Around the Square, June 2, 2004

Around the square. On the square. In the square.

How ‘bout under the square?

Ever notice the bathrooms in all the shops, offices, and restaurants that line the square are located in the back of each building?

Once upon a time there was no indoor plumbing (horror of horrors).

That came long after most of these old buildings were constructed.

If you’ve ever done without indoor plumbing, you know as well as I do what a terrific invention it is.

I happened to live in a barn for two years without running water.

We heated the place with a woodstove. Cooked on a butane camp stove. Hauled water in buckets from the spring down below.

If you wanted hot water for any reason, you had to heat it in a pot. The commode consisted of a toilet seat straddling a bucket that sat outside under the lean-to. When the north wind blew, you wasted no time getting finished with your business. Toting that bucket down the hill to the dumping hole was a lot of fun too.

And it took two to bathe. One to sit in the old tub outside (formerly used as a water trough for a horse) and soap up while the other one stood outside the tub and poured hot water from the teakettle over the bather. Hopefully the water wasn’t too hot.

Yep, I have a lot of respect for hot running water.

Most folks these days wouldn’t know what to do without it.

Which is why plumbing is such a good trade.

When the old water heater went out a couple summers back, I didn’t miss a beat. I called the plumber.

But that didn’t prevent me from having to take a couple of cold showers before all was said and done. Good thing it was August and the water from the tap was fairly warm. The point was I still had the luxury of indoor running water.

Yes. Water running from a faucet. Imagine that!

And a commode flushing smoothly into a septic tank or sewer.

And all of this indoors.

Whether it be your neighbor or husband or friend or…there is nothing like a plumber coming to the rescue.

So I ask you?

Have you hugged your plumber today?