Stocking up?? How is everyone?

[FarmerJamie]

Even here, where water is umm, plentiful (particularly now ), if you live in a "protected" watershed, you have to be careful about putting in a pond. We have a wet-weather stream and wanted to put in a small pond to catch the runoff. Nope, wasn't allowed.

 

[ranchhand]

Now that the state tax refund has come in, I am restocking the pantry as things go on sale. Bit by bit. We're in hurricane alley and despite having a generator, I prefer to let the freezers get empty this time of year. I fill them again in the fall.

Dried bean, rice, flour, sugar, little bit of salt, (the hated) canned veggies, canned milk and some canned meats.. We have quite a few containers of water, having 4 ducks means I have to store a LOT more. For some water, I just fill a dark plastic trash can and leave it in the sun when I wannt to have warm water for washing. We move it into the sun via handtruck, makes it much easier and the plastic lasts longer.

 

[k0xxx]

...For some water, I just fill a dark plastic trash can and leave it in the sun when I wannt to have warm water for washing. We move it into the sun via handtruck, makes it much easier and the plastic lasts longer.

Excellent idea.

 

[River Runner]

Hey all, been awhile since I have been on this site, hope to make it back a little more now that I am not working again....For this year, we are going to increase our garden size, almost double, add a couple of raised beds, plant herbs, which is new for us, and get a few more chickens. I also just picked up a hand pump for the spring, and have the plans to build a spring house this summer. We are also watching the sales and adding a few things to the pantry, and canning as much as possible.
We will also be building a better chicken coop this year as last summer was our first time with chickens. May also try some meat hens this year. I picked up a new chain saw and now have no excuse not to clear a patch of ground by the brook which will be turned into a garden area. The wood that is there now will go into the woodshed for burning next winter....This is a few of the things we have on the go for this summer.

 

[i_am2bz]

WZ, I see where they passed new laws to allow for rain water collection, IF you're a resident with a private well. So, maybe there's hope that politicians might be wising up. Ok that was a silly idea, but maybe the laws will change in you favor anyway.

During our drought a few years ago, people went crazy with rain barrels, so naturally the HOAs decided it had to be a no-no. (They were ugly, dontcha know!) So, some enterprizing souls came up with rain barrels that looked like big terra cotta planters (you could even plants flowers in the top somehow) - voila, problem solved!

I just can't imagine making it illegal to allow the rainwater that comes from the sky & lands on my roof, to be caught in a container that I own for my private use. Sheesh!! :/

 

[Wifezilla]

Rain barrels are illegal in CO??? Or just the neighborhood you live in?

It is state wide and has to do with the incredibly complicated water court. SOME people are allowed to collect rain water but it is only under specific circumstances. The only reason that little easement of the collecting law was allowed to pass is because the proponents of the law change managed to prove that over 90% of that rainfall evaporated. For your average suburbanite like me, it is still illegal, but it isn't enforced.

The stated reason for rainbarrels being illegal is that water is supposed to flow freely and is actually promised to others "downstream". Same goes for gray water. Since I wrote a paper on gray water collection for college years back, when drought hit us years ago I started diverting laundry water out in to the back yard. That of course made me a criminal

 

[Marianne]

Hey all, been awhile since I have been on this site, hope to make it back a little more now that I am not working again....For this year, we are going to increase our garden size, almost double, add a couple of raised beds, plant herbs, which is new for us, and get a few more chickens. I also just picked up a hand pump for the spring, and have the plans to build a spring house this summer. We are also watching the sales and adding a few things to the pantry, and canning as much as possible.
We will also be building a better chicken coop this year as last summer was our first time with chickens. May also try some meat hens this year. I picked up a new chain saw and now have no excuse not to clear a patch of ground by the brook which will be turned into a garden area. The wood that is there now will go into the woodshed for burning next winter....This is a few of the things we have on the go for this summer.

Welcome back.. and I wish you were my neighbor!! We're getting more chicks this month, strictly layers though. Also have a new chain saw, it's been sitting in the box for what....two months now? Too many other things to take care of first. The wood we'll be cutting up has been down a year already, maybe longer, so it should be okay to burn next year. It's not on our property, so we have to wait for the 'other guy'.