Yesterday I did alot of work on the house. First i fixed the fountains outside. They seemed really daunting and scary——who knows anything about a pump for a fountain really? Well it turns out it is rather simple, they were clogged with nasty gunk, and they come right out, get rinsed off and work fine……also my $2 package of plastic shims from the hardware store balanced them perfectly…….savings=probably about $60, instead of finding some genius who is an expert on fountain pumps…..

Then I moved on to the scary item, the tri-lever assembly for the toilet. Know what that is? I sure didn’t. But now I do, I could even write a short novel about it. Needless to say, you don’t need a masters degree to figure it out, unscrew it, go to Home Depot, get another one, and make it work fine. Savings=about $60 again, although I feel badly as Virgilio, the delightful plumber, needs the work.

Speaking of “fixins”…..Nathen’s school started their food drive yesterday for Thanksgiving. Every class level is assigned an item for the meal to be brought in…4th grade assignment is “pie”. The problem the drive has had is that people are embarrassed to be asking for food in our school community. God, I wish they wouldn’t be.

There is NOTHING wrong with asking for help. EVER. That’s what friends, family, community is all about. Gone are the days (or they SHOULD be), when people speak in hushed tones about someone needing a “handout”, or needing “help”. Just think about how disgusting that is, judging somebody else for NEEDING HELP—-then give what you can, with a smile on your face and expecting nothing in return. Just beware the ones who make a lifestyle choice out of it, just one man’s opinion. “Teach a man to fish”, and all that, or learn to fix a toilet…….

WG