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.

Inside Valve Installed - Some Relief But Still an Issue

Thankfully, the contractor's crew installed a shutoff valve this morning in my laundry room by the back door. He said that to avoid the lines getting even more corroded and rusted than they already are, I must turn the water line on-and-off for 2 or 3 minutes several times a day.

He also said I should feel free to flush, shower quickly, and do quick loads of laundry, sparingly. I will take big loads, like blankets, to the coin laundry.

I had asked if he would consider my paying for the full job in installments, but he said that is not an option. So even though I can now function somewhat better, the leak is still there, still at risk for a full break, and still must be done.

For now, I will take the relief I just got and keep working on finding the funds for the full pipe job. Moving along....  

Balancing Activity Against Stress

At my age, I try not to compare myself to others as far as what I should be able to do, to accomplish each day. Each of us has different limits. These limits are determined by age, by health, by inner stamina levels, and by many other factors. So I look instead at how I compare from this year to last year, or a few years ago.

Currently, I've upped my activity level quite a bit. With the possibility of that re-piping under the house, and the moving of stuff inside here to allow access to the pipes inside the walls, I've been very busy. I've been lifting, toting, carrying, packing, sorting, and even donating.

Along the way, I'm gifting some things to a dear friend, others to a local charity, and tossing stuff that should have been tossed earlier.

Add to that the fact that everything revolves around water usage. I have a neighbor who keeps filling up water jugs for me to use. But that means carrying them in, two at a time, every other day. It means pouring water to rinse my dishes and to wash my dishes; it means pouring water for drinking. Veggies and fruits need to be rinsed. And of course there are normal bathroom concerns. It is all reasonably easy to do, but there is so much of it. We take our water usage for granted, and it is something I will never do again.

My concern is that I do not want it to get so stressful that I make myself sick. That will not help me down the line. I have enough active brain cells left to know that much.

So I will try to be wise and not go overboard. I had a taste of that when I fell the other day. Thankfully, nothing was broken. But it was enough to remind me that aside from eternal happiness, our health is one of our biggest responsibilities to ourselves.

Yep, I will keep on keeping on, but I will be sensible about how much I pressure myself in doing so.

Possible Happy Side Effect of Plumbing Issues

With all this activity, stressful though it might be, it occurred to me tonight that I might end up losing a bit of the weight I put back on this year. I placed my scale where I could see it when I get up tomorrow so I can document current weight. I should have done this almost a week ago but I had no idea then just how much lifting, toting and more that I would be doing.

I've been up and down my back steps, few as they are, so many times each day it must count for something. And I haven't even begun to move the other stuff around.

Of course, it might take a week or two for me to see any results.

Tomorrow, I'm putting a few boxes out for charity pickup - they were already sorted so that is reasonably easy.

Remember that minor fall yesterday? The wrist is ten times better today - still a little cranky in the thumb area, but not as bad as I expected.

So far, so good - not quite a week. I must admit the new routine takes a bit more stamina.

The Appeal of Roughing It

The appeal of "roughing it" seems to fade as the decades pass. Dealing with life without running water might have been an adventure when I was younger. What a challenge in my 50s and even 60s. Now toward the end of my 70s, it's still a challenge but I need to talk myself into it. In case you missed it, here are links to my current dilemma.

http://prayersncrafts.blogspot.com/2016/10/major-leak-under-house-yard-sale.html

http://prayersncrafts.blogspot.com/2016/10/update-on-leak-under-house.html

http://prayersncrafts.blogspot.com/2016/10/amazing-blessings.html

http://prayersncrafts.blogspot.com/2016/10/meeting-challenge-of-no-running-water.html

http://prayersncrafts.blogspot.com/2016/10/someday-i-hope-to-laugh-and-tell.html

Still, it's something I must deal with.

There's no way I can even consider selling and going to a little affordable living apartment with the pipes as they are. I wouldn't be able to sell this place and I'm not about to toss out my 16 year investment in time and love and funds.

Even if I were to consider a roomie, that, too, is not do-able until those pipes are fixed.

So, deal with it I must and will. No biggie - it will work itself out.

But I do need to remind myself that I am no longer 39.

Today, for example, I sat on the floor and rummaged in an under-the-counter cabinet, looking for paper plates. I'd decided to use the smallest for mini-cutting boards for things like apples, cucumbers, and so on, and the larger one for some meals. This would help me use less of the bottled water I've been using for dishes.

It went well. I found a great stash of both sizes. I was so happy. I went to get up off the floor, stupidly put my right hand on the top of a kitchen chair and heaved myself up, only to have the chair topple to the side. I fell, of course.

Now don't get worried. I did not break anything. It's possible I twisted my left wrist a bit too much. It is cranky now. But it's not that bad. I was able to finish crocheting a scarf for the homeless, do some kitchen prep, and even begin the last stage of a small order for a friend - I just need to finish weaving the ribbon in some plastic canvas crosses. It's just embarrassing to me that I was so foolish I didn't think about what I was doing.

