Homebodies - Adventures in my new home…

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Published on Sunday, August 7, 2016

By Rita Friesen

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It didn’t take but a heart beat for me to feel at home in this ‘new to me’ house. But, and there is always is a but, there have been a few adventures. The most major one occurred with the washing machine.

We were doing a major laundry day and among the bags and boxes was a comforter. Wisdom decreed that my machine should be spared this load, and so, leaving a grandchild home to shower and change laundry loads, I headed uptown to the laundromat.  Nicely started the batches there and my phone rang. Crisis at home. The hot water hose leading to the machine had burst, water on the floor and the alarm system was alarming. Needless to say, I hastened home. Ever so thankful that someone was home! I had several loads of clean and dry wash on the clothes horse. In the excitement they had toppled to the floor, absorbing much of the water. Much, but not all. Water part way down the hall, around the corner and over to the entrance. (I know which way the floor slopes!) A little had seeped into closets and a bit had been tracked around by little and big feet. The person at home was wearing a heavy fleece when responding to the alarm, and in turning off the water accepted a very hot shower, but the hoodie also absorbed copious amounts of liquid. Ever so thankful someone was home! 

By now, the alarm was into the four second screech rather than the constant blare. The dogs did not like this mode either. I managed to wrestle the alarm of the wall, it is a smoke detector but it took a direct hit from the stream of water and so I can’t fault it for complaining. Even after I removed the battery the unit lay there, gutted, on the counter, and emitted one last, penetrating beep. The damage was minimal, the effort considerate, and I was ever so thankful someone was home! While doing laundry I had noted two things, the hot hose went to the cold outlet, and the hot hose had a slight aneurism. I should have stopped right there. Another trip uptown to retrieve the wash at the laundromat and purchase a new hose. I went with the steel braided one and while we were at it, attached the hot to the hot and the cold to the cold. It’s working well.

I have found a light switch right in the entrance that has no visible results when flicked. Perhaps there are lights in the crawl space? I have only bruised my arms a few times on the current locking system for the garage doors, they will be changed! A friend was kind enough to show me how the oven works. (I am not a kitchen person and there is no manual!) It is all good. This house is home.