My work's done

[KansDem]

Yesterday, I returned home to find a water pipe spewing a hard, constant stream of water all through my garage.

We have our washer/dryer in the garage and during particularly cold days, like what we had here in KC a few days ago, the water freezes and we are unable to do any washing. This has been going on for years. Generally, we watch the weather forecasts during winter and if a day of single degree weather is forecasted, we do as much laundry as possible to “ride out” the cold spell. Usually it’s only a few days and with “warmer temperatures” in the 20s or 30s, the pipes thaw and we can do laundry again.

There usually isn’t any problem other than the inconvenience…until yesterday. A small crack in the copper pipe providing water to the washer developed, and when the pipes thawed, the water began spewing.

Now, we have a lot of things stored in the garage, so it was imperative this leak be stopped to avoid water-damage to boxes and their contents.

The water shut-off valve is located in the crawl space accessible through the garage. It has a very small opening and required one to crawl a little ways once in the space under the house.

Fortunately, my son—he will be 13 next week—was home (this was in the afternoon), and I called to him to help me. He came quickly and we assessed the situation. He took a flashlight and crawled under the house and shut off the valve. This stopped the water—throughout the whole house, so we had to find a way to “repair” the pipe since we couldn’t do without water.
As he held a flashlight for me to see, I taped the crack, placed a split-hose around the pipe, covering the crack, and used six clamps to secure it. My son went back down into the crawl space and turned the water back on. He stayed there until I could assess the success of the operation. I had to call to him once to turn the water back off because of some small leakage. I made a few adjustments, called to him to turn the water back on and…success! The mending job held!

He came back out and we congratulated each other.

It reminded me of the old folk song:

When I first came to this land

When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man
So I built myself a shack, and I did what I could
And I called my shack, "Breaking my back"
But the land was sweet and good and I did what I could

When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man,
So I got myself a cow, and I did what I could
And I called my cow, "No milk now"
And I called my shack, "Breaking my back"
But the land was sweet and good and I did what I could

When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man,
So I got myself a duck, and I did what I could
And I called my duck, "Out of luck"
And I called my cow, "no milk now"
And I called my shack, "Breaking my back"
But the land was sweet and good and I did what I could

When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man,
So I got myself a wife, and I did what I could
And I called my wife, "Run for your life"
And I called my duck, "Out of luck"
And I called my cow, "No milk now"
And I called my shack, "Breaking my back"
But the land was sweet and good and I did what I could

When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man
So I got myself a son, and I did what I could
And I called my son, "My work's done"
And I called my wife, "Run for your life"
And I called my duck, "Out of luck"
And I called my cow, "No milk now"
And I called my shack, "Breaking my back"
But the land was sweet and good and I did what I could

I could have wiggled through the entrance of the crawl space and twisted and turned to find the shut-off valve: I’ve been doing so every year since we bought the house some 23 years ago. But this time would have taken me much longer as I had developed over the years some health conditions that would have made it much more difficult than the first time I did it. My son certainly lightened the load—it was a “50/50” endeavor.

He does have some chores to perform: keeping his room clean and tidy, taking out the trash and recycling, and helping in the yard when necessary. But this is the first time we tackled a pressing problem together and worked together to solve it. I'm very proud of my son, Michael!

I'm very proud of you, Son! :pals: Ahhh, Dad!

[blondeatlast]

1. Sometimes, they amaze you. My son will be 14 next month and he's gaining wisdom

unbelievably quickly.

Then last night, we watched Toy Story 3 together--and I could see the him as a two year old, seeing his very first movie, Toy story 2, on his little booster seat, eyes big as saucers and never once never leaving that amazing screen as he ate one piece of popcorn after another.

Yeah, I sobbed ever so quietly so he couldn't hear.

Here's to our AMAZING future! :toast:

k/r

[KansDem]

3. The other day I went to pick up a pair of Levis I thought were mine.

They were his!

