Since today was a holiday, I didn't have to work. I hoped to get some stuff accomplished around here, but it was raining again, and looked like it was going to rain most of the day. We decided instead to make the 2 hour drive to my grandmother's house where the rest of the family was gathering for dinner. Today is also my Dad's birthday, so that gave me the chance to see him.
During the drive home we made a stop at a department store, and while there heard on the radio that a tornado had been seen in the area, and was moving towards the area we would have to drive through to reach home. We decided to wait in the store until the tornado warning had expired, just to play it safe. We didn't see any damage along the way, but I've heard that there was a touchdown near a town about 15 miles away, although I haven't seen anything to corroborate this.
When we arrived home, Jack came to greet us. Andrea mentioned smelling skunk scent, so we started to investigate and found it was coming from him. I checked Luke, and he smell of it as well. Thankfully the smell isn't too strong, possibly because they had been out in the rain, probably much of the day. I've not smelled it from inside, but we are keeping the window overlooking the porch where they stay closed, just to be safe.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Introducing the Rural Living vs City Living Series
I recently had a brief discussion with a friend about the pros and cons of high density housing. This led me down the path of thinking of the advantages and disadvantages to rural living vs city living. As I was preparing my thoughts for a post on the topic I realized there are far too many aspects to cover in a single post. Rather than trying to make it fit into a single post by excluding several factors, I decided to, instead, cover the topic is a series of posts.
Since I currently live, and grew up in, a rural area, I will be drawing on my experiences for that side of the topic. My experience with city living is limited to the time spent living in a city of 30,000; which is small by most people's definition. I hope to focus, primarily, on life in larger cities, since that is where the majority of the population lives.
I have several topic ideas in mind already, and will be also be asking for suggestions on the Facebook page. I plan to look at each topic from various perspectives, and it pertains to my own goals and priorities, such as simple living, natural living, sustainability, and environmental responsibility.
Edit: It occurred to me that it may seem likely that, based on my choice to live in a rural setting, I will judge rural life to be superior. That is, not, however, necessarily true. There are several advantages to city living, especially regarding environmental issues, which I will discuss in the future posts in the series.
Since I currently live, and grew up in, a rural area, I will be drawing on my experiences for that side of the topic. My experience with city living is limited to the time spent living in a city of 30,000; which is small by most people's definition. I hope to focus, primarily, on life in larger cities, since that is where the majority of the population lives.
I have several topic ideas in mind already, and will be also be asking for suggestions on the Facebook page. I plan to look at each topic from various perspectives, and it pertains to my own goals and priorities, such as simple living, natural living, sustainability, and environmental responsibility.
Edit: It occurred to me that it may seem likely that, based on my choice to live in a rural setting, I will judge rural life to be superior. That is, not, however, necessarily true. There are several advantages to city living, especially regarding environmental issues, which I will discuss in the future posts in the series.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
07/02/13
I haven't accomplished a whole lot over the past few days. It has been raining every evening and overnight, so has been too wet to do much outside. Yesterday I went to the office in London. While there I took my boot, with the broken lace hooks, to the shoe repair store to get it fixed. Unfortunately, due to the holiday, I won't be able to pick it up until next week.
Most of the day I was preoccupied by the news that a friend from a nearby town was searching for his missing teenage son. He had disappeared from him home overnight, and they had no idea where he was. Thankfully word spread quickly via social media, and an update went out during my drive home that he had been found and was back with his parents. I don't know the details, but it seems that he left of his own accord. Since I'm not a parent it's hard to even imagine what it would be like to be put into that situation. I am very glad that they were able to find him, and that he was safe.
After having dinner, Andrea and I decided to go check on the garden. While there I decided to go ahead and harvest some garlic that was ready for harvest. I dug 14 bulbs of Polish White, which is a disappointing amount since I planted 31 bulbs. At least some of them were nice sized, although a few were very small. I'm hopeful that some of the other varieties will provide a better yield.
Most of the day I was preoccupied by the news that a friend from a nearby town was searching for his missing teenage son. He had disappeared from him home overnight, and they had no idea where he was. Thankfully word spread quickly via social media, and an update went out during my drive home that he had been found and was back with his parents. I don't know the details, but it seems that he left of his own accord. Since I'm not a parent it's hard to even imagine what it would be like to be put into that situation. I am very glad that they were able to find him, and that he was safe.
After having dinner, Andrea and I decided to go check on the garden. While there I decided to go ahead and harvest some garlic that was ready for harvest. I dug 14 bulbs of Polish White, which is a disappointing amount since I planted 31 bulbs. At least some of them were nice sized, although a few were very small. I'm hopeful that some of the other varieties will provide a better yield.
