the joys

People always warned me about "the joys of home-ownership."
Never about the real joyous things like the fact I can paint the walls orange if I want to, that I can choose when (or if) to do the dishes or the fact that the washer and dryer are always free...oh no- the "joys" they spoke of were scary, horrific and devastating to bank accounts.

Today we were inducted into the "joy of home-ownership club," it only cost a decent chunk of savings and it came with a 6 month guarantee!

Its only been a few weeks here at 119 but we noticed early on that the drains emptied pretty slowly. We tried some home remedies- but the slop sink downstairs was almost continually full and doing dishes in the kitchen was pretty tricky. We managed to rotate our use of the sink, shower, toilet, slop sink and washer but it was no way to live. We called in the professionals and hoped for the best...

Snaking the pipes...multiple times!

Our new buddy Rich snaked the pipes at least five times before sending a camera down to take a look. The camera didn't find any breaks but it came out covered in cooking oil and grease. It would seem that the sweet owner before us (famous for her Italian cooking) must not have known about the no oil down the drain rule. There's probably a good 60 years of oils down there lining the drains like fat in arteries.  Yum. Roto Rooter prescribed an enzyme treatment that will work to break down the clogs and hopefully we avoided a much larger problem.

As I stood on the porch...my porch and penned a check to my friends at Roto Rooter I joked with Rich- "so these are the joys of home ownership everyone told me about huh?" He laughed and said, "Sure are...and after 10 years I'm about to get back into it myself."

Because as tough as things get there is still a certain, unforgettable, foundational joy that comes with having a home...having a roof over our heads, walls to keep us warm, pictures and orange paint on the walls.

Speaking of paint...we've had our fair share of that in the last week. Check it out:

Mike and his fantastic color choice in the dining room

A sophisticated grey in the office

Its all one big continual project- but I really do love this place and don't want to get so lost in "the joys" that I lose my joy. 

*if you find yourself in a similar plumbing situation Roto Rooter has a 40$ off coupon on their website- be sure to use it!