Water, Our link to living

Last week I was in the field measuring ground water levels. I had just got to my first site for the day (a two hour drive from the office). The landscape there was a lot different than the rest of our other area, like the sandhills almost, very steep hills. There was no one around, no one driving by. All the houses around were scary old and completely abandoned. The closest highway was 15 miles away and the closest town, probably 30. I kept thinking how I could die and no one would find me for days. It was cold, windy and my nose was running and then……. I couldn’t get the effing plug open. It was the only opening to the well and the bolt was rusted to the opening. I tried to get it open with the socket wrench, but it wouldn’t move. After about 20 minutes of failed attempts, it was still cold. Then, all of a sudden, I heard this noise, it was birds passing over, a big flock of cranes heading south. Ah, I’m not going to die, the cranes will save me! I love birds. It was such a beautiful moment and just what I needed to get through my shitty field day.