Oh Joy, OH Happiness---Drats

I was enjoying my hot shower this morning---til I notice the blank gunk bubbling up outta the shower drain, and realized I have a plumbing problem. I called for the plumber, (he's number 3 on the speed dial---and got the ever popular, yes we will send someone out between 8am and Noon.-----so here I sit watching the clock count down to Noon . I wanted to go do my grocery shopping and make a trip to the library, but can't , have to wait for the plumber----$75.00 just to knock on my door and ask ME what seems to be the problem?? (sigh)

Actually my plumber is not a bad guy, his firm has been involved with this house since it was built. His grandfather put in the original plumbing, then his father, and now the grandson. When I had the faucets replaced last year (updating the look of the bath), the kid gripped about how tight the connections were, and then he kinda laughed, "one thing my dad always told me was make damn sure ya tighten all the connections before ya turn the water back on---boy he sure did mean TIGHT!"

The $75 charge for house calls gets applied to any resulting work, parts and labor---and is pretty much a standard charge by any plumbing outfit in the area. ahhh yes the fun of owning your own house-----hear now on the radio, that the price of electricity is bout to jump up about 30 percent, due to the high cost of gasoline/diesel fuel, and the need to update generating capacity which has been kinda ignored for the last few years so that now demand is more than capacity can handle on peak demands-----(maybe its time to shoot the air conditioner and learn how to make candles?)