See that small roofline right there on the right of this picture, in the foreground, that is the top of the well, 88 feet down from there dangling on the end of a long long rubber hose is a little submersible pump.
Right when I was half way through the washing and the watering and the filling of animals troughs. The pump stopped. 
What will you do the Kiwi Builder asked.
We need a lot of water out here.
Guarding the newly seeded fields from the guineas is thirsty work.
Not to worry, I said. I have these ugly things.
The rain barrels. One day I shall paint them and turn them into artworks but for the moment they are full of clean cold rain water.
So we had water for the animal and the milking and the neighbours filled up a few water jugs for the house, and John has a guy, and the guy has a plumbers truck and the guys father is called Joe so it is called Joe’s Plumbing .. and he and John took the little well house roof of,f pulled all 88 feet of pipe out, fixed the wire that had broken, replaced the little pump with a bigger pump, fed it all the way back down into the earth, and once again the water flowed. It is flowing black, the well has been stirred up with all the activity, but after a while it will settle down. The well house roof has been put back on and 1,200 dollars poorer we are set to go again.
Good morning. The things we take for granted. Without water, we are sunk. The rain barrels would have covered our water requirements for about three days. It is a shock when I am reminded how much I rely on machines and electricity to survive out here.
Is that sustainable?
Have a lovely day.
love celi
PS The essay over at the Parents Space today is a story some of you may have read before. It has been edited and improved. (I hope I improved it anyway) It is called Balloon Girl and it is the story about the time I bit the man with the newspaper on the plane when I was a teenager. I used it to illustrate how we collect experiences throughout our lives that will be useful to us when we are parents, grandparents and loving carers of children. That our past is important, even the hard unexplainable bits are important to who we are.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
78 responses to “And then the water stopped flowing”
Oh my! Ready water is such a luxury. When I was little and we were on the farms, the water came out of wells with a bucket – and it was iron red (everything was red tinged: sheets, socks – so it was hard to see how clean a person could get with it) – and we had to be careful as that well was not deep.
In those parts, women saw flower beds and pretty plants as a luxury – one that needed water. You hand carried dish water and bath water out to water them. The yards didn’t have grass, but everyone raked and swept them so they looked neat (now people will probably laugh at that!)
Later we cherished that little pump in the new well at our farm – and babied it all seasons!
(and that well was found by a dowser using an elm branch – and that’s a whole ‘nother story!)
wow, what a stunning comment.. in fact we have been having a fantastic water discussion today, the women up on the farms at home still don;t empty the bath until they have watered the plants and they swear the soap in good for pot plants!! I love the idea of a swept dirt front yard.. that is something i did not know… there is a tremendous amount of water wasted on keeping lawns green (not here obviously) but in california where my son lives I have to shut my mouth not to remind them that the water is PIPED IN! there were battles to get that water there and they are using it to keep a lawn green! Horrors! c
Botanists say the soap gets rid of insects, and plant diseases – so one more thing old timers did right.
Water and water rights is the next big battle already forming up. People need to learn to live with nature as it is – not try to change it ( I think the elaborate old French and English gardens go through periods of man redesigning nature vs natural garden designs during history…man is never satisfied with the way things are?)
As a kid sweeping the yard seemed odd – but it was very fun and rather soothing ( and kept kids out from under foot?) Heaven forbid visitors come by and find twigs and dropped pine cones everywhere on the way to the front steps and porch..(.we all sat outside then)
oh thank heavens! when i read the title, i thought your well ran dry! so happy to hear you are up and running again!
In many shires here [including ours] building permission for private homes is no longer given out [some dozen years already?] unless said plans contain a huge rainwater tank next to the house. That is not meant for drinking but the pipes are led to flush the toilet, do the laundry and water outdoors. During dry periods you switch back to ‘city water’. One way to avoid waste! Of course you don’t have the luxury of the latter and thank God the pump got fixed [at what cost!]. Loved your story: when are you going to publish them all and make a little extra ‘disposable income’ 🙂 ?
How deeply sensible! WISH I have a rainwater tank! c
I am wishing for a big rainwater tank/s for you so you can use it in the house… When we come back to the city from our house at Taylors Arm we bring a couple of bottles of tank water with us… I was a bit sceptical at first as the farm tanks I experienced as a child left a lot to be desired but our tanks are in good condition and our rainwater is cool and clean, wonderful to drink and shower in, and wash clothes which then hang in the sun. We have plans to add a couple more. Apparently the test for good water is if frogs live in it. We have plenty of frogs but the screens [hopefully] keep them out of the tank. If not then c’est la vie 🙂 We rely on a pump also and unconsciously keep an ear on its noises to make sure all is well. If the power goes off, we have to use the outside garden tap. But, the old ways are truly best. I hope the rest of the world figures it out soon.
Just as well you have those rain barrels – and what an expensive business. I’d be wanting a big water tank, just for security.
Oh dear, wish Big Man and I had been closer, he is an electrician (on a big scale..think pylons and pumps) and he would have done this for you and certainly not charged you 1200 dollars 😦 A day on the farmy and a little home cooked food would have been enough!
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You were so lucky that your pump was able to be fixed so fast. We have been without heat in one section of our house for three weeks waiting on a part. May I ask a question…is that a fire hydrant that is see in the photo and does it work off your well too?
I’m glad this story had a happy ending!
Ahh…. the rain barrels. That’s all we had when we first moved onto our plot. We painted them brown ( why are they bright blue?), to blend in ! Glad we have gravity fed water, so no pump.
I do need to paint mine, that blue drives me bonkers! c