Playing Laura

We've been without hot water for almost a week now due to a faulty hot water heater and a delay in parts delivery. I'm starting to feel a bit like Laura Ingalls Wilder as I boil pots of water on the stove to clean myself and the children. Combined with filling the wood burner multiple times a day, hanging the clothes to dry next to the wood burner, being married to Manly and the braid that has mysteriously appeared in my hair I'm thinking about changing my name. This life is tedious and time consuming. I could make the children share bath water and eliminate some of the labor involved, but my kids don't like to touch another person's dirty plate for fear of cooties so forcing them to bathe in used bath water would be unacceptable. I'm looking forward to a real shower when my scalp won't be screaming in pain from frigid water (the only way to wash hair as long as mine is to suck it up and use the cold sprayer). However, this little lesson has taught me that something we see as a burden is really only an inconvenience. When I put it into perspective, which is difficult to do when I'm standing under a spray of very cold water, it isn't s bad. Our house is a balmy 75 degrees with the wood heat, it isn't too dry because of the wet clothes adding humidity to the air, Manly is able to fix the hot water heater (if the parts ever get here) instead of having to replace it and I rather like the braid in my hair.