The state of California has passed new laws allowing residents to divert the gray water from their homes into their lawns and gardens without the stringent previous restrictions. Although local municipalities may be able to override the new allowances, it is at least a step in the right direction for an area of the country that so often battles drought and fires.
Even if your state does not allow you to make modifications to your residence to divert gray water (or it’s just too damn expensive to play by their rules) there are still some things you can do to collect your gray water. Keep a pot in your kitchen to pour cooking water, old drinking and rinse water (rules of compost piles would apply here!). Keep a bucket in your shower to collect water- small amounts of soap should be okay as long as it is biodegradable and does not contain a high amount of salts. Be creative and you can divert your gray water, too. Maybe just not as efficiently as the folks in Cali can now.
Now I promise I’m working on some great information on hurricanes!
knockouts
For the last week I’ve wanted to photograph the life around the Green Anthropology Homestead. The drought has been terrible- BUT- there is growth here. It is a subtle reminder that life, no matter how adverse, goes on and life is beautiful.
The roses are bouncing back, and well, it’s hard to kill lantana. The zinnias are at their end- they did well despite the lack of rain.
Lantana
The blueberry/ strawberry yogurt that has become my norm is so pretty when it is ready to go into the fridge. I don’t think the photos do it justice, but okay I know it’s just yogurt.
zinnia
The last of the compost was turned into the new bed this morning. I think I’ve made up my mind on planting garlic, as well as transplanting the basil and squash. There will be room for something else, but what, I have no idea yet.
blueberry/strawberry yogurt
I have a couple of fingerling potatoes that have sprouted, and they are destined for the new bed as well.
I have been looking into what candle making entails– hurricane season has well arrived and since Hurricane Ike slapped the crap out of us last year, I have had a new sense of urgency spring up. We have three LED crank flashlights and a crank emergency radio, a new tank of propane for the grill, and a couple of gallons of water in the garage. If we were to have another year like the last, we have to be prepared for a time span of three days to three weeks without power, water or communication. Ugh, feels like preparing for the end of the world. Bleh. But I digress- the original topic was candles- and I’m thinking a few of some natural beeswax candles will probably be a good thing to have around. I have about a half pound of wax, and any old thing will do to hold the wax, I just have to purchase some wicks for the inventory.
This makes me think that the upcoming post will be all about hurricane preparedness. Goody goody. Sounds like a big ol’ camping trip, don’t it folks?
You can never go long in life without something changing, and it looks like things are about to change here at the Green Anthropology Homestead. While things are still in the negotiation process, it is most likely that I will begin working in the next few weeks- as a nanny.
It is the most beautiful arrangement that I could hope for, and I believe that it is just as wonderful for the family I will be helping. While coordinating their childrens’ schedules and making sure every one is where they need to be, I will be able to keep my little one with me as well. I feel very lucky to have found someone open to that idea- how many employers allow children to come with us to work?
Like I said, we are still working out the details, so I can’t say much more than this about it. But I’m thrilled that I could find something that I love, let’s me keep my child with me, is close to home and is simple. This kind of position does not complicate anything- in fact it will do nothing but enhance our lives in many ways.
Hope the best for us and that the details will soon be arranged!
On the homestead front, things are regulating themselves and the new changes are becoming easier to incorporate. Yesterday was filled with yogurt, butter and laundry on the line, and added was finally finding the right bread recipe for us. I doubt that it will eliminate my husband’s desire for store bought sandwich bread, but I think with the addition of home made bread, we will cut back on the quantity we purchase. The best part of it- it’s a bulk recipe, so I will only have to make (as in mixing the ingredients) bread twice a month. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for two weeks, and I can portion and shape it before storing. Last night’s dinner was great with a side of warm bread with a bit of home made butter on it!
This morning while it’s still ‘cool’, I’ll be outside shoveling our compost and a bit of left over sand into our new back bed. The hard part about it is deciding what to plant there. I have some fingerling potato starts sprouting in a container, but I’m afraid that the soil might still have too much clay in it. This bed may have to rest fallow until spring or I will need to add soil to it. I hate to waste the space- it can be producing for us this fall and winter. Time to go fall seed shopping!
