Well repairs and follow-up, Mama’s new chair, a new vacuum, and more

I have been teaching classes for the past three days, so I have not updated any of you on the progress made and the blessings that have come in those three days. Monday, the well repair company got to the farm fairly early. Within a few minutes they had our well working and water restored to the house. It turned out that the repair is something I could have easily done had I been able to diagnose the issue. It was an electrical problem in the control box that powers the well pump. Everything looked good to me in my limited troubleshooting, but a more experienced eye was able to see the problem and quickly and easily correct it.

Mama and I were greatly relieved to have the well back in service. Victoria’s comment was that we had had a fun weekend hauling water and flushing toilets with five-gallon buckets, but she really liked running water. It made Mama and I think of the character in the movie Baby boom who at one point, had lost water to the house. When the repairman was explaining what needed to be done to get water to the house and how much that would cost her response was, “I don’t want to know where the water comes from. I just want to turn the faucet and see water coming out.” That is pretty much where Mama and Victoria stood in the issue.

Since the well has been back in operation we have been seeing a rapid cycling of pressure in the water at the house. After some study I know what the problem is and will correct that this afternoon. The reset will take some time so I have to pick an hour when we are not using the water to make the repair, but once that is done, we should be good to go for a while. Since the serviceman told me that the problem is generally a control box issue – specifically the capacitor in the control box – I bought a couple spare capacitors to repair the box taken out of service. It is only two years old and is in great shape other than that one part. I will have it as a backup for the next time we run into this issue.

On Wednesday, as promised, Mama’s new chair was delivered to the house. It is a leather power recliner. It was bought because Mama needed someplace to sit that would not continue to hurt her back and legs. The couch we have had for several decades was no longer able to provide that comfort. Since the sectional we were wanting was not available for several months, we defaulted to purchasing the one recliner.

I originally thought that it would be several more months before we could look at purchasing the sectional but as it turned out, the salesman from the furniture store called late yesterday and told me that the delivery date for that sectional had moved forward to mid-February. Armed with that information, Mama and I went to Denton last night to meet with him and potentially order the furniture.

As we worked through the arrangement we wanted for the five pieces of sectional furniture, the salesman found out that the price had been reduced by over $500 and that all five pieces we wanted of the six offered were currently available for delivery. So, we ordered the sectional and have been scheduled to have it delivered and set up for us next Wednesday. So much better than the three months originally set for delivery. With that, our furniture shopping is done. Now we move on to home repair projects. Just as an aside, Mama’s Color Street business is doing very well, and she enjoys using the new computer we purchased for that business.  

Another little blessing is the vacuum we ordered. Mama, Victoria and I all spent time looking at different vacuums and finally settled on a Shark Dual Action Lift Away. I was set on a particular model because of the review of that model from a person that cleans houses for a living. That particular model was only available online. When the order was placed the expected arrival date was set for the 18^th of January, but the vacuum arrived yesterday afternoon. Mama and Victoria were thrilled. So far, the only issue they have with the vacuum is the small canister – we did not want a vacuum that required bags. The reality is that we used a vacuum that was so pitiful for so long that it did not quickly fill the canister. This one does and though that canister is smaller, the ability of this unit to actually clean is far superior to what we have used in the past. Now, I can put my shop vac back in the shop. It sufficed for a temporary vacuum, but it was not a long-term solution.

Lots of little blessings to celebrate.