I was amazed to see we both wear the same length! But not the same waist...:blush:

Now I know what my mom meant when she said "They grow up so quickly."

[blondeatlast]

4. Several months ago, he passed me in weight; two weeks ago, he passed me in height and I'm fairly

tall.

I've started taking a few moments every day to just observe him--it's amazing to think how soon he'll be on his own. :hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear KansDem!

What a great story! Thank you for sharing your work and your triumph with us...

Damn, I'm proud of your son too!

You've done a great job helping him become a man. Congratulations!

Recommended.

:hug:

[KansDem]

10. Thanks, CaliforniaPeggy. When the "gals" are gone for the evening...

Sister at work, mom's at a meeting...we'll have "guy night."

We'll cook up a pizza to share, then sit down to watch a "guy movie" together (usually a classic, like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," one of his favorites).

Mike's pretty good at knowing the classic and campy movies from the 1930s on. Does pretty good impressions, too!

Sometimes we wrestle, but he's getting bigger and stronger so I don't think he'll be wrestling with ol' Dad much longer!

[upi402]

5. That's pretty cool. Kids turn me into a big softy. Can I share this?

Kinda corny, but this is what I wrote on a recent B-Day card (same age group);

I can't believe my baby is a teenager!

On YOUR birthday, you gave ME a gift I'll never forget as long as I draw breath.
Remember- Neither of us could sleep, so we watched 'The Rookie' on the couch together at 1 AM

Remember- THAT human experience of love. Because people will let you down, hurt you, even betray you.
But hold on, and remember- That through lonely times, distance, or whatever void:
I will always love you deeply.


(kids are the reason, never got it before having one)

[KansDem]

9. "...kids are the reason, never got it before having one"

Ain't that the truth!

Thanks for sharing...:D

[panader0]

6. My son is now 18

About two or three years ago I bought him a guitar. He was about 5'6" tall. He's now 6'2" and has his own band, plays better than I do, and makes A's in school. Wow, they sure grow up in a hurry. You turn around and..........
PS--buy some foam pipe wrap-it's cheap, goes on easy and works good.

[KansDem]

11. Thanks for the tip

...buy some foam pipe wrap

Mike's learning drums. I hope to form a jazz trio someday: A good friend of mine on guitar, I play bass, and Mike on drums...just a dream.

[emilyg]

15. My grandson is 18 and short. This worries

my daughter - I'll forward your post to her.

[MrMickeysMom]

7. K&R!

Now, that's family value!

[mdmc]

8. remember this when he crashes the car..

[Dappleganger]

12. Great post! As a parent, I so relate to this.

Last night we had to go do something and I needed some muscle (protection) as dh wasn't around at the time. I asked our 6'3", very built 17 yr. old son to come with his sister and I. We discussed a strategy, and what to do in case things didn't go well. When my son went to do this job while I waited in the car, I had no doubt that he would accomplish it with a cool head (that's also his style). He did it with no incident and he felt like an adult. Kids like to be needed, especially after certain age. That gained confidence serves as stepladder to push them up to the next level of their personal growth. As they grow older it's hard to step back and let them make mistakes, but if they fall we are there to give them comfort and support--that's what families do.

[tridim]

13. My dad was an engineer and taught me DIY home/car repair very well.

It saves tons of money in adulthood. Thanks Dad!

Been on my own for about 20 years now and I've never had to call a plumber or any other repair service. Of course the Internet helps too.

[hootinholler]

14. And yet the engineer in me says

Install another valve where you can get to it. Better yet, install one with a drain on the line to the garage. You could also use a heat tape to prevent freezing.

But really, I hear what you're saying too and rec'd.

-Hoot

[Odin2005]

16. Good kid!

:D

[Billy Burnett]

17. My son is 39, and moved back last year.

Nothing but dead end and bad boiler room jobs. It has made him sullen.

Doing my best to keep his spirits up, while mine are flagging.

Still, I am proud of him for trying very hard in these hard times.