"We're Not in Kansas Any More, Toto"

As wonderful as this place is, it ain't Tennessee (or Kansas, for that matter). Life is flat-dab different here.

The municipal water supply apparently does not get turned on out here until about 8:30AM. Which means that getting up early, showering, and getting ready for the day just doesn't go quite as planned. Oh, and don't bother suggesting a shower just before bed - they turn the water off about 6:30PM.

And this house was built without any hot water system. The showers have these ingenious (but still kinda intimidating to me) electric heaters in the shower heads! Not a problem getting a hot shower, as long as you
a) don't try for a whole lot of water pressure (too much water pressure = cold shower)
and b) do not touch the shower head - ever - while the heater is turned on.

But there is no hot water for the washing machine (actually not much of a problem as washing things in cold water is probably better for the fibers) or for washing dishes. (Dishwasher, you ask? Oh, yes, a very good one: she's typing this blog even as we speak.) So I fill my two stockpots with water, put them on the back burners, light the burners with a match, and heat my water for dishes.

There is no electrical hookup for the dryer we brought down here (and for that matter, no room on the laundry porch either) so for the present I am doing teeny-tiny loads of laundry every day and hanging them to dry. The loads have to be small as there is only about 20 feet of clothesline available for hanging. The line is right next to the back wall of the house, under the approximately 4 foot roof overhang. It is located where it is because that is the only place that affords any protection from the rains. On sunny days the laundry actually dries in 2-3 hours - except for jeans - they take 24 hours, no matter what. And bath towels take 12-18, depending on how much rain there is.

After I take the clothes off the line, I iron all the woven clothes to get the wrinkles out. Knit items, such as T-shirts and underwear I only iron if they still feel damp. I do not iron bath towels or dish cloths. (My OCD is under better control than that!)

I am scheduling my life around running water. Who'd a thunk it?

Oh, well. There are boxes calling my name, wanting to be unpacked. I'd best go placate them. Wonder what I will do to occupy myself once everything is unpacked?