Fixing a drippy shower and wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving

There are times when I wish I had married a plumber. Like yesterday. When I first heard the drip, drip, drip coming from the shower head. I don't have a particular plumber in mind, and I've never dated a plumber, but the rates of the average plumber usually send me into this fantasy world. My fantasy plumber will look like George Clooney and will wear a belt with no hint of plumber crack... Alas, that's not the case. My husband is gifted in other ways but not the plumbing arts. More often than not, it's me who tackles these little home maintenance duties.

If you've ever questioned how much clean water is being wasted from a drippy faucet, question no more. I placed our "gray water" bucket under the drip and it filled to 5 gallons in a day.

Unlike a real plumber, I don't have any of the proper tools or parts or any know-how. Armed with a home improvement book, I have to take something apart before I can figure out what might be wrong. Today I started with the least expensive part first -- a rubber gasket that looked old and cracked near where the drip was coming from. One trip to the hardware store and 24 cents later, I returned home, put everything in place.... Drip, drip, drip. Sigh.... Muttered a few choice words.

Back to the hardware store. This time I bought a whole new inline vacuum breaker dealy-bob. Returned home $15.99 poorer. Installed the thing. Went down to the basement to turn the water main back on. Said a prayer on each and every step coming back upstairs: please don't be dripping any more. please don't be dripping any more. please-please-please. 

Success! It will be a happy Thanksgiving now after all! No more drip. The reason I'm telling you about this is that:

1. It's a crime to waste clean water (so fix your drips -- really, if I can do it, so can you).
2. I recently read about how someone did a major remodel of their home because of a leaky faucet!!

Can you believe that? Is that not the height of American consumerism? Something doesn't work, rip out half of the house and buy new! Granted, that was how I was feeling mid-way into this fix-it when I didn't know if I'd be able to get 'er done or if I'd end up calling a real plumber to fix my mess. But it reminds me how often I read about these wonderful green remodels people do. And don't get me wrong. I'm green with envy. I'd love to make my home more efficient with all the sleek new "green home" bells and whistles. But I don't. I just keep living with my kitchen floor that I utterly HATE, and making do with what we have -- since that's really one of the greenest things you can do: use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

Apologies for my ranting. I think I've gotten that out of my system now. Thank you.

Back to Thanksgiving. Heather and I are so very grateful for each and every one of you who comes to EnviroMom to read what we're up to, share some wisdom and make this the wonderful green parenting community that it is. We'll be taking tomorrow off to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and wish you all a family-filled enjoyable, delicious holiday.