Anomaly

Got one of those general e-mails from

management at the apartment complex

where I live. (It’s a gigantic complex

with over 800 apartments spread out

over acres of land.)—

There has been a dramatic increase in

water usage, the memo stated. Check

for dripping faucets, running toilets,

malfunctioning furnace humidifier or

dishwashers.

Please e-mail maintenance and some-

one will follow up with you. I suppose

this will mean an increase in our shared

pro-rated utility bill.

And I got to thinking perhaps the increase

in part may be due to the frequency in which

I flush my toilet every day. I have to wipe

more often in my old age which then

necessitates more flushes in order to

prevent clogging the toilet with TP.

On second thought, I’m still saving

water by showering infrequently and

hand rinsing my dishes after every

meal instead of using the dishwasher.

The kitchen faucet drips a bit, but I

manage to fiddle with it so that it’s

barely perceptible.

After all, I got to thinking, people are

washing their hands more frequently

during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Think of it, several thousand residents

scrubbing their hands more thoroughly,

more often, who knows, perhaps a dozen

times a day.

Surely, my toilet flushing three or four times

per sitting is literally a drop in the bucket, so

to speak.

Besides, these discrepancies have a way of

working themselves out. Could just be one

of those freakish anomalies, you know.

Come to think of it, I’m kind of an eccentric

anomaly myself.

                     -30-

Chris Hanch 9-23-2020