Weekend Warrior

FRIDAY. The crummy, slipshod job our contractor did when he remodeled our bathroom last year continues to pay dividends. Specifically, water was pooling up on the floor next to the front of the tub whenever the shower was used. We decided the fault lay in the caulking at the front of the tub where the new surround was installed.

Michelle used a razor knife to dig out the caulk along the front seam. Using a flashlight, we saw that the dirty knave of a contractor had left nothing behind the right front corner of the tub and just threw in a bead of caulk behind which water could collect and eventually run onto the floor. It is hard to describe and I don't have a digital camera, so you'll have to take my word that it was a very unsound thing for him to have done.

We decided the best thing to do would be to retrofit a "back splash" into this area before we re-caulked it.

SATURDAY. I ran to the Home Depot at 8:00 AM to find the proper "back splash" material. Eureka! There was some nice, self-adhesive molding, specially made for tub use hanging there in a blister pack. I grabbed it and drove home.

"Whew!" I thought. "It is getting hot out and it's not yet 9:00!"

The weather forecast was for 100 degrees and the van's air conditioning unit was already straining to keep it together.

Back at the house, I cut a trial strip of the molding and determined the best way to slide it into the space to be caulked. I made some more measurements, cut a second strip and with the skill of a drunken micro-surgeon fit it into place. Yesssss! It fit and now the new caulk would have a back wall.

I caulked as I have never caulked before and by 10:00 AM the job was completed. The only thing left to do was let the silicone cure.

I checked my shelf in the laundry room and discovered I had a can of 134a refrigerant. I also had a gauge, so I popped open the hood on the van and hooked it up to the compressor while it was running. Sure enough, the borderline reading indicated a charge was in order.

The only rub was that I had no way to get the 134a from the pressurized can into the compressor. A quick trip to the auto parts store and $18.45 later, I was emptying the can into the a/c unit. By 11:00 AM the gauge was reading in the "good" zone and cool air was coming out of the vents.

But, boy, was it getting hot outside! The plan was to spend as much time in the air conditioned house as possible.

After a few more hours of alternating between household chores and watching Mariel we decided to order out for some dinner. Ultimately, I went to the Hunan Garden to pick up some yummy Chinese cuisine: Kung Po Chicken, Steamed Dumplings and Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps.

By this time, it was so danged hot (103 degrees!) that the a/c in the van couldn't put a dent in the heat. After picking up the grub I high-tailed it back into the comfort of the house as fast as I could.

Yes, I was a disgusting, sweat-soaked rag doll.

Yes, I couldn't take a shower because we were waiting for the silicone caulk to fully cure.

I ate, took a sponge bath and by 8:30 PM I hit the sack.

Whew.

Weekend Warrior = Weakened, Wearier