Monday, July 1, 2013
What If We Did Not Have Access to a Municipal Water Supply?
For the third installment of the What If.... Series I will be focusing on access to water. Specifically, what if we did not have access to a municipal water supply?
Even though having access to an adequate supply of clean water is a luxury for many people worldwide, it really isn't seen as an issue in this part of the country. There are many people living without access to a municipal water supply, and doing just fine. In fact, our neighbor only recently hooked up to the water supply. I grew up in a house without municipal water, although my parents were able to get hooked up a few years ago when it was first offered in their area.
Like many households in this region, I grew up in a house supplied with water from a well on the property. When I was a small child, we did have to conserve water, as the well would run dry in the summer if too much was used in one day. My aunt, who lives, literally, across the road from my parents, on the other hand, had a well that provided so much water that they were told they could use as much as they wanted without ever fearing it would run dry. My dad eventually solved the problem with our well by installing a 1,000 gallon tank in the basement, which was filled slowly from the well. This meant that regardless of how much water we used in a single day, the draw from the well was always consistent and at a low enough rate that it never ran dry. Having to install a tank in the basement was certainly better than having to use a filter due to high sulfur content in the water, like my grandmother who lived a few hundred feet down the road had to do.
My point is, that while relying groundwater can certainly be done, there are inconveniences and risks that go along with it. Having access to a municipal water supply takes away many of those risks, although it does introduce new ones, such as the impacts of a burst water main, or contamination that results in a boil water advisory. In fact, we purchased our drinking water for several months after first moving in due to some issues with the water supply, and even today use a filter for any water we are going to drink.
Because I have lived without access to municipal water it is not hard to imagine what life would be like without it. Not only can I easily imagine what it might be like, but we plan to migrate away from the municipal water supply once we build our house. We've already began the transition, when it comes to the garden. I have installed a couple rain barrels, with more planned, which capture water for the garden. When we build a house I would like to capture and store enough rainwater to supply all of our needs. The rainwater catchment system, along with using greywater for the plants should allow us to be disconnected entirely from the municipal water system without issue. With a bit of filtering for our drinking water, I believe I'll feel more confident in the quality of water as well. We've already experienced issues with seedlings not growing as well when watered with municipal water as when watered with rain water, which makes one wonder about the long term health effects to people.
I do anticipate the need to conserve more water when we disconnect from the municipal supply, but that isn't a bad thing. I'm certain that we could use less water than we do today, without it feeling like a major sacrifice. Even though it isn't idea, we will always have the option of buying drinking water if we have to. Even with those minor inconveniences, I envision life without being connected to the municipal water supply to be good.
Even though having access to an adequate supply of clean water is a luxury for many people worldwide, it really isn't seen as an issue in this part of the country. There are many people living without access to a municipal water supply, and doing just fine. In fact, our neighbor only recently hooked up to the water supply. I grew up in a house without municipal water, although my parents were able to get hooked up a few years ago when it was first offered in their area.
Like many households in this region, I grew up in a house supplied with water from a well on the property. When I was a small child, we did have to conserve water, as the well would run dry in the summer if too much was used in one day. My aunt, who lives, literally, across the road from my parents, on the other hand, had a well that provided so much water that they were told they could use as much as they wanted without ever fearing it would run dry. My dad eventually solved the problem with our well by installing a 1,000 gallon tank in the basement, which was filled slowly from the well. This meant that regardless of how much water we used in a single day, the draw from the well was always consistent and at a low enough rate that it never ran dry. Having to install a tank in the basement was certainly better than having to use a filter due to high sulfur content in the water, like my grandmother who lived a few hundred feet down the road had to do.
My point is, that while relying groundwater can certainly be done, there are inconveniences and risks that go along with it. Having access to a municipal water supply takes away many of those risks, although it does introduce new ones, such as the impacts of a burst water main, or contamination that results in a boil water advisory. In fact, we purchased our drinking water for several months after first moving in due to some issues with the water supply, and even today use a filter for any water we are going to drink.
Because I have lived without access to municipal water it is not hard to imagine what life would be like without it. Not only can I easily imagine what it might be like, but we plan to migrate away from the municipal water supply once we build our house. We've already began the transition, when it comes to the garden. I have installed a couple rain barrels, with more planned, which capture water for the garden. When we build a house I would like to capture and store enough rainwater to supply all of our needs. The rainwater catchment system, along with using greywater for the plants should allow us to be disconnected entirely from the municipal water system without issue. With a bit of filtering for our drinking water, I believe I'll feel more confident in the quality of water as well. We've already experienced issues with seedlings not growing as well when watered with municipal water as when watered with rain water, which makes one wonder about the long term health effects to people.
I do anticipate the need to conserve more water when we disconnect from the municipal supply, but that isn't a bad thing. I'm certain that we could use less water than we do today, without it feeling like a major sacrifice. Even though it isn't idea, we will always have the option of buying drinking water if we have to. Even with those minor inconveniences, I envision life without being connected to the municipal water supply to be good.
Book Review - Solving Deer Problems
I recently finished reading Solving Deer Problems: How to Keep Them Out of the Garden, Avoid Them on the Road, and Deal With Them Anywhere by Peter Loewer. I was attracted to this book because I know we have an abundance of deer around here, even though the dogs do a good job of keeping them scared away. Since our garden is some distance from the house, and therefore the dogs, I anticipate needing to employ some deer prevention measures at some point.
Unfortunately, this book was a disappointed. This isn't because of what the book is, or what it is not, but rather because of what it pretends to be. The first five chapters provide some good information about deer behavior, problems caused by deer, fencing options, and DIY deer deterrent methods. If the book ended there, it would have been a decent, although very short, at 105 pages, book on the topic. Unfortunately the author did not end there, but filled the remaining 142 pages with list and appendices that I found to be of little value. It is as if someone, whether the author or publisher, decided it was better to add a bunch of filler to the book in order to make increase the page count.
Chapter 6 is titled A Product Roundup, and is literally just a list of various deer deterrent products available on the market with a brief description of each. We aren't even given a review of the products, or a guess as to their effectiveness, just the manufacturer's description and a website address, some of which are not even still valid URLs.
Chapter 6 was at least short, unlike Chapter 7: Plants Unpopular with Deer, which goes on for 84 pages. Much like Chapter 6, this one consists of lists with summaries of each item. If the chapter had been dedicated to plants that deter deer, that would have had value, but it includes plants that deer just tend not to eat, which isn't much help unless a gardener decides to plant only things from the list. Dedicating 34% of the pages in the book to this chapter was overkill, to say the least.
The final chapter, Lions and Tigers and Voles, isn't even about deer. Instead, it focuses on other animals that are known to be common garden pests such as voles and chipmunks. I can't figure out what relevance any of the information in the chapter has to the topic of "solving deer problems".
After finishing the last chapter I was ready to put the book back on the shelf, never to be touched again, when I saw the appendices. Appendix 1 contains yet another list of plants, although this one is specific to California. Thankfully this is just a list, without the descriptions present in chapter 7, but it still takes up seven pages of the book. Appendix 2 is a list of Wildlife and Conservation Agencies in the United States, but I really don't need a book to tell me how to reach the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, although if you're curious, the web address is http://www.kdfwr.state.ky.us/. Appendix 3 includes text from a bill from Iowa, which the author says is presented so readers from other states can get an idea of the process of deer depradation permits. I think I'd rather just look up information specific to my state, rather than reading about the process for another. Thankfully, though, the permitting process for every state wasn't included in the book. The book ends with a 12 page index. Why, you might ask, does a 247 page book need a 12 page index? I guess when half of the book is made up of nothing but lists it is helpful to have a detailed index.
As you can probably guess, this isn't a book that I would recommend. While I can't suggest an alternative at this point, I'm certain there are better books on the topic available. If the book had been half as long, and priced accordingly, I might be more likely to recommend it.
Unfortunately, this book was a disappointed. This isn't because of what the book is, or what it is not, but rather because of what it pretends to be. The first five chapters provide some good information about deer behavior, problems caused by deer, fencing options, and DIY deer deterrent methods. If the book ended there, it would have been a decent, although very short, at 105 pages, book on the topic. Unfortunately the author did not end there, but filled the remaining 142 pages with list and appendices that I found to be of little value. It is as if someone, whether the author or publisher, decided it was better to add a bunch of filler to the book in order to make increase the page count.
Chapter 6 is titled A Product Roundup, and is literally just a list of various deer deterrent products available on the market with a brief description of each. We aren't even given a review of the products, or a guess as to their effectiveness, just the manufacturer's description and a website address, some of which are not even still valid URLs.
Chapter 6 was at least short, unlike Chapter 7: Plants Unpopular with Deer, which goes on for 84 pages. Much like Chapter 6, this one consists of lists with summaries of each item. If the chapter had been dedicated to plants that deter deer, that would have had value, but it includes plants that deer just tend not to eat, which isn't much help unless a gardener decides to plant only things from the list. Dedicating 34% of the pages in the book to this chapter was overkill, to say the least.
The final chapter, Lions and Tigers and Voles, isn't even about deer. Instead, it focuses on other animals that are known to be common garden pests such as voles and chipmunks. I can't figure out what relevance any of the information in the chapter has to the topic of "solving deer problems".
