Water Woes

 I love living out in the country. We are about five miles from town (Sequim, Wa. Pop 4500). 

It is very quiet out here, We are seranaded by coyotes frequently. Deer wander through the yard, and I have a little war with them about who has grazing rights to the garden. The Sequim elk herd wanders through here a couple of times a year.

The major drawback had been Water. We have a well, which is rated at 6gpm, which is adequate for a regular sized ramily. The water is high in rust and calcium. it leaved a hard white deposit on things. But that has not been the major problem. Shortly after we moved in, rhe pump failed. Since the well is 180 feet deep, it needs a pretty poweful pump. To pull all the pipe and replace the pump wes a couple of grand.

Thw pump was 20 ywars old, so no big deal if it wears out every 20 years.

the next year, in August, the well got down to the point is startd sucking up air. Water supply up here on the side of the hill, water supply is really hit or miss. While our well is rated at 6gpm, there is a well next door that is about a hundred feet from our well that is rated ar 20gpm. Across the road and up a little the neighbor drilled two that turned out dry. The people up behing drilled twp wells ro get tw0 gallons a minute.

This summer, for the third time in fivr years, we started pulling air in the lines. I decided that it was time to address the problem, so I started calling around to find a plumber to work with. I went with the people that put in the new pump a couple of years earlier. Mind you, skilled tradesmen are in great demand out here. It took me at least a month to convince the plumbers that yes, I wanted to proceed, and yes I could afford it. By the time all was said and done, the tank did not arrive until early November. I had been trrying to get someone to build a pump shack and do the wiring. This included digging a 95 foot long trench to run the wiring through. There was already a 220 volt line running to the existing pump, but it was 12ga wire, and it would require at leasr 10 ga. 

I could not find anyone to build the pump shack, so I decied to do it myself. Not a big deal. I started looking at prefab building, and not only were they expensive, they were not very robust., so I decided to design and build it myself. so I did.

The plumbers don't do electric, and the electrician doesn't do plumbing, and neither one digs ditches. so I was promoyed to chief ditch digger, as well as conttractor and carpenter. The building got built.

Then there was the ditch.

The soil here is not conducive to ditch digging. There is about two inches of duff anderlaid by a layer of compacr clay and gravel. Think of it as concrete. It cannot be shovelled, it has to be broken up. I have a six foot prybar, pointed on one end I used to break up the clay so it can be shoveled. This is all a part of a natural drainage, so the ditch fills up with water as you work. It is cold, nasty work. but it got done.

When the tank first came in, I got an estimate for the electrical work, and set up a date for Feb 9th. The electrician showed up, but could not complete his work, because the plumbers had not communicated their requiremens, so he had no idea what amperage and how many circuit breakers were needed. the plumbers came a couple of days later and bitched that the electrician had not completed the elecrical work. I told them to go ahead and do everything they could, set up the tank and fill it anf get ready for the cutover.

One of the decisions I made early on was that I wanted to install a whole house filtration and water softener system. Kinda expensive, but worth it in the long run.

So here it is six months later, and I am out ten grand. The work is not complete, The iron extractor unit is being run off of an extension cord, and the water softener is not hooked up. The electrician is scheduled to come back on March 2nd.

I have filled in the ditch, and we don't have to worry about running out of water anytime.

Progress.

Uncle Watson Rules

We always played Canasta for entertainment.

Whenever the family came together, we would enevitable pick partners and settle down to a good double deck Canasta tounament.

I had not seen my cousin Ginger for about 30 years, but when we hooked up after all that time, the evening ended with a game of Canasta. Ginger and I were partners against her sister, Mary, and Uncle Fred.

It was like a trip back in time. Thirty years evaporated as soon as the cards hit the table. We were back on the farm, and things had not ever changed. If you were real patient, Fred would make a bad discard, but Mary would pick up the pile at the smallest excuse. Ginger and I played for the long term.

The only point of discussion was Uncle Watson Rules.

Uncle Watson was a relative from Kentucky who came out one summer and spent some time with the family. Of course he was involved in the family Canasta tournaments.

He quoted special "Rules" that he invented as the occasion arose.

For instance, if you cut the deck at the exact amount of cards that were dealt out, you got an extra 100 points. Or if you had three red threes it was worth an extra 100, but you get the idea.

I don't think that his rules ever made any difference in the outcome of the game. Strategy and partnership always won out over special "Rules".

It came to mean that if you could think up a rule which sounded logical, and benefitted you, you could invoke it.

Not quite cheating, but an interresting side game to play.

So do you play by "Uncle Watson Rules" ?