Judith Browning

Jay Angler wrote:We've got blooms happening, but also endless rain, so I haven't seen a single functional pollinator. Sigh...

Jay,  I would gladly trade you some pollinators for some rain!

The soil here is still holding moisture for established plants but I've been putting off  planting many seeds in the garden areas until we have some regular spring rains and a lot of rain water stored up.

This is why I like starting what I can in flats...I can easily keep them moist enough to germinate.

Spring is here in the Ozarks!
The past few days I've planted chard, more 'going to seed' spinach, nasturtium, tithonia, and zinnia in flats under glass cold frame.
and cucumbers in small pots, also in cold frame.
gts sunflower mix in garden.

Amaryllis is blooming in the house and peaches and asian pears in the yard

There were some very light frosts just before full fruit bloom but no damage...pollinators are busy out there these warm sunny days so we're hopeful for a good pear crop this year.

just a very few strawberry blooms so far and we are ready to cover if a frost is forecast.

 I wouldn't pin my hopes on any 350 gal stop to fire  

I wasn't clear about that was I?
We are looking at it for rain water storage for watering gardens not fire fighting.

I do have a story though...
A couple years ago our neighbor was burning a stump unattended (again) and set the wall of his house on fire.
The only water he had was rain water collected in several cubes all around his house...maybe 8-10?
Another neighbor was trying to help, gravity flow, slow bucket by slow bucket full.
Fortunately we were able to hook up our 150' of hose to our out door faucet (municipal water) and it reached and slowed down the fire.
Even after the fire trucks got there they couldn't start hosing it down until the electric company came and turned off the power (volunteer dept.)so my guy kept  the fire slowed down until the fire dept  took over.

I've wondered if there are portable pumps for those totes though that could be quickly moved from cube to cube for fires?

  "Ultimately, JOMO isn’t about what you are giving up. It is about the freedom, control, safety, relief, peace of mind and happiness you are gaining."

yes! so true!

thanks for posting this

Eino Kenttä wrote:In the second picture we see a wide rounded groove running up the entire length of the thing. What if you put the tank so that a tree or similar occupies this groove, and then pull ropes/straps around the tank and tree, running through the shallower perpendicular grooves? Sorry, don't know if that makes any sense at all...

I can picture that!
I don't think there's the right sized tree at the right distance from our roof where a gutter pipe could reach...might have to look tomorrow.

It's really an odd shape and intended to be set up in a basement as a fire hydrant.  The deep grooves were to hold a pump and other equipment for putting out a fire.

I couldn't find any info at the site on how it was secured.

r ranson wrote:Wow!
Dirt is so amazing.  The different colours and textures.

And even more marvelous, the ability to think  up such pretty patterns.  

Seeing this made my day.  Thank you!  

and thank you for reminding me of some old threads that I'd forgotten about!

a movie with 'Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir' 🙃

https://m.neilyoungarchives.com/news/8/article?id=Religion%20-%20%20NEW%20FILM%20INCLUDES%20REVEREND%20BILLY

Produced by Academy Award winning filmmaker Adam McKay (“Don’t Look Up”), known for his satirical films blending comedy with political and economic critique, “You Need This” delivers a provocative analysis of capitalist consumerism and its effects on the planet and society.

Imagine a world devoid of advertisement, a world where human beings are not reduced to consumers, their desires and behavior dictated by an economic system driven by consumer capitalism.

Dissecting the psychological and societal mechanisms that drive mass consumption, the film traces its roots back to the unregulated post-war American economy, when natural resources seemed infinite and the pursuit of material wealth, driven by aggressive marketing strategies, became synonymous with success and happiness.

here's a better photo showing proportions
It's 6'6" tall with a foot print of 30"x 50".

What we see as a possible problem is that any shift of the soil underneath could cause it to topple rather than just sit crooked like a cube might.  It wouldn't be safe free standing.

We have a cube and it's placed on a gravel pad with paving blocks under the tote and seems pretty stable.

This one is more of a challenge.

thank you both!
We have gotten good at cleaning them after these episodes.
They have not warped at all but have a bit of an iridescent look sometimes?

The gas is propane so not as bad as natural gas I hear but believe me I miss the wood stove.

We did get an electric water kettle that shuts itself off so it's down to oatmeal and reheating coffee or tea in these little pans.
I think I've figured out why this happens so often now.
In the past we've either lived in a one room cabin or a house with an open kitchen/ dining room .
Here, the kitchen is separate and walking into the next room becomes an 'out of sight out of mind' thing.

The pans might still be retired to grain scoops or head to the thrift store.

You know, like when we 'burn' water 🙄

We have what is more than 50 year old revere ware sauce pans.
and used only for heating water or cooking something in a liquid.

The smallest saucepans have boiled dry frequently and not been noticed right away so between burnt oatmeal and boiled away water they are looking sad...it's a gas stove if that matters.

Does the stainless change with heat into something I don't want to cook in?
(can I throw give them away?)
We mostly use iron and some nice heavy bottomed stainless that I protect more carefully.