Dunedin Diary: Tuesday

After lunch, we took Toby to Highlander Park and walked in the shade. The temperature was in the low 90s. Toby got hot and took a break in the tall, cool grass.

Shy Toby

Confident Toby

Happy Toby

Every walk begins with a hug. I think he's excited and impatient for John to put his shoes on. I guess Toby thinks he's helping.

There was a 7 mph breeze on our morning walk and that kept us from being hot. We drove the car so that we could pick up heavy supplies at Publix on the way home. John says that means we haven’t been properly utilizing our daily bike trips to Publix. Above, Ozona village.

There was decent cloud cover.

Clearwater Beach on the horizon

We got the premium parking spot at Publix: shaded, close to the door, next to a large handicapped spot on one side and the curb on the other, and poised for a quick exit. I told John that I knew it was going to be a good day. These are the things that retired people get excited about.

After lunch, we put Toby in the crate (again) and rode our bikes downtown. On the way back, John dropped me off at the outdoor gym at Weaver Park.

It was a tough day at the gym, but I persevered for about 50 minutes.

The dishwasher saga continues. I took off the drain hose from the disposal and blew into it. I was looking for bubbles in the standing water in the dishwasher, but I couldn't get the air through. So I bailed out the water (again) and disconnected the drain hose from underneath the machine. After toweling up the water that flowed out, I blew on this end with the disposal end hanging in a bucket. I blew water out easily, no clog. (Yes, Mom, I flipped the breaker and tested for power first.)

That means the clog is here in the drain pump. I put my finger in the hole seen in the picture above feeling for a clog. Instead, I found a broken and dislodged impeller from the drainage motor. This is the piece that was making the clicking sound. I watched some videos on how to replace the impeller motor. It seems pretty straightforward.

However, it involves disconnecting the water supply and hoses, pulling the dishwasher out of the cabinet and laying it on its back. The part costs $73. My desire to find the problem overran my willingness to spend money on a 31 year old dishwasher that will be replaced within the year. And since we learned that a inoperative dishwasher won't affect out ability to get home insurance, I decided to put everything back together.

John has been so patient as I made a huge mess in the kitchen and kept talking through the problems and options because I think more clearly if I talk it through and hear what I’m saying. He often sees a different angle on the problem, so his perspective is helpful.

So, I learned a lot about dishwashers, and I replaced a garbage disposal, and I properly fixed our sink drain, so there are no leaks no matter how much water goes down it. (Teflon tape is a miracle.)