Two days after this:
the cacti started blooming:
and then it started snowing again:
Every year, spring doesn’t really start until June. And every year, I forget that spring doesn’t really start until June. Therefore, I get cranky and belligerent whenever we get two feet of snow in April or early May. Or mid-May. Or late May. Or…seriously?
Yesterday, Pete from Black Cat Pumping was here to empty my septic tank. If this is something you need doing for your system, you could look into companies that provide a service like septic system cleaners to ensure solids do not build up in the tank and cause it to flood. My previous post was about how mountain people can be strange, and I think I put myself firmly in the odd category when I asked, “Can I watch?”
Pete said, “Uh…sure. We don’t get that request much.”
Hey, what can I say? I’m interested in how stuff works, especially house-related stuff. And, at the risk of sounding really, really weird: the septic system is kind of ingenious. It does what it needs to do without pumps or many moving parts. Pete very kindly explained the whole process and answered my many questions (“What do you do with the poo?” Answer: Put it in a tanker that is picked up by a company in Longmont. “What do they do with it?” Answer: Treat it, although it used to be spread on cow corn fields outside of Greeley. “How does the dosing siphon work?” “How can you tell if the tank has a leak?” “How is the water filtered before it reaches the leach field?”, “How do we repair your pipes if they break between the house and the tank?”, etc., etc.).
I feel much more educated about my septic system now. Before, I never thought beyond the flush. It’s something you don’t want to neglect or allow to fall into disrepair so consider contacting septic tank services near you, if you need them.
And don’t worry–I forgot to take pictures, so I won’t subject you to any septic tank pumping photos (even if I did think it was sort of cool). Be warned though, if I do have a septic system service in future, I most definitely will be taking pictures for you all to see, as I think it’s ingenious!