Dominica got up first this morning and realized that we were out of water. It was before the water runs in the morning so she did not panic, much, and figured that we had used too much water yesterday. But we really have been so conservative, that did not seem possible. I got up about ten and checked and no water was coming in from the street like it should have. We asked Lucia who is local and she said that maybe it was starting late, it’s Sicily, the times are never exact.
So we waited, which seems to always been the answer. We waited until one in the afternoon, long after there was any chance of water flowing. So I investigated and found that the water main from the street was turned off going into our house inside our “water box” panel. Clearly the plumber, who was here on Tuesday (three days ago) had turned it off to install the new pump that I found there and had forgotten to turn it back on. I got pliers and opened the valve to what looked like the open position and immediately heard the pressure change and a small amount of water enter the pipes. Argh.
So we have very obviously been without water to replenish the house since the cisterns filled on Tuesday morning. This is making for a very hard day. Of course there is no way to get more water or to verify anything until the water turns on tomorrow morning. If the water doesn’t work tomorrow morning, we have a serious emergency on our hands. But there is nothing to be done. Today is a day without water and tomorrow is a big unknown. I am pretty confident in my assessment that the water was off to the main, however. But the bigger problem is that there have been so many problems with pumps, leaks, and water supplies that there is no way to be certain that things will work tomorrow. And since the water can come on and go off at any given time, we have no way to know at what point things should or should not be working. So by the time we are certain in any way that we need to call someone for help, it is way past the point of it doing any good.
So today is a day without being able to wash anything, shower, flush… not fun.
Dominica made mutzi-mutzi for dinner tonight and we had a quiet evening in hanging out. We got a few new games on Steam sales this evening.
The kids played Slime Rancher tonight. That game has remained a kid favourite since Liesl got it for her birthday back in November. One of the few endearing titles around here with the little ones.
We go to bed tonight pretty worried about tomorrow. If the water doesn’t start working, all we can do is leave messages and hope that someone is able to get out here on Monday before the city turns on the water. Otherwise we will have to go till Tuesday before we know anything again and that will mean an entire week without running water!
We’ve had it with this place. At this point we are over the limit. Power issues, Internet issues, scorpion, can’t flush toilet paper, incredibly limited water, terrible smells in the upstairs, people leaving water running, broken plumbing items, and now a week or more of fighting to get water and no one able to make sure we have any. We aren’t thrilled with our Noto experience. This is not a lifestyle we would want to maintain for any length of time. It’s been less than three months and at this point, we are anxious to escape. Every day is full of stress wondering if we will need to run and find a hotel to be able to take care of the bare necessities.
At least my pneumonia and bronchitis are starting to improve. I’ve been extra tired now that I am taking the anti-biotics. They always take the energy out of me.