Why I cook the snow

Okay, I guess I should explain just why I was cooking snow! Our house (our entire village, actually) is on water delivery. There is no water system here, due to some chemical in the ground. Anyway. A water truck brings me water 3 times a week, and pumps it into a huge tank in my basement. As long as I don't do too much laundry, or take too many deep baths, this is no problem. Well, last weekend, unbeknownst to me, the water truck broke down. This happens ALOT. Monday is my laundry day, since the truck comes Monday late morning. I was into the third load of laundry when I realized I hadn't seen the truck yet. Too late. We ran out of water. So, I was melting snow so I could flush the toilet on Tuesday. We keep a few jugs of drinking water around, and we can run up to the school to shower in the evening, but the toilet needs water! Snow is abundant, I figured I might as well put it to some use. That is how I came to be melting snow in my big pot on the stove, only to discover if you don't stir it, the snow on the bottom melts, and the rest sticks half way up the pot, and the pot burns. I burnt the snow.