Water, no Water?

I feel as if I am playing that game show "Deal, No Deal?" with our water in the house...."Water, No Water?" But I am getting ahead of myself. Like I said in my last blog, we arrived home and after figuring out where and how to turn the water on, we were in business! WATER! Well, that is until last night. Last night was just plain weird...all night. IT was a hot day yesterday, and kind of cloudy all day. Around 6:00 it started to blow and we got a few drops of rain. Then, we had a thunder storm that lasted over 2 hours of rumbling and rain. A nice rain that makes the wheat farmers here very happy. About 9:30 p.m. we lost power. Total blackness --and this house is DARK. Hmmm...where are the flashlights? After a scramble and stumble over a couple of dogs, I found one flashlight. And then located the candles. We sat in the dark for about 45 minutes, then decided to go to bed. Just as we were drifting off to sleep the power came back on and every light in the house was on! We got up and turned off lights and went back to bed, thinking we were going to have a good nights sleep. But, it was not to be. At 1:30 a.m. we were jolted awake with a "POP" then the sound of gushing water (sounded like Niagara Falls under the house). Now what????? We climb out of bed, put on some shoes and go looking for the cause of the noise. We discovered a water leak under the house...gushing water. Now, haven't we been here before? What the he--????? Oh, by the way, it was raining outside as well. I go out and locate the water shut off valve (the very same one I couldn't find last week...I am becoming way to familiar with it now), shut the water off and think "plumber, first thing in the morning." We get back in bed, start to drift off, when a thought goes through my very soggy brain, "Water heater?" Al, do you think we should turn off the water heater? Yup! So back up out of bed and back into our shoes and back outside in the rain to turn off the water heater. GRRRR! Finally, back to bed...only by then I was wide awake and a million thoughts going through my brain. I finally was lulled back to sleep by the rain about 4:30 a.m. We called our plumber this morning and he came out and discovered the source of the problem, a fitting had popped off one of the connections. Sure hope we don't have to make a habit of this! At least we now have water again. And we sure are sleepy today!

Since getting home we have been busy, just getting unpacked, (well, kinda' getting unpacked -- have several things that are taking up permanent residency in the trailer right now) cleaning the 6 months of dust and dirt out of the house, and trying to get ready for company at the end of the month. And then throw in a couple of trips to Moses Lake for supplies for the garden and house, etc. Actually, when I look back on the last week, we have packed a lot into it! And, here I felt I hadn't done anything!!! And it has been hot here....not just mildly warm, I am talking record breaking heat. 97 one day, 96 the next. This is May, right???? Feels like Tucson, looks like Odessa! I am confused. (no comments from the peanut gallery) And the S-s-s-n-n-n-a-a-a-k-k-k-e-e-ssssssssssssssss are out! Our neighbor up on the hill killed two (yup, TWO) rattlers on Thursday. GULP! On our way to Moses Lake yesterday I saw three dead snakes (the way snakes are suppose to be) on the road. So, I am really on high snake alert!

The truck and camper are at Sun Country RV getting the rocking and rolling taken out of them! Also a few minor maintenance things taken care of so that part will be ready for our big trip to Alaska next month. I have piles everywhere of Alaska bound stuff -- plus some stuff in the garage we will have to load before we leave. I am beginning to feel like I am in the moving business....oh wait, I AM in the moving business! From Odessa to Tucson; Tucson to Odessa, and repeat....and now throw Alaska in the mix! No wonder I never know where anything is...and I attributed that to my age!

Al is busy planning his garden. He got the rotatiller out Thursday and tried to start it and of course, it would start, but wouldn't stay running (I think these things get together during the winter and plan out revenge on us.) So the rotatiller is in for repair, then hopefully, he will get the garden in. Garden, you say??? Aren't you gone for the summer? YUP, but some how, some way, we will still have a garden...thanks mostly to the wonderful people who water our lawn for us while we are gone...they also get the garden. But this year, they will also share in the crops from the garden, which will mainly be, yup, you guessed it, tomatoes. Anyone who knows Al knows that tomatoes are his favorite. There will also be some zucchini planted....just for fun!

Well, that just about brings us up-to-date for now. The dogs and cats are loving their wroaming space....and the dogs LOVE the grass. Whoopee...nice, soft, green, grass to play on! The cats are on mice patrol outside and climbing the trees...yipee, these trees don't have stickers and bite! Hope they enjoy their freedom, because come next month, it's back into the camper and off we go again!

For now, we hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoying life. Until next time...Happy Trails to you.

The UNWroamin' Wraspirs,
Al, Jo, Beau, Schuster, Jose, Juanito