Which would you rather have on demand–water or electricity? My choice is water–I grew up in a home with a well. When the power went out, you had no water and the worst thing about no water was–you couldn’t flush the toilets! To say we are thrilled about our new well is an understatement. I’m like a kid in the candy store–ran some bleach through the dishwasher–
The dishwasher appears to have had little use and is very quiet–it’s located in the guest house kitchen.
My yellow laundry room–it’s an addition to the guest house. There is nothing in this 7×10 room except the washer/dryer and the hot water tank–weird that the previous owners built a separate little room. I’ve never used a stackable washer/dryer–my friend Jill has always used one and likes the space saving feature. The tub is certainly big enough for large loads of laundry and I took advantage of our new well to do a load of laundry–no more laundromat!!!!
With water I’ve been a cleaning whirlwind! The laundry room is as spotless as it can be without some of its drywall and flooring–it’s not totally finished. The bathroom in the guest house is very usable and I spent at least a hour in there yesterday cleaning–it was gross!!
The Cowboy has been plumbing–he is replacing the sewer lines from the house to the septic as the pipes were cast iron and had small holes–eeewwww! I’ve never seen cast iron sewer pipes!! And listen up RVing friends, he is creating two RV hookups–today he finished the sewer connections for those hookups.
Brian, our well driller, told us to run the water a lot for the first day or so. Last night we dosed the well with a powdered chlorine and let the water run into the house pipes until we smelled chlorine. Today we ran the water through a hose for several hours–we have lots and lots of holes created by some type of critters so I stuck the hose down in one of those holes. That critter must have miles of tunnels underground as the water never surfaced! When I went out to check the flow on the hose–this critter scared me into screaming! I guess he was getting a little water logged and came to the surface??? A frog was NOT what I expected to see in the desert!
The Cowboy suggested a drive this evening–we drove out toward Cochise Stronghold and around some of the many roads in this area. The wind has howled this afternoon creating lots of that lovely dust which makes for beautiful sunsets.
Working on the infrastructure means we aren’t seeing much progress elsewhere such as on the roof or inside the house–first things first! Plumbing requires lots of parts which requires lots of trips here and there. The Cowboy was able to get a lot of the pipe and fittings from the hardware store in Pearce. There was an auction in Willcox today–a total bust, just piles of junk–but it gave us the opportunity to visit another hardware store for more pipe and fittings. And the Dairy Queen!
Restoration Cowboy Style 
Wahoo!! A washer and dryer and water…doesn’t get much better in my book! RV hook-ups!! We will keep that in mind:) Great work!
LikeLike
Who would have thought a washer/dryer would make me so giddy! Yes, keep those RV hookups in mind!
LikeLike
My brother in law use to be the forest ranger in Cochise Stronghold. We spent a couple of vacations exploring the area. On one trip we road horses up the canyon and into the mountain…absolutely breath taking views. We live in Virginia but fell in love with the Stronghold and AZ. Some day I hope to spend the winter in the area. There is a small, cozy campground tucked away at the base of the mountain where the road ends…just follow the road into Cochise Stronghold and continue to the end. Check it out. Ya’ll will fit right in with the locals…hardworking, decent people like yourselves.
LikeLike
Don–in the past when traveling this area in our motorhome we’ve hiked to the top of Cochise Stronghold–beautiful views! Hope you get to come out this way again soon.
LikeLike
That’s a pretty nice dishwasher. And a washer and dryer. Pretty nice. Coming along.
LikeLike
Thanks Vickie–how is your project coming??
LikeLike
Happy to hear you have WATER and a washer and a dryer –Looks like you guys are working hard at making this a wonderful place to be. And you’re putting in two RV Hookups——does this mean you’re buying another RV??
LikeLike
No, Jenny, not another RV, just hoping our RVing friends come to visit!
LikeLike
Love it………..love it ………. WATER !!!!!
LikeLike
I bet I’ve said one hundred time–“I am so glad we have water!!”
LikeLike
We always said we should put the hose down those critter holes! We sure learn how important water is!! Beautiful sunsets too! We’ve been busy also, going to bed @ 8:30.
LikeLike
After the rattlesnake scare, that dang frog scared me to death!
LikeLike
The frog’s expression is “Why..Hello! Who are you?” Love your blog and always look forward to your posts.
LikeLike
Thanks Bev–we miss having you guys around! I was told yesterday by the well driller who has lived here all his life–it’s a toad, not a frog!
LikeLike
RV hookups!! Alright.! Looking forward to our westward journey next January.:-)
LikeLike
You three are always welcome Jerry!
LikeLike
You must be pretty tall to reach those controls on that stack-able washer/dryer! I’ve got a stack-able, but the controls are below the dryer door.
A frog is a MUCH better critter than a snake!
~ Linda K.
LikeLike
I am tall Linda, 5′ 9″ and yes, I totally agree–I would rather see a frog any day compared to a snake!
LikeLike
That frog underground looks like a Sonoran Toad, also called a Colorado River Toad. They can live underground for decades, only coming out during the monsoons. But here’s the thing–they are deadly to dogs, especially small dogs. They release a neurotoxin from glands on the side of their head that can kill a dog in minutes. So please be very, very careful! We know several people in Tucson who lost their dogs to them. Dog was curious, and getting anything from the toad on their mouths can be fatal. We actually did toad aversion training in Tucson, where they use a live toad and shock collars on the dogs. Did it with a live rattlesnake too. The toads start small, but can get as big as a dinner plate and are pretty ugly to boot.
LikeLike
Thanks for the heads up about the toad–I’ve considered rattlesnake aversion training for Emmi but never thought about toad aversion!
LikeLike
You’re welcome! We used a woman in Tucson who is very skilled with dog training. Let me know if you’d like her info. Take care!
LikeLike
Tina–I tried a shock anti-bark collar on Emmi and it traumatized both of us so much I’m not sure I will ever do a shock collar thing with her. I go back and forth–we have rattlesnakes in Montana too.
LikeLike
Lots of necessities there to take advantage of that wonderful water. How great that they all work!! Those views are just wonderful. Pretty excited about those hookups!!
LikeLike
We are glad you are excited about the hookups! It makes life easier around here to have water!
LikeLike