jiggle jiggle

Jiggling the handle was a daily routine in my house growing up. You'd flush the toilet, go play with some toys, and ten minutes later you'd walk past the bathroom to hear the toilet still running. Time to jiggle the handle. You don't want to waste water or electricity.

When I got older I learned how not to stand at the the toilet jiggling for five minutes - take the lid off the top and mess with the stopper inside. It's so much more effective.

The toilet in my present house has spurts of irritability resulting in the need for handle jiggling. I think it gets annoyed with the cat leaving paw prints all over it. A couple minutes of jiggling or a quick dabble with the chain and stopper usually does the trick. Today, however, the toilet seems to be expressing great wrath. At intervals of probably no shorter than five minutes but no longer than fifteen it turns itself on, running running running the water. As soon as I walk into the bathroom, it shuts off. What? It's not my fault, whatever you're in a huff about! I go sit back down at my desk until the next time.

I do hope it's not a poltergeist, although that would be appropriate this time of the year.