11/22/08
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!!! (see photos to the right ---->>>>)
We have enjoyed being close to the blue ocean, a green fish pond, a non-artificially heated pool & yes, even the warm rains…BUT, the fact is, if you want to drink the water, you either have to buy bottled water (not an environmentally friendly option!) or treat it yourself! So every Saturday morning, we pump & treat four, 5 liter bottles of water. It is plenty to get us through the week.
To conserve water & cash, we also do our own laundry -- ‘bucket in the bathtub.’ Our showers are mostly cold water with a minute or two of warm - OK if the air temp is warm/hot, but with these monsoon rains, a rather cool option! We keep water in our laundry bucket at all times, just in case the electricity goes off. No electricity = no water being pumped to our bungalow = no water to flush the toilet. Could be serious – or at least unpleasant! With no clothes dryers (in a very humid environment) we hang clothes wherever there is a breeze = fan in the living room - works quite well! To do dishes, we have a 4-part system - wash in a tub, rinse under tap water, rinse in few drops of chlorinated water, then dry in rack!
Much of the world doesn’t even have it this good - so we are very grateful for the water we do have which reminds us, every time we go home, to use our ‘tap’ water carefully and conservatively! We take our water, in rainy Oregon, for granted. But the fact is, water is one of our most precious resources & in case of an emergency, such as the earthquake that is predicted, we need to be prepared to survive. Water is a huge issue – all over the developing world and now the ‘developed’ world. Many don’t have enough water or have no option but to use unsafe water! Here, amidst all this water we are more aware and continue to be thankful! (photos to the right>)
