The practice of taking “combat showers,” aka “Navy showers,” was a way of life during my RVing days -- turn the water on, get wet, turn the water off, soap up, turn the water on, rinse, turn the water off. The twofold purpose was to conserve on-board fresh water and make efficient use of the holding tank's capacity.
Now I'm taking combat showers again.
It's not that there's a problem with the well or the septic system. Both are just fine. The 30-pound tank of liquid propane connected to the water heater, however, is running low and, as a result, the supply pressure has dropped.
In practical terms, it can't keep up for an entire shower and, at some point, the water runs cold. If I give it a few minutes to "rest," I get hot water again.
Thus the combat showers.
I do have a full 30-pounder ready to go when this one's empty, but it's really not. And I don't want to re-fill (and pay for) a tank that still has usable LP remaining.
(Math time -- a 30-pound propane tank can be filled safely to 80% capacity, or 24 pounds. If I make the swap when there's a couple of pounds in the bottom of the tank, I'll pay for 24 but get only 22 at refill time.)
This isn't a hardship. In fact, I did the same thing all last winter -- whenever outside temps fell below 45°F, and depending on the level in the tank, supply pressure dropped and the water heater couldn't finish the job without a break (or two).
These are still the best showers of my life. I can't fairly explain that. They just are.
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This post, the first to appear here on Blogspot, will publish on my 69th birthday. I didn't do that intentionally. It just happened to work out that way.
As I step into my 70th year on Earth this afternoon, I'll pause to give thanks. Circumstances which didn't seem like good fortune at the time have presented me with a chance to live the life I've always imagined -- and worked for. For that, I'm grateful.
Joy and gratitude occupy every moment. My heartfelt thanks to you, friends and readers, for taggin' along.
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Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
