Thank goodness it's summer.

We live in an extreme climate. During the summer, it reaches well over 110º and can be over 100º deep into the nights. The last few weeks have been like that. When I've been driving home from work at 6p or 7p it's still 108º or 109º. While we are thankful for many things here in our little slice of heaven, summer is rarely one of them.

But today I uttered the words, "Thank goodness it's summer."

Why? Because our water heater just went out and until we can get the parts to repair it, we'll be showering in cold water. But since it's summer, our water is pre-heated in the plumbing and never really gets all that cold to start with, so we'll actually be showering in cool-ish water.

Thus are the joys of an old home, especially one built by hand by one man and his small group of whatever family members and friends were willing and able to help. My husband heard a thump coming from the general direction of the water heater during the day, and poof! The hot water was gone.

But not only is the hot water no longer hot, the water pressure has dropped significantly, which is odd. We have spotted the potential source of the water heater problem (a heating element that has gone out), but are still perplexed as to the reason for the drop in water pressure.

Our water pressure has always been somewhat inconsistent. We pump our own water and there are noticeable fluctuations in pressure throughout the day. But this is much more severe. Something is causing it, and I can't figure out how it's related to the water heater element.

Well, tomorrow we'll dig in and see if we can figure it out. Meanwhile, it will be cool showers all around.