After finishing the last chapter I was ready to put the book back on the shelf, never to be touched again, when I saw the appendices. Appendix 1 contains yet another list of plants, although this one is specific to California. Thankfully this is just a list, without the descriptions present in chapter 7, but it still takes up seven pages of the book. Appendix 2 is a list of Wildlife and Conservation Agencies in the United States, but I really don't need a book to tell me how to reach the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, although if you're curious, the web address is http://www.kdfwr.state.ky.us/. Appendix 3 includes text from a bill from Iowa, which the author says is presented so readers from other states can get an idea of the process of deer depradation permits. I think I'd rather just look up information specific to my state, rather than reading about the process for another. Thankfully, though, the permitting process for every state wasn't included in the book. The book ends with a 12 page index. Why, you might ask, does a 247 page book need a 12 page index? I guess when half of the book is made up of nothing but lists it is helpful to have a detailed index.
As you can probably guess, this isn't a book that I would recommend. While I can't suggest an alternative at this point, I'm certain there are better books on the topic available. If the book had been half as long, and priced accordingly, I might be more likely to recommend it.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
06/30/13
Saturday didn't go quite as planned. I had a real lack of motivation, so didn't make it outside before it got hot. So we ended up going to Lexington to do some shopping that Andrea was needing to get done. Of course trips to Lexington always take up most of the day, so I didn't accomplish anything around the house when we got back either.
Today was more productive, though. I went out this morning and worked on the mower. I replaced the belt, which wasn't as difficult as I was afraid. After replacing it I decided to go ahead and mow, but was quickly disappointed to find that the mower still isn't working right. By that time it was getting hot, and I didn't feel like working on it again, so I put everything away and came back inside.
I went back outside around 5:00 to work on assembling the new lawn sweeper. I managed to get the main part installed before time to come in for dinner. I would normally say that it shouldn't take long to finish, since all that remains is the bag assembly. However, as I was moving the sweeper I found that it only rolls one direction, and currently that is backwards. So it seems I installed something wrong, and will have to do some more work to figure out what I did. I'm hoping its simple, and does not require completely disassembling the entire thing, but I'm not overly confident in that.
It was starting to thunder when I came in for dinner, and by the time we finished had started raining. We had planned to go back out after eating, but the rain changed that.
Today was more productive, though. I went out this morning and worked on the mower. I replaced the belt, which wasn't as difficult as I was afraid. After replacing it I decided to go ahead and mow, but was quickly disappointed to find that the mower still isn't working right. By that time it was getting hot, and I didn't feel like working on it again, so I put everything away and came back inside.
I went back outside around 5:00 to work on assembling the new lawn sweeper. I managed to get the main part installed before time to come in for dinner. I would normally say that it shouldn't take long to finish, since all that remains is the bag assembly. However, as I was moving the sweeper I found that it only rolls one direction, and currently that is backwards. So it seems I installed something wrong, and will have to do some more work to figure out what I did. I'm hoping its simple, and does not require completely disassembling the entire thing, but I'm not overly confident in that.
It was starting to thunder when I came in for dinner, and by the time we finished had started raining. We had planned to go back out after eating, but the rain changed that.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
06/28/13
When I got up this morning I headed over to the garden. I hadn't applied the foliar feed of diluted urine in a while, so thought that was well past due. I mixed up two gallon, and sprayed everything in the garden, as well as the bushes along the edge of the yard and herbs.
While spraying the onions I noticed that several of them were partially uncovered, so I went ahead and harvested those. I haven't weighed them yet, but they are decent sized.
I had plans to get a lot accomplished after work this evening, but of course things didn't go quite as planned. I hooked up the mower and started mowing the front yard, which was badly in need of being mowed. Things went well at first, but then after a few passes it stopped cutting. I managed to get the blades to re-engage, but then they stopped again. I think I need to install the new belt, so will likely do that tomorrow.
I had also planned to assemble the new lawn sweeper and try it out after mowing, but it was looking like rain. If all goes well maybe I can do that tomorrow.
While spraying the onions I noticed that several of them were partially uncovered, so I went ahead and harvested those. I haven't weighed them yet, but they are decent sized.
I had plans to get a lot accomplished after work this evening, but of course things didn't go quite as planned. I hooked up the mower and started mowing the front yard, which was badly in need of being mowed. Things went well at first, but then after a few passes it stopped cutting. I managed to get the blades to re-engage, but then they stopped again. I think I need to install the new belt, so will likely do that tomorrow.
I had also planned to assemble the new lawn sweeper and try it out after mowing, but it was looking like rain. If all goes well maybe I can do that tomorrow.
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