“..last year the pipe to the barn froze in February and didn’t thaw again until May 15. Nothin’ I could do about it, so we hauled water…”, said the farmer beside me in the feed store. Of course then I added my story of hauling 30-60 litres per day depending on house activity, “…well over 300 houses now, and everyone on our street just has to wait ’til April…”

“Water guys are out there 24/7 I hear, losing battle against frost though.  City water bills might be a tad lower now  (chuckle…)”

A version of this conversation is shared every hour or so across town and in barns & kitchens.  So and thus the February freezes of 2014 and 2015 are woven into our local history.

harbour from studio roof, March 13, 2015

harbour from studio roof, March 13, 2015

I still haul 30+ litres of water a day, cook only simple meals that don’t waste alot of water (I cringe at the thought of boiling pasta or potatoes now), and flush our toilets with a bucket.  Somehow, the fact that I can go outside in shoes (not boots) and with only a sweater on is helping.  Faucets that actually run with water could be weeks away but the thaw has begun, and that makes all the difference.

2015-03-13 13.07.46

We may not need to wait that long.  City staff (the heroes!) have knocked heads with a local engineering firm to devise a temporary solution for our little street that may have me in a hot bath by the end of next week.  Woot.

I’m feeling cheerful today.