Perfect endings and misguided precautions...

Got an early start on a strenuous day, as I said earlier. My cable-pulling adventure came to nothing, endlessly forcing a fish tape through underground conduit that doesn't seem to go anywhere. Finally gave up after digging a useless hole to see what the cuss was going on, getting the tape stuck a few frustrating times, and slipping on the dust and taking a lovely back-flop that's got my shoulder complaining. I now had one trouble-free limb left, and that seemed like a good place to end the work day.

What I need is a nice hot shower. Got the dogs squared away and limped, towel-clad, into the barn where we keep our beautiful townie shower. Got the water going, soaped up...and noticed that the water seemed to be pooling at my feet. And getting deeper.

Oh, for cussing swearing cuss! A perfect end to a perfect day! I've already got a leaking apartment sink pipe and an apartment stove that works great at all times except in the presence of the Landlady. Now what?

I should mention that the barn plumbing doesn't have a septic field, since there's no flush toilet. There's just a 2" pipe that comes out of the ground at the nearest slope and periodically makes a juniper's day. There is no reason...there is absolutely no reason, I say!...that the drain pipe should be clogged. Unless, as has been posited, something built a nest in there. In which case the plumbing snake is about to have a gruesome job of work.

Towel-wrapped once more, I stomped outside and over to the pipe outlet. There, happily, I found the trouble without, er, trouble. Somebody had decided to preempt the afore-mentioned nest by wrapping the pipe's end in window screen and securing it with gaffing tape. When I yanked it off, the inside looked as though it had seen no more than two wash-loads worth of laundry lint. Also, when I yanked it off the shower bed abruptly emptied itself.

I'm going to see what's at the bottom of my bourbon bottle now.