An additional stall, please
For the last thirty years or so, I’ve lived a civilized existence. Far from the noise and squalor of student residence, I’ve had access (for the main part) to beds with non-industrial mattresses, heating that functioned when I wanted it to, less than fifteen competing stereo systems (simulcast was born in a mens’ residence) and above all, clean tubs and showers.
Even now, with three teenage boys, there’s been decorum; we’ve discouraged the slob factor, and they’ve gone along with the idea. We’re now facing traffic jams due to their fastidiousness… in the bathroom. You see, we live in a house with two thrones and one tub. You can avoid the lines for relief, but cleanliness might take a bit longer at peak times of the day. While wandering aimlessly around the hardware store this evening, I had a dream.
What if we installed a shower in the lower WC? There are lots of models to choose from: rectangles, half-circles, trapezoids, clear door vs opaque door. The prices don’t cause a heart attack any more, and I can probably find out the how to in one of those “How To” volumes I’ve collected over the years. A day of plumbing. Something to consider.
Every good idea requires a carrot on a stick, and I almost fell for it this evening. We needed a new bathroom faucet, and if I bought a kit, I’d have one “extra” to put into place while waiting for the rest of the parts to be delivered. Almost fell for it. Thankfully the young clerk pointed out that I could buy just the faucet, two aisles over and one row down. Indeed!
So, my second shower isn’t yet a concrete effort, but with a bit more finagle and finesse, the family might convince me to voluntarily increase the number of places to run water for twenty minutes at a time. After all, with a brand new water heater, we don’t “run cold” as often as before. I’ll have to watch the Publi-Sac for the next couple of weeks.
