Funny how you take things for granted

We've had a water softener for over two years.  We didn't buy it; we rent it from Culligan, because our water is extremely hard and someone I know in this area had trouble keeping their water softener functioning because of the water hardness.  I figured if I rent it, it's Culligan's to fix, not ours.  
Yesterday I passed the closet where the water softener is housed and heard a faint grinding noise.  I opened the door, looked at the digital readout, and saw a capital "E" displayed.  
I called Culligan, and a lady told me how to unplug the softener and bypass it.  Someone will contact us when they're ready to fix it, which I hope is soon.  
Cliff and I had forgotten what it's like to take a shower with our hard, calcium-loaded water.  Soap won't foam, and the water feels strange on the skin.  My coffee this morning had calcium scum on it; when you heat our hard water, it brings the calcium to the top.  
We lived like this for thirty-three years, but now I know a better way.  I don't want to go back!
I'm debating whether to use my dishwasher, because I don't know how much hard water can go through it without clogging it up.  The coffee pot will clog, too.  
It's a good little reminder.  Twenty-five bucks monthly is a small price to pay for soft water; if you've never lived with super hard water (it tested over 40 grains, whatever that means), you just can't imagine.  


In other news, Bonnie the cow looks more pregnant every day and is starting to "make bag" as my dad used to say.  In other words, her udder is slowly filling out.  She's due in two weeks, which means she could calve at any time now.  I worry a lot about milk fever; Jerseys are especially prone to it, and I've lost two cows to it in the past.   The main thing is to be around and catch it early if it happens, so the vet can get here in time.
I have really wished for a tablespoon or two of Bonnie's rich cream to put on some sliced, sugared peaches.  Last night a friend of mine came with her son, and he picked what peaches he could.  There was no way I would have gotten to all of them.  Besides, there's another peach tree that will soon be ready.  
I've canned enough tomatoes to last for another year, I think; if the remaining plants perish from blight, I won't feel too bad.  So far the late zucchini I planted seems bug-free, with three tiny zucchinis that should be ready in a day or so.  I won't count my zucchinis before they're ready, though; I hate to have my hopes dashed.  
There are many new eggplants on the vines, so many of them that it's taking them awhile to get up to size.  If I get those zucchinis picked, I'll use two or three little eggplants to go with them in the ratatouille.   Cucumbers are doing great.  Okra is now bearing well.  The late acorn squash I planted a couple of weeks ago is about ready to bloom.  
My peppers this year are mediocre, showing a bit of the same blight that kills my tomato plants.  I'm getting lots of nice peppers, though.  
Potato vines died early, so I don't have the huge potatoes to which I'm accustomed, although they're a nice, usable size.  Again, blight is responsible.  Blight always gets to my potatoes, but not usually so early.  However, I have a nice harvest of potatoes awaiting me, so I won't complain.  I'm sure the excess rainfall accelerated the problems this year.