Water. A human being is over 60% percent water, and it is the one element that man cannot do without. We all can survive for almost two weeks without food, but we cannot survive for more than three days without water.
We have learned, in our less-than-two weeks here in Dunedin, what a precious and destructive element water really is. We learned within our first day as homeowners that the city of Dunedin relies on a well for its fresh water. Ironically, although Florida is surrounded by water, fresh water is a precious commodity. I have learned very quickly to not let the water run while I am brushing my teeth, to take quick showers, and to use only half a bucket of water to scrub the floors. Neither Rick nor I particularly like the taste of the well water -- and this coming from a woman who grew up drinking Oshkosh water ! -- so we have spent way too much money on bottled drinking water. I can see a water filter system in the near future. Since terrazzo floors should not be washed with soap, when I am done scrubbing a portion of the floor, the water is not just flushed down the toilet which would consume even more water. Instead, since my bucket is half-filled with just dirty water, it becomes a refreshing liquid of life for the six small rose bushes that grow in a run-down garden next to the front door.
Yesterday and today dealt heavily with water. When I was working outside all of yesterday morning, I found that I needed a drink of water about every 30 - 45 minutes. Those who know Rick know that when the man begins to work, especially in the heat, his body goes into super cool-down mode by pouring out sweat in buckets. In one day's time, we have been known to consume over a gallon of water each. We try to regulate our personal hygiene by showing either in the morning if we think the workload will be light, or to wait until the evening to shower if the workload we face will be difficult and heavy.
As we get ready for the floors to be redone next Monday, our tasks for today were to finish putting in the toilets. Yesterday morning Rick plastered the wall behind the toilet area in the master bathroom. As soon as the plaster began to dry, we watched old water stains appear. That area of the wall will take some Kills at a future date. In the afternoon yesterday Rick put in the first toilet in the master bathroom. We did not have any problem with that one. World, take note: NOT everything that we try to do has a hidden disaster lurking in the shadows.
Today we tackled the second toilet. The first hint of problems came when Rick went out to shut off the water to the house. We have a shut-off valve for the house under the kitchen windows, right in the front yard. Weird, huh? However, this seems to be fairly typical in Florida since they do not have to worry about anything freezing and breaking off during the winter. When Rick came back in and shut off the valve for the pink toilet, the perpetual drip started. No matter what we did, the shut-off valve for the pink toilet continued to drip. We could almost feel the plumbers descending on our little house like a pack of voracious wolves. But never fear: Chief Running Water ( Lindsay's name for Rick) was here!
We finally resorted to a little plastic food storage box under the drip as we disconnected the pink toilet. Not as many bugs fled the daylight when we picked this one up (Florida bugs must prefer blue commodes), and the floor under it was not as gross. However, the drip continued, so we had to work quickly and to empty the little plastic water box often. Where is Tupperware when one needs it? The double wax rings went on, the toilet was set, and we were almost home free. Almost. When Rick tried to connect the new hose to the water supply, the hose came up about 2 inches short. Off went Rick to the hardware store for a longer hose while I continued to bail out the bathroom about every five minutes.
He seemed to be gone for a very long time. When he returned, he told me that he had to go to two different stores before he could find the right hose, and then it was too long! I should have sent Goldilocks... too short, too long... at least she came up with "just right" at the end. We ended up with the too long hose just so we could reconnect the toilet and keep the house from floating into the ocean.
I am scared to death to get the first water bill from out fair city. We may have to come home early or join the Y and shower there!
Oh, by the way. The magic curb worked again. The same neighbor woman (whom we later met and now know as Missy from Dallas) who took the blue toilet also took the pink one. When we met her, I did not have the guts to ask her what she was going to do with two outdated, filthy, disgusting toilets. Hopefully she is just going to clean them up a bit and use them as his and her planters in her back yard which faces the beautiful lake behind her house across the street.
No comments:
Post a Comment