m going to think about trying to get it repaired. Most of the appliances have been replaced since we moved here.

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          1. Yes, indeed it is not for sissies. I remember after my father left, my mom said “are you sure we can take care of the house or do we need to move to a condo where things are taken care of for you?” I was appalled she would say that and said “no, how difficult can things be – we will get a handyman?!” I’ve had to backtrack that confidence many times. I hope the fridge can be repaired. I worry about mine with all the power outages and the generator going on/off, especially when they didn’t know what was wrong with it. I do have a surge protector in the back of it, but it was purchased in 1990, so it’s 34 years old.

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  2. How weird for something like that to happen to poor John! I’m sorry glad he knew what to do! And then Lise being so smart to line up a plumber before she left! You have such competent kids!

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  3. It is always something, right? Your son and daughter are so handsome and beautiful and with the family resemblance. I am glad they were there for you and to address things.

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  4. So glad you had the family around during the mini-disaster. It’s good that John $ will be there when the plumber comes but a shame you’ve lost Lise’s company again.I wish David was back living with you again.

    Take care and keep looking after yourself. Huge Hugs

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  5. Oh my! What an experience. I’m so glad your son was there when it happened and not you on your own. I love the picture of the two of them. You have such great kids!

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    1. I think everything is operational now, but I need to buy a new shower head. That exploded this morning as John was about to take a shower. We’ll get that in the morning. Kent, who did work for me, is coming for lunch/dinner tomorrow and will take John to the airport. The whirlwind might stop.

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  11. Lucky that son John was on hand to clean up. Recently while recuperating I was asleep in bed and had left a tap running. Deep water met me at the door. Luckily my daughter was home working and caring for me. She used every towel in the cupboard to dry the floor and still had to use the mop. Easily dealt with by my proficient daughter, as was yours by your proficient son.

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    1. Aren’t we lucky? Tonight my son and I noticed the kitchen floor was wet. He stopped the leak by turning off the water to the refrigerator. It hasn’t been repaired, but we won’t be flooded overnight.

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