A Winter's tale

Discussion in 'Blogs' started by alaskachick, Jan 3, 2012.


  1. alaskachick

    alaskachick A normally quiet snow monkey

    One of our first winters in Alaska, our water system froze up solid. Not only the "in" but also the "out". First about the "in" part. We have a 250g. cistern in a well house about 20 feet behind the cabin. The lines were not buried deep by the previous occupants and the heat tape that WAS wrapped around was non-functional. After about 2 weeks of spit baths and putting off washing our hair, my youngest daughter and I decided it was time. We spent the day gathering snow and melting it on the oil stove. We took all the icicles we could reach, because there is much more water per cubic inch in that, than snow and every drop counts when hair washing is going to happen ;)
    Soon we had maybe 5 gals going and warm. We pulled an empty (clean) plastic garbage can into the kitchen, told the men to stay out, and had the most delightful shower you can imagine. Well....there ARE better showers but none more appreciated than this one was because we worked so hard for it.
    She and I still talk about it fondly....not that we want to repeat it.
     
    SemperFiSkye likes this.
  2. weegrannymush

    weegrannymush Monkey+

    I well remember when I lived in the northern Ontario bush (in my twenties, with at that time, three little kids) and we had no well. We drew water from the creek but it froze solid the first year there. I would haul in dozens of pails of snow, like you did, and melt it on the woodstove - but I would no sooner get a couple of inches in the tub when my husband would grab it for the horse, pigs or whatever HE wanted it for and then I'd be back to square one again. There were many hardships for us but looking back I can see it was one of the happiest times of my life!
     
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