Last spring or summer we had the plumber come in to fix a cast iron pipe that broke. It was an old pipe; a young man fixed it after he had removed part of the ceiling to access it. While they were here, the plumber and his apprentice, I also had them install two new faucets in an upstairs bathroom. The older faucets had been dripping and had actually built up a little lime patch in the two sinks.

So we had two great faucets and no dripping, which it turns out allowed the water in a little copper pipe to quit its constant creeping movement. And then it got very cold and that little pipe was near the exterior of the house – very near  –  and the water in it froze and expanded and started leaking. Part of the ceiling in the dining room has been saturated and three-quarters of a wall. It all has to come down and the studs dried out. It will not be cheap. Then everything has to be replaced and please don’t forget to mend the pipe while the wall is TOTALLY OPEN.

I may or may not publish pictures.