When I turn on the faucet, I hear Mozart!

 

When I turn on the faucet, I hear Mozart!

The well, several yards from the creek, was at the bottom of a pretty steep hill. It was a long walk back to the house. 

The construction of the well in that spot was strategic. The well was dug below the level of the creek, and the sand that existed between the creek and the bottom of the well served as a filter. It was a practical arrangement.

I loved that creek and the woodland that it traveled through on its journey to the river! 

There was a cistern at the end of the house, but it was not well suited for catching rainwater, and in the summer, when it was most needed, there was never sufficient rainfall to add significantly to the volume. There was an option to add to it by paying the local volunteer fire department to come out and partially fill it when conditions warranted.

I don’t want to give the wrong impression, because I was never thirsty for long with no way to slake my thirst; it was just sometimes a little inconvenient. One can always strain and boil water from a pond or creek, but the boiling process and the cooling-down process take time.

There was no bottled water in those days, at least not by our modern standards. My dad once asked me whilewe were at a gas service station on the way back home if I wanted a soda pop, as he called them then, and I said no, but I sure wished someone bottled water. He said someday they will figure out a way to charge you for water! He was right.

Later, when we purchased land between Lake Tawakoni and my hometown. The town was growing, and the local water wells were barely able to supply the needs of the growing area. The city was under contract to draw water from the lake for the town's water supply. An infrastructure project began, and high volume pvc pipes were stretched the whole distance, and meters were stubbed out at each driveway along the way. 

This part may be in debate: How the pipe from the meter was connected to the house, but it was, and that is enough to know for now.

Once the meter was connected to our mobile home, there was clear, clean, cool water at the turn of a faucet handle! One of the most miraculous events of my life! I was probably 12 or 13 at the time, and I am well over sixty at the time I am writing this, but I still get a thrill when I turn that handle!

Addendum: 

(There are a lot of wells in Texas, but most of the public water supply comes from reservoirs. Texas has only one natural lake, and it is from an unusual occurrence, but we have more acres covered with water than Minnesota, the land of lakes. These lakes are the product of sheer human willpower, and without them, life in much of the state would be nearly impossible for much of the year. )