Tuesday, September 28, 2010

A day without running water

really really sucks, as I found out yesterday.  Although it was a good reminder that I am far from being pioneer worthy,  it also revealed just how much I use water for even the simplest of tasks.

1.  Washing hands.  Considering my hand washing compulsion, this was tough.  I used almost all of my hand sanitizer and tried not to touch any food.

2.  Washing dishes.  My obsession with clean dishes is comparable to clean hands; therefore, not being able to even rinse off, let alone wash, a dish was pretty unbearable.  I think we used every dish in our house by the end of the day.  (Okay,  this is not that big of a deal.  We have just enough dishes to feed ourselves and another couple and their kid.)

3.  Washing clothes.  A stomach bug plus being out of commission has placed us in a dire laundry situation.  Just ask my bedroom floor,  and my naked children.  Since I am feeling slightly better,  I wanted to remedy this.  Not to be.

4.  Cleaning up messes.  Without water,  cleaning up sticky messes requires creativity and lots and lots of wipes.

5.  Bathing.  This one is a bit obvious.  For a girl who never goes without a shower,  I felt disgusting by the end of day.  We had to use the tiny amounts of water left in my water bottle to brush teeth.  I guess the positive thing was we did brush our teeth.

6.  Drinking.  I love water.  Much more than juice or milk (soda comes a close second).  Once we realized we were without water, we went to the store and bought a gallon.  Unfortunately, this was divided between all of us and to  be used with cleaning and cooking.

7.  Cooking.  Even simple (and sanitary) things like washing vegetables was impossible.   Our meals were very simple.

I realize that we are so very lucky to even have running water,  but when you are used to the convenience it is difficult to manage without.   At least for me.

17 comments:

  1. It's true we're very blessed and very spoiled. It's also true that a day without water would be NO FUN. Are you back in business today?

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  2. Yes, thankfully, we are. It finally came back on around 4 pm yesterday. It was one of those days from Hades in which more than one thing went wrong. I believe that's why it was so very tough (seeing as this is the second time this has happened in the last 6 months).

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  3. The one I found was the hardest was the toilet. There was no water to flush, when they turned off our water.

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  4. I'm always stunned but what an enormous inconvenience it is when we lose electricity for a little while. I would have made a terrible pioneer, which I guess is why Heavenly Father didn't send me to be one.

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  5. Water is so important! They say you need a gallon a day per person for emergencies. (As I read up for hurricane season.) I find it amazing just how much we can use!

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  6. No fun! It's doable when there's warning... but to just suddenly be out??? And after being sick??? Yuck!

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  7. Ugh, you had a stomach bug in the house AND no water to wash hands/do laundry? That is cosmic assholery, my friend. Terrible!

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  8. Life without water is awful at any time, but with little kids it's practically torture. A reminder of how fortunate we are I suppose.

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  9. It is amazing how much we take for granted. I run out of water somewhat regularly because I'm on a well. I've gotten to the point that I think to include running water in my list of things for which I'm grateful.

    Pretty cool when it's on.

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  10. I was without running water for a day before, too. I am with you - I could not be a pioneer. That's for sure. And I hate not being able to shower.

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  11. I faced the same thing living in Houston during Hurricane Ike. There wasn't running water for five days. Would NEVER like to experience that again. I hear you and appreciate this list.

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  12. Oh no! I'd be very tempted to crawl back into bed for the rest of the day. Of course, I'm tempted to do that most days...but yes, we are so lucky to have it!

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  13. We were out of hot water last week and the inconvenience was pretty ridiculous (meaning we find ways/reasons to be inconvenienced). I can't imagine not having water at all.

    At least it was short lived, and your teeth got brushed.

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  14. I was wondering if you were affected by that. Glad that you've got it back!

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  15. Geh! Had a few days like this.

    I'm pretty sure I was ready to shower with my cheese grater the next day, just to scrub myself clean.

    And my house stunk.

    Joy.

    I'm glad you have your water back!

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  16. Amber, I can definitely relate and sympathize. We lose water for a day or so a couple of times a year, when someone down the road accidentally digs up or pierces the water line that our small community shares. Just today my husband passed a backhoe digging at a critical point and came home warning me to fill a few pitchers. :)

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  17. It was the toilet that was the worst for me when we had no water. Mostly because the kids would forget and still flush.

    I am very glad for running water, water heaters, and indoor plumbing of all varieties.

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