Plumbing woes

I think that if I had it all to do over again, I would seriously consider becoming a Master Licensed Plumber - not that I posess the skill set or the aptitude for such a thing. I was awakened this morning to a severed water main and a well pump that was doing a fine job of watering one side of my yard. Once I figured our which breaker shut off the well pump (I'm not an electrician either) I set about trying to find a plumber who could come out on a Saturday. Ha!!

Now, I had looked at this thing, and determined that I could probably fix it myself, but I have a tendency to like things done on my house by someone who actually has a clue what they are doing. Since no one like that was available, I made the requisite 3 trips to the hardware store and 2 false starts before finally completing the task myself. I am still not sure if the 5 hours or so of my time, gallons of gas, and parts purchased for experimentation were a better value than a competent professional - the point is that you can no longer FIND a competent tradesperson, and not only a plumber - heating and A/C, auto mechanic, whatever. When my parents were young, young men apprenticed to a trade because it promised a good living and a future. Now, young people either go to college or become unskilled labor - we see it in the Land Surveying community, there are no good, smart kids coming in at entry level. If this trend continues, good luck getting anything done right in another 20 years or so - unless, of course, you or someone you know can do it yourself.

I think that there will be a shortage of skilled tradesmen in this country and that at some point these individuals will be able to write their own tickets. And that includes motorcycle mechanics!!!