My friend, Rickey, did most of the work with his tractor, but I was still out there with the extended hedge trimmer cutting grape vines over my head and topping off some tall saplings that were overhanging the well. I didn't want Rickey to get a grape vine wrapped around the well tank and pull it over accidentally. Not sure my cardiologist would have approved of my holding that thing up over my head for extended periods, but I had to do what I had to do. Ricky was pushing over and uprooting small trees and brush, and had a really good path going to the well. I got pretty winded here and there and had to take several breaks to sit down for a spell. Glad Connie wasn't down there watching or she would have had her own heart attack watching me working.
Oh, it turned out that the pump itself wasn't bad. One of the wires going to it had broken. The well guys said it was because the piping was PVC instead of steel, and the flexing from the torque of the pump motor caused the wires to stretch because of the "give" of the PVC. So they just put in the steel piping, rewired the motor, and called it a day. They checked the windings on the pump and they looked right on the money, so they didn't feel replacing the pump motor was needed. They said the pump is an excellent brand and they see them lasting 20 years or so. It's been 10 to 12 on this one. Way things are going, I'm not expecting to have to worry about this problem 10 years from now.
But it was nice of that company (Lightning Quick Well Repair) to not try to take advantage of me and sell me a new (and expensive) submersible pump. Refreshing to run into an ethical company now and again.
So that was a pretty stressful day. And to top it off, they JUST got done wiring the pump and control box before it started to rain. I had to help Rickey guide his trailer with the tractor on it out of the driveway, and it was raining cats and dogs then. So I got soaked to the bone. Had to strip off all my wet clothes on the porch as I couldn't walk into the house with water just running off of me. So like I said, pretty darn stressful day. I guess this could be considered as a heart test after my surgeries.
But at least I haven't had another heart attack afterwards (yet), so hopefully no damage done. I sure hope I don't have to do something like that anytime soon, as I would like think I am recovering from all this without doing something that will cause long term damage. As it is, I think my earlier heart attack might have caused some damage to my heart, but my cardiologist has been noncommittal when I asked him about it. I have another appointment with him in a couple of weeks, so I am going to press him about it. I'm a big boy now, so just level with me. I tend to work hard doing yard work and I really need to know if I am skating on real thin ice now.
Connie had another chemo treatment yesterday and we had to run back to the oncology facility this afternoon so she can get a shot that is supposed to help raise her white blood cell count after the chemo treatment. So she is going to be taking it easy for a few days as the side effects knock her down a bit. Luckily she isn't having severe effects, but it is enough for her to just not feel all that spiffy. So I try to encourage her to take it easy and sleep as much as she can to pass the time that way till things subside.
Can't wait to see what else Murphy has waiting for us....
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