February 1: Have You Ever Experienced This Thing Called a Bath?

Phil woke on Saturday ready to head to town for a few key plumbing parts. But as we kept looking around the house, the list kept growing: lag bolts to help the table hold together more firmly; wood glue to repair the door of the boys' wardrobe that has been down for four years; a second set of entry carpets so one set can be in use and the other set getting cleaned with rainwater and sun at all times. There were probably a half dozen other items, and Phil's "quick trip" was hijacked.

Our internet had quit working on Friday. Phil did a little diagnostic work and found that, sadly, the issue was somewhere on the farm, after the satellite dish. Add a trip to RadioShack for new wire to the list.

We had a closet that had gradually been filled with giveaway items. I put those in the back of the van: add a Goodwill stop to the list.

So while Phil went for a four-hour trip, I spent as much time in the house trailer as I could, cleaning and sorting. Over four years, the boys clothes have become a jumbled mess. What a great relief to put them into boxes, well-sorted. I figured out places for a variety of homeless books. I once heard that the cleaning staff at Mount Vernon starts at the door and works around the room. I started that, too. I didn't get far, but the entry is significantly improved.

When Phil got home, he complained of the beginnings of a headache. That usually means he accidentally ate something with one of the forms of MSG (did you know that there are hidden names of MSG? If you suffer from headaches, it might be worth it to search that list and then avoid every type for a time). He had what he needed to plumb the tub, though, so he pressed through.

It took hours. From 2:30 until 8, he dealt with chemical bonds, and cutting. He checked for leaks and designed and welded pipes. Because the chemical smell of the PVC was extremely bad, I had the boys and I take Natrum muriaticum, a homeopathic remedy when exposed to chemicals, before a reaction sets in. I gave a dose to Phil, but I think what really started to help him was Arsenicum album, usually the remedy for food poisoning, but useful in this case for chemical poisoning as well.

Phil got in the tub at 8pm. We added some kelp sea salts he had received for Christmas. We added some baking soda to help him detox. He had some hot water with lemon and honey. He had a book.

He got out, after having filled and emptied the tub a couple of times, at 10. There were rings all the way up the sides of the tub. I had watched some of the water coming out, and there was probably some red clay in the pipes, as the water was not entirely clear. But after the soaking, his headache was stopped.

I've never stopped one of his chemical headaches! This was a momentous occasion!

Soon it was my turn to take a bath. I sat in the tub for almost an hour, and I, too, left rings in the tub when the water drained. I felt like my entire body had been stripped of about three layers of skin cells. It was both disgusting and incredibly liberating.

What a day. Stop the chemical headache and soak the accumulated body wastes of a month away. No more sponge baths! The day of real baths has come to this place in central Virginia.

Woot!