Honey of a Job

I’ve been managing with only using my upstairs to limit the water going into my septic tank. It became filled when my downstairs commode had a steady leak causing my water bill to soar to nearly triple. For several weeks, I have been using the water saver commode in my newly remodeled upstairs bathroom and avoiding the downstairs toilet. It’s been more wear and tear on my knees, but it was necessary if I wanted to the necessary room.

During this time, I have been searching for the concrete septic tank buried in my backyard and the removable trap door to gain access to have it cleaned. A friend volunteered to open an area where I thought it might be, but to my chagrin, it was the wrong spot and the backhoe only managed to break the exit sewage pipe to the tank.

After repairing it, I continued the quest for the “prize.” By following the now repaired pipe, I spaded a trail toward the elusive goal. The actual tank and my ultimate target was about three feet away. Only one yard from where I directed the friend break ground and eventually break my sewer pipe.

My spading was delayed because the tank and door was under the pile of dirt that was removed by the backhoe and my earlier shoveling. My dig to the tank’s opening was delayed while I returned the dirt to its original position. Much of it was clay/soil mixture that was heavy under normal circumstances, but with the rains it was clumping and very backbreaking work. With the hole filled, I quickly spaded downward to the tank top and door.

I placed a call to one of the local honeydippers to have the tank emptied. Honeydipper is a term for the men who used to hand shovel the waste products from outhouses and who hauled it away. As I grew up, the honeydipper was the butt of many stories and jokes.

I am hoping to solve the septic problem on Thursday. I have an appointment with a honeydipper. I’m just thankful that they come to me and not the other way around.