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Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022
 
Good Tuesday morning to you!
 

When I knock on a door and the person on the other side answers with, “Who is it?” my common reply is, “It’s the plumber; I’ve come to fix the sink.” It’s an obscure reference to a short cartoon that played on “The Electric Company” when I was a kid. Some people get it. Most don’t. That doesn’t stop me from continuing to use it.

I am not really a plumber, but I do try every once in a while. A few decades ago, I learned a valuable lesson with garbage disposal units. I learned another one this past week.

Let’s start with garbage disposal unit lesson No. 1. In the mid-1990s in our first home, our garbage disposal unit quit working. I found the little tool to hand crank it, but it still didn’t work. So I bought a new unit and replaced it. In throwing out the old one, I noticed a reset button on the bottom. Ugh. With the new unit installed and working, I didn’t even try the old one to see if it would work. I quietly disposed of it. Now I know that garbage disposal units have reset buttons. Lesson No. 1 learned.

On to garbage disposal unit lesson No. 2. When our dishwasher wasn’t draining last week, I did a YouTube search and found a few tips. One was to take a plunger to the kitchen sink and try to knock the clog loose. Had I watched more closely, I would have learned not to plunge too aggressively. But I didn’t, and the jackhammer plunging apparently broke the seals in my garbage disposal unit. No big deal. The unit was old, and I had replaced these before, right?

In the meantime, I needed to get our dishwasher working, so I called a plumber friend of mine for advice. He told me to contact a sewer service, so I did. The guy who cleaned the line told me I had a leaking garbage disposal unit, which I knew by now. So I installed a new garbage disposal unit myself. With a dishwasher still not draining and a kitchen full of dirty dishes, I did what I should have done from the beginning and called an appliance repairman. A few hundred bucks more spent, and I learned that a garbage disposal unit has a knockout plug to the dishwasher hose that I apparently didn’t knock out. It was a simple fix, but at this point, I wanted to knock myself out. Lesson No. 2 learned.

So, if you are following along, you now know that garbage disposal units have reset buttons and knockout plugs. Worst of all, my “It’s the plumber; I’ve come to fix the sink” joke seems to once again be on me.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

 
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Your Clear Mortgage forecast from Jason Parkin

We’ve headed back to the lower end of the thermometer today and are expecting a high in the neighborhood of 8 degrees in the Des Moines metro area. We’ll drop below zero again tonight before rebounding into the lower 20s tomorrow and 30s Thursday. With the exception of a little dip on Friday, we’ll stay in the 30s into the weekend.

For help with preapprovals or refinancing, get in touch with Jason at parkin.mortgage

 
Things To Do

Tuesday, Jan. 25
Iowa Wolves vs. Texas Legends/Mavericks, 7 p.m.
At: Wells Fargo Arena, 730 Third St., Des Moines
Info: PRO BASKETBALL - NBA G LEAGUE
The Iowa Wolves basketball team is affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA and plays in the NBA Gatorade League, which is the NBA’s official minor league. https://iowa.gleague.nba.com

 
Featured Home For Sale
 
Attention Realtors, post your listings here for $50. Contact pat@dmcityview.com for details.
 
2906 Cambridge St,
Des Moines, IA 50313
$174,900
 
Vintage Character + Updates Galore! Completely remodeled 1866 sqft - 5 bedroom home in Union/Highland Park. The 6" woodwork, wide staircase and floor to ceiling window are charming! Oversized Updated kitchen with S/S appliances and new lvp flooring through out main level including thr formal dining room and huge living room.  .... SEE MORE ABOUT THIS LISTING
 
See More Homes For Sale
 
Headlines

FROM KCCI: Hearing to try Iowa teen murder suspects as juveniles delayed

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Iowa — The hearing for two teenagers charged with the death of Nohema Graber has been delayed. Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale have been accused of murdering their 66-year-old Spanish teacher in Fairfield, Iowa. They are currently being charged as adults in her death. ...READ MORE FROM KCCI

