Several years ago, when we remodeled the kitchen, I picked a sink with a unique design. I thought it looked quite stylish and was different than anything I had seen before.....not only that....it was free. It is a single bowl style, which always comes in handy when the need to bathe a small child arises, and in the back right hand corner is an elevated smaller bowl that houses the garbage disposal.
That feature alone is what sold me on the sink. I thought how handy it would be to whisk cuttings of vegetables or whatever off a cutting board into the disposal.
Never having had a garbage disposal I learned early on that it is not a wise idea to overload it. On the times that this happened, I was fortunate enough to have a small plunger that fit perfectly into the small opening of this small sink bowl that houses the garbage disposal.
If it were not for the fact that we would starve, I sometimes think it would be a really good idea if I stayed out of the kitchen completely.
The other evening, as I was cleaning up the kitchen, I decided it would be a good idea to clean out the refrigerator of some way too leftover leftovers. One dish that I pulled out had a large portion of rice in the mixture. Aiming the faucet over the small bowl in the sink, I turned on the water and fired up the disposal.
As the last portion of the rice mixture disappeared into the whirling churning eater of all leftover things that will fit in it, I knew I had overstepped its limits.
Sure enough, it was clogged. Since it was late, I decided to wait until morning to tackle this unpleasant job.
The next morning I noticed that some of the water had drained out. Not all of it, but every once and awhile a small bubble would rise to the top. I figured this burping meant that the nasty stuff had set long enough to soften up. Once again, I turned on the water and hit the on switch for the disposal. All this succeeded in doing was adding more liquid to the mess and churned up a smell that was most disgusting.
Since I needed to fix some breakfast and did not want to do so while the foul odor wafted up to my nostrils, I got out a piece of plastic wrap and stretched it over the corner of the sink. Problem solved for the time being.
My small perfect sized plunger had somehow grown legs and left the building. It was no where to be found. I tried the old style, red rubber bowl on a stick plunger, but it would not fit into the small sink bowl. What to do?
I trotted up the street to inquire of my son-in-law as to the make and model of their plunger. They have two junior high boys.....who love to eat.......so you know why I was positive they had a plunger.
Not only did he have a plunger, it was the mother of all plungers. This thing looked like a round accordion, or bellows, hooked on a stick. It was black in color and had a menacing appearance. The looks of it alone should scare any clog. Its bonus feature was the opening. Just the right size to fit into the drain hole.
I carried this weapon of uncloggery home and set about to fix the problem at hand. The plastic wrap I had placed over the bowl now had no wrinkles in it and was bulging from all the fermentation going on below.
Being of less than runway model stature, along with the fact that this portion of the sink is almost to the back side of the counter, I soon realized that I did not have the right leverage on the plunger. This was discovered with the first futile plunge and the spraying of the gunk in the drain all over the freshly washed window and its accompanying blinds.
Not to be outdone, I retrieved the step ladder. I climbed up on the counter, placed one foot on each side of the sink and gave that sucker the full body plunge. Mission accomplished.
Had anyone been standing behind me, I'm sure it was a sight to behold.
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