Sunday, January 25, 2009

Chores Around The Homestead

I finally had a chance to get some chores done at home this weekend. The weather was nice and I didn't have other obligations so I turned my attention back to my shed. My plan is to clean out my mobile home (currently being used for storage) and separate the keep, give-away and sell items. Keep items go in the shed, give-away to Goodwill, and sell will either go in the garage sale pile or craig's list/ebay pile. After I finish my sorting I hope to have an empty mobile home. Then I can begin to fix it up and make it livable again, maybe even good enough to be a rental. I don't have money for the fix-up part yet but getting rid of all of this stuff is a good start.

I sealed all of the cracks in the shed with spackle and caulk and then painted the floor with whatever paint I had which turned out to be blue. The previous owner had neglected the shed for a while and there were packrat stains on the floor. I was hoping to have some extra money to buy some Kilz paint ($20/gal) but money is tight so I get a blue floor for now. I put a screen over the inside of the roof vent to keep flying critters out too. Next weekend, if the weather is nice again, I can start filling the shed with things I just can't part with yet.

While I was working I was also filling my water tank with rainwater from my 500 gallon collection tank off of the garage. It rained this week so the tank was full. I had just turned off the pump and pulled it out of the tub I use for water transfer when I accidentally hit the tank's faucet. It snapped off and my precious water started draining on to the ground. For a second I watched the water drain and then I ran for my tool box and pipe fittings. The first wrench was broken so I ran and got another one. I was sure the tank would be empty by the time I figured out a solution. I managed to get the broken piece off and then tried to find something to fit on to the end. Luckily there was one on/off valve that fit. Whew, I only lost 100 gallons. Last summer I was really low on water because I had to drain one tank and reposition it. I was hoping I would have plenty of water this year. There's still hope, the spring rains aren't over yet. Last year it stopped raining in February. Maybe there will be one more good rain. I know could pay someone to bring me water but where's the fun in that? I like the challenge of living off rain water in the desert. At least it makes for interesting conversations.

5 comments:

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

I like the blue floor. It looks like an oasis in all that desert.

Anonymous said...

Glad you salvaged some of the water. I love hearing about your lifestyle in the desert!

Sharon S said...

Hi there-soo pleased you got there in time before it all drained away! You are so very resourceful my dear, well done!

Daizy said...

Over the Cubicle, I was thinking it looked like the ocean. I'm just glad to have some time to work on my shed again.

Saver Queen, I'm glad you like hearing about my adventures. It seems normal to me but when I tell other people they look at me like I am crazy. Maybe I am...

Sharon Rose, thanks. I was envisioning a summer without showers as I watched it drain. Let's hope I don't have any more accidents!

moocifer said...

Hi, Daizy,

Nice save! I'm sure all that rushing water focuses the mind wonderfully.

Have you considered putting a guard around the exposed faucet to prevent such a thing happening in the future? It could be as simple as two pipes driven into the ground that extend up on either side of the faucet so you run into them before you run into the faucet.