Hazard of Living in The Bush

Yesterday, in an attempt to get some dishes done, I started on the prep-work. In the lower 48 (or Nome, Brevig, Whales, Barrow, Fairbanks . . . okay, anywhere that's not here, camping, or a third-world country) all one has to do to prepare for dishwashing is empty out the sinks, put the stopper in, and fill them with hot water, while adding soap.

You knew it wasn't going to be that easy, didn't you? To start with, I checked the water tank in the Kuni-tuk (arctic entry) and ascertained that yes, we had enough water to wash dishes. It's a 300-gallon tank, and there are few times we don't have enough. Actually, it hasn't happened in several years.

For my second step, I checked the five gallon buckets that sit under the sink. You know that area, where everyone else puts vases and Mop 'n Glow. Our buckets were too full to do dishes. I've lived through water shortages before. Last year, we had a glycol leak at the school, and I lived off melted snow for six months. It takes a lot of energy to make enough water from snow to live on.

Since I'm lazy, I usually wait until my buckets get full. This does two things: 1)requires that I take them out before I do anything else, and 2) ensures that I do it, because Amy can't lift a five gallon bucket full of water over the railing to dump it out. There's a lot of things she can do that I can't, but she just doesn't have the upper body strength, or leverage, to do that.

On my way to the outside door, I bumped the inside door, which we usually keep open. It swung back and hit me, and I swung to stop it. Now, devoted fan, I'd like you to imagine a full bucket of water, while being swung. I only lost an inch or two off the top, and with the amount of snow we track into that entry-way, I didn't think it would be a problem. Evaporation is a helpful force in this case.

What I failed to realize at the time, but which has become EXTREMELY clear to me recently is this: the top inch of water is where the grease/oil likes to hang out. When the top inch of water is sloshed onto the floor, that grease goes with it. What started out as a quick water-emptying venture is going to now involve the Swiffer.

Until I get my current research paper done, that's the only story I've got. I'll try to bring funny back sometime after Sunday.