Can she fix it? Yes SHE can!

I wouldn't exactly refer to myself as a Handy Manny, er, Handy Martha that is, but once in a while I surprise even myself as to my DIY capabilities.

We've had a heavy duty garbage disposal on the fritz for some time now....since last spring. Hubby disagrees and thinks it has only been kaput since August. In any case, it was dead, deadski, kaput, fubar...you name it. We tried the little reset button on the bottom (which my husband didn't even know existed but the little woman DID) and turned on and off the breaker switch to no avail. Hubby said the motor was fried. I wasn't convinced. I still heard a distinct 'hum' which meant the motor was wanting to turn it just couldn't for some unseen reason. Our home is only 10 years old and sure things tend to start falling apart and need repair but I figured a heavy duty disposal like our electric Godzilla under the sink had more than 10 years in her. But during the months it was out it was a pain to make sure no solid food passed through the rubber stopper on the right side of the sink, leaving the kitchen trash can to emit smells that would make an Ogre cringe.

Summer, Fall and the holidays came and went and it was time to send the kids back to school and to do some serious house cleaning to rid the abode of clutter, assorted fruit snacks scattered about and in the couch cushions and the last of the holiday decor put away for good. I had forgotten about the disposal, and we settled into a routine of carefully throwing food scraps in the trash can when tiny light bulbs went off above my head. Now how could the motor be burnt out when it still makes a noise? Well, there's the beauty of the internet! Search engines! A quick sign on to Google and I was off searching the web for a disposal remedy for our sick electric garbage munching machine.

It didn't take long to find a video giving you step by step instructions on how to fix an alleged 'dead' disposal! Little did I know on the bottom of the darn unit there is a hex opening for an allen wrench to loosen the gear to try to free up whatever the heck is jamming the darn thing. So...following instructions to a "T" I turned off the breaker switch in the garage (since the plug is conveniently BEHIND the sink and cabinet) and insert an allen wrench and with a little oomph the thing pried loose! This had to work! I didn't want to fathom the $100 it would take to replace this whole unit. I turned on the breaker switch in the garage...pushed the red reset button, turned on the cold water and let it run for a few seconds and silently prayed as I reached for the switch on the wall.....GRRRRRRRRRRR....the familiar grinding never sounded so good! It sounded a bit sickening as accompanying the grinding sound was metallic crunching sound....so I turned it off and reached in (ok bad idea but it was off ok?) and pulled out a baby spoon that was in a strange "L" shape. That was the culprit the whole time! A Gerber baby spoon of all things. Eureka!!!! I fixed something!

I couldn't hold back my excitement at my electronic triumph and immediately called my other half to let him know it was working and to brag about how wonderfully handy and smart I am! Hey I'm not conceited am I? Just goes to show you that we women never give up! We are persistent in our quest to fix the things that make men go hmmmmmm....and we deserve the props when we usurp a man's natural ability to be Mr. Fix It....a a title I now proudly wear......MS. Fix It! Can I hear an amen sisters?