Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[frustratedearthmother]

must have been a lot of work! glad you got it done.

Worst part was that the stupid fowls fouled the water constantly. I couldn't keep fresh water out for more than a few minutes before they would be messing it up. Goats won't drink dirty water so it was a constant battle. I don't miss them at all.

Already moved the chickens that were in that area to a new spot this morning. Now I can plant in the raised beds that are on that side of the yard without anything digging it up or trampling it down. Yay for more garden room!

 

[tortoise]

Worst part was that the stupid fowls fouled the water constantly. I couldn't keep fresh water out for more than a few minutes before they would be messing it up. Goats won't drink dirty water so it was a constant battle. I don't miss them at all.

Already moved the chickens that were in that area to a new spot this morning. Now I can plant in the raised beds that are on that side of the yard without anything digging it up or trampling it down. Yay for more garden room!

sounds like a relief to have them gone! Your dedication to herd reduction is impressive this year.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I like ducks. I like 'em best in the frying pan, lol. But mostly I like 'em somewhere else, lol.

Herd reduction is a happening thing. Have three young does on the list next. Be a couple weeks before I list them, but it'll happen.

 

[flowerbug]

Worst part was that the stupid fowls fouled the water constantly. I couldn't keep fresh water out for more than a few minutes before they would be messing it up. Goats won't drink dirty water so it was a constant battle. I don't miss them at all.

Already moved the chickens that were in that area to a new spot this morning. Now I can plant in the raised beds that are on that side of the yard without anything digging it up or trampling it down. Yay for more garden room!

i sure couldn't tolerate that sort of thing for long. i like ponds, fountains and birdbaths, but i don't want the raccoons, blue herons or other issues so we just stop at the birdbath level and keep those and that's all. eventually i'm hoping to put a frog and toad pond in but i don't know when that will happen - for now it's a daydream along with many others.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

What a day... But, it is a day that makes me glad that I like to stay prepared. Had a little situation. We are in the midst of a drought so WHY when I walked outside to start chores did I see a puddle of water? Why was said puddle getting bigger while I stared at it with my mouth hanging open? DH was right behind me and when I pointed out the puddle he let loose with some...uh... colorful language.

I went to the pump house and shut off the main valve then I went back to the spot and started shoveling. He can't do anything with his back problems so it's on me. But hey - the ground was nice and soft!

It was in close proximity to a cut off valve on the pipes that lead to the back yard/pasture area so I had a feeling something gave way in the valve. I got that cleaned out so that I could see the valve. I turned the main valve back on and sure enough that was the place of the leak. Thankfully it was on the yard side of the valve and not the house side of the valve. So, I closed that valve and turned back on the main valve and prayed that it would hold. Whew, it held and we've got water in the house.

That took care of us - but left the critters without. Yes, I could have strung about 50 hoses together and got water to them, but I have a contingency plan. I have IBC totes full of water out there for this situation. They've been full for quite some time but up until about a week ago we didn't have the "stuff" to hook up a water hose to the tanks. Thankfully, DH had ordered some recently at my suggestion. We have two different size tanks and he only measured one tank...grrr. But, thankfully one fitting fit one tank so we were in business. No critters are thirsty tonight!

I still have to go to Home Depot in the morning and get a new valve so I can fix the leak. I have everything else I need...extra pipe and glue stuff. But you can bet that I will buy 2 valves tomorrow, lol.

I hate plumbing...

 

[tortoise]

Wow. Nice job on your prepping! 2 valves and fittings for the other tank sounds like a good idea. Do you have a water bill or a well?

 

[Mini Horses]

Good job! Good you were prepared with water.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We have a well, so no water bill except for the electricity to the pump. It couldn't have busted more than a half-hour before we caught it because there just wasn't that much water out there. Sooooo glad it happened when it did. If we hadn't seen it right then we wouldn't have been back in that area before tomorrow morning.

I feel like we've pretty well covered most prep areas. My only weak spot is water. Not really a weak spot in most circumstances because we have a generator and our own well so as long as we have fuel for the generator AND if the pump is working we can pump water. But, if we don't have fuel for the generator and/or the pump doesn't work that's a problem. Generators break down, pumps fail and I don't have a spare pump (nor would I know how to replace it if it did).

 

[tortoise]

We have a well, so no water bill except for the electricity to the pump. It couldn't have busted more than a half-hour before we caught it because there just wasn't that much water out there. Sooooo glad it happened when it did. If we hadn't seen it right then we wouldn't have been back in that area before tomorrow morning.

I feel like we've pretty well covered most prep areas. My only weak spot is water. Not really a weak spot in most circumstances because we have a generator and our own well so as long as we have fuel for the generator AND if the pump is working we can pump water. But, if we don't have fuel for the generator and/or the pump doesn't work that's a problem. Generators break down, pumps fail and I don't have a spare pump (nor would I know how to replace it if it did).

There are manual back up pumps that can be piggybacked onto your ele tric pump. IDK much because DH is opposed. He says drive to somewhere with water.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Unfortunately, because our well is so deep there aren't many manual pumps that can pull water from that depth. I've investigated several companies and we're right on the cusp of their maximum depth.

Not convinced that it's out of the question but need to actually speak with a company rep for more details.

I've considered putting in another shallow well that would be accessible by hand pump. Unlikely, but bears consideration.

We have water around us and the ability to filter it - but ugh.