Tonight we conclude the rooster's little Christmas Travelogue from the Hammer.
So, my other observation, in addition to driving in the Hammer from yesterday, may just well be two-fold. In that it is not necessarily one item with two related observations, but two observations with a superficial connection. I think it is the former and not the latter. Still with me? Good!
So, what the hell am I talking about?
Water. Municipally treated water. The Hammer's municipally treated water.
When I was at my buddy's place, I could smell a touch of chlorine in the water. The wife said she could smell it at a hundred paces. Now, I know most, if not all, municipally treated water in Canada and the US has chlorine, and other chemical substances, added to it. Hell, I grew up on the Hammers' chlorinated, fluoridated, and whateveridated water.
However, it definitely is more chloriney than when I resided in the Hammer as a young lad. I mean, you can cut it with a knife depending on whose tap it comes out of. Such as at the mother-in-law's place.
While at the mother-in-law's, I though I may be losing my mind at first. (Now, I probably am, but as far as I can tell, it has nothing to do with chlorine.) I kept smelling chlorine, it did not matter where I was in the house, I just kept smelling it. I eventually figured out that it was whenever the water was running. At one point, I was running the tap for something or other and I was all but overwhelmed by the smell of chlorine.
Now, you have to understand, I maintain our pool. This includes mixing granulated chlorine in to hot water (I use hot water as it improves the dissolving of the granules), and it "smokes". It begins to fume, and more than once I have taken an unhealthy dose in to my schnoz and most likely fed it in to my lungs (I would have made a hell of a trench-buster in WWI). So, I am used to chlorine in my system. Plus, I played water-polo for my secondary school and our home pool was the most chlorinated pool in the Hammer. People would tear up for day after playing against us in our home water. We laughed it off; we were in it almost every day for weeks on end.
Oh yeah, also, when I was in the Army, I went through several "gas-hut exercises". This is basically going in to a small structure where "CS gas" is dispensed. One enters the hut with their gas mask on and then they have to remove it and take at least one deep breath. For some reason, I would always be ordered by my Sergeants to take two or more deep breaths. Most everyone would heave or vomit or at minimum be in extreme discomfort. Me? The worst that ever happened to me was that sometimes, SOMETIMES, my eyes would tear up. Once, I was sent back in for a second time, sans mask, to suck more gas in as the Sergeants thought I held my breath. I did not, but I did laugh.
So, this is my baseline for irritants.
So, you see, the chlorine in the Hammer's water is pretty high. I even asked the wife if her mum was using some kind of chlorinating system. Nope. All Hammer-town goodness. Wow!
A bit of a ramble, but my point is, if a city/town/municipality has to chlorinate that much, what is wrong with the water? I am in Ottawa often enough to know that the same levels of chlorination are not part of the current system. They have other issues, like Montreal, with just chucking human fecal matter right in to the rivers, but that is an unfortunate gripe for another day.
Now, my other point. (I know, I know, I am somewhat abandoning the whole over-chlorination issue, but I need to find out more about before I jump to any conclusions.) The other point?
Whatever the Hammer is doing to the water, it gives a hell of a shower. Yup, you heard me. While bathing in Hamilburg, I came across something I have not had the experience of in some time.
Now, remember, where I live now, I am on a well. So, that means hard water. Very hard water. It is full of sulphur and iron. To the point that our so-called water softener also has a sulphur treatment system and an iron treatment system (which appears to not be working at the moment). So, our water softener is not really softening the water, but removing some excess elements.
So, what the hell is my point?
Patience, I am getting there.
Yeah, oh, the shower thing. First shower in the Hammer, I am rinsing off and I hear, yes hear, a squeak. Then another squeak. As I am rinsing off and "rubbing" the soap off as I am want to do at home on my well water, I am literally, not figuratively, squeaking. I am "squeaky clean"!!! Not the "free from moral taint" kind, that can be debated by various parties, but I digress.
So, is it the chlorine, fluoride? Is the hammer adding Turtle Wax? I know not what they are doing in that town to the water, but it felt great. Often, with hard water, you are left with a slippery feeling. I know this intimately. I have bathed in many types of water around the world and, let me tell you, squeakiness is not always there. It puts a spring in your step, makes you feel ten feet tall, makes you smile, makes you want to stick your armpit in someone's nose. It is a pretty wonderful feeling. But.....
But, the stank of chemicals.....Is that a great trade off? Not sure. However, the feeling is amazing.
Is this a case of "better living through chemicals"? Maybe? Is it worth it? Not every day, but for a "holiday session"? Damn tootin' right!!! blbbl
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