Exploring other cultures.

Greetings from Clampett Mountain! Our water supply kacked on Friday, leaving us waterless. Or, as my kids are calling it - Amish. We're on a well, with a pump that sends the well water up the hill to a large holding tank, which then gravity feeds to our house. In the basement is another pump to provide adequate water pressure to all the taps/showers in the house. After it's been routed thru a 'bladder tank' of some sort (hey, it's all Greek to me) and then a softener and filtration system to rid the water of all the iron and other crap that the well water contains. It's more complicated to get water to our upstairs ensuite bathroom toilet than it is to get the space shuttle launched.

The boys seem to be enjoying this Amish life, getting a huge kick out of getting to pee in the bush. I tried it once, ended up with a stick up my pooper (I kid you not, I'm still tender...), and immediately announced that the GIRL IN THE HOUSE will not be partaking of the bush action. The Amish are nuts. I've since discovered that a rather excellent way of dealing with this is to pee into a ziploc baggie much like one would when giving a urine specimen, then pouring the contents into the bush and disposing of the baggie. Thus saving my tender butt AND the extra creek water to pour/flush the toilet. The Amish must buy a lot of baggies. Oversharing? It's how I roll.

Last night, just so we could experience full immersion into the Amish way of life, our power went out for 2 hours. Suddenly, when ripped from the company of the 'friends' that live in their computers, the boys lost their appreciation for All Things Amish. And were all up in my face about "WHY?? WHY ARE WE BEING PUNISHED?? DID WE KILL TINY KITTENS IN A PREVIOUS LIFE?? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???!!!!"

Watching them stumble around without all the conveniences of their usual daily lives was fascinating. It was like watching a baby elephant learn to walk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXe0064jY7M&feature=fvst But unlike the mother elephant, who so sweetly and protectively helps guide her little guy into his new world, I much prefer the 'sit back and laugh my ass off' principle of parenting. It was better than any Reality TV that's on right now!