Monday, October 11, 2010

melancholy monday



 Monday morning Zach leaves on a jet plane to Georgia.  We follow him in 3 long weeks.  I have a wedding job on the 30th of this month that I am committed to.  Once we get to Georgia we will all be together for 7 more weeks.  We found out that we will actually be an hour and a half south of Savannah and not in Savannah like we previously thought.   I was a bit disappointed until I saw the beauty of where we are going to be staying.  St. Simon's Island.  Zach will be working just over a very scary bridge in Brunswick.  St. Simon's Island sounds beautiful from what I am reading, very laid back, and with endless things to keep the kids occupied.
In the meantime we plan on keeping busy with our day to day. Still living without hot water but surviving...can you believe it?  We take a lot for granted in this country, don't we?  We decided to save up for a tankless water heater which is not cheap but saves money and energy in the long run.  When our old water heater went out it was a drag at first but it wasn't an emergency situation that warranted going into further debt over.  We heat water on the stove in big pots.  I have to plan a few minutes in advance when I want to wash dishes or have a bath ready for anyone.  But after the first few baths, using smaller plastic tubs in our big tub, we realized how much water we waste when we shower or bathe.   It has felt good to know we are conserving a bit of water.  Also preparing baths for the kids this way is more work but it's a process and daily ritual that I enjoy, maybe the way someone might enjoy preparing cowboy coffee or rolling their own cigarettes ( I do neither of those things by the way).

I have two plastic tubs, one for each of them to sit in.  This keeps bath time more peaceful because they aren't invading each others space and it makes it impossible for anyone (Greta) to take over the tub.
I boil a large pot and pour half of it into one tub and then the other.  Then add cold to both until there's a good temperature.  I have to be careful not to add too much cold otherwise I'm back to heating more water.
They sit and play and splash.  They stand and wash up, then I rinse them using warm water from the sink that I prepare while they are playing.  I wrap them like burritos in warm towels and cradle and coo them as if they were tiny babies (they love this) and Viola!  Two squeaky clean kids and no hot water heater needed.
Ok, yes, I do look forward to having hot water from the tap again, I'll admit.  But I also hate taking things for granted and I know that I do every single day.  Once our tankless is installed and we have hot running water again I will without a doubt have a greater appreciation for a nice long hot shower at the end of my day.  But I promise not to make it too long.



Dear Friends, thank you for visiting my space and for leaving comments when you do.  They make my day.
Have a great Monday.  We are off to the airport!  Then woodworking!  Then the WORLD!

4 comments:

Kendell said...

We have a tank-less hot water heater and love it, if you have any questions.
Also, my mom's father moved to St. Simon's Island. I was there for one day a bout 15 years ago, it seemed like a beautiful place to explore. I remember walking around an old victorian hotel which was amazing and a fantastic thunder storm.

Misha Lulu said...

We will miss you when your gone!
I am pretty sure you guys will have a blast!

Sara Baldwin said...

wow. st. simon's island looks awesome.

best of luck on your new adventure.

Peggy Ray said...

I clicked on this link to this old post and I just adore these pix of Henry! So beautiful! and the contrast of the turquoise behind his great orange hair is exquisite! Good photo-taking, Rach! Yes, LA is a foreign world.