tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post933916143441469799..comments2024-03-05T11:10:29.953-05:00Comments on My Ancestors and Me: Taking It for Granted -- Or NotNancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-380547284136343072016-03-12T01:08:45.217-05:002016-03-12T01:08:45.217-05:00Oh, no, Wendy. We learn so much the first time ar...Oh, no, Wendy. We learn so much the first time around. It's too bad that first time resulted in being without water and having to get a new pump. Our home had well water before we bought it but we arranged for city water before we moved in. I'm enough of a city girl that I wasn't interested in living with wells and well water. I hope all things at your country home have been going smoothly.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-2354906116550140312016-03-11T09:42:44.196-05:002016-03-11T09:42:44.196-05:00The second time the well refilled overnight. But t...The second time the well refilled overnight. But the first time we didn't know to turn off the pump so as a result we burned up the motor and had to replace it. The delay with all that meant several days without water. Ah country life!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17863357756727783017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-26123961400006427702016-03-09T21:38:53.893-05:002016-03-09T21:38:53.893-05:00Thanks, Wendy. How awful to run out of water with...Thanks, Wendy. How awful to run out of water with guests! I hope it may have become a funny memory, one of those ones where people say, "You remember when...?" How long did it take your well to fill again? I didn't intend for the post to be preachy or a moral lesson -- just my reminiscences of experiences with water. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-20072144069921412702016-03-09T13:33:24.019-05:002016-03-09T13:33:24.019-05:00I have always been a city girl enjoying city water...I have always been a city girl enjoying city water. So when we bought a second home at Smith Mountain Lake, I had to learn about wells and septic tanks. We used up all the water in the well twice - once by power washing the dock and once when we had a houseful of company showering, doing dishes, and doing laundry. I learned my lesson. Now I think about the timing of such chores. This was an outstanding post! Family history plus a good moral lesson.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17863357756727783017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-82102272591004605472016-03-07T23:48:36.508-05:002016-03-07T23:48:36.508-05:00Kathleen, just reading about your experience bring...Kathleen, just reading about your experience brings on feelings of anxiety, and I didn't go through the experience! I would say what a challenge, but that word seems too mild for the experience. Three months is a long time without running water. I know the pioneers didn't have running water, but for us it's the taking away of something we're using to having that creates the problems, I think. Natasha's water has been on and off (their pipes freeze in the winter) the whole time they've been there. Just last December they were able to get city water, but that doesn't prevent pipes from freezing. I'm so grateful for city water. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm so sorry you had to go through it!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-39086280836516852112016-03-07T19:00:16.992-05:002016-03-07T19:00:16.992-05:00This post brings up some anxiety and the memory of...This post brings up some anxiety and the memory of losing our well a couple of years ago. We had to drill a new well and there really wasn't a guarantee that we would strike water again. Paying by the foot we had to go down another 200 feet, but we DID strike good water deeper down. Thankfully! What a trial. It took three months and we were without water the whole time. We had to truck it in for the sheep and had a big barrel on the porch for the household. We did laundry 25 miles away at the laundromat. We showered with a 1 gallon solar shower that we rigged up in the bathroom. What a trial it was. I will always be so grateful to just turn the tap and have great-tasting, safe water.Kathleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00670017068516575306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-44842870289006183082016-03-06T23:43:11.142-05:002016-03-06T23:43:11.142-05:00Thank you, Mike. Oh, yes, I feel sorry for the pe...Thank you, Mike. Oh, yes, I feel sorry for the people of Flint and their water situation. I think we all trust our public water service, and then to have that happen. What a terrible thing.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-62895768687823839732016-03-06T23:40:44.281-05:002016-03-06T23:40:44.281-05:00I think there are probably a variety of reasons to...I think there are probably a variety of reasons to buy commercial water, either at a store and toting it home or from a delivery service. In El Salvador some (usually wealthier) people bought bottled water because the public tap water wasn't necessarily water free of organisms. We Americans were all cautioned to either boil water before drinking or buy bottled water. What does desalinated sea water taste like, Little Nell?Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-60749076540743828342016-03-06T23:37:45.282-05:002016-03-06T23:37:45.282-05:00I think the hard part is having tap water, and the...I think the hard part is having tap water, and then having it taken away, as your son and his wife did when in Ghana. The people in Ghana who have always lived having to carry their water can't imagine what it would be like to have running water in their homes. But still, we probably need to be aware of how we use it and be grateful to have running water.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-89815096189946191972016-03-06T23:34:39.613-05:002016-03-06T23:34:39.613-05:00It's wonderful that you have a double supply o...It's wonderful that you have a double supply of water, Titania. I would be thrilled to have crystal clear well water to drink. It must be delicious!