You would think with a creek the size of Park Rill in your back yard, there would be no cause for concern of water usage in Wally Smith’s mind. Wally knew he would never run out of water but he also knew that he could never count on over use of the septic tank.

He felt that as a family, we had to be careful; to his credit never once did we have to call the honey wagon for septic service.

Aunty Kay used wash tubs with her ringer washer. None of that wash water went into the septic tank, it all went onto the lawn surrounding the house. I don’t remember her washing clothes in the winter nor do I recall any sheets of ice anywhere on the lawn, but I know she would toe the line.

Wally had a sister who lived and worked in Vancouver. When she came for her first visit to the fruit farm she carried on in her her usual manner as she did while living in the big city. She had a habit that Wally could not agree with. That was the habit of bathing every day.

Wally’s sister worked at a bank and felt it necessary to not have body odor while around customers and co-workers. That she was on vacation made no difference to her, she would bathe every day.

With the septic tank in mind Wally put his foot down. She resisted. She wanted to visit as well as have her daily bath. She would not give anything up! Sounds like a stalemate doesn’t it?

We had relatives living 2 km away named Barbara McDonald and her brother Jim Stewart; they too had a fruit farm; neither had the same fear of septic problems as Wally.

So it was off to Barbara’s and Jim’s to stay with for the duration of the visit. That is where she stayed every time she came for a family visit. Both opinions made a point without too much upset for either party and a course was set for the future.

email: ruralreportwithlairdsmith@gmail.com