davidd's A Doll A Day 2019

[davidd]

9 May – Glim'r, a Flairy from the 'Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale' Line

I figured I'd need some "fairy magic" and a lot of luck last night; I fell somewhat short on one or the other, or both.

This photo illustrates what working on an electrical panel for a well pump at 11:45 at night looks like. Yesterday evening the water pressure in the house dropped off to zero. After much fussing around I discovered that the well pump was not kicking on when the water pressure dropped, but flipping the circuit breaker switch directly next to the pump off and on several times would restart the pump. The breaker switch was looking old and rusty, so I thought... hoped... that the problem was a faulty breaker switch.

As it was already evening, the small-town local hardware store had closed, but the big box hardware store in the nearest city was open until 10pm. That would mean a 2-1/2 hour round trip by car, but if I drove "efficiently" I could make it to the hardware store before it closed. So off I went, reaching the store just minutes before it closed. I purchased the relatively common and inex.pensive (under $10 USD) switch, drove home, and as the hour approached midnight I found myself deep underground... okay, that's an exaggeration; but the well pump is set in a concrete bunker of sorts about 8 feet (2 meters) underground... in the dark with a flashlight and a Flairy doll trying to replace a circuit breaker switch without getting electrocuted or blowing anything up.

I didn't get electrocuted or blow anything up, so Luck and Flairy Magic must have helped a little bit. But sadly, after replacing the circuit breaker switch, the problem with the well pump failing to start continues.

Did I mention the rain? Oh yes, of course it was raining. Even though this area is classified as having a "semi-arid climate" with 265 sunny days per year and an average annual rainfall total of only 13 inches (33 cm), it has currently been raining for several days, with the weather forecast predicting another week or ten days of continuing rain. We have currently received more than 200% more rain than normal for this time of year, with no end in sight. This means that the underground crypt in which the well pump sits, and in which I was fussing around in the dark with a flashlight last night, was damp and muddy, with water dripping down the walls and water dripping out of the electric panel... which is probably not a good thing.

And... and... because when situations like this unfold, there's always an "and"... when, despite being tired and cranky and cold and wet and muddy and not having enough consistently running water with which to take a shower, I attempted to post this photo late last night (or around 1:00am), the internet service had dropped out... which tends to happen both late at night, and during heavy rains.

That's my excuse for today's... that is, yesterday's... late and low-caliber A Doll A Day post.