Heavenly

Apparently, despite the fact that I have not been keeping up with my blog at all lately, all four of my faithful readers checked in today with feedback about my now public shower problems. (See yesterday's post.) Thank you, friends - both for reading and for offering me much needed advice.

My friend, Randall, wisely suggested a bath as a viable hygiene option, thus eliminating my obvious conflict with the shower. Actually, he suggested two baths. The first bath would eliminate the grime and the second would do away with the film that the first bath leaves behind. I like this idea! KC also suggested the hot bath and Grandma Della checked in with her comment that she remembers issues with the shower back when she came for a visit in 2009. Have I been suffering that long?

Thrilled with my new shower head, I propped it up against the shower door today hoping that Wade would find time to install it.  We both took off early this morning and ran in opposite directions all day.  I never really asked him to put it on, but with knowledge of my boney hand injury yesterday and the trip to the hardware store, I assumed he realized the urgency.

After my endless errand running here for this and there for that, it was time to pick Colton up from school and head to his tennis lessons.  I packed a big water cooler and some snacks, grabbed him from school and hit the road for the tennis center.  His private lesson started at 3:30 and was to go for an hour. Colton ran onto the court with his instructor as I searched for a good place to sit.  By good place, I mean shade. Unfortunately, the only shaded seating would not allow me to see Colton in his lesson.  So, being the good sport that I am, I tried to ignore the blazing heat and sat down on the metal bench, in full sun, to watch. About two minutes into the lesson, the sweat began running down all sides of my body, pooling in the various folds that come with age. Soon, vanity gave way to desperation as I rummaged through my purse for a hair tie so I could pull my hair up, off the back of my neck. I found a small clip and fixed all my hair up on top of my head. I gave no thought to what it might look like, I only knew it was sweet relief.

At 4:30, Colton followed his instructor over to a small group of kids waiting for "the clinic". Colton jumped into the group and acted like he'd been part of it for a year. After another hour of this, I leaned over to a mom and asked her if they usually run late. "Oh no," she said, "the clinic is two hours long."  This was not the news I was hoping for.

Finally, after 3 hours of tennis in the blazing sun, Colton and I headed for home. Of course, he was unfazed by the experience and didn't seem the least bit tired. Driving home, he babbled on about everything from school work to his tennis lesson while I kept my mind focused on a nice, relaxing shower. I'm sure there was a smile on my face as I drove. Getting home, Colton headed to his shower and I rounded the corner to mine.  Surely Wade had made it home to install my new shower head, before leaving to take Buck to football practice.

Sadly, there it sat, still in its wrapper. So, doing what all desperate housewives would do, I cut open the packaging and got to work. I've never installed a shower head before, but how hard could it be? I never use directions when assembling things, so I figured it out as I went. Teflon tape, check. Extra washer, check. Shower head attachment, check.  Things went along smoothly and I was a woman on a mission. Ten minutes later, the installation was done. Flipping on the water to check for leaks, there were none. Success! Shooing away the kids, who had gathered to watch, I jumped in to enjoy my much anticipated shower.

One word came to mind. Heavenly! It was better than I imagined. The water showered out without excessive pressure and the experience was truly peaceful. Immediately, I broke into the Halleluja chorus, thankful that this former war zone was now a heavenly retreat for this exhausted mom.

Comments

[Randall]

Well, I was reading your latest blog with great expectations, drooling all over my keyboard with the anticipation of some wonderful punch line that might await a faithful reader……….but……..what a letdown! I thought surely some calamity must have befallen Wade as he was whizzing through the shower head installation, like leftover parts, broken pipes, or at least some water-soaked kids and/or pets. If not that, maybe Sheila arrived home hot and sweaty from Colton’s tennis lessons to find the new shower head perfectly installed. Seeing this, she jumps in and turns it on, only to find that the new one is more powerful than the old one and thereby suffering much pain and agony due to a badly sunburned neck obained from spending three hours in the sun with her hair tied up on top of her head. Or, at the very least, how about a little family friction showing up about who should be the shower head installer in the family, who works harder, who has more time on their hands, and other juicy conversational tidbits. Instead, we get heavenly peace and the Halleluja chorus. Ugh! Anyway, after I finished reading the blog, I guess I have to admit that I had a smile on my face and a little tear in my eye. But then, you always knew I was a sucker for happy endings. Randall :-)

[S]

I know, Randall, it was all too predictable. So sorry to disappoint - you are a hard reader to please! There was a small conversation, as you described, about "what" exactly we each do around here and shower head installation definitely falls into "his" column. Perhaps it's my fault as three weeks ago we went out and purchased three shiny new toilet seats. Knowing my husband and realizing that they would sit in their boxes for several more weeks, I dug in immediately and installed them all. He feigned sadness at my having to work so hard, but under his breath he obviously thought that I could handle shower head replacement. Next week I should be blogging about changing the oil in my car.

[KC]

And may all moms take a lesson from your "can do" installation. Good for you for just getting after it and giving it a shot. I like it. KC