When I set up the delivery for the new water heater for this morning, I was assured that the plumber could be here by 8:00 AM. I explained that I had a very important appointment at 11:30, and the installation must be complete by that time. No problem, I was told.

My 11:30 AM appointment was lunch with M. We’ve gotten together for a Saturday or Sunday lunch at least every other week for more than 25 years. We’ve missed weeks only for incidentals like marriages, the birth of my son, the birth of her son and funerals. We’ve been known to plan vacations around our lunches. We missed last week, and I didn’t want to miss again.

At 9:50 AM, the plumber called. He was picking up the stuff and he should be there about 10:30. I started twitching a little. Mr. Plumber Man said:

8:00 AM? ha ha ha… That’s about the time I usually roll out of bed on Saturday. No… I don’t know how long it will take. Could be anything between 45 minutes and 2 hours.

I’d been up since 6:00 AM, so I found that less than amusing. I called M but couldn’t reach her. I left her a message asking for a later time in the day and crossed my fingers.

When Mr. Plumber Man arrived at 10:30 AM, I told him if he could be finished by 11:20 he would have my undying gratitude.

Fortunately the new water heater turned out to be exactly the same size as the old water heater. All that had to be done was to pull the old one and install the new one with new fittings. With me lending a hand on the earthquake straps — the only non-technical thing I was qualified to help with — Mr. Plumber Man finished at 11:15 AM sharp!

As I ran back inside to get ready to go, the phone rang and it was M. I told her I was on my way, and she said that she was, too, and we both arrived at about 11:40. Whew.

And the rest of the day was much more fun, but deserving of it’s own entry because it shouldn’t be mixed in with water heaters and plumbers.