A Drain Rat

It was quite the interesting sight while driving thru our downtown on my way to office when noticing all the 'steamed' windows of businesses, which I'm sure was caused by the heavy dew created by our rapid temperature change overnight. Yes, the cooling north wind was a definitely a delight considering the heat wave we recently went thru.

After I had everything printed out for my afternoon appointments, I changed my clothes and went back to that daunting job of getting a home fully cleaned and readied for its new occupant. Thank goodness I managed to get everything cleaned and back up to speed, and just when I thought I was totally done, I went to wash my hands in the bathroom sink and noticed how slow the water was going down, which turned into another hour project.

Most people who think that once you wash your hair in a sink or bathtub, it'll all end up in the city sewers and on its way to a water treatment plant. Oh how wrong they are, because today's discovery was one more example of what happens when there's a hair build-up in a drain line.

Once I got the plastic drain plug released from it's connection, I took my flashlight and and got a good look, and it wasn't pretty, so off I went in search of a long, strong, but bendable wire which I did manage to find. I then created a make-shift hook on the end of it, and then went fishing for a drain 'mouse'. I finally managed to hook something and began to slowly pull it out. Oh my goodness! Once that long, round, slimy, and hairy wad was completely out, just the sight of it had me almost ready to vomit, so I hurriedly took a photo of it, then double-bagged it and sent it to a garbage bag. Without a doubt, that was the biggest clump of hair I've ever pulled from a drain, so instead of calling it a drain 'mouse', it was definitely closer to being a drain 'rat'. After another couple of more hours of cleaning, I finally came to the point where I could stand back and give it all a good looking-over and call it a good job done. I dare not mention how many hours I've spent on that project, but at least it's done, and I can now get back to what I should've been working at during these summer days.

My appointment at 113 N. Hawkeye in Nora Springs went very well, so hopefully that delightful young couple will call for a second look. They're not from Nora Springs, but like many others, they're looking to get out of Mason City and into a small town environment. I did mention my having noticed all the more people working here in the city who own homes in one of our surrounding towns, and by the looks of how those small town prices have gone up since the pandemic arrived, there's more buyers than there is inventory in Manly, Rockwell, Plymouth, Clear Lake and Nora Springs. Since Kensett is only five miles farther north of Manly, even that town's prices are spiking.

My mid-afternoon appointment didn't go as well as I was expecting, and only because the buyers were finding issues with the home which were not acceptable to them, so the search will continue on. Since they weren't rushed this afternoon, we did have an opportunity to do a little visiting while standing out in the home's driveway.

Before heading home, I stopped at a groceteria to purchase a few things, and as chance would have it, one of the women who's now retired from the bank I worked at a great many years ago, works part-time at that store, and when she saw me, she gave me a big hug and said, “Oh my goodness! I can't believe you still look the same as you did back when I first met you at the bank.” Of course I had to also mention the fact that she as well, not aged like many others. After our little visit, and just before walking away, I said, “Barb, without a doubt, running into you will be the highlight of my day.” Yes, she's the sweetest of persons.

Tonight's One-liner is: Most intellectual people do not believe in God, but they fear him just the same.

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