Frozen Pipes (the story behind the story) by J. S. Marlo

 

Undeniable Trait

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J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

Many years ago, I lived in military housing on a northern Canadian Air Force Base. The house, which dated back to... to too many decades ago, was insulated so badly that the pipes running inside the outside wall in the kitchen froze every time the temperature dropped below -20C.

In order to solve my many complaints about frozen pipes before one of them crack and explode, the maintenance plumber made a hole at the back of one of the cupboards and installed a grill so the warm inside air could go into the wall and stop the water in the pipes from freezing. As long as I kept that cupboard door open, it worked, but it wasn't fool-proof below -30C. When it got really cold, I also had to let the water running all night, so the constant flow would prevent freezing. And in case you wonder... yes, there was lots of cold air coming out of that cupboard.

In my newest novel Undeniable Trait, Willow 'Mitch' Mitchell is a plumber, a good plumber who thinks outside the box, just like my military maintenance plumber from long ago. One day she's called to thaw the frozen pipes in the under-insulated trailer rented by the town's new doctor. Here's a preview of Willow and Dr. Zachary's second encounter:

Zachary took advantage of his lunch break to visit the patients’ wing where Susan and her fourth child rested in a double room. Her husband sat on the second bed cradling his infant daughter while his wife slept.

Unwilling to disturb them, Zachary backtracked and bumped into the female guard. “Sorry, Mandy.”

“I was looking for you, Doc.” She smiled a heartwarming smile framed by deep dimples. “The plumber will be at your house in ten minutes. I’m sorry I couldn’t get your pipes thawed any sooner, but there’s no queue jumping, not even for a doctor. Would you like me to go unlock the door?”

He’d never expected special treatment because of his profession. Besides, nobody was home. It didn’t matter when the plumber showed up to fix the pipes.

“Thank you, but the timing is perfect.” Zachary lived five minutes away and his next patient wasn’t scheduled to show up for another twenty-five minutes. “Going home gives me an excuse to enjoy a few breaths of fresh air.”

The breaths of frozen air he took between the entrance of the hospital and his SUV chilled his upper airway. He didn’t mind the cold, but from what he heard on the radio, the Arctic front that had settled over northern Ontario intended to overstay its welcome.

A white utility van was parked in front of his trailer and an individual bundled into a yellow hooded parka and carrying a toolbox knocked on Zachary’s front door.

He pulled into his driveway then rushed outside. “I’m coming.”

The individual spun around and the hood of his parka fell backward, unmasking the plumber’s identity. “Doc?”

The look of surprise on her pretty face matched Zachary’s.

“Willow?” He suddenly recalled their conversation from last night, and her occupation hit him. In retrospect, he should have clued in when she mentioned the toilet tank. How did I miss that? “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

She raised a brow. “You’re my important client?”

Embarrassment threatened to redden his freezing cheeks. “Client, yes, but no more important than any of your other clients. I had a patient in labor, so Mandy offered to call. I apologize if she tried using my profession to get faster service.”

“I never gave her a chance to give me your name—or your profession. You ended up at the bottom of my list the moment she said nobody was home.” A mischievous smile blossomed on Willow’s lips, wrinkling her eyes. “Are you going to let me in? It’s your fair turn right now, but if it makes you feel better, I could push you further down my list.”

“I like fair.” Amused, he unlocked and invited her in. “How’s your hand?”

“It’s sore.” She took off her boots. “I only had time to change the bandage once since I thawed my first pipe. I’m guessing my crazy day resembles yours at the hospital.”

“Crazy sounds about right.” Yesterday she’d mentioned a hot water tank during her visit, which was another clue he’d missed. “Have you replaced that water tank yet?”

The dubious look she served him answered that question. “I have three more clients after you, then I’ll tackle the tank, assuming no other emergencies arise. So, which pipe froze? The one in the kitchen, in the bathroom, or both?”

“Kitchen only.” It never occurred to him, until now, that shaving and enjoying a hot shower had been a luxury he almost missed this morning. “I shut off the main valve and turned all the faucets on to release the pressure.”

