Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Thankful for Indoor Plumbing

A good cleansing shower feels so good after a long day at work. I often think how thankful I am for indoor plumbing.

Less than a hundred years ago, when my dad was young, his family got indoor plumbing. That was a big deal. Something we take for granted today was a near luxury then.

The first thing to come in those days was running water in a home, just plain water - cold water. The next step was a back boiler, which was a device that attached to the wood cooking stove and would heat the water as it ran through it. Later the outhouse out in the back was replaced by a toilet inside and how wonderful to have a bathtub.

And how about when the wood stove was replaced by a furnace that heated all of the rooms? What an improvement that was.

Look around right now and see the things that are so common but should have us shouting with joy and gratitude.

Oh, another good thing: as a teenager, my dad ended up working for the plumber who added the bathroom to their house. After many years of training, school, and work, he became a journeyman plumber.