Water-Rationing Update - One Month Later

It has now been a little over a month since I discovered that major break in my plumbing, under my 40-year-old mobile home. That was October 6. 

A week or so later, I was fortunate to be able to get an inside shut-off valve installed. That saved wear and tear on my legs. I no longer needed to scoot outside, down the steps, walk quickly to the back of the lot, and turn the water on or off.

It also saved wear and tear on my nerves and on the pipes and the ground beneath them. That is because the trip out the door, down the steps, etc., takes this senior's body from 2 to 4 minutes, each way. Because I've been advised to let it run to avoid rust build up, but to limit it to short sessions, 2 to 3 minutes at a time for minor needs, time is important.

My showers have become record breakers. I have them down to about 5 to 7 minutes. The cat is used to me dripping when I get out of the shower, grab a towel, and hustle my wet bare feet through the back bathroom, back bedroom, open area, and onto the linoleum in the pantry to do the shut off when I'm finished. I thought I was doing well. Then a friend mentioned he showers in 2 minutes, during TV commercials. I really don't think I can ever match his timing. It takes me 2 minutes just to make that trip, each way.

Along the way, I've made water-rationing a sort of challenge, a game. I tend to do that with any major difficulty in life. It cuts down on stress. And because it could take me months or even a year, to gather funds for this, it is also necessary.

My biggest challenge is in food prep. I have become healthier in the past two years than in my previous 10 years. That is because of changes in what I eat. Most of it is made from scratch. Most of it involves fresh fruit and veggies. That requires washing/rinsing that produce.

I've designated one bowl for that purpose. It can hold about a quart to 1/2 gal of water and leave enough room for me to swish the food around to rinse it.

And on it goes. When you think about folks who had to lug water from the creek barely a century ago, my issues seem minor.

Like anything that puts a bump on life's road - it's all in how you react to it.