Under the "it could be much worse" heading, this morning, the last in a run of sunny warm days before a forecast big freeze, I have a plumber coming over. After I ran the washer then the dishwasher last night I noticed the toilets were making noise. Turns out the sewer line is running very slow, no doubt backed up by tree roots. I never run the washer and dishwasher simultaneously; consecutively is what spared the house from water from spreading further. My home warranty doesn't pay for tree roots, just plugs in the house line only. I'll call them and then when the plumber is here and once we've sorted out which kind of snake gets run the Home Warranty folks will or won't participate.

I had other stuff to do today, but nothing better than keeping the pipes clear ahead of the holidays. Since a plumber is coming over anyway I'll run out and get a good faucet and have him replace the one in the back yard while he's at it. Its on its last legs (and is full of a silicone gel to prevent the most recent dripping.)