Split Pea Soup

Yesterday I noticed a glass canister on my counter, filled with dried split peas, was looking bad. The peas were no longer green, but yellow. And upon opening it, they smelled badly. Of course, split peas don't smell great so I was not sure if the smell was dried split peas or dried split peas gone bad. Either way, I opted to dump those peas out and wash the container. Down the sink went to peas and I washed the glass container. After washing it, it still smelled funny, so I washed it again. When I was satisfied that the container was good and clean, I left it in the drainer to dry and went about my way. The sink got used and all the peas had gone down the drain so I had forgotten to run the disposal.

Later in the evening, I attempted to run the disposal only to get absolutely no response from the poor thing. We have never actually had a disposal go out before so I don't know how long they last. I did the usual things, hitting the reset button and using the tool that loosens things up on the bottom. But the little wrench did not move whatsoever.

Tim, being in San Francisco, offered suggestions over the phone and when I told him that the wrench would not move, he suggested I stick my hand down the disposal and figure out what could be jammed into the disposal that would keep this from moving freely. Reaching down into the dark cavernous hole is always a little creepy to me but lo and behold, when I reaching in there, there was an entire drain filled with re hydrated split peas! There was not only an entire drain filled, but even after scooping them all out, the sink was still clogged. I had to go under the sink and take off ALL the pipes and empty them of the pea soup that had developed everywhere! Chris stood by and laughed at me. (Thanks for the constructive help!)

I am thinking that I should have known better. I am a pretty smart person. I just wasn't thinking at all. But hey, I made it to nearly 46 years of age before I had ever done such that particular dumb thing. And I also learned how to clear pipes under my sink. So I am actually kind of proud of myself. Had Tim been in town, he would have been stuck with that job, even though it was my mess. I would have gladly let him be the man of the house and "fix stuff". But it felt kind of good to figure it out on my own.

I will likely never view split peas in the same light again. Now they will represent my plumbing skills learned!