Where Did the Water Go?

I live with Mom and Dad and Happy, our cat. We try not to waste things. We turn off lights when we leave a room. We recycle paper, plastic, and cans.

One day Dad said, “Look at this water bill!”

We all looked, even Happy.

“We are using too much water,” Dad said. “How can we cut back? Any ideas?”

“We can spread mulch on the garden,” said Mom. “Mulch holds in moisture so we will not have to water as often.”

“We can turn off the faucet while we brush our teeth,” I said.

“Great ideas!” said Dad. “I have an idea, too. We can use rain barrels to collect rainwater for the outdoor plants.”

We were excited about putting our good ideas to work.

Dad brought home two big rain barrels to catch rainwater.

Mom brought home bags of mulch for the garden. We spread the mulch around the plants while Happy watched.

When the next water bill came, we were in for a shock. “We are still using too much water!” said Dad. “What else can we do?”

“We can take quicker showers,” said Mom.

I saw Happy washing his face. “We can take spit baths like Happy does,” I told them.

Dad frowned. “No spit baths. But quicker showers are a good idea. And I will install a low-flow shower head.”

One night I woke up to go to the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush so I waited outside the bathroom for Mom or Dad to come out. In a minute the toilet flushed again. I kept waiting … but nobody came out. Then it flushed again!

The bathroom door was open about a foot, and the night-light was on. So I peeped inside. It was Happy, our cat. He was leaning over the toilet, watching the water swirl around in the bowl.

When the toilet filled again, he reached up with both paws, pulled down on the handle, and flushed it. Then he stood there watching the water go round and round!

Now we keep the bathroom door shut. Now we are saving water, and everyone is happy—everyone but Happy, that is.

How do you help save the environment? Let us know, along with your first name and age, at humptydumpty@uskidsmags.com. We may print your note in a future web post!