RDD reusable shopping bag
I think I’ve mentioned before that I have a little sewing business called Rainy Day Designs. I’ve been dedicated to baby accessories, but now I’m adding reusable shopping bags to my list of standard items. It makes perfect sense!
I’ve designed them to be the same size as the bags you find at the check stand, so things like gallon jugs and rolls of paper towels will fit easily in them.
My favorite thing about them is that they also have a loop that will help the cashier in the bagging process- it will adapt to any bag rack or carousel! No more dirty looks at the register!
plenty of room & smart design
And no more advertising for the big name companies. Just you being able to make a style statement and a quiet environmental statement.
Please shop around at www.RainyDaySmocks1.etsy.com
You can't seee meee!
Today my daughter learned the simple pleasure of playing in the sheets as they dried on the line. I remember doing this as a child as well. The warm breeze, the cool, fragranced sheets and the thrill of a short game of Peek-a-Boo. It feels good to hand this moment over to my daughter.
Peek-a-Boo!
My munchkin. I sometimes wish these moments were never ending. But she will grow up like all of us little girls do. It’s a good thing.
Signs of a good day
Today was one of those successful homestead kinda days. I pour relentlessly over blogs and websites with information on homesteading and conservation, and any day that brings me closer to feeling like I’m moving my family to that goal feels very satisfying!
This morning was a simple shopping trip for groceries- only $30 for the week. About half of that cost was a pack of Pullups (I know, I know- it’s my worst offense! But potty training is almost done!)
The munchkin and I made our own butter, and the yogurt is on the patio cooking in the cooler as I blog. The second load of laundry is out on the lines, and the extra eggs I bought on sale are in ice cube trays in the freezer.
I’m trying to figure out making my own white wine vinegar. Apparently I need something that is called ‘mother’, and I’m busy hunting the goo down. So the wine sits on the counter top….
I deadheaded the zinnias in the front garden, and harvested all the seeds from those. Quite a nice collection- enough to replace the original cost of seeds this year, replant next year, and give some away to neighbors or on Freecycle. Ditto for sunflower seeds! Dare I say, I might be on my way to becoming a horthead!
Tomorrow has hauling the recyclables down to the recycling center and paper off to one of the schools’ paper programs. (They get credit for that!)on the slate. More laundry to the lines. Mopping and vacuuming the carpets. Ahhh, the zen of a clean home. It is fleeting with a toddler…
I’m trying to figure out how to convince my husband that we can successfully keep a few chickens (just enough to produce the eggs we need) in a hutch. He is so dead-set against it. He says chickens are creepy, they stink and make noise. I have no idea how to go about changing his mind, other than having him visit some one’s home who keeps some feathery friends. But I know of no one personally who has chickens on their property! Any suggestions? I think I’m going to invoke the advice of some of my homestead blogger mentors.
This summer has been a torturous one with intense heat and nearly twelve weeks without rain. Earlier in the spring, with all the glorious rain we had, half of the veggie garden was beat down by the runoff, and more simply burned to a crisp outside my kitchen door. A mere 3′X3′ patch still survives. BUT, next spring will be a totally different story! Thanks to some graffiti work of our 14 year-old neighbor on our fence (and the subsequent punishment of replacing it) we will have a fabulous shared trellis bed with our neighbor (his father, not the kiddo).
It’s a mahhhvelous thing to share the labor and benefits of a garden with your neighbor. It cuts down on the cost and amount of labor, and the biggest bonus over having it all to yourself is the developing relationship you have with your neighbor. How many of us have ‘lived’ in a neighborhood without really living? I lived in a neighborhood for ten years without knowing the names of the people around me, and rarely ever speaking with them. It’s a beautiful thing to be in this place, where we all know each others’ names and can share the benefits of our harvests. (Although we thought one of our neighbor’s name was Paul for the last year and a half- turns out not!)
So next spring there will be a plethora of tomatoes, okra, beans, peas, cucumbers, squash, beets, carrots, and who knows what else! Chili peppers are on the slate as well, with roasting parties with the neighbors, and canning and pickling parties. Ahhh, the jams and jellies, pickled okra and dill pickles- all with our friends.
