Water Concerns (Part 2)

            One of the good things about the Internet (and Facebook in particular) is its ability to draw folks together when a call to action is in order. One such scenario now taking place is the growing number of pics and posts by concerned customers of Laguardo Utility District as we note something seriously disconcerting coming from our water pipes.

            While a nuisance for holiday settings and costlier yet for ruined dishwashers and Keurig brewers everywhere, I fear these are the least of our problems.

            At the risk of speaking out of turn (for if ever calm heads need prevail, now is that time) it seems a thorough investigation (along with more testing, more discussion, more answers) is in order, after all there is a huge difference between taking note and taking action. To get to real answers,  a structured and orderly plan is needed and needed now. (So far I've seen lots of pictures, but no suggestions.)

            Personally I've been concerned about our water for awhile now, though my initial concerns did not start with cloudy glasses, but instead with my neighbors--specifically, my neighbors with cancer. Of all the people I know on my road (I know or knew 12), more than half have battled, are battling or have succumbed to the disease. My uncle died of bladder cancer. His wife, of blood cancer, (leukemia.) Another battles prostate cancer (with weakened kidneys noted as contributing to the complications). His wife deals in perpetual bladder infections and his mother was recently hospitalized for a severe kidney infection. Three other neighbors have had skin cancer; one has died. Another neighbor, likewise won the prostate cancer battle. I, myself, have gall stones.

            Am I saying our water caused this? No. I am saying it seemed a high statistic for one street and it is what piqued my curiousity both personally and as a journalist. I am also saying that the most recent test results I’ve been able to find on our water quality are not good as it pertains to contaminants (See link below.) That things appear to have gone from bad to worse since Laguardo switched us from lake to ground water is something I also want answers for. (i.e. How bad was the city's lake water that left this our best alternative?)

            One of the many benefits of participating in our county’s Master Gardening program are the people you meet and the resources you come across. Having read a recent blog of mine on the subject, one of my fellow classmates wrote to me two days ago to offer insight. (Note: She does not work for Laguardo, but is trained in these matters) She shared:

You are correct in the assumption that the water quality did change when the utility company switched from lake sourced water to a well.  Your water went from soft to hard.  

 In our area, ground water can be high in total dissolved solids (iron, manganese and magnesium).  Most conventional soaps and detergents don't do well with hard water.  As a result of that, you see films and water spots on just about everything.  Try switching to products made for use in hard water.

Utility companies are required by law to send their customers a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).  It is usually is in a water bill.  One of the parameters listed is total dissolved solids.  It may be interesting to compare the before and after numbers. 

            Given I pay my bills automatically, I have not seen this report, though I am looking into it. As a matter of animal husbandry, I will be independently testing my water to compare it to what I will soon be switching to, having just dug a well. 

           Though not an alarmist, this is serious stuff in anybody’s book.

            I have neither the time nor the interest for spearheading some crusade, rather, it is my goal as a girl who writes about her experiences in farming and sustainability to share personal observations, including any steps I might take out of concern for myself, my animals and the people I love. That it falls within the purview of what I blog about, the topic is fair game, and my concerns, sincere and valid. That said, I am not an investigative reporter; I am not an attorney; nor am I a scientist, though I am hopeful that people in these professions along with the necessary others will join forces (and soon) to create a proper panel to investigate this matter as I suspect the problem may be bigger than a few dirty dishes (and I'm not crazy about the dirty dishes).

http://www.water-delivery.org/WaterQuality/Lebanon/Wilson_County/Tennessee/Laguardo_Utility_District

A Quieter Kind of Thanksgiving

     Having entered the holiday weekend attending a memorial for a friend, it was a different holiday for me this year. Nothing zippy about it. Just a quiet day to reflect. Something about watching a friend's ashes being cast from a place he so loved, and a place he himself went to reflect, made me want to reflect, and so I spent my day doing just that...

