200 Gallons of Water!
By Morley Hunt
@Morleyhunt (21744)
Canada
December 22, 2016 11:17am CST
Today started much like any other day. Morning coffee, breakfast.....take my granddaughter to school...come home in time to join my husband for our mid morning coffee.
He came through the door, washed up and carried the coffe to the living room. His next words were....Are you busy this morning?
I replied, I have no plans, why?
His reply......I have a flood.....200 gallons of water.
It's a good thing I love that man....when he says 200 gallons of water....he means....200 gallons of water mixed with wood shavings and chicken manure.
A sloppy, smelly, messy gruel that must be shovelled into pails, carried to the tractor bucket and dumped. When the tractor bucket is full, he goes to empty it. Not a job for the faint of heart or weak of stomache.
An hour and a half later I'm back home....freshly showered and ready for a hearty lunch.
It's been almost a year since I heard those words....I have a flood. As floods go, this one was not as bad as some, and the timing was not quite as inconvenient as others.
It does give me a great ice breaker.
How did you spend your morning? I shovelled manure.
20 people like this
21 responses
@DianneN (247183)
• United States
22 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt I'm certain he would help you, too. That's what good marriages are all about. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
It goes with the territory. If I need help he is usually right there helping out as well.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
@DianneN we've stuck to each other through thick and thin for the last 41 years......no stopping us now.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (113406)
• El Paso, Texas
22 Dec 16
That's not something I'd want to have to do. Why does it flood like that? Ok ok, I'm nosey 
This morning is better than the last 2 were, my cold is beginning to exit stage left .... or was that right?
We got a little rain overnight and it's still sprinkling now and then, it put me in a good mood. Miss Ally only went out long enough to pee then she hurried back in, dang pup is too prissy to stay out in the rain. 
This morning is better than the last 2 were, my cold is beginning to exit stage left .... or was that right?
We got a little rain overnight and it's still sprinkling now and then, it put me in a good mood. Miss Ally only went out long enough to pee then she hurried back in, dang pup is too prissy to stay out in the rain. 1 person likes this
@rebelann (113406)
• El Paso, Texas
22 Dec 16
Oh wow @Morleyhunt that sounds awful. Doesn't the water utility company fix those issues for you?
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
@rebelann this is a farm issue. If your faucet breaks you have to fix it yourself. Nipple drinkers would be similar.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
The water lines have nipples every nine to twelve inches....one of them failed in the night and disengaged from the waterline. That's the most common reason for a flood. My husband knew as soon as he did his morning water meter reading. The is a daily jump in water consumption, but when it's 200 gallons more than anticipated....you know you have a mess to clean up.
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25809)
• United States
23 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt I've spent my share of time shoveling manure, of the horse, pig, and chicken variety.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
I spent no time online....the shower took care of the door.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
22 Dec 16
Ugh I can't stand the smell of chicken poop on a dry day. and the smell of sulfur. My grandparents had chickens and they sure stunk. I don't do poop, my husband is the dog picker-uppper.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
I think you are referring to the ammonia smell that chicken manure is known for. I've never heard that suffer smell is part of the equation.
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
22 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt To me it smells like sulfur.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
@AbbyGreenhill a paper mill smells of sulfur, not a chicken barn.....now pig barns....they stink.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
23 Dec 16
What was it caused from? And you deserve a restful day after that for sure!
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
A drinker malfunctioned in the night. Instead of needing the chicken to activate it for water to be expelled.....the water trickled out onto the floor. This happens from time to time. Most of the time you catch it soon after it starts to leak ( kind of like hearing the toilet keep running, you notice the pump kick in and out too often.)
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
25 Dec 16
@MarymargII alarms? We have enough things that trigger alarms....often it's just an alarm malfunction. No, you just hope you catch it early.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
25 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt Oops! Wonder if you could install some kind of alarm for that?
@strawberry8 (35)
•
23 Dec 16
I ike your story:) I feel like it's an ice breaker to my boring morning too :)
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
Too bad that was my actual day and not just a story I pulled out of thin air. Shovelling wet manure is heavy work.
@Fishmomma (11376)
• United States
23 Dec 16
Morning is going alright. Its quiet and easier to type now. Hope your holidays are great.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
For me...holidays? Start when I deliver my granddaughter to school. Her daddy is picking her up this afternoon.
@snowy22315 (186476)
• United States
23 Dec 16
Yuk, what a way to spend a morning! However, you helped hubby like a good wife should!
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
It was an hour and a half that if I hadn't chosen to write about, would almost be forgotten. (Except the sore muscles to remind me).
).
@marguicha (225454)
• Chile
22 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt I loved my husband too. I was lucky and you are too, even if it involves some unsavoury work
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
If I didn't love him, this no way I'd be shovelling tons of $hit to help him out. He does appreciate the help and I know when he asks it's a mess. A small flood he usually cleans up by himself and I hear about it later.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
Chicken manure isn't pleasant smelling, but I think pig manure is 100 times worse.
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
22 Dec 16
oh dear, i'm glad that'cha were able to help him tend to that, hon. thankfully (knockin' wood), we've'd no floods recently. that which we did didn't involve poo 'f any sorts :) i spent my mornin' movin' pictures 'nto folders to make 'em easily accessible. jest to find that doin' such'n picasa don't make 't to where ya can find 'em elsewhere - which draws 'em from windows pictures...i'd rather been shovelin' with ya! 't least such t'was productive :)
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
I'm just glad it doesn't happen more often. I keep telling hubby, I'm getting too old for this.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
I think the boots I wear (men's rubber boots) are only size 8. I'm surprised they are still intact. They were purchased for me to wear over 16 years ago. They have seen a lot of manure over the years.
@cacay1 (84464)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
23 Dec 16
Have a good evening now from here, at last you did have a very good morning exercise hehehe. My morning here is busy at home cleaning.
@just4him (318846)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
22 Dec 16
I finished my grocery shopping so my Christmas menu is complete.
I'm glad you had an interesting day shoveling manure.
@just4him (318846)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
23 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt I'm sure it was.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
I don't know how interesting it was.....it was definitely a good physical workout.
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
22 Dec 16
@Morleyhunt I did not have to Shovel manure. But I still feel so tired.It has been so hot today.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
I've done it when it's been hot as well. The temperature outside might have been only 1C, inside it was closer to 22C. When you're working hard that seems quite warm.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
My job was probably easier. My husband and I work well together (we've been a team for a long time) and a good shower and I'm clean. Customers on the other hand sometimes require a brain cleanse. That's more difficult.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
23 Dec 16
Strenuous is a good description. I'm getting too old for this.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (83986)
• United States
22 Dec 16
Compared to yours my morning was a breeze. I would shudder if I heard those words "I have a flood" but glad it wasn't as bad as you expected
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
It was bad enough. By the time we were done, me back hurt. My legs hurt and my arms were aching.
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
22 Dec 16
Nothing as exciting as shoveling sh..............!!!
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
I don't know if I would describe it as exciting....but it does get people's attention when you tell them how you kept yourself occupied.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
22 Dec 16
Not on my top ten list of things I want to do, but over the years I'm sure I've shovelled tons of the stuff. Funny though. I managed two chicken barns for many years....I always said, there were two things I didn't do....I didn't pick eggs and I didn't shovel $hit. I still don't pick eggs, but since my husband has worked on this farm I've lost count of the number of times I've helped him shovel..... At least this time it wasn't at 2 AM.
1 person likes this
