June 10, 2009 - Garden, rainwater, welding

The picture below shows our revised yurt roof rainwater collection system. We figure the roof, being plastic, isn't the best place to collect water for either drinking or gardening, so we run it straight into a scavenged (and washed) 55 gallon steel barrel. A few tenths of rain on the roof will fill that barrel though, so I welded a steel pipe nipple high on the side of the barrel to thread an overflow hose onto. The overflow hose goes to a spot at the bottom of the garden where we intend to create a small garden pond to attract butterflies, birds and maybe an amphibian or two. When we are desperate for water, we can route the overflow hose onto the rainwater collection roof that we built on the ground, and from there it goes to recharge our 1100 gallon tank down on the hillside.

The next photo shows my off-grid, portable welding setup. I have a small 2000 watt (about $400 at Sears) gas generator on a wagon (until I find better wheels for the generator). Then, a wire feed welder that I bought a few years back when our trailer frame broke (about $350 on Ebay with the welding hood and gloves), and an electric drill with wire brush wheel to clean up any metal parts that I'm working on before welding (welds take better when the metal is clean and bare). I'm a lousy welder, but I'm getting better every time I use it. I've repaired our trailer, welded exhaust pipes a couple of times, and miscellaneous other small projects. I think I've paid for the welder by now and have been learning a new skill.

The next two photos show our garden prepared for planting. It's a nice thing to be able to look out the window of the yurt while you're preparing a meal or doing dishes and see the garden with plants coming up. It makes you feel more connected. Our kitchen wastes and all waste water is saved for either the compost pile (you can see the compost bins in the background of the last photo), which eventually will become part of the garden, or for direct application on the garden (liquids).

Indigenous people have a lot to say about how life is a circle, or a spiral, and how everything is connected. When we garden, compost, save and use our wastes, we don't have to read about the circle, we are the circle, and it feels right.