These Things We Pray

     I long ago gave up praying for patience, as the lessons that accompanied that little request always showed up in the darndest moments and in the most frustrating of ways.
     I used to pray for happiness, though with time I have come to realize that happiness is a fleeting emotional state...one you can't stay in forever even if you tried. The thing I believe we are really shooting for when offering up any request involving emotions or moods (usually offered to get out of one we don't like) is peace or peace of mind. A peaceful mental state does not run from the sadder emotions; instead, it treats emotions like house guests. They come. They go. They alert you to something you need to know and then, they are supposed to pass. Some we like better than others. Some stay too long and we wish they'd leave. In asking for peace of mind, I freed up a lot of energy I'd been wasting trying to avoid the emotions I liked least. I came to recognize is not wrong to be sad when someone dies or you lose a cherished pet... To the contrary, "sad" is the proper emotion and it would be sadder yet (and not too peaceful in your head, btw) if you didn't feel anything at all in these moments.
     But here of late a new word has crept into my prayer vocabulary...a recurring word...and that word is "meaning".  If I could have but one prayer word... one wish granted...one Christmas gift from God, here lately the word I keep coming back to is "meaning"~
     Whether I've stumbled onto this one as a matter of concern for how much of material, worldly life comes across as meaningless to me these days from senseless murders to horrific wars to crappy television shows to Black Friday Christmas sales, I have come to recognize that my own little peaceful moments are those of meaning...and not necessarily huge meaning. The smallest moments are usually my best (like looking out the window just as Charlie-goat shows Hix how to head butt or jump on a spool).
    Having numbed out the news, having muted the commercials, having blocked out the things I used to worry about and for which I have absolutely no control, I find myself turning to the things that I might actually affect, be it friends going through things, be it ME going through things...When I can say "God, point me toward the meaning here..." a sense of hope is born. For that reason I now weigh shows to watch, which events to attend or which conversations to engage in, prefacing these decisions with a quick assessment of "Will there be meaning or will this wind up a shallow exchange of my precious energy?" (in which case, I'd rather pass, even if just to stay home and hug big dogs).

     Whether "Will there be meaning?" or "Help me find meaning..." or "Let me bring some facet of meaning to this situation or equation..." the gist of the request is to find and focus on whatever worthwhile there might be in what I'm choosing to participate in...and whoever I'm choosing to participate with (be it group, friend, pup or goat).
     Whether laughing or crying, alone or with another, to me it feels a lack of meaning is in large part to blame for a world in so much pain.
   

Rosey 1: Coyotes 0

   

     There are barks and there are barks...and then there are the growls. Each sound sends a message and when it comes to Pyrs (as with any breed you live with long enough) you start to recognize the differences if you listen close enough. Even when they wake you, there's comfort in hearing the sounds a dog makes, especially those hired to keep an eye out for things.
     But let a thing get a lit-tle too close...All bets are off. Intruder Beware!
     Such was the case of Wiley Coyote (may he RIP). I'm sure he was somebody's papa, but on Rosey's turf, Rosey rules. Next time, dude, you might wanna do your prowling elsewhere.
     Graciously she spared me the gory details; my only clue that something was up when I couldn't get Rosey out of the garden a night ago. My first thought went to deer. It is not uncommon this time of year to see deer parts in your yard (gross as they are to find). Some deer fall wounded (more common with bow hunters). Some remains are left behind from cleaning, (leaving guts behind for buzzards is not uncommon in the country...Deer guts, btw, are called "umbles" It's where we get the phrase "Umble Pie" (often mistaken for "Humble Pie" though the phrase origin has to do with deer intestines made into pies for serfs and servants, so as to make use of every possible piece of a slaughtered deer, i.e. the "chitlins" of a deer....Little "I Didn't Know That" moment for you).
     All a part of nature. All a part of life in the country. (Insert your Lion King/Disney tune here.)
     But in the unsolved mystery of "What the heck is Rosey eating?" from a night ago, it was an Agatha Christy moment when by the light of day I made my way cautiously, delicately out to where she was once again, hunkered down over her prey, growling her guttural victory growl, uncertain if I was there to scold or remove or both. (Trust me. I'm not THAT stupid.)
     Definitely not a scolding moment. No, no. Nay, nay. This was a "GOOD DOG ROSEY! GOOD GRRRRRRL!" kinda moment, for Rosey had done what God put Pyrenees on the planet to do: Rosey had killed herself a coyote!
     Let the record reflect (having raised Huskies and wolf breeds in a prior life) I probably would've cried had I witnessed this first hand, after all, this creature must surely have a family of its own given the eerie-baby cries we've been hearing recently...(For those who've never heard this, there is no sound in the world like a bunch of coyote pups howling at the moon...One of the most unique, albeit, spine-tingling noises you'll ever hear.) Why I'm sure Wiley was just shopping for groceries like the rest of us, but (sorry dude) my goats are not your Butterball!
     Thankfully Rosey (and God) spared me the worst of it. By the time I found what was left of the dude, Rosey was paws to pelt, crunching on his head giving me this: "Let me just polish this off" kinda glance.
     Meanwhile, back in the pen were three super impressed (though slightly jealous) relatives and 16 very relieved goats (perched high atop their spools)!

