A good habit, plugging the drain

I've learned a lot from male friends.  They don't care if I belch after drinking a soda (guilty) and they can be easily "triggered" by certain thoughts.  So, if you're a guy with lust issues, move on.

That accomplished, I was in the shower, thinking, this morning.  I had a kitten peeping around the shower curtain, watching me bathe.  Good thing she's a female.

I spent my first 10 years in Virginia.  We always had plenty of rainfall, at least when I lived there.

I spent my next 15 years in California, which could best be compared to Arrakis from the "Dune" novels.  Very, very, dry.  We averaged about 15 inches of rain a year.

It was the kind of culture where a guy got beat up by his neighbor for watering his own lawn.  My Dad banned tub baths and had us shower with 5-gallon buckets.  We were required to catch the water in the bucket as it warmed, then he'd use it in the yard.

After moving to 45-inches-a-year-on-average Houston, I didn't worry so much about water conservation.  Until I got to the Crackhead apartments near work.  Ron and I basically worked 11-11 every day, and weekends.  The lot next door to our apartments sold, and the builders were always TURNING OFF THE WATER in the middle of my shower.  It drove me nuts.

I used to tell Ron, I went on mission trips to Mexico.  We'd have to buy a tanker of water, every day, off the truck so we could flush and bathe (we brought our own drinking water).  Even so, I could always take my shower.

So many times I got "cut off" in the middle of lathering my hair.  I used to rant about jumping in the swimming pool to rinse off.  I finally started plugging the drain when I started my shower, reserving an emergency stash of rinse water.

Sadly, I had forgotten to do this, years later, after Hurricane Ike.  It struck Friday night, and all seemed well except for a lack of electricity.  Monday, the water suddenly stopped (I believe they ran out of gas for the generators).  There I was, my head under the tub spout, trying to rinse my hair with a meager trickle.

Then we entered a drought phase.   A pipe broke in my yard, racking up an exorbitant water bill.  I also lost water service until we could fix the pipe.

So, I'm back to plugging the drain.  I think it's a good habit.