All On My Own

When we bought our house, water shares came with it. That means we have the right to divert water from the ditch in front of our house onto our property. We have a water turn every week for 3 hours. Essentially, we water our lawns and garden for free. The only bad thing is that it is hard work, like manual labor. It is nice in the hot summer because the water is cold since it comes from the melting snow in the mountains.

Last year, Aaron did all the water turns. This summer he has been traveling more so Esteban and I did them. The first time we worked together Esteban kept saying, "That's not how Dad does it." I had to remind him that Dad was not there so we were doing it my way. (Since Esteban doesn't read my blog, I can admit that Aaron's way is probably better.) One day, when I had mud all over my arms Esteban pointed out that he was clean and dry. I told him that just proved who worked harder.

We had another water turn a few days ago. Aaron was traveling and Esteban was in school. That meant I had to do it all on my own. I've never had to do it by myself before. Things were going great until I pulled the wrong dam out. Well, I fell in the ditch twice, flooded the neighborhood, walked a block to stop the water, and reset the dam in order to finish. Sure enough, my neighbor that looks like a super model drove by as I was standing there covered in dirt and water up to my chest. (Thankfully, there is not a picture of me to post.) The water was frigid especially since I was working in the morning when it was still cold outside.

The good news is that I watered all our lawns and garden. I even water most of the neighbor's lawn. (A bonus for me not knowing what I was doing.) I have a new respect for all the pioneer women who had to manage water crops and so much more all on their own.