Happy coincidence

Want to hear a neat story?

In all our self-sufficiency efforts, the one major issue that kept defeating us was water. That’s because our well is 610 feet deep and powered by an electric pump. At that depth, it’s way beyond the capabilities of a hand pump. If there's any kind of power outage, we’re out of water (except the few gallons we have stored). I’m not exaggerating when I say we’ve spent years trying to solve this dilemma.

We looked into a windmill, but the cost was around $18,000. A solar array would be similarly priced, since we’d need both panels and batteries. We simply could not afford those options. What to do?

After endless discussions and research, we decided to utilize the best source for surface water we could find: our roof. With its steep pitch and metal sheathing, harvesting the roof runoff and funneling it into a catchment tank appeared to be the most renewable and reliable water source we could find.

So my husband did a great deal of research and chose what he found to be the best bang for our buck: a 1500-gallon potable-water tank acquired from a company called American Tank Company. The price was much more affordable than any other option.

So last summer we ordered our tank and it was delivered within a week or two. We couldn’t be more pleased by its size, sturdiness, and quality. Our upcoming spring/summer plans are to build an insulated room to house it and hook it up to our roof runoff with gutters. Overflow water will be channeled into a specially-dug pond for livestock and garden water. So that’s where we stand on our water prepping efforts.

Now here’s the neat part.

Last week, the president of American Tank Company contacted us and asked to advertise on our blog! And no, they were entirely unaware that we had already ordered a tank from them. In other words, it was a happy coincidence that an advertiser approached us about a product we had already purchased and with which we are inordinately pleased.

So I’m tickled to introduce our newest advertiser – American Tank Company! If you’re having trouble coming up with a viable water storage system, I urge you to consider one of their tanks. They come in all sizes, and they also have a line of tanks sturdy enough to be buried underground.

These folks are über-friendly and are delighted to help customers with their choice of equipment. They also have a complete supply of all the other items needed to create a first-class rainwater harvesting system as well as setting up on-site water treatment options.

As we start our water project early this summer, we’ll document our successes and setbacks in getting our water tank housed and installed. But the single largest part of the project has already been received – our water tank. I urge you to check these folks out! They have also expressed an interest in maybe hosting a contest or two on our blog, so stay tuned.

Left-handed compliment

I was clicking on referrals on my blog recently to learn where people come from to find me, when I came across this blog (WARNING: very bad language!) written by someone called "Ornery Expletive." He was reviewing a variety of blogs and offered me the following accolade (slightly cleaned up):

Patrice, on the other hand, is a hoot. I might be a left wing zealot but I have an open mind and this lady just kicks my ***.

Good on ya sweetie.

I swear, this lady kicks my *** when it comes to traffic. But if you want to read some good writing, she is off the charts and I know *** good and well you who come here have never heard of her.

I'll admit I grinned for an hour over this one. Thanks, Ornery B., for the left-handed compliment!

Chuckles du jour...

An alternate opinion

A comment was posted on my Psychological Warfare post that was so interesting, I wanted to bring it forward so it wouldn't be buried.

I applaud the teacher--education regarding the care of our environment is a very important topic. We as a society need to be more environmentally responsible. We need to decrease our use of non-renewable resources and reuse what we have, not always buy new. I think there is way too much drama stated here that the 6 year was having "psychological warfare" used on him. This matter can be discussed at home as it well should be. What one chooses to use in their own home is their business, but as adults we need to lead the way in providing a healthy earth for future generations. That six year old is going to grow up and we want him and all six year olds to have a healthy planet in which to live. By- the- way, one must be careful in reusing plastic bags due to certain bacterias. I myself reuse them, but am very careful what I reuse them for. Some bacteria cannot be removed by a simple rinsing even with soap and water. If everyone would decrease their use of something that does not decompose or is non-renewable we could make a significant difference. The choice is of course where you intend to make your difference.

Trouble in the trenches

So today I was talking with another homeschooling mom and we started discussing grammar.  I mentioned that, despite my writing, I've never understood grammar because I've never been taught it (remember, I'm a publik skool gradjiate).

This mother dropped a book in my lap called Our Mother Tongue: A Guide to English Grammar.  In looking through it, I was impressed by the clarity of how this complex subject was explained.  "I'm going to have to get a copy of this!" I commented.

At once both my girls sent out groans of protest.

"I hate it when homeschooling moms get together!" groused Older Daughter.

Too bad.

Bible trivia question

So here's a neat coincidence. What is the center verse of the Bible?

Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Some people might say this is an utter coincidence. Others might say differently.

(No, I didn't take this photo.)

Tick...tock...tick...tock...

The clock keeps ticking away as we wait for Matilda to pop her calf.

She's been looking wider and bulgier in the last few days; doubtless the calf is moving into the right position.

I'm sure Matilda is anxious to get things over with too....

Psychological warfare

Here's a fascinating little tidbit.

It seems a Quebec mom was making lunch for her six-year-old son who attends kindergarten when the boy noticed his mother was using a Ziploc bag to wrap his sandwich. He screamed, "No Mommy! Not a Ziploc!"

It turns out the boy's teacher would "exclude him from a contest to win a stuffed teddy bear if he brought an environmentally unfriendly plastic baggie to school."

When the father questioned the boy's teacher, she responded, "You know, it's not very good for the environment. We have to take care of our planet and the bags do not decompose well."

I see. Look, the kid is six years old and he is now terrified of the implications of using a Ziploc bag. Psychological warfare, anyone?

I happen to be a huge fan of Ziploc bags. A box each of the gallon-sized and the quart-sized bags last me about a year because I wash and re-use and re-use and re-use them until they're in shreds. In fact, Ziploc bags are one of the few name brand things I buy (rather than the house brand equivalent) because the quality is high and I can get about a year's worth of use out of them.

