Hard lessons from a long December

It took an entire day to remove all the salt from the brine tank. We then proceeded to disinfect the entire system. The manufacturer suggested a small amount of bleach, but we had a big problem. So we did it our way.

We were a little more liberal with the amount of bleach, because, well, if a little is good enough, then a lot should be about right. Once the sanitizing cycle was complete, we did it again. And again and again. When someone asked me how many times we cleaned it, I told them the truth. I had no idea, but it took several days.

Unfortunately, the basement was still in disarray from all the cleaning products and there were several different types. We personally don’t keep bleach in the house, as we prefer other things, like vinegar. But, since we were cleaning dead mouse juice from our entire plumbing system, we decided to buy a couple gallons. Considering the situation and our lack of use of bleach, it wasn’t surprising to rediscover the consequences of mixing bleach with certain chemicals.

There were many cleaning products on the basement floor, including iron-out salt, baking soda, bleach, vinegar and a few other things that I can’t remember. They were all from different types of cleaning at different times, but never really cleaned, just scattered on the floor, waiting for a good time to react.

Using chlorine to shock the well meant that the water we were mopping up the floor with had chlorine, and it mixed with the iron out to produce a slight amount of chlorine gas. We quickly found ourselves ventilating the basement again. Honestly, chlorine gas is strong, but it was nothing compared to the hydrogen sulfide from the battery and inverter that failed.

As the new year has finally arrived, so has a new onset of problems. I wish I could understand it, but I’m not sure that I ever will. Looking back at this December, I can only hope to forget, it reminds me of when I was playing in my first golf tournament in high school.

Honestly, I had no right or reason to be on the team, except that there weren’t enough players, and my best friend Danny begged me to join. He didn’t even complain when I slid some of my heavier golf clubs in his bag to carry, to lighten my load.

I remember standing at the first tee, surrounded by hundreds of people. I could feel my legs shaking. I even said a little prayer before starting my swing. And before I knew it, it was all over.

I stood there, in front of a wave of obligatory applause, wondering where the ball went. Maybe I drove the green, I thought. That’s about the time when the applause abruptly ended. I didn’t drive the green — heck, I didn’t even hit the ball.

It was one of the most disheartening and nerve-shattering experiences of my life.

And I wish I could say that it didn’t happen again. But, in front of the bewildered audience, I missed that ball another 26 times, before finally hitting it off the first tee.

I really wish there was someone selling mulligans in life like they do before a golf outing. Cause, I could use a few right about now.