That kitchen prep I mentioned: I had 8 apples and decided to cut/dice them all once and get it over with, then nuke them into a softer stage, toss those into recycled peanut butter jars, and have them ready to use for everything from morning oatmeal to salads. I ended up with 4 jars. I'll freeze 2 and keep 2 in the fridge.

I wanted to add some brown sugar to the mix, but it was hard. I forgot to put it into some old Tupperware containers that I found to keep it soft. So I nuked that a little, too, and then portioned it into those containers.

I do feel like I accomplished a little today, even if it wasn't what I wanted to do.

Tomorrow, I really must, must, must begin pulling bags of yarn and bags of our items for the homeless away from one particular wall. I need to sort and re-pack the yarn, and label the other things, and then put them into a closet far away from where they might need to work if I can ever get the pipes done.

Yep, we're moving along...

Someday I Hope to Laugh and Tell Stories About This

Have you ever tried to fill 8 ice cube trays from a one gallon bottle of water? Without a lot of waste and spillage? 

I had to deal with that today in my no-running-water situation of the last 4 days. I have a container in the sink for rinsing. Without running water, rinsing dishes is also interesting. So I poured into the trays, one by one, over that container. That way, any spillage would still be useful one way or another. I do like ice water and I keep 8 trays filled in my fridge-top freezer. I toss those into a recycled 5-qt ice cream container from another time in my less-healthy eating life. Another hurdle leaped.

Over the past two years, I've slowly but steadily come to depend a lot on healthier food choices. which usually means cooking from scratch and fresh produce. The produce already in my fridge bins were rinsed off whatever day I brought it home, before putting it away. Very soon, that will be gone and I will face rinsing-without-waste when I bring more home. One hurdle to deal with soon.

Some of the water I am using came from a friend who filled up his empty one-gallon water bottles. That is not for drinking. I use it for the bathroom tanks, dishwater, and other needs. Drinking water (and for coffee, etc.) comes from the 3-gallon bottles I usually fill at either Walmart or Smith's. I was beginning to mix them up so I grabbed a Sharpie and scribbled DW on the drinking water. Another hurdle leaped.

The one thing that I'm slow adjusting to is that I am slow now. Everything takes longer. When things are going right, when we have hot and cold running water, we do not give a thought to how often we run to a sink or whatever and use the water. Even using paper pleats and plastic cutlery, I still need to empty things from my upright freezer or cut this or that, or stir this or that. I need to mix things. But by the time I get back to normal, which looks like a long way down the line (and I have to pray the pipes don't crumble before that), I should be even more patient than I once thought I already was.

Take making coffee, for example. I use a tiny old fashioned percolator which makes enough for one of those 16 oz insulated cups but the basket is tiny and I cut down the smallest filters I find - this means they do not fit exactly and grounds are in the basket when I am finished and washing. Well, now it is not wise to make more washing than I need. So I hauled out my little manual drip basket. You put a filter into the basket, toss in the coffee, and place it over the mug or cup, then pour the hot water into it, carefully. That method is great for right now because after I remove the filter/grounds, I simply rinse that drip basket. But it takes more attention and more time. Another lesson in patience.

Be Careful What You Pray For

This is something I always heard when I was growing up back in the 40s and 50s. And it turns out to be a very wise piece of advice.

For the past year or two, I've prayed for something to help motivate me to do a bit more decluttering than I manage to manage.

Now I find out that when they do the complete re-piping of the incoming water lines beneath my old mobile home, they will need to remove a panel or two on one or two walls to complete the job. Apparently, to do it properly, they need to also replace the pipes going up from that incoming line, all the way to the connectors beneath sinks, etc. because those pipes are just as old.

This means that I've got to clear, when that time comes, the stuff from in front of one portion of the master bedroom wall, for sure, and possibly another area or two.

Because I do not have the funds right now, it is not a rush job, but it definitely motivates me to get going on this, and as soon as possible. I know from past experience that when God answers prayers, it is often in a surprising and quick fashion.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the motivation. I appreciate the help but I will be very careful about my phrasing from here on in. Thanks again.

Meeting the Challenge of No Running Water

This is getting interesting. I just realized I can take real showers (instead of risking the water running through the shaky rusted pipes) in one of several of our mobile home park restrooms. I've known neighbors who have done that. One hurdle crossed.

I'll check one or two local coin laundries on Monday to see current prices. Fortunately, my needs are light in that area - I'm basically a wash-and-wear girl from way back. One more hurdle leaped.

And I also realized that I have two extra 3-gallon bottles for water that I can fill from the hoses at our park's several car wash sites. Yet another hurdle managed...

Can't wait to see what I come up tomorrow. 

Stay tuned. 

This little "still a Philly gal at heart" is nothing if not resourceful.

Amazing Blessings

There are many ways folks can choose to deal with the bumps on life's road. I choose to deal with them head on whenever possible.

The rusted, corroded, severely leaking galvanized pipes under my 40-year-old mobile home have become my latest challenge.

Things are moving along. With prayer, I have found ways to keep calm and avoid stress as much as possible. It is not as bad as it might have been. I have chosen to see it as a warning, a helpful hint from the Lord that I've got to pull my head out of the sand and do something about this before it's a real mess.

