Feeling flush . . .

I am a man of accomplishment, or at least I thought I was. I replaced my old toilet last week-end. The old toilet was original equipment in my late 1950's built house. The tank was cracked and the bowl was stained. I had put it off long enough.

It didn't take long to be fully committed to the project as the tank and the base of the old fixture cracked and fell apart as I started to remove it. But I bought a shiny new white one to replace the old mud toned original. It was going to be great.

If you have never embarked on this particular home improvement project, I would recommend it. There are so many things in life that we just use, never knowing how it really works. Toilets fall into that category for most of us. Maybe it doesn't matter to you how things work, but I enjoy it.

What I don't enjoy is the removal of the old wax ring that seals the connection between the toilet and the waste pipe. It is every bit as disgusting as it sounds. The old wax gets on everything around it, reminiscent of that stuff that gets all over the house in the original Cat in the Hat story, except its not pink and fluffy. It is brown and sticky.

But I cleaned it up, placed the new wax ring, and secured the new porcelain throne to the bracket on the floor. I connected the water lines and voila, the new toilet worked immediately. I was aggravated by the discovery that the seat and lid were not included in my purchase, but that was a minor setback. Just another trip to the store.

So for a couple of days I have been reveling in my handiness. But this morning, as I was ascending from the throne, it rocked. It is not supposed to do that. After a quick inspection I learned that one of the bolts securing the toilet was no longer doing its job. The old bracket had broken. My toilet, though still shiny and new, still looking good sitting there, will have to be removed. A new bracket must installed, and then the new toilet reinstalled.

That's not a big deal in the scheme of things. But I remember looking at that old bracket as I was removing the old wax ring. I remember thinking that it looked real old and a bit corroded. But I was in a hurry to get my shiny new toilet up and running, so I didn't think about it any more until this morning.

A good reminder for me. It doesn't matter how good or beautiful a new change, or project or improvement is; if the foundation is not sound, it will not last.

And it is not a good feeling to feel that foundation rock after you have committed to it.

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