Yesterday afternoon I was sitting at my desk working away at the computer. From the window I can see the front yard and the sidewalk leading up to the house. Around about 2:45 I noticed a fellow walking up the sidewalk toward my door. He was lighting a cigarette. I'm thinking to myself, "You're not coming to MY house with that!" I answered the door to a rather rough-around-the-edges man who had some important news. In fifteen minutes I was about to lose water service to the house.
You see, that one-day cold snap we had on... Thursday caused a water main break not far from the house. It was approaching 3:00, so it was obvious they weren't going to work on the problem until morning. I went about filling the bathtub with water along with various jugs, the boy's water dispenser, and most importantly the kettle! What's life without tea, I ask you!? Sadly, I had one remaining load of laundry which now has to wait until service is restored.
Early this morning the banging, digging, sawing and crashing commenced... however I, being the sound sleeper I am, didn't clue in until... well.. let's just say I slept well last night!
Something I noticed in not having water service was how much we "expect" water at the turn of a tap. The reality is, even with "no water service", I still had water and didn't have to haul it from miles away. Tonight I will heat water to do dishes and the usual bathroom rituals.
I wonder how many skills we lose, or never even cultivate because we live in a world of conveniences? When was the last time you HAD to chop firewood to keep warm, haul water to keep from going thirsty, learn to hunt if you wanted to eat meat, learn to garden or develop stamina enough to walk wherever you need to go? Would we get more sleep if we didn't have electric lights that allow us to stay up all night working on that "must do" whatever?
My cigarette-sporting buddy came to the door this afternoon, again around three, to bring me up to date on the situation. It seems they replaced a 4-foot piece of pipe, turned the water on and immediately... you guessed it, another leak, further up the line. They will return tomorrow. This too, pleases me. I have not as yet learned to repair water mains.
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Just as an afterthought, and on a much lighter note:
I got a real chuckle out of ET's Blog today. Also, thanks to 'Traveler I was led to this page, also very laughable!
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About Me
- Turtle Guy
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- English student, Pottery enthusiast, Yoga novice and lover of all people. I make friends over a warm handshake and a beverage. I discover, every day, someone willing to help me along my path.
5 comments:
it is really amazing, all the things that make our lives so easy! we do have a coal fire most nights, or else my feet would be freezing by bedtime... :)))
and the rest of me a bit chilly too!
tea, ey? Hmmmmm....
I love a good cuppa! Sarah is a very lucky gal... :)))
hope your water retuns soon, and until then, in the words of Ray Davies,
"have a cuppa tea, have a cuppa tea..."
running water
ahhhh
and hot water!!! YEAA!
In my brief travels to Cuba and Honduras, I learned to appreciate things like water and electricity a good deal. You are right... There is much we take for granted.
Hope it's all fixed now?
I have been in your shoes a couple of times when I was living far north. We had a well and the line froze that fed to the house. Luckily we still had another pumped well and it was warm enough to get water from the rain barrels coming off the roof for non drinking things.I guess it was also lucky we had an outhouse still standing...cold but functional.
I think I will go hug my toilet (in a good way).
Hey Dave - I must get better at reading blogs but I've been keeping on task and my work instead. ;-) thanks for the mention of my page. And well we tried a great wine tonight. P will have to update it, but I'm not 100% sure he will. He was silly though planning his post.
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