The Bathtub Saga Continues

Tom, who wears a yellow shirt with the words "General Handyman" on the back, came over this morning to work on our drain and smack his head hard on the overhang above the basement steps.

The pleasant part of this story is that our tub drains like a hoover now, thanks to a bottle of lye and five gallons of boiling water. The unpleasant part is that I went to the basement to do a load of laundry this morning while the tub drained from my shower, and noticed water dripping from the ceiling just below the bathroom. Tom also noticed this when he went down to check out the plumbing, and he's loudly proclaiming that the old lead pipes in this place are due to be replaced. I've even been instructed not to take baths until the leak, which only springs up under extreme water pressure, is eliminated. Tom's down there discussing replumbing with the landlord now, and I feel bad for drawing attention to a serious problem that will eventually cost Maria a ton of money and make life miserable for us while our tiny bathroom with its ancient charming fixtures is ripped apart, along with the kitchen cabinets that were installed on the wall that provides access to the pipes. Tom is recommending we take a cruise, so we don't have to shit in a bucket and shower outside.

I don't know about the cruise, but I can say that the idea of homeownership seems less and less appealing with every place we rent.