Texas

[Ms Jellybean]

Here in Austin everyone has those blue (or green) rain barrels (city gives a rebate), the issue is they are around 55 gallons, which during a drought is not very much. One may last a week, but without rain to re-fill, it is not worth much. What I don't understand is why people are not using their A/C run off? For the most part I can get 5-10 gallons a day off of that. It has to be extremely dry, I mean 10% humidity, to not get runoff. I do not recommend drinking it but it works great to water plants. Just ask the chives that grow all around the run off from my runoff buckets

I would love to have a few of those, but I don't have gutters. They are on the list of things to get though, just near the bottom right now.

Could be worse like it is in Colorado where apparently they are not allowed to have rain collection systems. I read up on it a few years ago when I heard about it from a friend in Denver - something about if you have a rain collection system, even just one barrel, you are taking away water that would be going into the ground and thus you would be stealing water from your neighbors. So they made rain collecting illegal. Thought that was one of the stupidest things I had ever heard.

That is the craziest thing I have heard in a long time.

I have heard that also, crazy!!!! I do think everyone should try to do what they can, just trying to say that one 55 gallon drum is not going to do much. My mom lives in town and loves, wait LOVES plants. She is always trying to give me some or give me her seeds, my rule is "If it can't be eaten then it is not worth the water".

Some people don't realize the water they have. My tank is 10k gallons, for some months I am fine, but in bad months (April-October) I have to pay to have water delivered. It is $75 - $90 for 1.5k gallons. Do you know how long 1.5k gallons will last for a family of 4 (2 small kids), dogs, cats and chickens? I try my best to make it last a month. Yes, "if it is yellow, it is mellow" is a rule in the summer. Next time you(as in anyone, not talking abut bnjrob directly) get your water bill, check out how many gallons you use. If you have kids would love to know what you use.

My exception to the "if it can't be eaten", I mean everyone needs an exception

, is my 4 Orchids, they actually don't use much water, but are my eye candy.

I can only water 1 day a week where I live. My water bill is still high though. My 19 yr old takes a lot of showers, even in the winter. He must have a girl friend he is not telling me about. I can't think of any other reason for him wanting to be so clean.

I've talked to my Dad about setting up something to save rainwater, but it would only be for outdoor use. We've tried to figure out a way to attach our groundwater pump to some of our indoor appliances, but it would never work with the setup we have now. For now, though, I just put all my empty buckets out in the open when it is raining and catch as much as possible. Then I put it in one of my food-safe buckets and use it for the plants that can't be moved from the patio.

I'm tempted to set up an outdoor area just for doing laundry, though. Sure, it would be hard work to use the pump water and hand-wash clothes, but it would certainly be less expensive than using the washer. There are 6 people living in this house currently and the washer is running all weekend and some days throughout the week. Plus, I'd be able to hang up more of our clothes outdoors to dry. It's kind of wonderful seeing clothes hanging outdoors, being blown dry by the wind and sun. It makes me giddy, hehe!

I got a front load washer to save on water. I also have cut back on how many times I do laundry a week. Easier to do with a smaller family though....

I recognize that name......oh yeah, he is the one that just got married.

Weather right now is 60 degrees. Suppose to drop in the 30's by 5 and then we will have freezing rain/sleet. I will believe it when it happens. I feel sorry for those who have never driven in that stuff.

Stay safe everyone!

Lisa

It was in the upper 30's when I got up and now it is in the lower 30's. Getting down to 19* tonight. Thankfully we don't have precipitation in our forecast here in the DFW area. The winds are wicked though! BRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I never thought of that. I grew up in Canada--I know what to do when you hit black ice. A four-wheel skid is nothing to panic about, but I've had a lot of practice. When I first learned to drive, my dad took me to an unplowed parking lot and we just practiced skidding and spinning the car. If a Canadian kid were to do that now, he would be charged with Stunt Driving which is almost as bad as DUI. I'm going to make sure my DH comes home early and stays home tomorrow!

You can't get a ticket in a parking lot here. I'm from Minnesota, but I have lived here longer than I did up there. I did learn to drive there though. I stay off the roads when they are bad. There are people here that have the mindset if the roads are bad drive faster. No thanks! Don't want to be out with them.

Haha, that was how I learned! Dad took us kids down to a large parking lot so we could make 'doughnuts' and learn how to pull out of a skid. I thought that was something all kids learned!

Don't take your husband's fun away. My DH is looking forward to playing a little.

Lisa

My son loves to go mudding. He learned how to control the car in mud, and does ok on the ice. We both drive Subarus. I keep telling him ice is not the same as mud. He got a lot of practice when we had that ice storm in December. His manager at Brooklyn's had him down as a delivery driver since he has the best car for ice.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Uh oh, this isn't good. Glad I don't shop there.

 

[greybush]

Ok so looking at an ad on craigslist for game chickens 4hens and 1 rooster for $75 and was wondering when the hens should start laying ad if this bird is a good one for my area gilmer tx and also if this is a good deal or not

 

[jajeanpierre]

Haha, that was how I learned! Dad took us kids down to a large parking lot so we could make 'doughnuts' and learn how to pull out of a skid. I thought that was something all kids learned!

Don't take your husband's fun away. My DH is looking forward to playing a little.

Lisa

My husband will have no problem with slick icy roads--he's Canadian-raised, too. I'm worried about the other guys. We have a little Jetta, no match for those big SUV and monster trucks driven by people who don't understand how a car feels as it starts to skid and what to do about it. Especially if they've had a few beer and/or are trying to text. I'll tell you, I've never seen so many cars with obviously impaired drivers as I have since I moved to the San Antonio area.

 

[granthamkk]

Uh oh, this isn't good.  Glad I don't shop there.

Finally being a poor teacher pays off! Never shopped there.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I would just either crash or spin around in circles!

Well, since you haven't had any experience with really slippery conditions, I'll give you a bit of advice because it could be really nasty driving today.

At the beginning of a skid, you'll feel the car lose traction. It is really subtle. As soon as you feel that take your foot off the gas AND DO NOT TOUCH THE BRAKES. Go straight and let the car slow down on its own. Do not try to turn.

If you actually start to skid, DON'T TOUCH THE BRAKES. If your car is sliding to the left, where you don't want to go, turn your wheels to the left into the skid. If you turn them to the right, you'll just increase your spin. Turn into the skid and never touch the brakes.

My kids never got the opportunity to practice in a snowy parking lot. They've never driven anywhere but the Caribbean and Texas. I want them to go to skid school--yes, you can pay an instructor to teach you how to handle a skid on an oil slick road. And, as Lisa knows, spinning and skidding a car in a snowy parking lot is a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

This is in the slow cooker for supper tonight. Hope it is as good as the people say it is. Perfect for a cold night...

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

I was thinking about ordering this when I get my incometax. Anyone have any reviews for the either of these Hova Bators? LINK1, LINK2, I really like the digital settings for this one, another set. Thanks much! IF you know of any better incubators, please do tell!

I was also looking at this incubator. Any reviews?

 

[TexasLisa]

This is in the slow cooker for supper tonight. Hope it is as good as the people say it is. Perfect for a cold night...

Mmmmmm, looks delicious! Let us know how it taste. I just put on a pot of beans. Plan on having that with cornbread. Dessert will be an old-fashion Oatmeal Cake (my grandmother's recipe) with coffee. I will be ready for the sleet/snow.

Stay safe and warm guys!

Lisa

 

[RachaelS]

Quote: they are not show quality at all, but not bad. Here is a thread for Ideal https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/278186/post-pics-of-stock-from-ideal-poultry-please a lot of pictures.