The Shower That Took Two Days

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Before I get into today's story, there really aren't many photos from today.

Some days at Memory Lane are full of wildlife sightings, new discoveries, and interesting projects.

Today was different.

Today was a mission.

Actually, several missions.

The primary goal was simple: get the well water clean enough to finally take a shower.

Everything else became secondary.

As a result, there weren't many opportunities to stop and take pictures because most of the day was spent troubleshooting, testing, cleaning, flushing water lines, doing laundry, and trying to make sure I didn't create more problems than I solved.

After treating the well yesterday, I went to bed without taking a shower because the water was still cloudy.

To make matters worse, I had made a mistake.

Instead of filling the onboard water tank before disinfecting the well, I left it nearly empty. At the time I assumed the water would be cloudy for a few hours and then clear up.

I was wrong.

That meant by the end of the night I didn't have clear well water and I didn't have enough onboard water either.

So this morning I woke up with one goal in mind.

I wanted a shower.

The first thing I did was head outside to check the well.

It was cold and raining, and honestly I was a little nervous.

When I turned on the hose, the water came out cloudy.

Not exactly what I wanted to see.

For about thirty seconds I stood there wondering if I had made a mistake by treating the well.

Then I turned around to grab a cup so I could get a better look at the water.

By the time I turned back around, the water had cleared.

I filled the cup, held it up to the light, and for the first time since starting this project the water looked crystal clear.

That was a huge relief.

Rather than risk repeating yesterday's mistake, I immediately started filling the onboard water tank in the motorhome.

If the well decided to turn cloudy again, at least I would have a backup supply of water.

I filled the tank to roughly three quarters full before shutting everything down and heading to town.

The rest of the morning was fairly ordinary.

Laundry needed to be done.

My bedding from the night before went with me because sleeping in clean sheets after finally getting a shower sounded pretty good.

I grabbed some lunch, ran a few errands, stopped at the hardware store, and eventually headed back to Memory Lane.

On the drive back, I spotted a deer standing near the corner of the property.

At this point wildlife sightings have become a regular part of life here, but I still enjoy every one of them.

By the time I got back I was tired.

The weather had improved considerably. The rain moved out, the sun came out, and temperatures climbed into the upper 50s.

Not exactly summer weather, but comfortable.

I spent a little time relaxing before taking Wyatt for a walk up Memory Lane and back.

Afterward I built a campfire and enjoyed the afternoon.

Eventually I decided there was no reason to waste the rest of the day.

A few days ago I cleaned about half the camper.

Today I finished the other half.

I vacuumed.

Wiped down counters.

Cleaned the shower.

Cleaned the toilet and sinks.

Mopped the floors.

Washed dishes.

Basically everything that had been put off while I focused on other projects.

Since the water had cleared, I finally felt comfortable washing dishes again.

While sitting by the fire I received a phone call and spent the next hour or so talking while enjoying the afternoon.

Then I made what I thought was a smart decision.

I connected the well directly to the motorhome using the city water connection.

My thinking was simple.

The water was clear.

The well had been running fine.

Everything should work.

Almost immediately things went sideways.

The water pressure started dropping.

Then it stopped.

When I disconnected the filter, I discovered the filter was full of black material.

The water coming out of the well was cloudy again.

My heart sank.

At that point I disconnected the well and switched back to the onboard water tank.

Unfortunately, I quickly discovered another problem.

The plumbing design in my motorhome allows some water to migrate back into the onboard tank.

That meant some of the dirty well water had contaminated the tank water I had carefully saved earlier.

Now both water sources were questionable.

That was not the outcome I was hoping for.

By this point it was already after dinner.

For anyone wondering, dinner was simple.

Hamburgers and tater tots.

The burgers were grilled and turned out great.

Unfortunately I still wasn't taking a shower.

Determined to win this battle, I disconnected the filter and started flushing the well again.

For the next hour I monitored the water, repeatedly filling cups and checking clarity.

Eventually the water cleared.

Again.

This time I wasn't taking any chances.

Without shutting off the well, I immediately opened the low point drains and emptied the onboard water tank.

About forty gallons of water drained out in just a few minutes.

Then, while the hose was still running, I switched everything back over and started refilling the tank.

Anyone who has ever tried connecting a pressurized hose knows exactly what happened next.

I got soaked.

Head to toe.

Shirt.

Pants.

Shoes.

Socks.

Everything.

Cold well water everywhere.

To help flush any remaining sediment out of the tank, I left the drains open for a few minutes while fresh water continued flowing in.

Once I was satisfied the water was clear, I closed everything up and let the tank begin filling again.

At that point the well had been working hard for quite a while and the flow rate had slowed considerably.

I suspect the water level in the well had dropped.

Eventually I got the tank to roughly one third full.

That was enough.

Enough to shower.

Enough for tonight.

Enough for tomorrow morning if I needed it.

As I was racing daylight and trying to get enough clean water into the tank before dark, the hummingbirds made another appearance.

They buzzed around me, darting between the feeder and nearby trees while I wrestled with hoses and water lines.

It felt fitting somehow.

The day had started with water.

And it was ending with water.

After waiting for the water heater to do its job, I finally got what I had been chasing for nearly two days.

A hot shower.

It wasn't a long shower.

It wasn't a luxurious shower.

It was more of an army shower because I still wanted to conserve water.

But after the last two days, it felt fantastic.

Once I was clean, I put on pajamas, climbed under the covers, turned on some television, and finally relaxed.

Before settling in for the evening, Wyatt and I took our usual walk up Memory Lane.

One thing that surprised me was how quickly the flowers had begun blooming.

Almost overnight, the English Roseum Rhododendrons had opened up and were showing off bright pink blooms throughout the property.

The Oriental Poppies had started blooming as well.

After spending most of the day focused on wells, filters, hoses, tanks, and plumbing, it was nice to see a reminder that while I was busy fixing things, the property was quietly coming alive on its own.

Looking back, I still think treating the well was the right decision.

The water is significantly better than it was before.

The black slime needed to be addressed.

And while today's setbacks were frustrating, I learned a lot about how this well behaves.

In a few weeks I will probably repeat the process again, this time with a full gallon of bleach instead of a half gallon.

Hopefully the next round goes a little smoother.

Then again, if everything went smoothly, there probably wouldn't be much to write about here at Memory Lane.

While I spent the day chasing clear water, the deer were wandering through the property, the flowers were blooming, the garden was growing, and the hummingbirds were still making their rounds.

Sometimes Memory Lane has a way of reminding me that not everything needs my attention to keep moving forward.