Inquiring minds and toilets

Well, having the inquisitive mind that I do, I will step over into territory no gentleman should ever tread and ask just how old you are Miss Etta? I think among friends of the same sex it is perfectly acceptable to share. Forget all the readers who may happen to see your answer, just pretend it's just the three of us sitting in the parlor trading secrets!

If for some reason you don't want to share your age after tweaking my interest with your reference to age, at least you can share your recipe for okra bread. It sounds intriguing to say the least. I may just break down and try it if the recipe is simple enough.

Reading about your dog water barometer made me think of a story I heard from a friend of a friend. It seems this couple had a three story home that was in a nice section of town. They took off for parts unknown to enjoy a well-earned vacation.

When they got home they opened the door to a full house of water. It seems that a day or so after they left on their trip there was a lightening storm. Somehow, without doing any visible exterior damage or catching the house on fire, lightening struck on the third floor. It must have traveled along the metal pipes because the only damage that occurred as a direct result of the strike is that it sheared the upstairs toilet into pieces.

The entire time they were gone water flowed from the broken toilet across the floor, through the floor eventually and all the way down to the basement. Carpets were ruined. Ceilings were ruined.

Now of course it could have been much, much worse. They could have been at home sitting on the throne when the lightening struck.

Someone else I know left home to go shopping leaving the washing machine running. When they got home that night the hose had burst flooding the entire laundry room, kitchen and basement. I never leave my washer going when I am leaving the house anymore.

Which reminds me of something that you two ladies may already know but I just learned. Have you ever had clothes sour in the washer because you forgot they were there? It is virtually impossible to get that smell out, even with another wash. If you pour just a little bit of vinegar into the water when you re-wash, it will completely do away with the smell!

It just proves you are never too old to learn something new.

Talk to you soon. I think that I am going to fix myself a cup of hot cocoa and curl up with a good book. I need to thaw out after our little snow event.

Miss Faye