Ruminations on a Slowly Filling Toilet Tank

Larry and I have been spoiled.  And we will be the first to admit it.

From 1983 through 2003, except for a 6 month lease in Oklahoma and a 3 month lease in Louisiana, we lived exclusively in military quarters.

And we loved it.

We loved the security of living on post.

We loved the convenience of living on post.

We loved not paying utility bills while living on post.

But, mostly,

We loved the housing engineers.

What?  You threw a spoon in the sink from across the room and it bounced up and hit the window - shattering it in the process?  And it is in the winter?  

The housing engineers came right on over.

Oh -  your pipes burst in the ceiling of your front hall two days before you are giving the Welcome Coffee for the new Battalion Commander's wife?

When the housing engineers left the fresh paint gleamed as your guests arrived.

And the sewer backed up on the day that you were having company over and were planning on serving the handmade tortellini you slaved over and made without a pasta roller?

After the housing engineers left, everything was sweet smelling and dinner was amazing!

About the only time the housing engineers WERE NOT helpful was the day at FT Polk, LA that the black widow spider who lived near my front door light decided to have babies.  As I watched all those spiders stream down my outside wall, I was screaming on the phone for them to DO SOMETHING!!!  Thank goodness my neighbor was home for lunch, heard me screaming and ran over with a can of superduper spider killer spray.

So what does this have to do with the toilet tank oh so slowly filling at 1:30 am?

The thing that has always petrified me about home ownership is what to do when something breaks down.

I am not talking about the 'fridge or the stove or the dishwasher.  We've already replaced them.  And the hot water heater - I can deal with that.

But plumbing.  That costs LOTS.

And our house is eleven years old.  Things are starting to wear out.

So tonight, when I woke up from a restless dream and went in to use the bathroom, flushed, remembered (guiltily) that I had forgotten to brush my teeth, brushed them, took my hair out of braids,(having a hot flash at bedtime sucks) put some stuff on my hair guaranteed to make it absolutely beautiful and gorgeous by morning, and finally got back to bed, I realized - the toilet is still running!  I stayed still for a couple of minutes hoping that it would quit or that Larry would get up to take care of it.  When neither happened, I got back up, took the lid off the tank, wondered how the hell can they get away with calling it a ballcock, and tried to figure out why it wasn't filling.  After staring at it blankly for several seconds, I pushed the flapper thingy down and voila!  The tank filled!!!

Then I realized that I had to go to the bathroom again.

And sadly realized that we can never call the housing engineers again.

Good-bye, Fair Knights - we loved you so....