“Good.” She disappeared down the hallway. Moments later, pipes rattled in the walls and water rushed into the bathroom but nothing in the kitchen. Then silence filled the air.

The frozen water hadn’t thawed, but it didn’t sound like any pipes had burst. All in all, Zachary supposed it could be worse.

Willow entered the kitchen where she opened the cupboards beneath the sink. “The insulation in the walls is minimal. If Chester wasn’t such a scrooge, he’d winterize his trailer properly, but since he’s not the one living in it, he doesn’t care.” She pointed a flashlight at the space underneath the sink. “If you bend down, you’ll see there’s a vent on the back panel.”

He knelt beside her. Her shoulder brushed his, prickling his skin. Confounded by the strange feelings she stirred up, Zachary forced his mind to focus on the cupboard. The light shone on a grill covering a large hole. Cold air escaped the opening.

“Who installed a vent there?” From his position, he couldn’t see any dial or knob to close it.

“I did.” She leaned the flashlight in a corner then retrieved a screwdriver from her toolbox and proceeded to unscrew the grill. “To stop the pipes from freezing you need to keep the cupboards open when the temperature drops below minus twenty.”

“Good to know.” The open doors allowed the ambient air to enter the vent and warm up the pipes, preventing them from freezing. That makes sense. “Why do I have a feeling my heating bill will cost me a bundle?”

“Because you’re smart?” A sassy smile played on her lips. “Actually, it’s not fool-proof. Below minus thirty, you also need to let the water run in the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and the tub. And don’t forget to open the cupboards in the bathroom as well.”

The continuous flow would stop the water from freezing in the pipes, which meant he needed to pay particular attention to the weather if he worked all night or if he went on vacation. “What about the washer?”

The grill tumbled in the cupboard.

“Those pipes run in an indoor wall.” She plugged in a heat gun, a tool he’d used in the past to remove paint, and she pointed it at the hole. “They’ve never caused any trouble, that I know of.”

“That’s not reassuring me.” No wonder Chester was so eager to sign the lease.

* * *

Undeniable Trait received a 4-star review from Amy's Bookshelf Reviews last week. Click here to read.

Undeniable Trait is available in ebook and paperback. Click here to purchase.

Have a great summer & Happy reading!

J. S. 

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Winter by J. S. Marlo

 

Wounded Hearts

"Love & Sacrifice #2"

is now available  

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J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

     Before I published my first novel, I wrote stories for fun and posted them on a fanfic website. Many of these early stories took place in winter. Why winter? Because I'm Canadian and I live in the north. I have four seasons: Spring (lasts 1 month), Summer (lasts 3 months), Fall (last 2 months), and Winter (last 6 months). So, I spend half the year in the snow and the cold.

In one of these fun stories, my character was forced to drive in a snowstorm without winter tires. Needless to say, he ended up in a ditch. After reading that story, a reader sent me a message asking me what were winter tires, and why we didn't put 'normal' tires on our cars in Canada. I told her that winter tires look like 'normal' tires but they have a higher natural rubber content to keep them supple in cold weather and deeper & thicker treads, allowing for better grip and handling on snow and ice.

She lived in a part of the world where it's always warm, so she didn't understand how snow, ice, and cold could affect our lives differently. It was the start of a long conversation about car accessories: winter tires, studs, chains, winter wipers, block heaters, battery blankets... then houses: triple windows, insulated attics, basements, furnaces...

Looking back, I learned a lot from the exchange. I realized just because I knew about certain things didn't mean everyone else did. Sentences like "it's cold out" or "there are northern lights in the sky" doesn't mean anything to someone who'd never felt cold or seen northern lights.

As a result, I learned to become more descriptive, to look at a scene through my characters' eyes as if they were seeing it for the first time, and to assume that at least one of my readers will never have experienced what my characters see, hear, feel, sense, or smell.

Happy Reading & Stay Safe! J.S.

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

It's A Snow Day by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE ON THESE PLATFORMS

We knew our long, hot summer would not last forever. For the past week, I’ve been watching the weather forecast, mindful of the falling temperatures and gathering cloud cover.