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-33312989873395189892016-03-06T23:32:51.733-05:002016-03-06T23:32:51.733-05:00Very lucky, Alex! We've always had running wa...Very lucky, Alex! We've always had running water, too, but our daughter's water supply on her farm is sometimes iffy, so when we've visited her there have been times without running water. It's hard!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-2802084595886801482016-03-06T23:31:31.136-05:002016-03-06T23:31:31.136-05:00When I think of the ways that my mom conserved wat...When I think of the ways that my mom conserved water (using the rinse water from laundry twice, then once again for the next load of wash, etc.) I know I waste water. I try avoid it as much as possible but don't always succeed. Sometimes the shower tempts me to stay a little longer than necessary. Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-10751581306699720892016-03-06T23:26:47.548-05:002016-03-06T23:26:47.548-05:00We are so accustomed to having running water, it i...We are so accustomed to having running water, it is hard to live without it. Hard because of a power outage, but harder still because of drought. With a power outage, you can guess that it won't be off for months and months, but with a drought, there's no telling. I'm impressed that you sent a thank you to the power company. I doubt they get many thanks yous.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-30513561155533472122016-03-06T23:07:12.240-05:002016-03-06T23:07:12.240-05:00It's amazing that ground water was plentiful e...It's amazing that ground water was plentiful enough to supply a whole city with its water needs, Kristin. And that it was clean enough to drink without processing or without unpleasant chemical elements (iron, sulfur, etc.). Yes, I would vote for money for city water any day. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136584654825212359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-19899911658893672562016-03-06T21:06:48.984-05:002016-03-06T21:06:48.984-05:00Wonderful thoughtful story and very appropriate in...Wonderful thoughtful story and very appropriate in light of the many reports around the world of water shortages and/or pollution. The recent catastrophe in Flint, MI is heartbreaking for the people, and frustrating that such a thing could happen in America. Mike Brubakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-88830395765945222352016-03-06T15:21:54.995-05:002016-03-06T15:21:54.995-05:00An interesting post and a good reminder not to tak...An interesting post and a good reminder not to take our water for granted. Here in Lanzarote, where our drinking water is either desalinated sea water or commercially bottled, some households still have the water carrier deliver their supply.Little Nellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11862657943846727987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-75080121396512129162016-03-06T05:59:17.345-05:002016-03-06T05:59:17.345-05:00We've always had running water 'on tap'...We've always had running water 'on tap', but when our son and daughter-in-law lived in Ghana for a year they had to fill buckets when the water supply was turned off, which happened frequently, and power outages were also common. A big contrast to our privileged way of life. We take water for granted, although there were restrictions on its use for gardens etc a few years ago during a drought, and they may well be brought in again, as we've just had a long dry summer. Jofeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10290597697140624780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-21383704951190862322016-03-06T01:19:20.299-05:002016-03-06T01:19:20.299-05:00When one has experienced shortage of water, one ca...When one has experienced shortage of water, one can appreciate it when it is in plentiful supply, but even then I never waste it. Now we have a very deep well with crystal clear water pumped into the house for drinking, we also have town water which is medicated so we use it for washing etc. but not as drinking water.Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05403418150146893599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-65839678591361032982016-03-05T19:40:17.275-05:002016-03-05T19:40:17.275-05:00There are photos of me carrying water as a toddler...There are photos of me carrying water as a toddler in buckets when we were camping in Europe but that is about the only time I have been without running water - apart from other camping trips. How lucky am I?Alex Dawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05083753053051713061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-17604488520310195432016-03-05T14:30:31.728-05:002016-03-05T14:30:31.728-05:00I feel guilty for wasting water, but not guilty en...I feel guilty for wasting water, but not guilty enough to stop.Postcardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16399915833682943432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-35834428120217704562016-03-05T10:30:48.247-05:002016-03-05T10:30:48.247-05:00I lived in a house with well water and a pump. Whe...I lived in a house with well water and a pump. When the electricity went out there was no water. I'm ashamed to admit that we'd go to a hotel if the outages lasted more than a day. After one long dry spell, I sent a note of gratitude to our local power company. Now with drought in California we are all appreciating how lucky we are to have water at all.Helen Killeen Bauch McHarguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07042488205276127209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6892358786681938797.post-27633048713886276722016-03-05T10:16:42.387-05:002016-03-05T10:16:42.387-05:00I am thrilled to have plentiful clean water too! F...I am thrilled to have plentiful clean water too! For decades we lived with well water but there was no difference between that and the city water because it came from ground water via an electric pump with a storage tank. Served all our needs by just turning on a tap. A few houses had old hand pumps but they were just historic pieces. I was happy to vote money to repair and improve our city's water system recently.Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06413795611563683135noreply@blogger.com