March 13, 2015
“..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
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.
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.