Good and Bad and Good Again

Tradition demands watching the Rose Parade on January 1 and I am a traditionalist.  Even if I can't watch the whole event, I saw at least part of it before going out to the animals.  It was a good way to start the New Year.  Water in the chicken "bowls" was frozen, as was the pipe by the pen so I had to wait until after the goat chores were done to get the hens a drink.  I broke the ice in the goats' trough on the way to the barn; it was frozen over again on the way back.  Did I mention it was cold?  (Twenty-six degrees again today.)

In addition to the loss of other faculties, Bessie Anne appears to be developing doggy Alzheimer's.  You can see the wheels turning as she tries to figure out where she's going or what she's doing, but not much happens.  She becomes fixated when she finally decides, and when she decides she wants up in my lap, there is no dissuading her.  I had to either keep moving or get anchored to the chair, so began packing up what few decorations I'd put up and moving stuff back to the sheds.  I got a good start on getting the house back in order.  I did note there was a funny gurgling when the toilet flushed, but I was busy and didn't give it much thought.

Not until I started in on the kitchen did I discover I had no water.  No water?!  That's bad.  I checked the outside pipes and all seemed well.  I checked the pressure pump in the first shed.  I'd never seen the gauge bounce like that; it's either up or it's down.  New Year's Day.  Aarrgh.  I called Go-To Guy just to ask for advice and see if he could put me on the list for sometime in the foreseeable future if he could diagnose the problem over the phone.  "You've got a break in the line somewhere.  Turn off the pump right now!  I'll get there when I can."  My heart sank and dollar signs flashed in front of my eyes.  My solution to panic and depression is to keep moving.  Bessie Anne could not keep up as I went from room to room.  I could hardly believe it when Go-To and Mrs. Go-To drove up less than an hour later.  We were all worried when he went down to the well in the front pasture, afraid that might be the source of the problem.  Mrs. Go-To and I went into the house to await his findings.  When Go-To came in later, I tried to read his face as he didn't say anything at all.  Was he smiling? frowning? what??  He finally asked, "Did you remember you have a water line to those trees in the south pasture?"  I had not.  That's where the PVC had split.  He'd already fixed it.  He told me that if I hadn't called when I did, I would have burned out the well pump.  I thought that was the best news ever, but I was wrong.  Handing him a beer (I'd have fixed him hot cocoa or cider but had no water), I held my breath and asked his fee, wondering how many piggy banks I'd have to break to cover it.  He named some unbelievably low price that would hardly cover his gas cost.  It was a fraction of his normal call-out and it was a holiday!  Who, in their right mind, argues with an expert that they didn't charge enough?  Digging in my pockets, I handed him over twice what he'd quoted.  Just in case anyone in the Fair Play area is reading this, Jim Hammonds of Hammond's Water Pump Service is a jewel that you want to tend your property and keep as a good friend.  And he gives great hugs.

It was one of those roller-coaster days.  Good, bad, and good again.  I'll settle for good again any day of the week.

And guess what?  I'm meeting my daughter in town for lunch today.  It just gets better and better.