I got out and checked the vanity tap, got a trickle. I scooted across the hall, dripping, to the main bathroom, turned on that tap and got a trickle. I hollered for Jeff, "Hey, we have no water pressure!" And he took off to the basement while I dried and dressed.
He confessed to having no means of troubleshooting the problem but that didn't stop him trying. He complained about the lack of rain but I didn't share his concern. He noted that the clock on the water softener stopped running on a Tuesday.
I got on the phone.
We'd had the water softener serviced on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving; they changed the resin. I called them for ideas and references for well specialists. They gave me two names but neither was in the office. (Western Monmouth country isn't 24 X 7 by any stretch. In fact, people barely clock 40 weekly hours in these parts).
I checked well services in Howell online. I have this notion that there were wells in Howell but I'm not sure that's true. I simply know that my friend bought a house with a well in Howell. I got a hold of someone who was willing to have a look but it would take him about 90 minutes to round up his resources, including a new well pump to replace ours, just in case.
At this point, the trickle had dried up completely. Fortunately, our new Miele dishwasher turned itself off. That's an appliance feature I never thought I'd need. In the meantime, Jeff determined that the outlet closest the water softener wasn't working. The blue tank well control unit is hardwired into this outlet. The GFI there kept resetting. So, I dug up the electrician's number and left a message.
Then I took the younger kids out of the house so that they wouldn't get underfoot. We went to the Mall which was a nightmare because it seems that everyone looked at their calendar and said to themselves, "Oh, my God, it's December!" But I prepared myself, tried to keep my cool and headed straight to the Sears section of the parking lot in pursuit of a parking space because, heck, nobody shops at Sears. There were three spots left and I got one.
We walked to Build-A-Bear workshop because Timmy got a very generous gift card for his birthday from a classmate. Understand that I generally have two problems with Build-A-Bear (well, three if you consider cost, but we had the gift card): it goes too quickly to be enjoyed and my kids usually come down with some strange Chinese flu after bringing home their creations. I didn't foresee either of those problems being problems today because (1) my kids are already on death's door with their post-Thanksgiving/changing weather/school room illnesses and (2) we stood in line for the stuffing machine for more than 30 minutes. But the boys handled it beautifully. In fact, they received compliments from the adults around us. They were good, I don't mind saying it.
Periodically I would check in with Jeff. The well specialist had come and gone. The electrician, who by some miracle happened to be working on a job in nearby Manalapan, came and straightened some things out. Then the well specialist returned and ultimately replaced the 13 year-old well pump ... and took our Christmas present budget with him in payment. He was sure to wish us a Merry Christmas because, as he said, he's a Lutheran. So, I'll wrap a glass jug of yellow Millstone well water in Christmas paper and put it under the tree for the kids. Just think, if I'd been doing laundry every day as I should, the water would have run out sooner.
No, seriously, I'm happy to have the water back on, especially if it's fixed for good. We just have to deal with air in the pipes again ... a familiar enough annoyance after all the plumbing work this summer.
In total, it was only about 8 hours without water which, considering it's a Saturday, is outstanding. We just have to go a week without drinking it.
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