It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Winter

It was snowing when I woke up this morning and it flurried until early afternoon.  It didn't snow much and by afternoon the pavement was wet but not snowy.  It occurred to me the other day when I was walking around the block in fifty degree sunshine that something was different about this December, aside from the 2020 voluntary house arrest, that is.  It hasn't been very wintery around here.  We had one snowfall a few weeks back that motivated me to get out the snowblower but since then it's been so nice that I haven't even started it.  That'll be on my "to-do" list for tomorrow.  Fingers crossed that it starts right up.

My big accomplishment today was taking a shower.  There are blessedly no photos of that.  It was a struggle to get out of my warm jammies and streak into the bathroom but I finally managed just before noon.  Hey, what did I have to hurry for?  It could have been a pajama day and no one would have known.

This afternoon I cast on a warm beanie in some bulky espresso colored tweed yarn.  I've made so many cast sock toe caps lately that I thought I should start something a little bigger.  So, a hat.  Bulky yarn makes it go faster.

 

12 December--Barbara Malcolm, The Seaview. 

Chapter 22

            Iggy had called his friend Calvin who was a plumber.  With the wiring almost finished and Silas and Edward making such rapid progress with the walls Iggy said it was time for the pipes to get their makeover.  It would be much easier to get things out of the container if the huge stack of PVC pipes and fittings were gone.

            Calvin drove up just as I arrived at the hotel in the morning.  He was in his faded green work truck with Calvin Brooks's Plumbing painted on the door.  Calvin and his truck both looked as if they had been in business a long time, both of them a bit dented and grayed out.  Iggy introduced us and I felt Calvin's eyes travel down and up my body to finally meet mine with a knowing wink.  I put on my frostiest look and shook his hand without a smile.

            He started talking to Iggy as if Iggy was the hotel's owner and the one who would be paying him but Iggy quickly diverted him, saying, "Calvin, I told you that Mrs. Rose here would need your services.  Silas and I have gotten the wiring replaced and now it is time for you to replace all the pipes with the new PVC ones that she has shipped here."

            Calvin rocked back on his heels and looked me up and down again folding his arms across his ample chest.  "Well now, Mr. Solomon, I do not know about needing to replace all of the pipes.  Some of them might just be usable yet."

            I interrupted him.  "Mr. Brooks, I am the owner of the hotel and I am the one who makes the decisions.  I am not a babe in the woods and if you think you are going to be working with a foolish woman who knows nothing about building or construction you are mistaken."  Mr. Calvin Brooks' attitude had rubbed me the wrong way since he had climbed out of his disreputable truck.

            "Now, I..." he began but I stopped him with my upturned hand.

            "I understand, Mr. Brooks, that the pipes in this building were installed when it was built.  We have found many signs of leaks.  I do not want to take any chances with leaky sinks or toilets or pipes running through the newly repaired walls so I made the decision to have all of them replaced with new PVC.  If you have a problem with that I am certain I can find another licensed plumber to the do job."

            Calvin burst out laughing and slapped Iggy on the shoulder.  "You were right, my man, she is one independent woman."  He turned to me, sobering slightly.  "I totally agree with you, Mrs. Rose, that this place needs all new pipes.  The original owners cobbled together whatever they could find and the previous owner, a French businessman from St. Martin, hired Old Reynaldo to be caretaker, and while Old Reynaldo is a good man with goats he is not so knowledgeable with wires and pipes and roofs.  I see that you are repainting and I assume you have had the roof checked?"  I nodded.  "That is good.  I see a few clay tiles in the underbrush and would not want it to rain indoors on your guests."  He hitched up his pants and turned to remove a clipboard from the front seat of his truck.  "I will make my survey today and come on Monday first thing with a crew so that we can get your pipes in order within a week if you have everything I need in that container."

            I shot Iggy a look at the way his friend had tried to jerk me around, but I trusted Iggy and went along inside.  The men went upstairs first and I heard them tapping pipes and clanking around up there.  Soon a voice came down the stairs.

            "Mrs. Rose, ma'am, do you have commodes in your container?"

            I smiled at Mr. Brooks' delicacy, picked up another copy of the bill of lading and carried it up to him.  "Here, Mr. Brooks..."

            "Call me Calvin, please, Mrs. Rose."

            "Okay, Calvin, here is a copy of what's in the cargo container.  All of the plumbing supplies begin on page sixteen and go to page twenty-seven.  I hope I have everything you will need.  I took a plumber with me when I bought it all."

Today's toss was a box of decks of cards.  I have cards, I don't need twenty decks.

Writing was a bit iffy today.  The prompt wasn't very interesting and I was less than inspired by it but I did write so it counts.

--Barbara