It was a normal night about a year ago when calamity struck. Our new kitten preferred to play in his litter box, kicking the litter out of it and onto the floor. In an effort to keep the bathroom clean the litter box was placed into the bathtub where spills could be contained. Spills there were, and as he grew up his litter box changed. Now equipped with a top he could kick it up to his heart's content and it would all stay in the box. Everyone was happy, until we tried to clean the bathtub; the water wouldn't drain.

We are blessed to have 2 bathrooms in our house, and since we rarely use the bathtub we shrugged our shoulders, breathed a deep sigh, and resolved to fix it some other day. Those days came and went; our efforts at using consumer grade plumbing materials were not effective. We had but one path left and we didn't want to spend the money. We hoped the need would not arise until we sold the house, but we were wrong.

My best friend is coming into town from out of state, and we have invited him to stay with us. Suddenly the bathtub needed to be fixed, for we could not (nay, would not) ask him to refrain from showering the duration of his visit. With yet another deep sigh we called the plumber and readied ourselves for a $100 (or more) bill. He arrived and gave his estimate, $144 to auger the drain. With no choice we agreed and he retrieved his tools. We would miss the money, but it was something that needed to be done. When we returned from his van, power auger in hand, I asked if I could watch him, curious to see one of these fabled monsters at work. I will still have to wait to see one in action.

All the plumber got to do was unscrew and remove the drain plug; a swift rushing sound as of much water suddenly descending into the murky depths of the city sewer immediately followed the removal of the drain plug mechanism. We were both stunned. I had, of course, tried flipping the drain plug switch to no avail, but I did not know it could be removed so easily so never tried. We ran much water down the drain in as many combinations of on and off as possible but the drain worked as it should, stopping water or releasing it. The problem was solved and the bill voided.

My wife and I were rather embarrassed, but also greatly relieved. I could face my friend's visit with $144 more in the bank, and a working shower. Sure the plumber said it was the easiest job he had ever been on, and I'm sure ours will be a tale he shares with his plumber friends and they'll all share a hearty laugh at our expense. He can laugh all he wants, I got my shower working for free, and I didn't have to get dirty to do it. :)