Thursday Open Thread 10-05-2017
Morning, complicated week the headlines are are steadily informing us of natural and human disasters that keep growing in scope and complexity. It is difficult not to get overwhelmed. So back to basics, to help re-balance and move forward.
Water is life. It provides life, sustains life and destroys life. Our relationship with water makes civilization possible. A healthy one we thrive and a poor one we can be destroyed.
No matter where we live, our age or our profession we have a relationship with water. As individuals we can improve that relationship. Brad Lancaster is good at explaining methods to manage water that do not require big equipment or high costs.
In the 1990's Brad was advised by substance farmer, Zephaniah Phiri Maseko, about his desire to leave Tuscon because of the water problems. "You can't leave, you have to go back home and you have to set your roots and you have to find solutions. Because if you leave now wherever you go you will take your problems with you and you will just plant more problems. But if you can instead find a solution to these problems. Then once you have done that you choose, you can stay or go. Because wherever you go from that point on you will be planting solutions not problems."
Soil is the key to harvesting water, I have not seen a better explanation than this video.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wbyUz4IkjM]
General conservation regarding the impact and concepts of harvesting water and building community relationships.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQ-FBAmvBw]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS-XQUkSGvU]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ib0drunwTw]
Presentation on concepts, methods and examples of water conservation and harvesting for rural, suburban and urban environments.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2p6WrGiZDs]
Knowing how to build and use a measuring tool called a bunyip is useful to identifying relative ground level between multiple locations, if you are making changes to the landscape.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLzUNRsWU_c]
Farm Report
The ladies are getting sheared this week. Actually I clip them with scissors. It is easier than bringing in a shearer or using the electronic clippers. The skill of sharpening knives and scissors makes this possible.
Just a nice fall view of the ditch next to the field.
Finally caught the quail with the camera. Surprisingly it is still running with the chickens and has decided to spend the nights in the coop.
A few shots of winter feed for the birds.
crab apple
Juniper berries
cedar cones
Comments
Good morning, SOE ~~
We harvest water. It's essential for our survival, as we have a well, but the farmers growing water-expensive crops of field corn and alfalfa for dairy cows in the desert has depleted our well and those around us. Drilling a new well us too expensive for us, right now.
A tea of juniper berries has cancer-fighting qualities.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Water tanks, soil sponge or both
to harvest? Is the water used for domestic needs, supplemental irrigation or self recovery from soil by plants and wildlife? I am finding my initial understanding of water harvesting was too narrow in scope. In the process of re-evaluating how water arrives in my life, how it leaves and how it is used.
Not yet acquired a taste for juniper tea or gin. Birds really like them when the sugars start changing to alcohol. Drunk birds should be prohibited from flying, too many hit the patio door.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Makes nice Gin too.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
I'm a gin and tonic
imbiber!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Speaking of wells...
This is our well up north on Lake Huron. When drilled, it was 200' deep, 16 static feet high, 600 gallons per minute.... It is 37 years old now, and these pictures were taken last month. We figure it is still flowing 100 gallons a minute at a minimum.
These pictures were taken when we had to bring in a plumber to take off some pipe (lake is really high). He also reconnected the pipes in a way so the water coming from the well would work with us instead of against us when we have to shorten, lengthen, add height to the overflow end of the pipe. If we don't keep adjusting it, we wipe out the other peoples' beach, and they aren't too keen about that.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Flow change is interesting.
Wonder if the change is due to increased underground water use or less water refreshing the underground source?
During irrigation season about 100 gallons a minute is delivered to my head-gate and must be used on the part of the land designated as irrigable with no run-off. It simplifies your water management by having the option of sending it straight from the pipe to the lake.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Water of love
A little tune to go with your interesting thread.
Add a song anytime
My memory for music I have heard is short and a song rarely comes to mind when writing. It adds greatly to the OT - thanks
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Harvesting water
is not common here in the East, but we have two 1000 gallon septic tanks mostly buried where we collect our rain. Then it's gravity flow to the garden. Saves having to use the well to water the garden. They are just to the left of the solar collectors in this shot...
