so almost immediately after completing and publishing yesterday's post about water conservation, ella quickly rattled off several more ideas to share. please bear in mind, she is six years old, so some of these make total sense to her. :) but i think she is on the right track so here we go:
1--use only half as much toothpaste as recommended and brush without water. this one skipped my mind because this is how we usually brush but she mentioned that her cousins do it differently. you will want to rinse your mouth and toothbrush afterward, so allow yourself a small glass of water for this purpose. FWIW, we normally put our toothbrushes in the dishwasher each night to clean and sanitize them (after all, would you use the same spoon over and over without washing it?), but since we're not running the dishwasher each night we are just going on faith that one cup of water will do a good enough job.
2--bathe/shower in pairs. :) actually, you can do this--if it is appropriate your younger children can bathe together, or one child can shower with the gender-appropriate parent. i know i said yesterday to try to take only sponge baths but a point will come when you WILL need to bathe. just keep it short and business-like.
3--collect your wash water. ella's idea is that you can put a bucket in the sink and catch water while you're washing your hands. this water can be used to flush toilets or to water indoor plants.
4--building on #3, when you finally do take that long-awaited shower, you will probably have to run the hot water a bit to get it up to temperature. put some buckets in the tub to collect the water as it runs and use it to wash hands, flush toilets, even drink it if you collect it in something clean enough for that purpose. or save it in case the water supply does in fact become compromised.
and now some thoughts on seeing people use water in "unneccessary" ways:
anyone who has been working in areas that had flood waters should assume that the water and anything it touched was contaminated with raw sewage or toxic chemicals. that person MUST shower. please allow them to do so without guilt. same for any car that is still drivable and was in contaminated water.
if you see automatic sprinklers running, give in to your more charitable side and consider that the business or home in question has had too much to deal with to remember to turn them off. certainly give them a call if you feel they might not know, but be kind. they have been thru the flood too.
if you see someone watering a garden, remember that some people grow much of their food and depend on their gardens to meet their needs. yes, we've had record rains but it DOES drain away (sooner than you might think in some places), and the sun DOES shine again, and they need to care for the plants that will feed them. also don't assume they are using water from the public system--some of us have rain barrels connected to water hoses. ;)
EDITED 2:30PM TO ADD: in response to some concern about apparent "watering of lawns", this was posted on my neighborhood email list and i think it bears repeating, this did not even occur to me:
"Whoa! What is being observed is merely flood water, NOT precious fresh water.
"Many of our neighbors are pumping out their flooded cellars and basements, and are dealing with saturated ductwork, ruined furnaces, the loss of stored items, and many with no water damage insurance. What appears to be a hose flowing water into yards truly is their effort to dry things out before mold begins to creep in to further complicate their lives and misfortunes. Let's try to take a kinder view before we make these assumptions, please."
please feel free to add your own suggestions to our lists! we are smarter as a team. and thank you for your kind messages of support.
*if you or someone you know likes vintage patterns, please see my post about the floods on my other blog, rostitchery: i am donating 100% of the proceeds from the auction of my ENTIRE collection of vintage sewing patterns to the community foundation of middle tennessee's flood relief fund. and please spread the word!
