Seriously. I took a shower in the barn yard last night with the chickens.
It was a little cold, but not too terrible. There’s not a river here, and the creeks are too shallow. With no public water running in the house, the well water at the barn was my only option. I wore my swim suit. I was scared somebody might stop by! And the barn yard is visible from the driveway, and even, if distantly, from the road.
But one does what one must do! (Ross escaped back to Norfolk, and Morgan went to a friend’s house.)
Meanwhile, supposedly, according to the water company, the water will be back on sometime today. I hope so. I’m afraid I’m scaring the chickens!
lattelady says:
You can take a “horizontal” shower in the creek. Lie down and let the water run over you.
But your solution was great.
On July 8, 2013 at 9:00 am
prvrbs31gal says:
We had a solar shower growing up behind our garage. Dad hooked up a 50 gallon drum, painted black, to the well and whenever there was no power in the summer, we had a WARM (and sometimes HOT) shower. It was also convenient for rinsing off chlorine after swimming, or for cooling off/rinsing off after working in the garden.
On July 8, 2013 at 9:03 am
NancyL says:
What? You haven’t taught Maia to use the camera? But, good for you. However, I still wish you’d done a commando shower in the rain – remember what I said about it being good for your hair?
Nancy in Iowa
On July 8, 2013 at 9:12 am
brookdale says:
Good for you! As they say, “Necessity is the Mother of invention”.
I recently donated to the thrift shop a “solar shower” thingie we bought for camping and never used. Wish I still had it, I would send it to you! It was a big black plastic jug with a shower hose and sprayer to attach to the bottom. You just fill it and hang it up in the sun and then, later, you have warm water for a shower. You could find one at a camping supply place I’m sure, or maybe WallyWorld or HarborFreight.
Hope your water comes back on soon, though!
On July 8, 2013 at 9:41 am
BuckeyeGirl says:
I sure hope your well water isn’t as cold as our’s is! :bugeyed: I’ve put buckets of water out ahead of time to warm in the sun but I really like that black metal drum idea too. Our back yard is very private and I’ve gone out and rinsed my hair in the water from the downspout as long as there’s no lightening. Chilly but not as cold as our well water!
On July 8, 2013 at 10:32 am
brookdale says:
Here’s something for your hired man to do in his “spare time”…
https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/outdoor-solar-shower-zmaz09jjzraw.aspx#axzz2YSuqScNH
On July 8, 2013 at 10:46 am
Faith says:
I am sure you made the chicks feel real special that you showered with them. You will have to shower with the goats next so they don’t feel snubbed. Hoping you get city water today so you don’t have to.
On July 8, 2013 at 10:46 am
Granma2girls says:
I lived on fruit farms growing up, often in farmhouses with no running water. What joy to stand under an eves trough , with the water gushing over me,or in the pouring rain. Nowadays , we vacation on Cape Cod, where many cottages have outdoor showers. Even though our kids are in their 20’s and 30’s, they look forward to a week of outdoor showers.( theses cottages do have indoor showers as well)
On July 8, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Dghawk says:
The outdoor shower sounds pretty good to me. It would be an easy way to cool off when you are doing chores in the heat and humidity of summer. I’m on a well so the only time I loose water is when the power goes out. I do have an above ground pool, and no close neighbors so it came in real handy when I lost power during hurricane Isabel (15 days) and Irene (9 days). I didn’t get in the pool, but used a bucket to dump the water on me. A little chilly, but it worked!
On July 8, 2013 at 6:22 pm
holstein woman says:
Sounds like maybe a line from the barn to the house is in order.
On July 9, 2013 at 2:06 am
milesawayfarm says:
I spent two summers doing field work in the mountains of Arizona. The crew was an hour from the nearest shower, and we worked 12 days on, two days off. I used a 5 gallon “sun shower” bag for bathing, and washed my hair in a bucket. Fill 3 gallon bucket half way with hot water. Top with cold so it ends up warm. Dip head in bucket to get hair wet. Lather up. Redip head in bucket to wash out most of the shampoo. Then pour a gallon jug of additional clean water over your head for final rinse. Done. It was amazing how little water was actually needed to feel clean (and how long you can actually go without washing your hair). It was an experience, I tell you true.
On July 9, 2013 at 5:02 pm