Hope you all have a good day!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Do you mean “cisterns” rather than “septic tanks”?
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
cisterns
Manufactured as septic tanks; actually employed as cisterns.
Septic tanks have the advantage that they come ready-made with plumbing connections, which many large plastic tanks don't. They are also made out of some really stern stuff, as they'd have to be to do what they normally do. Cistern use is light duty by comparison.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Interesting. I kinda got the horrors thinking about collecting
water in septic tanks. I stand corrected.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
water tanks
I'd still have the heebie-jeebies about using that water for regular human drinking, unless I personally had purchased the tanks new....
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Good to know
Septic tanks sturdier that cistern. I have seen some cistern that were fairly lightweight and always thought they were for above ground installations.
Makes sense, if your going to bury it make it heavy duty.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Like the low solar panels.
Have not added solar yet. Thinking ground installation would provide easier maintenance and snow removal. Hesitant to add another piece of equipment that require maintenance. My electric co-op is offering shares in their solar farm. It is tempting to use that program as my solar option.
Using rainwater planted in the soil and afternoon shade can be useful to decrease need for garden irrigation and decreasing rapid run-off from heavy rains and snow melts. The final video might provide some simple ideas.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
We had a well drilled at my former cottage on the St Lawrence.
Up on the hill, hit water at River level, >30gpm. I could have built a car wash. Just flooded the cottage when the 2nd floor HW heater rotted out the bottom and the pump was left on. I had unlucky year-round residents who drilled next to the River and had to go more than 100 feet. We used a dowser there and here. Hokum, but someone else to blame.
My well at the homestead, Dogwoods, verges on marginal flow (5gpm). I dare not water outside. I have not needed to this summer. And NWS just put out a winter prediction for colder and wetter than last year. Boohoo.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Hoping for a milder winter locally
Don't mind the cold, but the heavy snow and fast melt off caused some flooding problems in the barn. I was able to redirect the flow to the garage before it flooded. When the ground is frozen the soil sponge doesn't work too good and pipes to storage are blocked with ice. Fortunately the driveway did not get damaged, was just difficult to get out some days.
Been thinking about your driveway and the disappearing bobcat.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good morning, SOE. Thanks for taday's lessons. One current
project, just being started is to create highly absorbent and maybe even fertile soil from some patches of horribly degraded soil here at home. First however, we hve to get ready for a 4 day vacation trip, but the current plan is massively labor intensive, which means it will take a while.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Keep us posted with pictures and progress reports
Before pictures would help educate us on identifying potential problem areas and potential improvements we can make.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Nice pics
Good day all.
Have to post this link.
A story of the Prison Industrial Complex in the heartland. Sad and chilling, Slave labor pure and simple.
https://www.revealnews.org/article/they-thought-they-were-going-to-rehab...
I want a Pony!
Improve working conditions and pay to
find workers or keep finding people with no other options. As illegal immigration slows the prison pipeline keeps growing to to fill the need of corporate profits. - thanks for the article.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
So, the House voted
to kill S.S., Medicare, Safety Net today, give the "savings" to TPTB. If Senate passes we're officially hosed.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Is this legislation different than
the one passed regarding the tax bill becoming eligible to pass by a simple majority. The quick votes are keeping me confused and that is the objective.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
I got it off
Twitter... "House passes $4.2 trillion budget, sets up tax cuts for the rich and guts Medicare, Medicaid..." - Joan McCarter, TOP
"With a razor-thin margin, 219-206, House Repubs have passed their FY2018 Budget, a $4.2 Trillion spending and cuts measure that sets up their tax cut bill to progress thru the Senate... " the measure is non-binding. Non-binding, maybe, but this essentially spells out death for the FDR safety net should the House pass the Trumpster's tax cut bill.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Just now sitting down to watch your videos . . .
With great anticipation!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo