Midwest Memo
Repair list
by Alan Shultz

The last time I called a plumber a simple toilet leak repair wound up being a whole lot more involved than I had originally planned.

During the repair, Mr. Lane, my plumber, told me I had to cut down a little tree growing on the side of our house. The tree just caught his eye as he pulled up in his van. He predicted the tree's roots were going to hurt our foundation wall.

Out came the saw. After I cut the tree Mr. Lane said I had to kill the roots with the equivalent of a magic potion. He also instructed me on how to hunt down the buffalo box for the water turn off so that he could repair a leak where the water comes into the house.

My original call was about a leaky toilet, and there I was making a list of landscaping and detective chores. The leaky toilet seemed somehow less bothersome.

Sometimes when things break, it's just best to live with the broken version. Putting up, instead of fixing up, avoids that phenomenon called mission creep. One minute you are spackling a hole in the ceiling and the next thing you know you're up on the roof with replacement shingles. And then, once up on the roof, you notice the loose brick in the chimney.

Right now the "maintenance light" is a blaze on the dashboard of my little grey Toyota. Don't I know. The light came on the day after I had my last regular maintenance done at the dealer. After the light appeared, a mystery noise followed - a clicking, a clicking that wasn't there when I originally took the car in.

Besides the maintenance light, and the clicking, my front right headlight is out. It's not burned out, it's just not working. I've found if I give the light a good thump it springs into action. Admittedly, this is inconvenient. When I forget to start a trip out with a thump, the situation requires my pulling the car off the road a lot to "take care of business."

Right now the screen on my laptop computer is black and blank. The screen lights up when I turn the computer on. A minute or two later the screen goes dark. This one minute at a time business makes projects long and difficult. The first time the screen went dark I went bonkers. One just can't live without one's computer these days.

I called the computer maker for help with the broken screen. They want me to send the laptop to the factory for a month's visit.Amonth! I can't be without my computer for a month! My son Brad learned of my plight and loaned me a monitor that he's not using. So, I've got my laptop to type on, and then, right there next to the darkened computer screen is another screen for me to see what I'm writing. It's an odd look, but somewhat

vaguely familiar. My

dad once had a two television set-up himself. One set had a better picture, the other set had better audio. So he piled one atop the other. Back then I know I rolled my eyes. That was back when I had less life experience to draw on. Now, I hate to admit it, but in retrospect, I kind of see his logic.

In anticipation of winter I got out the ladder last weekend and cleaned the gutters. While I was up on the ladder I noticed a seam where water has been leaking onto our driveway. A little wrestling with the gutter and a single sheet metal screw seemed to solve the problem. Think "preventative home maintenance," then again, maybe not. This morning it looked to me like there was paper strewn on our front lawn.When I went out to pick up the paper I found it was actually the end piece to the gutter and an elbow that been attached to same. I guess I loosened something in the gutter system when I was busy at work up there.

And the next time the toilet appears to be leaking, I'll know better than to rush and call Mr. Lane. Surely a little "thump" would be the appropriate first response.