Contractors came yesterday. I had already cancelled my yard sale and cleared access to the skirting for them.

This is something I've dreaded for quite a few years. It is time.

For now, I cannot run the water. I go outside several times a day (morning, mid-day, and evening) and turn it on long enough to fill the bathroom tanks and do a few things like attend to dentures, change dishwater, or a quick shower (very quick). The boys suggested no more than a half hour. I'm keeping it to 20 minutes.

At first, I had planned to heed a neighbor's advice. He's afraid the pressure of turning it on and off will weaken and shake the pipes and make them really snap open (instead of a strong, audible leak). I tried that yesterday. Did not turn it on and off at all, except when the boys did that for about 3 minutes while checking it. But this morning, early, I did. And it was rusty at first. I do not want more troubles. I have decided to trust my contractor and take my chances. We're talking about a possibility of 2 to 3 months, here, until I get enough funds to re-pipe, if that soon.

Meanwhile, I told the fellow who was going to help me carry tables this weekend that the yard sale was "off" and of course he asked why. When he realized I was without running water, more or less, he popped up over here an hour later Thursday evening with 10 one-gallon bottles he had, and he had filled them with water for dishes, etc., to cut down on the number of times I need to turn-on/turn-off. What a blessing.

For me, the most difficult part will be when they do the work because they must come inside and take a panel or two from the walls in two places, to connect the new good pipe to the connectors inside. I hate folks working inside my home, and the cat will be terrified. But it will be for just a  few hours, when and if I get to that point.

All in all, God is still, as always, watching over me. 

More than this, I pray for blessings and help for all those in the path of Hurricane Matthew - now that, my friends, is big trouble, not the inconveniences I am facing. They are in big, big trouble.

For now, I do ask for prayers for wisdom, patience, and stamina. It's not that bad; I've lived through worse, but I was much younger then, of course.

Sweet Jesus, I ask for your help and understanding. I realize you did not have running water and what I am going through would have literally been a luxury during your days on earth. But I trust in your love and compassion and ask that I may see the answers you place before me and that I am not blind to them. Meanwhile, please, please watch over those in the hurricane's path.

Update on Leak Under House

It has certainly been interesting and challenging. I have become very creative in dealing with interrupted living conditions. The contractor's crew came yesterday. I had already cancelled my yard sale and cleared things from the skirting for their access under the mobile home.

My pipes, as expected, are very corroded, rusted and seeping. They located the leak and were tempted to snap it off, cap it, and leave one bathroom disconnected until I can re-pipe but the pipes were so bad they were afraid to even touch them in places. They also found a pinhole which was spraying the floor above it. A full square foot of flooring was wet underneath, so they taped the pipe very carefully.

Bottom line - next week after I refinance a short term loan, they'll install an inside shut off valve in my laundry area. Until re-piped, I will go outside to turn it on for no more than half an hour several times a day to do things like fill the tanks, take a fast shower, etc. Even that is risky. With the inside shut off valve, I won't have to run outside each time. I'll use a laundromat until the full re-pipe which must wait few months while I figure out how to gather funds. There is no way I can afford another loan payment. I will not just patch this time. It's too far gone but I'll get that valve to help avoid going out in really bad weather or late at night. I will also keep a dozen single gallons of water on hand.

Meanwhile, I told the fellow who was going to help me carry tables this weekend that it was "off" and of course he asked why. When he realized I was without running water, more or less, he popped up over here an hour later Thursday evening with 10 one-gallon bottles he had, and he had filled them with water for dishes, etc., to cut down on the number of times I need to turn-on/turn-off. What a blessing.

I've attached the photos they took of the pipes. I saw them personally two years ago during a previous "patch"and they've become worse. It's time.

Because I cook everything from scratch, I am having a grand time working out rinsing fresh produce or dishes (I have a separate container of clean water for that) and so on. I am drinking liquids a lot less (obvious reasons) and making other adjustments. But I have my home, and I am sheltered, and I am not facing Matthew as so many on the East Coast are, so fearfully, this weekend.

And away we go!  

 

Major Leak Under House - Yard Sale Cancelled

I've been up since 2 a.m. when a hissing from a leak under the house, toward the back, woke me. I turned off the water outside after making sure that's what it was. Now I'm trying to decide who to call: someone to patch or someone to completely re-pipe.

It will depend a lot on which one I can afford.

No matter how it plays out, and no matter how long it takes, I'll just go outside and turn it on every so often to refill the bathroom "tanks." I have plenty of paper plates and plastic forks and spoons, so I can keep dishwashing needs to a minimum.

Bottom line: you will not see me having the yard sale this weekend. No matter which one I choose, they will need to get under the house and they do that from my back patio area. If I get lucky, one of them will have it all torn up during the sale days. If not, I'm too worn out and concerned to deal with a sale of mostly $.25 items.

I am so grateful it wasn't one of those "gushers" with water pouring down the street. And I'm so glad I heard it when I did. 

Prayers for wisdom here would be appreciated.