Yesterday was one last brave hurrah of sunshine and mellowness, this morning we woke up to a winter wonderland with snow ten inches deep sitting on top of the cars. It doesn’t matter that what is falling now is a mix of snow and rain, today is the demarcation line between seasons.

My children, who all live in England, do not understand how their mother, who is so not a winter person, ended up in a country where there is so much of it. All I can say is that I make the most of it. On clear days I’m happy to go snowshoeing, but mostly I’m with the bears – hibernation sounds good.

I like to have a stack of books to read, titles by my fellow Books We Love authors, or thrillers by numerous authors like Lee Child, Anthony Horowitz, or Ken Follet.. I’ll compile a list of movies I’d like to watch, oldies but goodies (Casablanca, anyone?) as well as more recent heartwarming romances. Hot chocolate and a cozy fire add to the ambience, and on days when it really is too miserable to venture out of doors, it is time to get down to writing.

My next book, a contemporary western romance, is already underway, so being indoors writing will take up much of my time. Before I know it, the release date of September 1^st, 2023, will roll around, and I will have another title under my belt. I have to say, I love the writing life, whatever the season. How will you prepare for and deal with winter?

Victoria Chatham

  AT BOOKS WE LOVE

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 MY WEBSITE

Spring Has Sprung

 

Or so they say. You couldn't prove it by Ohioans. We've had the craziest weather. Up and down, up and down, snow, rain, and sunshine. Typical weather for April, with promises of warm weather to come.

It seems like Mother Nature likes to tease us. She'll give us temps and sunshine in the 70s for a few days, then drop us back down to the 30s. Last week we had two days in the 80s, absolutely beautiful weather. Even the 40s and 50s feel cold after those days. Dropping us into the 30s was just downright cruel. 

Fortunately, Ohioans are resilient and we roll with the flow, for the most part. That doesn't mean we don't complain. Ha, far from it. And in a couple of months, we're going to complain it's too hot. Seems like we're not happy unless we complain. 

All in all, we haven't had that bad of a winter, at least not to my memory (which isn't what it used to be). A few bitterly cold days in January - to be expected, and not that much snow. Okay, we had two good snowstorms of six inches or more, and they came one right after the other. But that was about it for snow, at least shovable snow. To me, that's a pretty mild winter. 

Anytime I'm not afraid to drive is good for me. I'm not a big fan of driving, don't like driving in the rain, hate driving in the snow or ice and driving at night in either or is the pitts. Nope, I don't like to drive. Now, don't get me wrong, there are days I'm fine with it. Sunny warm days with no traffic like early Sunday morning on the way to church, or after morning rush hour on the way to Bible Study. Not crazy about driving at night at all, so these longer days work great for me. Wintertime, I won't drive at night, the headlights on other cars are horrible, especially those new headlights. I discovered a long time ago, if you wear sunglasses while driving at night, it does help. But I still don't like it. 

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Spring has sprung and in few weeks, we'll really feel the benefits of it, at least we will if it doesn't become summer before we've had a chance to enjoy spring, which also happens a lot in Ohio. Not that I'd live any place else. Nope, I'm Ohio born, and in Ohio I shall die. Hmmm, that almost makes me sound a little like Aunt Beatrice Lulu. If you'd like to know more about her check out the Family Affair Series at BWL Publishing

Oh, and by the way, Aunt Beatrice Lulu remains in hiding, as do my other characters.  I do have a couple of ideas for the story, but the ending still eludes me, without that I can't fill in the middle. If anyone has any ideas let me know.either by email or in the comments below. If I use your idea, I'll mention you as a character in my book (with your permission, of course).  (email address is: rodow62 at yahoo dot com. 

The work in progress started out with Beatrice Lulu's sister, Ethel telling the story, Well which didn't sit too well with ABLL (that's what I call her when I talk about her). No one was going to take over her story. So, she took over and then she shut down. Probably paying me back for trying to let Ethel be the main character. I have a few ideas for things that go wrong for her because we all know everything goes wrong for ABLL, she's always getting into trouble. Nothing big of course, because that's where my problem comes in, she won't tell me what her next big adventure is and how she gets out of it.