Well, folks, It was a right aggravating day with the plumbing project. I’ll spare you the play by play reporting, but let’s just say that when Ben and I turned the water back on at his house, the results were far from satisfying.

As Ben walked back into the house after turning the water back on, and came down the hallway toward the bathroom, he commented, “I think I hear water running.”

When you’ve been staggering through the wilderness in search of hydration for three or four days, the sound of running water would be right pleasant. Joyful. Reassuring. Comforting and encouraging. After six hours of working on supply lines, not so much.

We had split up the soldering duties with me tackling three joints and Ben doing two. Every joint I had worked on was spewing water as if trying to put out a fire in the crawl space. The end caps that Ben had soldered in place were just fine. Dry as a tortoise’s back. Score on the live water pressure test: Benjamin-2, Doc-0.

Though rather unpleasant, it Is good for us experience failure and frustration from time to time. A bit of measured humiliation to keep us well grounded. As my good buddy Tom Hale says, it helps you appreciate the good times. “Without the darkness, we would not understand light.”

I am hoping that today’s efforts bring Ben and me different results. I’m hoping for more ecstasy of victory and less agony of defeat today. I am quite sure that today’s efforts will start with a more fervent and sincere request for divine blessing on our efforts.
As a matter of fact, it already has.



H. Arnett
11/17/23