water deprivation is a serious thing because it leads to dehydration and crazy brain. i think (unofficially, of course) water deprivation is said to be a particular form of torture.
on new year’s day, the water stopped running at my parents’ house.
it was due to the wire in the well or something technical like that. i, of course, missed the texts from both my mom and sister J warning me of this fact and that perhaps i should take a shower at the friend’s house i was staying at before heading home and so i showed up tired from a late night of new year’s revelry / an early morning wake up call and wanting nothing more than a hot shower.
there’s nothing like beginning the new year with an unclean start.
the power and the internet and the TVs and the fridge still worked, so we were only deprived of running water. it was sort of bizarre to have all amenities except water because usually it’s that the power gets knocked out, taking all forms of modern life with it.
with this water-less hurdle in front of us, mom and dad ran out to the grocery store to pick up more gallons of water and made use of the bathrooms at the grocery store. sister J and bro-in-law T took baby mac shopping and they made sure to use the bathrooms at the outlets. sister E and i traipsed to the neighbor’s house to use their facilities and to borrow two gallons of water (for flushing toilets) because who really borrows cups of sugar? water and working bathrooms are the way we roll.
and later that night, we went out to eat for an early birthday celebration and it was then that my mom revealed my birthday gift.
the 2.5 jug of water.
simple. clean. efficient. funny. timely.
that’s how we roll.
and the birthday cake tasted just as delicious served on paper plates and eaten with plastic utensils.
(in case you were worried, dear reader, the next day, about an hour before i left to return to boston, the well was fixed and so, on the second day of january in 2012, the mumford family experienced the marvel of running water.)
Abigail Mumford 
What an excellent gift! I love it! :)
it was very timely indeed. :)
Missing you and all the silliness that occurs when we get together!! :)
i really miss baby mac walking up to me saying “beas, beas, beas” and having the day’s goal be how can i make her laugh today. ah, memories.
Were you able to return the borrowed water to the neighbors?
Happy New Year!
NATE!!!!!!!! i don’t know whether to be excited you are actually commenting or annoyed that you’re pulling semantics on me.
i’m going with option A: EXCITED. and no, we didn’t return the borrowed water, but instead i took even more when i called upon them the next day to take pity on me and let me take a shower so i didn’t have to drive back to beantown stinky. i mean, what? no, i always smell like roses and vanilla and everything nice.
p.s. happy new year to you too! i hope to see you without your sea legs soon.