Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Prodigal Glove

It continues to rain here in the wild woods. We put another 20 gallons in the storage tanks yesterday from the 3 rain totes, and as of 6:40am this morning, will put ANOTHER 20 gallons in. At this rate, we'll be full before the end of the week. Whoot!

Plans are in the works to put gutters up on the new home, and that would do 2 things. #1. automate the entire process so that hubby isn't having to go do it. No more back breaking work hauling the container up a ladder to the top of the storage tank, and no more slopping for him. for the 20 gallons that was put into the storage container yesterday, 2 gallons went on the ground. #2. It would become a much more efficient system and yeild much more water. by putting gutters on the roof we would be able to collect ALL the water that falls on the roof, not just some that comes down in stratigic places. As well as eliminate waste water where it just falls off since we don't have a rain tote under it.

Where we got 20 gallons yesterday, our neighbor up the road probably got 3 or 4 times that since he has full gutters on his roof. It doesn't take much in the way of gutters to really make your collection go up. And while we have around 100 gallons of water in the storage tanks that can go pretty quickly. 5 gallons per person for a shower, 10 gallons for a bunch of laundry, 5 gallons just to do dishes each day. And these numbers are even before you start getting into things like drinking or cooking with it.

We really have to have a reliable source of water of some sort before we can put a garden in. Rabbits, chickens, and bees don't drink much in the way of water, but goats drink more along the lines like we do. A gallon per day per animal is what we would be allowing. Even more during hot weather... or even during very cold weather, since we are so dry up here almost all the time even when there is ice on the ground.

Ok, I have to tell you something VERY funny that happened. Hubby has this pair of gloves. they are leather work gloves that are insulated with this fake fleece stuff. He's had them for about 6 months and uses them every day, sometimes he wears them most of the day it just depends on what he's doing and how cold it is.

Last week we went to town to use the internet. this is a primative way to get internet though. one of the stores in town has wireless, and they purposefully leave it unlocked so that anyone can park outside and use it. This is a great idea for them since they have a deli, and so people can go in and get pop, or a corndog, burrito or whatever. Anyway, it was TOTALLY bright outside when we went (Tuesday of last week, today is a tuesday too) and so hubby opened the door and put his coat in the window so that it would block the sun. We didn't notice until we got home that this action caused one of his beloved gloves to go MIA. It's a 20 minute drive from where we live back to the store, so hubby wrote the glove off as gone and that we would buy another pair when we went back to the hardware store.

Fast forward to yesterday. We went to go and fill the gas cans again, and upload/download email. We drove back into the parking lot and what appears? But the poor drenched glove laying exactly where hubby had dropped it. Paint on the fingers and all. TADA! I am so totally surprised that no one had picked it up. But then, I guess that if you aren't Michael Jackson, one glove isn't going to do you much good. :D hubby is practically doing the snoopy dance over it. I am absolutly releived as well. Still means that when we go to the hardware store again, I'll pick up another pair... Then I can hide it away for just such an emergency happens again.

Ok, off to make breakfast!

Have a great, and at least partly sunny day, and may your parade not be rained out!

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