I came down to the oasis at daylight this AM intent on pumping out the stucco tank quickly, then refilling it tomorrow. Now I regret doing it. No place to pump the water and trying to save as much as possible I kept having to move pumps and hoses around. All back-breaking work. Spent an hour trying to get one gas pump running. Finally quit when the pull-rope broke. Lots of time spent in cold water for various reasons. Finally about 3 PM I just collapsed and couldn't go anymore. The tank still has only about 3 feet removed. Usually I don't even start pumping until it's 3' down. By then I don't have enough water left in the dirt tanks to fill the stucco tank. So I thought that by starting earlier I'd end up with a full tank. But that means wasting a lot of water. Of course, it would waste one way or the other. Anyway, I'm committed now. I asked Cecilia and Michael Gray to come help me finish it tomorrow. I just can't lift one more 50 lb pump. I can barely even move. Taking NyQuil and off to bed.
If I don't patch the leak it will really have been a waste. As it was, I could keep the tank topped off from the dirt tanks for weeks to come. So would have had water in it until around December. But that's too soon to start using the water from the big cement tank. It wouldn't last until rainy season. If I can top off the stucco tank, and if it doesn't leak, it should last until March or April. Life is a gamble.
Everything is blooming -- purple sage, yellow bells, beebrush, etc. The oasis is heavy with the fragrance of the beebrush. I'll try to take pictures tomorrow.
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