We ate dinner at school tonight in the kitchenette in the elementary wing: tater tots and chicken patties.  I took a shower today over at Robin and Jerry’s place.  The girls spent the last two nights having sleepovers, Friday night over at Robin’s, and last night over at Jaqi’s.  We have no water at home.  We haven’t had water since Wednesday.

It’s been bitterly cold here, even cold for Kotlik.  The temps for days hovered around -40 and if you don’t keep water dripping constantly, your pipes will freeze.  I didn’t know that, though, until after it was too late.  Kate had been without water since she got back to Kotlik and had been staying with us.  But now neither house has water.  I’m told we can get a little back on our rent if this lasts ten total days.  That means we’d need to be without water another five days.  I’d much prefer just to have water back.

There are some villages in Alaska that have no running water at all.  There’s no running water, in fact, on the other side of the river here in Kotlik.  I’m told that ten years ago nobody in Kotlik had running water.  I think I could survive somehow under those conditions, but I don’t know how.  I’m not sure what life without running water really looks like exactly.  I know that people can clean themselves with steam somehow; that’s what they do on the other side of the river, but I’m not sure how that works.  And technically, indoor plumbing and running water is a relatively new technology in the history of mankind; I know water was a real luxury in Rome.

I knew before this happened what a luxury running water was.  I enjoyed every steaming hot shower I could get.  There’s nothing more special than escaping into a super hot, steamy shower after you just walked in from a winterworld where the temps drop to -40.  (Did you know that -40F is the same as -40C; it’s the point where the two temperatures meet?).  I suppose, though, that these experiences remind us just how much a luxury things are in the modern world.  Running water.  Hot water.  What simply and wonderful pleasures!  Its supposed to warm up to around zero by Tuesday, and that means that the maintenance men will likely be able finally to get our pipes thawed out.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

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