Unable to complete my assigned household chores, I used the time to ponder the conditions of our city’s infrastructure. The toll on the city from this past winter, has stressed our infrastructure to the point that prompts me to question its integrity.
An informal pole of acquaintances indicates this is the worst winter for road conditions. The reported count of residences and businesses without water for extended periods of time because of frozen pipes is unusually high. The missed garbage and recycling collections has also made the news. Streets full of water from broken water mains has caught me on more than one occasion.
Any politician worth his political salt would be able to provide a quick answer that deflects focus away from a root cause and instead blames this bitterly cold winter. The response causes me additional concern if I am to believe the possible weather changes are a result of global warming.
One glass is ale and the other glass is drinking water from my tap. Can you tell which is the ale and which is the water?
If the truth be known, I did my pondering over a drink. I attempted to draw a cool glass of water from the kitchen tap and turned to a cool pint of ale as a better choice. The side by side selfie of the drinks will help you understand the rationalization for my choice.
I sent an inquiring email to the city looking for some insight. I followed the electronic communication, by visiting the 311 telephone labyrinth to city services. After providing the correct key response to get the IVR to talk to me in English, I pressed the key that routed me to city services. My call was dropped into a waiting queue.
Interrupting the calm of queue was recorded messages advising callers on known issues. One of the messages was regarding deteriorated water. Run the water, preferably using the bathtub tap, for a few minutes. If problem persists, wait thirty minutes and try again. If problem still persists, wait three hours and repeat the procedure. If problem still persists, call 311.
I received an email response later indicating a water main brake had occurred in the area; that would account for the poor water condition. After the pipe brake is repaired the issue should be resolved.
The brownish discolouring of the potable water left me unable to do the weekly laundry, or do a water replacement in my tropical fish tank. The condition of the tap water started my thought quandary on infrastructure.
The Juno Awards were in Winnipeg last weekend. I know the city was looking to make a good impression on the visitors to our city. I wonder did the city blow the budget by doing pothole repairs along Portage Avenue? Driving a limousine through some of the chuck holes in this city would give any visitor a taste of Manitoba.
Most likely, none of our recent visitors were subjected to water main brakes, brown water or frozen pipes.
The brown water sitting in that drinking glass also had me pondering about my usual routine when it comes to quenching my thirst at home.
Soldiers returning from Afghanistan say a common precaution was to shake out their boots in the morning before putting them on. This would prevent their foot from being the first thing a creature taking up residence in their boot would strike in defense.
I am rethinking my usual habit of not using a glass on my nocturnal trips for a drink of water. The convenient approach was to stick my mouth under the tap to slurp a drink. I never considered colour a characteristic of drinking water before. Like shaking a boot, maybe turning a light on and using a glass isn’t such a bad idea.
I’m left with a bigger problem, though. I can’t remember which glass has the ale!
