The Well Dies

Sometimes our thoughts of homesteading are often that of the television version of Little House on the Prairie but many times it is far from it. Before moving to the homestead someone had stolen our central air unit and the electrical to our well. Since we hadn’t closed, we called HUD to be reimbursed. Their answer was basically: we have run out of money and we aren’t even reimbursing those we have promise money to.  AC I can live without, water I can’t.  We fixed the pump, but ever since we have had problems with the well. Today it died. I woke up to Dude getting ready for his morning shower and a stream of cuss words.  The well guy arrived later to tell us the line to the pump had snapped and the pump fell into the well. We would need to tap into the town’s water or drill a new well.

A call to the town and I found out the town won’t have a tap available until the end of November. The waterline that was put in goes only to the school where they treat and blend the water at the school for the school. The town is working on a treatment plant but is not finished yet. The cost for a tap is $8000 plus $8334 for the school district to recover their cost.    I learned that if we were to tap in to their water in November there may be at time that they ask us to annex to town and we would need to conform. Oh and one more thing, we would need to sign our water rights over to the town as well. (My outside voice calmly says thank you and can you send me some information. My bubble is screaming - SIGN OVER MY WATER RIGHTS??? OHHELL NO!)  The other option is to dig a well for approximately $40,000 and 30 feet from the old one.  I don’t remember Pa on Little House making such decisions!

Since we have animals a decision is a must!  For now, family has come to the rescue.  We have had water issues in the past and have learned to store water, we have drinking water. But water is also used for plants, washing clothes, flushing toilets (you don’t see Laura Ingalls coming out of an outhouse on any episodes do you?) and for the goats and hens.  My  sister-in-law has generously let us borrow her 550 gallon water tank - filled. Saturday we will drive the 2hours to her ranch to pick it up. Our farm friends have immediately pitched in with water and water tanks –how many city folks even know their neighbors?  Dishes can be done with boiled water, clothes at the laundry matt, showers can be gotten at the gym – we have been meaning to workout (eyes rolling), morning wash will be old fashion with a basin and baby wipes will be everywhere and toilets can be filled (with the motto – If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down –grin)

Thank goodness for hand sanitizer and 409.

Well there's the problem right there! Dude put the horse shoes on upside down and all our luck has run out.