Saturday, April 25, 2009

Rainwater, Laundry and the Mini-Garden

I got my laundry done today and I also got a little bit of a sunburn. Gee, I finally got an appointment with a new dermatologist and I get a sunburn! That's what happens when I haul water for the laundry in a tank top with my hair pinned up. I was so good about using sunscreen last weekend at the race and then I blew it today. I didn't think I would be in the sun that long. Oops.

I had plenty of wash water to use for my plants and trees. I carried the buckets up the hill and watered everything that I could. I am worried about my baby mesquite tree. The neighbor dog chewed the bark off half of the trunk last year and I thought it was going to be ok but it doesn't look good. At least the Desert Willow is getting lots of new leaves and the Ironwood looks ok.

My little garden was looking droopy again so I taped some cardboard to the top of the tomato cage. It should provide a little extra sun protection until the shade from the RV takes over. I hung an old CD from some thread in an attempt to keep birds away who were digging for seeds in the pot. Thanks for the suggestion from Over the Cubicle Wall. :)


One good thing, my water supply is looking much better this year. I have 900 gallons left. I use 50 gallons a week in the RV and there are 12 weeks left until mid-July when the summer rains usually begin. That leaves plenty of water leftover for laundry and even watering of plants if I need to. I want to buy another water tank, maybe a 500 gallon tank so that I have more of a reserve but that will have to wait until the mortgage is gone. Now, I'm going for a walk before the sun goes down.

8 comments:

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

12 more weeks before you expect rain again is so odd to think about. We'll have a chance of rain more days than not for a while yet.

50 gallons of water used per week is incredible. In water supply classes in school, we used 100 gallons per person per DAY for design.

Daizy said...

Send some water my way. If you can send it in the form of a cloud then you will save a lot on shipping.

I always laugh at those water use averages. It helps a lot to have an RV toilet. It uses like, 1 cup per flush. A shower takes maybe 7 gallons. I wash dishes once a week and that takes 2 gallons. Laundry uses about 20 gallons but I try to do it only every other week. Teeth brushing water and the occasional water for cooking comes from other sources (friends' houses). The more water I conserve the less time I have to spend transferring water from tank to tank.

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

Those averages are inflated to account for water used in industry and agriculture, and to be conservative, but 50 gallons a week is still pretty low.

How much does the cat drink? I never see mine drinking. She must do it in secret.

Daizy said...

The cat drinks 2 liters in 12 days or so. She has one of those 2 liter waterers. Her water comes from friends also. I do see her drink. You must have a very shy cat.

Lizzie @ her homeworld said...

Hiya
Over here cats normally only drink if they live on dry food. Cats that eat meat get enough fluid from their dinner (nice juicy mouse??). I guess its a bit dryer and hotter there though so maybe thats why she is a heavy drinker!
Lizzie

Anonymous said...

Oh, the dermatologist is gonna give you a lickin'! :)

moocifer said...

have you thought about planting your tomatoes in a small depression in the soil? It allows the base of the plant to be at a slightly lower temperature and helps moisture stay retained around the roots. It's good for dry climates. It would also lower the evaporation rate over using a pot for your plants.

Daizy said...

Lizzie, yet, that would make sense since she eats only dry food.

MoneyFunk, I know, and probably a big bill!

bugbear, planting in the ground would be my next experiment (after this years big pot experiment). Of course then I would need a very good fence to keep out the rats, squirrels, bunnies, neighbor dogs and javelinas. If it's not one thing, it's another.