"maintenance" free

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

You know what this quote is really about? Vinyl siding. Or really anything else that claims to be "maintenance" free. It is one of the joys (hear my voice drop an octave and my eyes look sternly at you) of old house living: everything is repairable. The problem is really when it all needs it at the same time and it is all so minor that you cannot justify paying someone to do it nor find the time to actually do it yourself. Luckily we are not dealing with vinyl siding. Just lots and lots of rain and a cat.