FROM WHO-TV: Iowa winters are warming – and the numbers prove it

Winter (December 1-Feb 28) is the fastest warming season across all of the Midwest with most places experiencing 10-15 more above average winter days than just 50 years ago. In 1970, Iowa could expect about 40 above average days in the winter, but now that number is over 50 days. In more than 10 of the past 50 years there have been 60 or more above average days in the winter, but more than half of that number has occurred since 2000.  READ MORE FROM WHO-TV

FROM WOI-DT Local 5: Tensions rise as Des Moines City Council adopts new rules

Indira Sheumaker was the lone "no" vote Monday night. She said she feels the rule change is an attempt to silence her. .... READ MORE FROM WOI-DT Local 5

 
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines 2022

The polls have closed, the results have been tallied, and the 2022 Best Of Des Moines readers' choices will be announced soon! Watch for results in the February issue of CITYVIEW!

 
Personalities
 

Pets of a different kind: What city ordinances and owners say about unusual pets

By Rachel Harrington

Breckin Alexander, an 11-year-old Winterset student, has been the proud owner of an axolotl named Luna since this past April — for about eight months. Axolotls, which are a kind of aquatic salamander, are usually found in one of three colors: white albino, yellow albino and brown. They typically grow to about a foot long and originally came from a lake in Mexico City called Lake Xochimilco. Axolotls have an average life span of about 15-20 years.

“I was watching ‘Gravity Falls,’ and it had a backwards message that, when turned around, spelled ‘axolotl,’ ” explains Breckin. “A year later, I wondered what it was and looked it up. I thought they were really cute. They have three ‘horns’ on the side of their heads that are actually their gills.”

[...]

 
Read more
 
Jobs

EMPLOYERS: Place your help wanted ad on our Jobs Board for FREE! For information about placing your ad in our print products, email pat@dmcityview.com.

MACHINE OPERATOR ...

CITYVIEW MAGAZINE REPORTER ...

DELIVERY DRIVERS ...

 
See all jobs listings
 
Snapshot

"Here’s a fellow I encountered on my walk in Polk City one day last week!" — Photo by Diane Doro

 
HELP Tammy out by sending your photos to tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com!
 
 
Digital Editions
 
Grimes/Dallas Center Living magazine is published each month and mailed to every household in the community. The January issue cover story, "Pets of a different kind" is about locals who have chosen unusual pets and what they have to say about them. Also included are other features, informational articles and local photos. Each edition, as well as the archives, may be viewed at www.iowalivingmagazines.com. Read the January issue here.
 
Get weekly updates via email by subscribing for free to Grimes/Dallas Center Living Weekly! Go to www.biggreenumbrellamedia.com and click on SUBSCRIBE.
 
 
 
Birthdays and Notables!
 

Happy Birthday to Neil Hyde!

Happy Birthday to these celebrities: Charlene, Princess of Monaco, Alicia Keys, Christine Lakin, Jenifer Lewis, Leigh Taylor-Young, Michael Trevino

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to:tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

 
Poll of the Week

When was the last time you made a snowman?

In the past year
In the past 5 years
In the past 10 years
More than 11 years ago

 

Have you received your COVID-19 booster shot?

Yes - 79%
Not yet, but I plan to - 4%
No, and I do not intend to - 17%

 
Morning Chuckle
 
YESTERDAY'S RIDDLE:
What do houses wear?
Several good answers:
A DRESS (address): Aaron Burns, Rex Post, William Snyder
A COAT OF PAINT: Shane Goodman, Gary Winter, Rex Post, Diane Doro
A HOUSE COAT: Gail Tomlinson, Lori Bluml
MOBILE HOMES HAVE SKIRTS: William Snyder
THE MINDS OF OWNERS: Donna Willems
 

TODAY'S RIDDLE:

Why did the man close down his dating service for chickens?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com 

 

If you would like to advertise in this daily newsletter, please contact Pat Checketts at pat@dmcityview.com, or call 515-953-4822 xt. 311.

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