Laying in a pile of dirt felt good!

I gained a new appreciation for soldiers and plumbers over the weekend.
For those of you who follow this column regularly you know I have been helping my honey construct a garage that will not only house her wheels but also a small business.
In recent weeks the focus has been on interior infrastructure. Electrical wiring was installed and this past weekend the focus was water.
I did my first plumbing job, working with Pex (plastic tubing) pipes and quick connectors. I hooked it up to the water line that we buried in the ground up to the house before we poured the cement earlier this summer.
So once this was done, I had one big job left to do... a job I have been putting off for weeks... crawl around under the house and run the water line to the main in the house.
I began by taking the skirting off in several places around the house to think about a plan of attack (the thinking was more stalling on my part).
Finally I delved under the house. Crawling towards the water line on my belly I had images of army personnel crawling on their bellies during war times. Of course I did not have the threat of enemy fire or bombs to worry about... I just had to worry about banging my bean on the house just a couple of feet above me.
I did this for a day and a half, eventually stringing the line, installing heat tape all along it and suspending it off the ground.
As I fastened some of the last hangers for the pipe to the floor joist I found myself dirty and tired. I needed to take a break so I did. Being the clean freak I am, I found myself saying, "I never thought laying in a pile of dirt to take a rest would feel so good!"
I am so glad that job is over and I now truly appreciate the conditions our troops and plumbers endure to get their jobs done.

–Until then,
Ken