good news, bad news

The good news first - the plumber just got done evaluating the situation. He seems to be a very competent guy - he reassured me that there wasn't much bringing-up-to-code he'd have to do, and that he could work around the fact that the new heater I bought is a tad bigger than the old one. (One of the things he's going to do is install an emergency cut-off valve, which is good - my heater didn't have one.)

He concurred, after hearing my description of the symptoms, that it was most likely a scale buildup that killed the heater, and said 24 years was a good long lifespan.

(Perhaps it's actually a GOOD sign it took him so long to get to me - suggests he's through and doesn't do a crappy job just to get done.)

The bad news is because he has to get a work order for the bring-it-up-to-code stuff, it will probably be Thursday afternoon. (It could have been Wednesday but I told him I had too many outside commitments to try to be at home).

I will say I'm considerably reassured that

a. He's articulate and seems to know his stuff. (So many plumbers and electricians here mumble and obfuscate, drooling their words down the fronts of their shirts.) This guy actually reminded me a bit of my (20 years older than me) cousin Darryl, which I also find reassuring though I realize that's a totally irrational thing to feel reassured about. (Perhaps I find it reassuring because I've dealt with seriously skeevy plumbers in the past, and I didn't get a skeeve-vibe off this guy. Like I said: reminds me a bit of one of my cousins who is a well-established family man, veteran, and all around good guy.)

b. He didn't look at the old heater and recoil in horror and go "I can't fix it! This it too screwed up! You'll have to get a carpenter and a gas-man in here first!" Because then I really would have melted down and probably gone all Crazy Cat Lady Without The Cats on him. Actually, when I audibly worried about the old pipes, he said, "Oh, I can put on the cut-off and install a flexi-pipe there, it'll fit the new heater just fine." So, yay.

So, two more days.

Patience, as you may have gathered from all this, is not one of the virtues I possess. However, I'm better at being patient when I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Only two more mornings of washing my face in cold water. Only two more nights (one, actually, because Wednesday I eat with the Youth Group down at church) of boiling water on the stove to wash dishes. And I think I can hold off - especially since I can't work out with this cough - on washing my hair or taking a "full" shower until Thursday evening.