   
   

Something in the Water

   

      I much prefer the spiritual version..the uplifting and inspirational connotations to the phrase that Carrie Underwood sings about, but for those of us on a certain local water system, the concept is hardly so scriptural...(More like downright scary...)
     While making for great Facebook posts as like-minded, equally concerned citizens work to repair dishwashers and invest in pricy filtration systems, there is no denying, here locally there's something in the water...
     Some say it happened when Laguardo Utility District changed from river water to ground water. No doubt something has changed big time, and some think it less than coincidental that the residue showing up on everyone's dish ware and flatware seems to have coincided about the time they opened their new plant...
     But while rumors swirl, and Thanksgiving dishes go dingy, there is a very real, very disconcerting situation going on here and lest we treat it too lightly, may we not forget that this is the water that cleanses our bodies, stays in our hair, goes through our organs and waters our animals (and livestock, which for some, will likewise wind up in our bodies). And let's not forget our gardens.
     Not sure who will be the first to go Brocovich on the matter (for clearly we all live busy lives) but I'm hoping someone will as we may regret we didn't take it more seriously the second we all started spotting the problem...(literally).
     Personally, it is of some comfort that I am soon to be able to switch to well water. (Not a cheap investment, but thinking ahead to future plans, it seemed the wisest move.) In the meanwhile, I'm still on the system gaining popularity right now (for all the wrong reasons). Sure it may be lime or calcium. Then again, it may be worse. Either way, you don't have to be a scientist to note that something nasty is going on with the water in our pipes.
     It's a subject of great concern to me. And one I am starting to ask questions about...
    When I learn more, if I learn more, I will keep you posted.

Distractions and Focus

     Two sides / Same coin.
     (Seems dichotomy is my word for the week.)

     On a day I woke up to so many challenges I didn't even want to get out of bed, I kept to my pre- scheduled "to do" list....Why? Because I had a test. And sometimes, when I'm not quite sure where life is taking me, I sign up for a course... Cause even if I'm not so sure where the current of my river is flowing, well at least with a course, there's a syllabus to help me paddle through!

     Good news: Test passed!

     Funny part, as I arrive home to unwind and make a late night snack for some really deserving pups... A friend texts to ask: "What nutball chooses exams to unwind by?"

     (Turns out, I do. Not that I love exams. I don't. But turns out it's my own little brain trick...When it is imperative I focus, I focus. For all the other ADD-support group wanna be's out there, I'm sure you get this...Those who don't...Well, that's ok too. We've got a chair for you in the next meeting.)

     Meanwhile, I'm in.  Mission accomplished. Tomorrow I'll resume the whole "falling down rafters/ floors with no bracing/ missing materials/ barn wood that never got delivered/ billing situation" that today I opted to block from my head in order to pass my final exam so as to be a better gardener.

     Point is, my mind and my life craved this distraction today...For reasons more personal than a blog will permit, I needed this. (Did I mention I passed?) Makes me master of nothing mind you, but when cramming for tests is preferable to the petty, worldly squabbles of your day it does kinda make you want to hunker down, open a journal and take a few notes....

     (at least it does for me)

     Good news is...Tomorrow's a new day...(and everything put on hold today, will no doubt, be right there waiting for me in the morning....of this I'm sure).