Marco - 11. Chapter 11

“Dad, let’s get that empty drum and fill it with this water. We can use it to prime the pump at the house.”

“That is going to be too heavy to carry.”

“We can roll it to the pump.”

“We can’t lift it. It weighs more than 400 lbs.”

“I have an idea. Let’s roll it to the well.”

Rolling the drum of water, “Dad, this isn’t easy, and I hope it doesn’t roll down the hill.”

“Shush, don’t think like that.” When they got to the well, “Let’s set it up.”

The two of them lifted the drum into an upright position. “How are we going to get the water into the well?”

“I think I have a siphon hose I keep in the car in case I run out of gas. If we can siphon out some of the water until we can lift the drum, then we will empty the remaining water in the drum into the well.”

I thought it was a little silly to try and siphon out the water from the drum. The tubing was 1/4 of an inch. It would take a long time to siphon enough water to be able to lift the drum. I watched as dad began to siphon out the water. He had a steady stream going into the well. After half an hour, we tried to lift the drum. “Another 15 minutes, then we can lift the drum.”

When it was time to try and lift the drum of water, it was easy. We emptied the drum into the well. As the last few gallons flowed into the well, Dad tried to pump water.

I watched as Dad pumped a small trickle of water, and then the pump delivered a strong stream of water. “Do you think it’s safe to drink?”

“Probably, but you should get it tested.”

“On the way back to the apartment, I’ll stop at Jake’s and made arrangements for the door to be installed. I don’t think we can do any more until I have the sewer, water, and electric lines installed.”

Mom came down from the bedrooms, “Marco, I checked the beds. Three of the feathered mattresses look okay but will need to be aired out. One needs to be replaced. I have more linen that needs to be washed. You might need to buy more before you move in.”

On the way to my apartment, we stopped at Jake’s. I told him about the well and the door into the basement. He said he would send a carpenter out to install the door, and while he was there, he could take a sample of the well water for testing.

Arriving back at the apartment, Mom started to wash the linen she brought with her. Dad and I went to a local store that sold appliances. I selected my refrigerator, freezer, and washer and dryer. I told them I was having electricity installed, and as soon as it was hooked up, I’d notify them for delivery.

Arriving back at the apartment, I showed mom what I had bought. She thought they would be okay. I think she wanted to go with me when I purchased these appliances. Dad said they were a good choice for a single man.

Over dinner, we discussed my plans for moving and when I thought the house would be ready. Mom said she would come over when I moved to help. Dad just smiled, and I knew why. Mom will be coming over a lot.

The trench was finished. The contractor said it took longer than he anticipated since there were a lot of stones in the ground that slowed up their excavation. He thought it would be a simple dig. The meters were installed at the back, where the small porch was located. The electric fuse box was installed in the entrance room, and the water and sewage lines were installed in the basement.

I hired some kids to move the tubs to the barn and the shelves to the basement. I had to give them a tour of the house as part of the deal. I also used them to clean up the barn.

“Jimmy, Billy, when do you want to start cutting the grass?” By this time, they realized the extent of the ground. I think they also thought that this wasn’t a one-day job.

“Sir, we don’t think we can cut the grass in one day. We didn’t realize that you had so much ground.”

“I’ll make a deal with you. If I show you how to cut all of this grass, inside the fence, in one day, you’ll do it free.”

“And if you can’t?”

“I’ll pay you double.”

I made arrangements for the riding mowers to be delivered on Saturday morning. I put them in the barn. It was lunchtime when the boys showed up with their push mowers. They were smiling, thinking I couldn’t cut the grass in one day.

I smiled, went to the barn, and drove one of the riding mowers, starting to cut the grass. The boys looked.

‘That’s cheating. You didn’t say anything about a riding mower.”

“Your right, I didn’t, and you didn’t ask or think how I was going to cut all off this grass in one day. Billy, there is another mower in the barn. But before you go and get it, let’s have a training session on this mower.” I didn’t want the boys to get hurt.

I got off the mower and showed the boys the controls and how to use them. I waited while each boy mowed a small section of grass. Satisfied, I told Billy to go and get the other mower.

I watched as they started to mow the grass and weeds.

The carpenter showed up to begin the construction of the bathroom. I had the refrigerator, freezer, and washer/dryer delivered.