Water woes and a comedy of errors

Here's my indoor landscape, with decorations hardly detectable, handmade paper artworks on the far walls, cosy Ted and knitted Dollivers, seasonal poinsettia, and the growing stack of small knitted and crocheted things.

I succeeded in getting my car started and running. Backed up a little to rest on a different part of the tires. Tire pressure is low, of course, from the sudden low overnight temps, not urgent. I like to know the car will start just in case. In case of what, don't ask me, I only live here. 

I seem to have a permanent need for a functional vehicle, probably from years of urgent runs. I also don't want to be bothering Gary for help because I failed to run the motor. I can use my battery charger, but I can't get the hood up to do so. Fingertips numb,  not operating that well, to fiddle with the unseen latch under the hood.

Moving on to the water sitch. For several days our water supply, usually very good tasting and definitely safe, has been smelling and tasting more like coal oil than H2O. 

Many communications from the harassed water people, day and night, via text, voicemail, email, assuring everyone it still passes State and Fed drinking requirements.  

They've tested for hundreds of potential contaminants, no joy, and I don't envy them.  They're flushing all the hydrants in the region, advising about everything they can think of. 

Handsome Son has not being receiving these endless messages because he's in a large account, covering the whole condo complex.  I imagine their management is on it and proceeding with caution, not wishing to have hundreds of unit owners panicking all over and blaming them.

So I have been forwarding emails in case there's a health hazard, and he, being of the non-email generation, needs a text alert to check his email.

I noted he hadn't opened the ecard I sent for the holiday, so I texted to suggest he check email. I could hear the eye rolling from here, Moooom, I know about the water company. No, no, it's something else, just check. Ooookay, when I get a minute..

 I find Christmas too pressured and emotional, usually glad when it gets past. I never feel I'm doing enough, or doing it right, even when I enjoy it. Scornful older sibs voices in my head.  This too shall pass.

I do like electronic greetings, though.

And my holiday reading is an old favorite, long out of print but available suddenly in my Kindle.

It's light, funny and pointed, like all Sharp's writing.  And no Amazon employee has to pick, pack, and deliver under pressure. I wish their strike well. 

Happy day everyone, don't drink the water and don't breathe the air. And be aware that most of my comments on your blogs seem to be vanishing after I've seen them published. I'm not ignoring you! Thank you to the bloggers who remember to check spam and release the prisoners.