The Pumper's Wife

Today is the last day of school for our two boys – and are they ever ready!!   Actually, it’s not even a whole day…they only go until noon, but of course, according to them, it will still be the most torturous day they have ever experienced.  This morning they were already complaining about how awful it was for them to go back for what is sure to be the WORST four hours of their life.  And their teachers have planned such awful activities like “bring your favorite game from home” or “dress up like a goofy character” or “be ready for extra recesses” – I mean, it’s no wonder they are dreading today, don’t you agree?  I am so worried my children won’t survive… I am so thankful for all the wonderful things I see my kids teachers do for them.  I know this time every year can be draining for teachers.  They put their heart and soul into all that they do every day – and there are days…and sometimes weeks…that can be so exhausting!!  A teacher-friend...

Based on what I have written about in recent posts, I am guessing you can probably figure out two things about our family and business.  One, we like baseball.  Two, our area has been getting an excessive amount of rain.  (After seeing some video of the flooding in Texas, I can’t complain – I feel so very badly for those folks! We haven’t had near that amount in terms of rain!  My prayers are going out to those people.  Here in Nebraska, we aren’t currently flooded, but we are plenty wet and don’t seem to be drying out any time soon according to the weather reports!)  I saw this on Facebook the other day and almost peed my pants from laughing! I keep telling Jason I feel like we need to start building our own ark….either that or take up rice farming, but I digress… The rain has kept us very busy and though our business doesn’t advertise 24 hour service, there have been many nights and weekends spent working to help people who might be experien...

We recently purchased another pump truck for our business and considering the amount of rain our area has received it is going to be getting use ASAP!!  As with any "boy toy" our little guys were pretty excited to see Dad's new truck!  Here's my attempt at funny poetry to explain ALL the "boys" reaction to it! When you are a boy age ten or seven What puts you in seventh heaven? Playing in dirt, or getting grass stains Jumping in a puddle after it rains Watching your Royals win a post-season game Getting your rocket to shoot out some flames Remote control cars or 4-wheeler riding Breaking the rules, never abiding How about a trip to get your dad’s new pump truck? Just getting to ride has got to be good luck Checking it out and kicking the tires Doing what dad does like mini-man-spy-ers Now what if you’re a man age forty to date Is there much difference between what you like or hate? Big trucks and gadgets with torque...

If you have been following anything I write lately, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that our area has received a TON of rain.  We’re talking crazy, big, Noah-sized rain….well, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit, but I’m sure there are many people living in our county wishing they had an ark…or at least a sizable boat.  So what does that mean for the Pumper’s Wife?  It means a tired husband who is rarely home as he tries to help customers with their flooded septic systems or excessive water in their basements. With Mother’s Day being just yesterday I was reminded of how lucky I am to have the husband I do.  He provides a wonderful life and lifestyle for our family and he doesn’t do it just sitting around at home.  This man puts in some serious hours – and not just when excessive rain hits!  These past few days he has been out really late – later than usual.  He doesn’t typically get in at 2:30 in the morning as in the case of last week, but...

Our area has been hit by a massive amount of rain.  Therefore, many septic systems which are NOT IN FAILURE may seem like they are due to the ground being saturated.  Please remember these simple things about your septic system and follow the suggestions listed below during this time. #1.  Your septic tank is always full of water. -           The average person uses 100 gallons of water a day.  If you think about how much water you use running the dishwasher, taking a bath or shower, flushing the toilet, or running your washing machine, etc. it is easy to see how a 1000 gallon or 1500 gallon septic tank can fill up quickly.  Even after your tank is pumped it doesn’t take it long to fill back up with waste water from the house. #2.  Your septic tank SLOWLY drains to your lateral field -           Your lateral field is like a giant “sponge” that SLOWLY takes...

Ever had one of those days?  You know when you feel like there’s one rain cloud in the sky and it’s only raining on you?  Well, that’s almost LITERALLY what happened to us last night.  Twice. Our family was just sitting down to supper when all of a sudden golf ball sized hail started falling from the sky!!  Now, I must preface this with the fact that we knew it was going to rain, but there were no real warnings for anything severe.  In fact, I am signed up for text alerts from our local TV weather station and I got NOTHING prior to this outbreak of hail! (Ironically, I received many texts following afterwards…but nothing before!)   I know there isn’t much we could have done, but it still seemed to come out of nowhere. Needless to say, the whole family  left the table to watch the hail. I took my phone to take pictures and my son took his iPod to do the same.   I was amazed at what I saw.  What was falling from the...