Wet Dreams and Screams

Out west, we had friends that had an unusual and beautiful home in the mountains. My favorite part of the house was a large room, with a drain in the middle and a hose hanging on the wall. I think it was meant to be a solarium but the owner had found a different use. Dogs come in with dirty paws, hose em down. Kids come in after rolling in the mud...hose em down. Ticked off with husband...well you get the picture.
For 18 years I have wished my house had drains in the floor and hoses on the wall given the amount of mother nature that gets dragged in with 2 1/2 dogs, 2 kids and well, me the gardener. So this year when it was time to remodel the main bathroom, I came up with a plan for a wet room...a type of very compact bathroom that is mostly just a shower. So next week our contractor is coming in and building me a tiled room with a drain in the floor and a shower tower on the wall. I figure I'll be able to save water by packing the kids and dogs in there together and letting the water fly. When the party is over, I just spray down the walls and the dirt goes down the drain. I have to think that there isn't a mother on the planet that wouldn't enjoy a room dedicated to hosing down her family.

Water hasn't always been my friend however. Most of our 911 calls to the fire department have involved a water emergency of some sort...too many stories, too little time. Maybe its because I was born under the sign of Aquarius...or maybe marrying an obstetrician did it. It just seems to be my fate.

So last week when my eco friendly solar pool panels sprung a leak, I had to find some daring soul who was willing to climb up to our two storey roof to make the repairs. I would do this as I have no fear of heights, but my inner ear disease means that I also have no sense of balance...a bad combination. The young jocks at the company who installed the panels are too scared to get up there now, so after doing some searching, we came upon a courageous senior citizen who works for a local pool company to do the deed. As he was climbing the ladder however, he said "we all have our time to go, and if this is my time, tell my wife I love her". I kicked myself for not buying that portable defibrillator when I saw it in the medical catalogue. However, the panels got fixed without any fatalities and we've hired this guy to take care of our pool for the rest of his natural life. Seniors rock.

Juniors are pretty fun too. We introduced Gracie to the pool last week, and for a kid that was terrified of a bathtub 4 weeks ago, she seems to be pretty comfortable surfing the waves. Lil swims like a little fish now, so the two of them had a blast bobbing about. They seem to be attaching pretty well and Lil is becoming a little less miffed about the extra attention Gracie is getting at the moment. She`s having to share the epicentre of the universe, so there have been some wild and crazy moments but occasional medicinal use of red wine to soothe parental nerves seems to see us through the high tides.