Doctors Seuss and Blue-Green Hands - Yikes

If you have ever read a Doctors Seuss book to your kids about "green eggs and ham"... you may understand the predicament that I faced the other day.

I was in a humbling position for any man. Please picture the tight area beside the bathtub and the toilet. I was lying on my side for a close inspection of the fitting below the toilet where the water enters the flush tank. It was leaking badly.

Now remember I am a convert to the “shrine of Home Depot”… and they have made huge promises that I can do… and they will help me. I love their holy places at the local shrine.

Very early on Sunday I had purchased the new “flushing tower” for the toilet tank. All the parts I needed were in the box… the associate working in the store had promised me that it would indeed work.

Late on Sunday evening I returned from a day trip to Toronto and headed to the needy bathroom to lay hands on the ailing toilet. This job should be simple and straight forward. I have done this many times before. Confidence was full and free!

Now for some stupid reason it was leaking – even with the new parts in place.

Please add to this scene the fact that it is about 95 F in the bathroom and the air is not fresh.

With each drop of water my feelings are changing rapidly. Grrrrrr! Stupid things that are new don’t work and they frustrate me!

Now add one more factor to the mix… there is a beautiful, round, dissolving disinfecting puck in the toilet tank. It is blue greenish. As I have flushed a number of times and have lowered the water level to install the part the puck is rapidly dissolving. The water is not just water like – it is now the consistency of tempura paint from my school days. And guess what my hands were growing a bright green and blue colour by the moment. The colour has worked its way up to my mid forearm. The only white that can be seen is my finger nails.

This must be what the person looked like that cooked the green eggs and ham! As I lay there trying to get the leak stopped, my hands growing greener by the moment and water going everywhere – I thought of Dr. Seuss.

HOME DEPOT WAS CLOSED AT 10 PM!

I left the house that scene that evening with a plastic Tupper Ware container catching the green – blue water. My hands were Martian colour and I was hot and tired and …..!

Conclusions

• The rubber washer in the kit was the wrong shape and size for the toilet tank.
• My Home Depot store did open on Monday AM at 7:00 AM… and they had the part I needed.
• My hands came back to their normal colour this AM… not sure what colour my hair is now – but my hands are CLEAN!
• The Moral to this story is – Sunday night is not a good time to take a toilet tank apart – no matter how many times you have done the job before!!!