The Well Dump
Pick your favorite ending saying: That’s it, that’s the last straw, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, or it’s the end of the end. As for me, I am just plain done.
For a week the outside shower has been used. Ok, so it’s not really a shower but a garden hose attached to a hose bib. Before the permanent shower was built, we wanted to ensure showering with well water would work. Didn’t want to go through all that work if the shower was a bust. And let me tell you, it was a bust. The bustiest of busts. The water was cold, slightly smelly when first turned on, and left the skin tasting salty. Trying to give the well some time to break in, time for us to get adjusted to the water, time to decide what to do next we made it a whole week. A whole of sticky, stinky showers. The decision has been made to dump the well completely. Completely. As in pull the pump, cap the well, and salvage the tank for other uses.
For me, the decision was made when it became apparent soap would be difficult to remove. Rubbing soap off the body was difficult enough. A slimy residue always remained until dried. If the weather was humid, then this took lots longer, if ever. Removing soap from hair was next to impossible. Had to resort to our drinking water to remove it. Could only imagine what it would have been like if good soap was used. For the Planner, it was because he swears he smells like stinky well water even after drying off.
This may be true. The doggo was bathed in it and she smelled worse than before. Not that it mattered, she immediately ran to the soft dirt and dug a hole. She was covered in dirt, mud, sand, grit. Yup, the well has been officially dumped. Ugh. All that time and energy and money wasted on a salt water well. The level of defeat is so high is can be tasted. Ugh, Ugh, Ugh. And yes, the taste is salty.
At least there are resources on backup for water in the works. The biggest problem with not having an outside shower is the usage of the inside shower. While RV’s are not known for their spaciousness, this tiny little 18′ Airstream has a decent size shower. However, it is currently being used for storage. Having to use the inside shower will now result in the daily musical crap rearrangement.
All the crap will be removed before a shower and placed in the small walkway space between the front and the back of the trailer closing off access to the fridge and pantry. Before storage boxes can be returned, the shower has to be completely dried otherwise, it will rust. There is just not the room to place these items elsewhere otherwise we would. They can’t be thrown away or donated because they are used regularly, if not daily. Seriously, we have to have a table to eat at. Eating off the floor is just a little too primitive. Yes, it is winter but this is Texas. One day a fan is needed, the next a heater. Don’t laugh, last week when we moved, temperatures were in the mid 70’s.
Like I said, for a tiny trailer, the shower is a decent size of 32″x32″ if just the floor space is measured. The problem with the trailer shower is the stall arches with the curve of the walls. So yeah, the shower is decent if you are kid sized or an average sized adult.
Not if you are full-size adult like myself or a tall, skinny adult such as the Planner. My head does not hit the top of the stall, therefore, I do not have to stoop like the Planner, but it is still a pain to wash my hair all the same. Scrubbing results in elbow knocking on the wall and knee knocking on the seat. Not to mention there is no shower curtain due to the arch wall, only a 4 gallon hot water heater, and no exhaust fan meaning the walls will drip with condensation after a shower. Showering in the trailer is an act of military precision. Get in, get out. Of course, the plan is not to live in the trailer permanently. Having to shower in these conditions, day in and day out, will be the motivation to build faster. See for every purpose there is a reason. The glass is half full. Tomorrow is a new day. Positive, positive, positive.