BLIND, DUMB AND THIRSTY

One doesn't notice modern-day conveniences... until they are not there.

We live far enough out in the country that we get our telephone service via antique copper wiring, which is buried in cables which are brone to breaks, and installed only after months of pleading.

Our electricity is conditionally on the weather - any major rainstorm which included lightning (which is almost all of them down here) knocks it out and keeps it off for hours, sometimes days.

And our community water comes from an actual, drilled well. It's mechanical (wipe the rustic screen of drawing up buckets of water from your mind - sorry), but works fairly well 99.9% of the time. One neighbor of the five that share this water source had been designated as the one responsible for maintenance and repairs.

Yesterday was one of those 0.01%s - water pressure began to drop about 2:30 p.m., and by 4 o'clock, it was dry. All frantic telephone calls went straight to their voice-mail for the first couple of hours, so I had to deal with all those things you don't normally even think about:

1. Toilet. Only flushes that first time. Hmm...

2. Washing my hands. I have animals, and I play with them, scratch their tummies (the horses especially - Najale will do anything I ask of him as long as he knows I'm going to rub his belly) - needless to say, I wash my hands about 492 times a day, and not just a cusory wash - I have to SCRUB those fingernails to not look like a coal miner.

3. Laundry. I have a lot of dirty clothes (see #2)

4. Dishes. Can't even rinse off dishes even to put in the dishwasher (and my dishwasher is not a new one that operates as a garbage disposal - dishes in it just get sanitized)

5. Did I mention the toilet before?

Problem was resolved about 7:30 p.m., but not before it's import had been fully felt.

Loss of electricity is not enjoyed, but I have TONS of candles. I do miss music, however - if it's quieter for longer than five minutes, I begin singing, and I am not a good singer.

Civilization, I may bemoan global warming, air pollution and destruction of our rain forests. But when I can't get water - keep on keepin' on!