Many ups and downs Saturday

Saturday was a roller coaster day. The softly falling water pouring from gray skies accented my early morning headache. By late morning the aspirin had worked its wonders plus the rain had stopped. The roller coaster was on its way up.
I took the opportunity to pot up a few plants that had multiplied over the summer. The potting soil was soaked and the plants were apprehensive. They got even more worried as I placed plastic bags around them and stuck them into a cloth bag.
After a short ride in the car, they were unpacked and lined up along the display table at the Master Gardener booth at the local Heritage Fest. A few short minutes later, their new caretakers were hauling them away after receiving care instructions.
I hate giving plants away as I lose control over their well being. But the sad fact is, I have too many plants. The new owners gave every indication that they would care for the flora as well as I ever have. I could have given away quite a few more if I could bear to part with them.
I met a lot of nice people and chatted with old friends. Before I knew it, my allotted time was over and I turned over the booth to the next volunteer.
Then it was my turn to see what the festival had to offer. I had watched children playing with old fashioned toys most of the afternoon. The booth next to ours featured real maple syrup and although it was tempting, I avoided the sweet treat. I talked to the representative from the Daughters of the Revolution, watched a fellow book club attendee as she quilted, and tasted some really delicious cider. I sat with the members of the woodcarvers and gave away a sheep I had carved a couple of years ago.
I hitched a ride back to the parking lot and went home with a smile on my face.
That’s when the roller coaster reached its zenith and headed back down. I had no sooner gotten inside and kicked off my shoes when my husband told me to sit down. Fearing the worst, I did.
It wasn’t nearly as bad as I first thought, but it was bad enough. It seems the water softener was feeling neglected and decided to vomit some or maybe all of its resin beads into the water lines. I didn’t even know it was capable of that. I had never even seen a resin bead before, but there they were, tiny orange beads strewn all over the bathroom sink and resting in the bottom of the bathtub.
It seems that the water had quit running while I was gone. My husband first called to check if there was a water main leak somewhere. They asked if we had paid the water bill. We had. The water meter was checked and was in working order. The aerator was removed from the sink and was found to be full of resin beads. He was told to turn on all the faucets full blast in an attempt to flush out the lines. Several hours later we were still finding beads in the water.
A plumber is scheduled for Monday. We still don’t know if the unit can be repaired or if it will go to that big recycling center in the sky. It is not accepting visitors at this time.
I found out that a water softener works by running water though the media. The resin beads attract the minerals in the water. Then a salt water solution rinses the minerals off the beads and the solution gets flushed into the sewer system. The beads are supposed to stay in the resin tank.
That’s how life works. Just when everything is going well, something happens and reality sets in. For now, the roller coaster has come to a stop and we are awaiting a verdict as to whether or not the softener has given its all. Meanwhile, a few people have new plants to care for and I have fewer ones to drag inside for the winter.

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