Washed bags hanging upside down to dry.

Clearly this news incident goes beyond a mere plastic bag. This is an example of the psychological indoctrination children receive in public schools in the U.S. and Canada. "The key problem is we've got a teacher that is on a political crusade," said Michael Sanera (director of research and local government studies for the John Locke Foundation), "and thinks it's her responsibility to indoctrinate kids and not teach sound science."

I am not without some knowledge of science. My bachelor's degree was in zoology; my master's degree was in Environmental Education. And I am, once more, so thankful to be homeschooling my girls. Our kids are growing up with a balanced grasp of environmental issues, not the left-wing propaganda the Progressives love to force-feed innocent children in schools.

Look, if you choose never to use a Ziploc bag, more power to ya. But don't terrify little kids that we're all gonna die if they use a Ziploc, okay?

Volunteering

It's been said that homeschooled kids are more civic-minded and do more volunteer work than publicly-schooled kids. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know my girls do their share of civic volunteering.

About a year and a half ago, we lost our house cat. It was an unpleasant blow to my cat-loving kids, and they immediately began lobbying for a replacement (or two).

Trouble is, we have dogs who don't like cats. So another house cat is out of the question until we have different dogs.

So, faced with a dearth of purring, my girls decided on the next best thing: volunteer at our county animal shelter.

Like many shelters, this place runs on a shoestring budget and is always looking for volunteers. When I first made arrangements over a year ago, the director was hesitant to allow two such young kids to work without me (the parent) present. (The rules are: volunteers under 15 require a parent to be present.) I had no problem with this; I was happy to sit in the lobby with a book or my AlphaSmart while the kids worked.

But in something under a week, the director changed her mind.  She had never worked with homeschooled kids before, and couldn't believe their work ethic and maturity level. Over the past year my girls have brought in underage homeschooled friends for a stint of volunteer work (such as our neighbor Miss Calamity), and the director has been delighted with them all.

Up to this point, most of the volunteer help the shelter's staff has gotten comes from teens who are required to put in community service for some sort of legal transgression. (As you can imagine, they're not always the easiest bunch to work with.) And we know a few other publicly-schooled kids who love animals and who also volunteer. But as far as I know, my girls are the longest-term volunteer help the shelter has ever had. My oldest daughter recently was invited to submit her résumé to our local library for a possible part-time position, and she was able to use the animal shelter's director as an enthusiastic reference. So starts Older Daughter's professional credentials.

So it's been over a year now, and every Wednesday we make our trek into the county seat where I drop the kids off for a couple of hours. They clean cages, launder bedding, wipe down and disinfect litter boxes and walls, and generally give the hard-working director and her staff some help. The main reason the kids have continued working for so long is they just plain love cats.

Some of the cats hang out in the lobby:

Others are in rooms separated between adults, adolescents, and kittens.

Fortunately - and especially as volunteers - the girls are given lots of time to just play with the cats.

This guy is a favorite, though he was born without one front leg (he was hard to photograph).

The rooms have all sorts of cat climbing apparatus.

This guy is named Sylvester. He's huge.

The girls nicknamed this cat Uncle Mike after my older brother, the classic nerd. The girls think the cat has a classy "nerd" look.

This shy fellow was curled up out of sight.

The director was giving this cat a flea bath (the cat was NOT amused). Fleas, as you can imagine, are something the shelter must constantly battle against.

I don't know how long the kids will want to work at the shelter, but they've shown no signs of losing interest. Either way, I'm proud of them.

World map of snow

Here's a fascinating photo compilation that shows the Northern Hemisphere during the grip of the massive blizzard that moved across the U.S. Can you find where you live?

It's a grim reminder of how bad global warming has become.

The art of persuasion

A reader (I'll call him "Bob") sent an email as follows (identifying information removed):

Your lifestyle sounds wonderful although at times it probably gets difficult. I would like to live the way you do but unfortunately I don’t think my wife would agree to become so independent at the moment. Presently I live in [located deleted]. Eventually (in eight years when wife retires) I would like to move to a rural area of [located deleted] and live similar to what you are doing. Any suggestions would be appreciated on how to explain the advantages to my wife. I do have two kids they are grown and on their own so it would just be my wife and I.

My husband suggested that, staying within his current budget, Bob might make a few minor changes (i.e. brownbagging his lunch instead of buying a sandwich at the deli) and put the money into modest prepping efforts, i.e. slowly laying aside a month's worth of food. Bob could explain to his wife that it's his new hobby. In other words, my husband noted that gentle persuasion is far better for marital harmony than one-sided diktat.

I had no other ideas so I asked permission to post his questions on the blog and see what readers can suggest. So, dear readers, please give your best advice to "Bob" on how to convince his wife as to the benefits of greater independence and self-sufficiency.

Zip, zilch, nada

Update on Matilda: nothing yet.

A reader sent in a due date of February 6, according to a bovine gestation table and assuming a breeding date of April 30 which - trust me on this - is accurate.

As you can see, she is still massively bagged up. Grunt, that looks uncomfortable.

Here's Pearly, Matilda's year old calf, giving her mama a kiss.

Boy Jerseys are funny-looking things, aren't they? All skin and bone. But such beautiful eyes and such a sweet disposition...

Anyway, this morning we pulled Matilda and Pearly into the driveway area so the calf won't be born somewhere down in the woods or in the deeply muddy area by the feed bins. It's been bitterly cold and clear for the last couple of days (it was 4F this morning) so we're keeping a sharp eye on things. At least we have no snow on the ground. My preference would be for her to have her calf inside her pen where the baby can be protected and tucked into a nice bed of straw.