I’ll be sure to take pictures of the progress of the trellis and building of beds over the coming fall months. Should be beautiful! In the meantime, I’m experimenting with fingerling potatoes, relocating the clothesline and tumbling composter, watching the morning glories spread across the fence, and keeping my fingers crossed for the lone pomegranate we have dangling from our tree.
It has been a stressful summer, indeed.
I noticed an advertisement on the bottom of my starter yogurt lid this morning- for a documentary called “Food, Inc.”, due this summer. I viewed the trailer here: http://stonyfield.com/Food_inc/food_inc_organic.cfm . Looks like it would be worth watching.
If you were a supporter of “Fast Food Nation”, I think you will like this. At least it will get people thinking about their food and where it comes from.
It’s been a while since the last post- things have been busy around the budding homestead. My small sewing business, Rainy Day Designs is starting to pick up momentum. I’ve started sewing for Project Linus, a non-profit organization that distributes hand made blankets to children who have suffered serious illness or trauma. You can visit my shop at www.RainyDaySmocks1.etsy.com to check it out, or visit www.projectlinus.org to check out the organization.
I’m in the thick of trying to find employment, just like many stay at home moms right now. Self sufficiency around the home and a tiny business just doesn’t pay the bills in this economy. It gets discouraging- applying to so many jobs every day, and not much turning up. Ugh .My two year old daughter announced at my sister-in-law’s house this weekend that she was working on her resume…
The garden has taken quite a hit this summer. It has been well over two months without rain, and little hope for any in the coming weeks. Our neighbor’s teenage son decided to try his hand at graffiti- on our fence. So they were kind enough to fix the fence; making it better than before (the design is more conducive to growing vine veggies) but the garden as it was took a beating from the construction. There were however, a few small carrots and beets that we made a small feast of, and the tomatoes are hanging in there. The peas are finished this year, and were a respectable crop. I think they should be planted a few weeks earlier next year. I’m hoping for some squash and tomatoes this year, as well as the variety of herbs that are still there. Next year should bring more of the same, with strawberries and blackberries, green beans, asparagus, peppers and who knows what else!
July will be a trying month; mother is having surgery and will require several weeks of assistance while she recovers. My husband will be business traveling most of the month as well. So the kiddo and I will be nursing mom back to full strength while he works his east coast circuit. Thankfully there is family that will be coming in town to help with mom, so things won’t be as exhausting as they could be if I were alone. That’s what family is for!
Even though the last few weeks have been trying and the upcoming weeks will be more of the same, today has been a productive homestead kind of day. Submitted my resume to a few job postings, tended what is left of the garden, tended the flowers, made soap and two different kinds of yogurt. The little one was generous and took a nap after lunch, which allowed me to take care of some sewing that needed to be done.
This Friday I was part of a Going Green presentation to our local MOPS group, and it was fabulous! Everyone seemed very interested, and there were many questions afterward that I was quite happy to answer. I was thrilled to see some excitement from several ladies; our information appeared to have hit home. There has even been talk of our return next year for a more in-depth discussion on more specific topics, to allow for more explanation of why things are important. Woohoo!
I am excited to report that our ‘Old Battery Drive’ produced nearly 195 pounds of used batteries that were sent to recycling! That is the weight of a respectably built man! What is so important about collecting these old batteries and recycling them is that they will all be made into new batteries. They are not simply disposed of properly, but each one becomes a fresh, new battery without allowing the heavy metals and chemicals in them to leach into our ground and water. Go CBC MOPS!
I must confess that I was incredibly nervous about presenting in front of 60+ women! How quickly these warm-hearted Moms and friends became a daunting audience once I was behind the microphone! I think about half-way through I really got warmed up and got my groove on. I am most grateful to my three co-presenters for being so encouraging and knowledgeable; it was so much fun to spend time together and share information.
I promised to share the DIY rain-barrel instructions with a few people, and this is the link to the web instructions that we used:
My advice is to print out the instructions and photos and bring it with you to the home center- it makes finding all the parts much easier, as some of the terminology is different from the instructions to the home center.
It felt really great to share information about going green; going beyond what we do for our part in our home. I hope I have continued opportunities to share with such warm and open audiences.
