Dry days in Oden

Well, we're starting our second day with no water, and the fun of roughing it will soon wear off. Yesterday an 800-amp breaker blew, causing the Oden Water System to go down. That blown breaker has affected 350 homes using the system.

The immediate effect was the realization that all those water taps and garden hoses would remain empty until things get fixed. I also learned really quickly that a toilet is good for one flush in such situations; after that, plan to keep the seat down. Also, upon seeking information on how long this pipeline drought would occur, I heard at noon yesterday that an electrician doing the repairs headed to Spokane to get a replacement box.

Once that got installed and the computer that tells the water network what to do was up and running, operators would have to flush out the entire system before restoring water to all those homes.

The official prediction indicated a general target of last night or this morning, with no specific time indicated. I know these folks are working their hearts out to get the water flowing as fast as possible. One family very instrumental in management of our rural water system own the only dairy in the area, so they need the water as much as anyone.

Besides the obvious need to go purchase bottled water and to use creative means for washing up, this outage has caused our Miss Kiwi to be temporarily out of a job. Besides keeping track of all errant Folgers coffee cans at the Lovestead, a major part of Kiwi's self-imposed daily work load consists of standing watch over all hoses loaded with water.

It's important for a Border Collie to keep that water in tow, and it's important for a Border Collie's owner to make it perfectly clear that the water does not need to be kept in tow while being sprayed over thirsty beets, lettuce and 'maters.

So, Kiwi and I have come to an understanding that her work is limited to transitional periods when the hose is being transported from garden spot to garden spot. She can chase that water all she wants during trips across the lawn, but once I start spraying the vegetables and flowers, she's to stand at rest.

Kiwi is very conscientious about her hose duties. In fact, she's been known to sit watch over the nozzle for several hours, if by chance, I've been detained in the midst of my daily watering and have left the water running but the nozzle shut down. Consequently, this level of dedication suffers a real blow when a day passes with no watering chores. I'm sure that Kiwi is suffering withdrawal as we start our second day with the potential of no garden watering.

I also know that my lettuce is not dealing well with this situation. With the intense heat beating down on an otherwise happy, prolific garden, the Romaine lettuce seems to be the weakest link among the veggie crop. Instead of standing at full attention, all those lovely green leaves are limp as boiled noodles. I don't know if they can take another day of this.

We went out to dinner last night with our friends, the Raihas who also subscribe to Oden Water, so we didn't need to worry about dirty dishes. Our only struggle last night were those clouds of communal gnats who kept insisting on screwing up our visiting at our outdoor restaurant table.

Ever try talking with a cloud of unruly gnats bouncing up and down directly in front of your mouth? As I complained through pierced lips, Margarete assured me the critters were so small that if I happened to swallow one, the calorie count would be low. That was reassuring.

As darkness came, the gnats either disappeared or turned invisible, so we had a great meal and a good visit. While bidding adieu at the Sand Creek Grill entrance, we all expressed the hope that by the time we got home, the water would be flowing. No dice. I'm sure throughout Oden land today, some creative measures will be employed and maybe even some creative thoughts about life with no running water.

As this outage continues, the dirty clothes pile, the stagnant water trough, the limp lettuce and the dog without a job could take its toll, but we'll hold hope the folks fixing the system have some good luck today. And, we'll definitely appreciate their efforts once those water faucets are flowing and toilets are flushing. Then, Kiwi can go back to work.

Hallelujah! The water came back on at 8 a.m. The plants are happy. Kiwi's happy. The toilets flush. Life couldn't get any better than that. Thanks, Oden Water folks!

Speaking of water, I have to mention CREEKside Gifts. I went there yesterday for the first time to get a little something for a friend. I walked into a warm atmosphere where gift displays skirt the pharmacy and its wide offering of meds, compounded meds, vitamins, supplements and homeopathic products.

I found a collection of reasonably priced gifts, nicely displayed in this attractive new store, which opened a couple of months ago in the same mall as the Ponderay Starbucks on HWY 95 North. As a person who hates to fight summer traffic in downtown Sandpoint, I figure this will be a nice place for me to pick up my gifts without a hassle.

I also enjoyed visiting with Karen Kontra, who wrapped my gift, and Katie J. Smith, the pharmacist at the newest Well Life Pharmacy in the area. Both are friendly, accommodating ladies who are interested in suggestions for making the store into a destination stop for numerous needs.

I learned that the store is owned by Jeff Foster, who also runs the pharmacy at Boundary Trading Co. in Bonners Ferry. It was a good discovery, and I plan to make many more stops there, especially during the next several weeks of gridlock downtown.