Things Fall Apart

Over time, homeowners have to repair and replace major items in the house. At the Inn, we also have major breakdowns, often at the most inopportune times. This past Sunday/Monday is a great example. On Sunday, Mark and I were off for the day. When we returned from a peaceful day of birding in New Jersey, we saw a man on his knees on the sidewalk, pushing a plumbing "snake" down into a hole. Apparently someone flushed an object down the toilet, and it stopped up the outflow. The sewage backed up into the basement, but no one went into the basement during the meal. By the time the backup was discovered, several inches of water covered the floor. The plumbers were called (on a Sunday!), but couldn't get to the problem. The garbage disposal also stopped working during the meal. This is critical because we use the disposal to destroy food left on plates when the plates are washed during the meal. Fortunately, Sr. Leslie has talents in the repair department, and she was able to take the disposal apart, discover the source of problem (a small staple), remove it, and get the garbage disposal back together in record time.
Monday the plumbers returned with a longer snake and were able to remove the blockage. We were able to get the bathrooms open again. For Monday's meal, Mark was assigned to dishwasher. He turned the machine on to fill it up with hot water for the first load of dishes. The light that indicates the water is in place just kept blinking. Mark called over Sr. Mary, who went through the procedure again--same thing happened. Sr. Leslie and Karen both came over to see if they could solve the problem, to no avail. At this point it was 4:25 and the meal was scheduled to start in five minutes. Karen, the coordinator, quickly made the decision to go with paper cups and plastic spoons for the meal. The bowls for the roast beef over rice would have to be washed by hand. Sister Mary got water boiling on the stove, and Mark and Mary washed 328 bowls by hand in the sink. The dishwasher repairmen showed up Tuesday morning and worked all day, but could not finish the job. We have been promised that by noon today, the dishwasher will be up and running. Both breakfast pots and all items from Tuesday's dinner were washed by hand. Fortunately, we have 8 students from Lemoyne College here all week, so we have lots of hands to do the work.