Whatever rural appeal I believed inherent in well water and septic has evaporated of late, as I learn indoor plumbing is overrated.

There's a 38 gallon plastic can under the overflow pipe that's been known to, uh, overflow. This weekend, the can filled up and over. Water's heavy, you know, so Jeff bailed a few gallons at a time and spent most of Sunday at it.¹ And swept the basement floor. Since then, there's been the continuous hum of three floor fans drying things out.

Come Monday, we sought professional help. The septic tank was serviced last spring but, to rule it out, we had it pumped again. Still water on the floor, suggesting a blockage in the drain pipe.

A plumber recommended checking the baffles. We dug up the cover, which wasn't too difficult as it had been dug up just the day before. And removed it. Jeff caught a whiff and walked off retching, cheeks fully puffed out! I haven't had the sense of smell since before Christopher was born, so I peered into the murky tank, completely unaffected.

Real men don't retch at an open septic tank ...

Further acclaim for this "Crunchy mom!"

The plumber augured the drain pipe from the exterior of the house and removed the blockage. He didn't charge much but sold us some chemicals. Once a month, as I swap out my disposable contacts, I'm to flush a packet of enzymes and bacteria down the toilet for a healthy septic. The plumber blames all those anti-bacterial cleansers so popular these days for compromising our system.

Jeff blames the clog on toilet tissue and, in a house of mostly males, I'm the likely culprit. In my defense, I'll mention that during a visit, the neighbor girl unwound 1/2 roll of TP and dropped it in the powder room "bowl". Strange fetish. Oh, recalling it now I remember scooping it out instead of flushing it. So, she isn't my scapegoat.

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Remodel gone wrong - June 2007
Monkeys do HVAC - July 2007
When the well runs dry - December 2007

¹ No miracles here. cf Genesis 24:19-20 and a previous post about cessationism.