A few weeks ago someone from my church was going on vacation and they asked me to house sit for them. Actually, it was more of a dog-sitting job. The impression I got was sort of like "I don't care if you burn down the house, just take care of the dog."
This person, whom I shall call Dennis Walters, showed me the ropes of his house, how to feed the dog. (The sad thing is that the most elaborate recipe I know is for a dog. That doesn't speak to the complexity of the recipe for the dog's dinner as much as it does my incompetence in the kitchen.)
Overall, it was a nice time. I got some time alone in an air conditioned house. I would have had more time for chem, except it happened to coincide with the time my parents were in town, so I took a lot of time to spend with them.
Every house has it's own quirks. This house was no exception. The faucet in the upstairs bathroom needed a new washer or something. When turning the tap off, getting it to turn on 100% was a bit of a task. There was often a drip, or even a small stream when the tap was off. There was also a small leak on the top side of the faucet. So small you would hardly notice. You would see the effects. After washing hands, brushing teeth, etc. there would be a small puddle on the counter top. Nothing big. Nothing major.
Then one day, after coming home from work, then going out to dinner with my parents I came home and used to washroom downstairs. The vent on the ceiling was leaking. I found the mop and cleaned up the floor. I got a bucket and put it beneath the leak.
At the time it was raining cats and dogs outside. We were under a severe weather warning from Environment Canada. It had hardly rained my time in the house. I figured the water was coming in from outside or something. But that night Dennis called and I talked to him about it. As we were talking I thought to go upstairs and check the bathroom upstairs.
When I got upstairs the entire counter top in the sink was covered in water. There was a small puddle forming on the floor. I opened up the cupboard and found water had gotten in there too. Dennis may have lost a couple of rolls of toilet paper out of that ordeal.
He may also have to replace the counter unit. He may also have to replace the faucet. He said it was getting old and would have had to replace that soon anyway. Of course I still really feel bad about that whole thing. I offered to help Dennis out with the fixing. He told me not to worry about it. (Thanks Dennis! But if you change your mind, I'll be around for a while.)
Well, that's it for my Adventures in House Sitting. Now, I know some of you out there have your own adventures. Please share! We'd love to hear your stories.
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