Pump It Up

I’m sure we all have a list of things we did and experienced that the youth of today can not relate to. That is if you are over the age of 25. We have all worked with things that are now obsolete, like phonograph records, 8 track tapes, carbon paper, type writers…

One item I came upon last week falls into this category. This was a hand pump for water. I liked everything about it. The weight and the balance of the pump arm, the way it squeaked depending upon the direction and the force used. I liked the sporadic volume of water it produced depending on the stroke. I had to pump it four or five times before the first drop of water made it to the spigot. The water was clear and it was cold as the earth.

It isn’t easy pumping four gallons of water, but it is rewarding. However after doing so one can see why windmills were invented. It’s nice letting the wind do all the work.

Hand pumping water can easily make one realize how precious water is and how much we waste on a daily basis by leaving the faucets on while we brush out teeth, unnecessary toilet flushing, over filling and over-watering. I am pleased that I use so much rain water around our place. Considering how much water horses drink, I only have to use city water for them from July through September. The rest of the year they drink the runoff from the roof. I plan to use runoff for the chickens soon, too.

If you ever go camping somewhere with the kids and you find a hand pump, make it their job to get the water. It will do them some good in both the physical aspect of it and also in the conservation aspect.