Sunday, January 16, 2011

Frozen Hands Frozen Water Hose

Generally I don't mind doing the watering. It is fairly easy.
Hook up the hoses and stick one end in the stock tank and hook the other end up to the water hydrant in the yard.

Pull up handle.
Watch water spill into heated stock tank.

Shut down handle when stock tank is full.
Drain hoses.
Easy because my yard is nothing but hillsides. One stock tank up from the hydrant and one stock tank down from the hydrant.

Hang tips of hoses and drain.
Simple.
Except...
When it is not.

This is the second time I've lugged 50 ft of hose into the house and dumped it unceremoniously in my bathtub.
Turn on the water to hot and soak the hose. Make a mess while you drain the ice chunks out.

Then run like heck back out with coiled hose and try to make another connection.

Whoops.
Who forgot the gloves?
Who forgot to drain the hose that was attached to the hydrant, it HAD been unfrozen when I went into the house.
Sigh, slap freezing hand against forehead.

Some idiot should have taken time to drain the hose that was not frozen.
Confused?
Don't be.
But my hands were lobster red and painful by the time I got everything hooked up and ...

Whooo!
I had the water running to the stock tank.

The sun sank slowly into the western sky touching the bare branches of the trees on the ridge with a golden glow as I stood in the yard and nodded to myself.
Another day done.

You can bet as darkness fell [along with the temperatures] I drained the hoses well.

1 comment:

  1. I sympathize, but it can happen to anyone living in cold weather. Had a touch of frost bite my first year here in Colorado. Ever since I watch those temperatures and have invested in darn-good insulated gloves!!! What we won't do for our critters....they are so lucky to have you.

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