Today has been another of our cherished family Sundays — three generations sharing our various enthusiasms and updates and frustrations together.
I don’t make much of St. Patrick’s Day but I did pull together a sort-of Irish breakfast. Homemade sausage rolls (vegetarian and not), eggs, mushy peas (no surprise, these were not a hit), fruit, whole grain apple cake with custard sauce. I suggested a pot of tea to complete the vibe but had no takers. Afterwards there was some happy playing outside complete with joyously muddy boots and pants, then inside for board games and drawing and fort-building using sheets and clips. (Beach chair clips are great for this.)
It was around then that my spouse and son discovered a pipe leading from our sink and dishwasher has been slowly leaking into the basement, apparently for many years. This was, if I understood the muttering, thanks to work by “some idiot” before we moved in. Of course the plumber in our family was in Illinois helping a friend. Our poor house has been through a lot. Foundation cracks, water damage, and a back porch that was barely nailed onto the house. Now this.
By the time I got lunch ready it was a bit chaotic around here. Lasagna (three different kinds might have been overkill), whole wheat rolls with a garlic butter candle, fruit, several kinds of veg, and two new cookie recipes. Several people didn’t eat at all. One kid didn’t try much other than rolls. No matter. We spent it together, plumbing problem or no plumbing problem. These Sundays are a vital nutrient to me. Not only do we spend time together, I hope this gives my hard-working loved ones time to relax with at least two meals they don’t have to make. I also admit I feel downright nourished when I can cook for others. That may even be more true now that my allergies don’t let me have any of these foods.*
My spouse is saying he’ll need to jack up the porch and tear out a wall. It sounds like a lot of work and he has my sympathy. There are so many things falling apart in our world. From here it looks like we humans are the cause of every single one.
I know in this house it’s not the right moment to say I’m grateful that this problem was found before it got worse. That I’m grateful it can be fixed. That washing dishes in the laundry tub isn’t that big a deal. I wish the larger fixes necessary on this beautiful planet were as doable.
*That’s not entirely true, I can eat the fruit and veg.
Bit of Earth Farm 
You are so blessed that you can be together! I am glad always to be reminded to be grateful. Thanks!
It sounds like the best kind of celebration and the most depressing kind of plumbing problem (doesn’t justify an emergency call-out, but still needs a lot of time and money spent on it). I wish you and your family joy, a quiet digestion and a (relatively) painless solution to the leak.
I am awed by the wisdom of wishing someone “a quiet digestion” and shall be bestowing this wish on the loud digester with whom I share a home. Thank you.
From one whose inner workings have *never* been peaceful, I know what it is to be constantly on tenterhooks about whether this food or that will stick around long enough to do some good. And the two males in my life gurgle frequently but are not plagued by the results. It’s just not fair.