Here Comes The Berkey! A last!!!

   Jeff bought a Berkey water filter for the house about 5 years ago because he felt it would do a good job.  Nothing we (Jeff & I or my parents) had used had made much difference with our water.  We have a deep well full of black, sulfur-rich water.  Great if you want to take a bath and ease your sore muscles but I wouldn't drink it!!  I remember when we first moved here and the way it smelled outside the house!! We were told the smell would fade as we ran the water. (HA!)  The first time my mom tried to make spaghetti with the well water we ended up with a kettle of paste!!  On and off for over 50 years we hauled water in gallon jugs...free from a pipe coming out of the hillside along Canadarago Lake, from up on the southside in Little Falls, along the road to the college in Herkimer and from camp where we had beautiful, clear, clean spring water.  My father and Wally's dad decided to tap into Beaver Brook, the creek that runs behind/thru most of East Herkimer.  That worked beautifully until MDS decided to harness the creek for use in the factory and the creek bed moved leaving our pump house high and dry.  So it was back to hauling water.  The water machines at Walmart made it somewhat easier since they were inside, and at 35-39 cents a gallons, it wasn't too expensive.  But Jeff thought there had to be a better way and he kept looking and eventually found the Berkey Water Filter System online.  With the Berkey the smell was gone, the taste was gone and we had clean, clear water that we could cook with and drink.  And it was just across the kitchen from the sink so there weren't a couple of dozen gallon jugs waiting to be filled on the porch.  (Yes, we were filling 24 gallon jugs every week!)  After over 5 years of use, cleaning and changing the filters and cleaning the tank, the tank sprung a leak!  It was at the same time we were trying to replace our car so the Berkey had to wait and we were back to hauling water.  I finally managed to accumulate the extra cash and ordered a new Berkey from St. Paul Mercantile in Maryland on January 2nd.  After a quiet Christmas it was our present to ourselves.  I sent them a check for the system the next week and we started waiting.  The check got lost in the mail(!!) and it took until 12/21 before it was delivered.  I got an e-mail notice from them on Thursday that the new Berkey would be delivered this Tuesday.  I can hardly wait!!