Finally, good news in the saga. Plumber came out. Turns out I don’t have to replace the flange to replace the bolts — the bolts were always replaceable; I just couldn’t see it because rust had obscured their entry points. Plumber Dude chipped away at rust until gateways opened up… old bolts came out and new ones went in. Since he had to charge an hour minimum, had him install the new toilet, even though I had kind of looked forward to it. All groovy, except that the flush handle mechanism had been assembled backwards and thus ineffectual. Could not be disassembled. Toilet shop closed, wanted this to be over, replaced with an Ace version. Pooped promptly. It’s all good.
Much gutter week this weekend – cleaning out, pumping water through, extending downspouts to get water clear of the foundation, re-attaching bits and pieces, scooping gravel from troughs. Miles thinks it’s hilarious when Daddy climbs up a ladder. We don’t know why.
Central heat installed a couple weeks ago, and we’ve had landscapers out the last few days installing a monstro French Drain (oops, “Freedom Drain”) — nearly 80′ of trench 2/3 of the way around the house, tied into downspouts. Right out to the curbs, holes in concrete. They also rototilled and de-rooted the desolate moonscape of a backyard into something workable, ready for planting.