Snakes and Pipes

We slept in late this morning. That is unusual around here because the dogs normally will demand attention by seven. Today we made it to nine o'clock. I am on day four of a five day hiatus from work but things haven't been as dull as I expected. Yesterday's dinner was very good, although it ran late and I felt like there was a rock in my gut all night. Today we ventured up to FoodsCo to get the groceries for the next two weeks. It's a short month for both of us, so we were very strategic about what to buy. The best deal was six pounds of pork butt strips for slow cooking at only eleven dollars. Tonight we will be whipping up some of the home favorite Cowboy Soup. Till then we tidied over with some turkey sandwiches from last night's feed, complete with home made cranberry sauce.
Things took a dramatic turn when Erika was doing the dishes. We had been puzzled for the last month as to where the leak under the sink is coming from. The sink was filling with water so Erika threw the switch on the garbage disposal. Immediately there was a blast of water underneath the sink. To our dismay, the leak is coming from inside the disposal its self. This is a bad thing because I was hoping it would be a simple connection link which can be fixed with Flexx Tape. Now instead we have to replace the entire disposal.
To make matters worse, the sink stopped up on both sides. I tried unsuccessfully to plunge the clog, but it only seemed to get worse, as black sludge and sediment began to creep up from the depths of the drain. I went to the shed for my least favorite of all tools, the manual snake. It was coiled in the corner, covered in dust and webs. I unraveled it, pulled the end into the kitchen and found in a short minute that the anatomy of the disposal would make it impossible to snake from that end. I went back outside and found the clean-out under the kitchen window. I had never used it before, and it took a long time to loosen it up enough to twist off. I inserted the snake and pushed it around in circles until it found its way upward toward the sink. The smell was atrocious and the walls of the  clean-out appeared to be a slimy black. The snake seemed to stop for a moment as it met something solid. I gave it a good twist and a push, and then the sound of free flowing water came forward. I was very happy to bypass the need of a plumber which would definitely break the bank.
The painting project is on hold until I can get a gallon of primer. That faux finish is not going to cover and I don't see it getting finished tomorrow. Better luck next week. There are still many days off ahead.