I Hear the Rain I Hear the Rain

IMG_0048 a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

Ok, so the garden and mulch paths aren't handling the rain quite like I wanted. An overflow tube runs from the rain barrel and down one of the garden paths. I took a little time to grade that particular path away from the house and to go with the flow of water from the overflow tube. It is kind of working, but it is turning some of the paths into a kind of liquified mulch. In a way, this might be evidence that it is effective and sending the water where I want it to go. I just need to continue the "water path." Right now, it ends prematurely a few feet from where it will eventually end up and so it is kind of backing up and getting stuck mid-garden. Some day, I will try to send it to the very back of the yard - the compost zone. I have heard that in olden times, there was a creek there that got filled in during the 30's/40's.

On the bright side, the basement has not flooded yet. There is a lot less water by the side of the house compared to days of yore. And - overall, the yard feels less waterworld-y.

Rain Barrel Action!

MVI_0039 a video by okfuskee on Flickr.

Here's the rain barrel doing its thing in light to moderate rain. Some might wonder - why a rain barrel? Isn't water pretty cheap around here? Well right after we moved in we had a 100 year storm that put the basement under about 6 inches of water. Ever since then, we have been doing many different things to prevent future such events. Everything we have done has been external to the house...well almost everything...I did caulk a few coins into some basement holes that were squirting water like some dutch levee without a dutchboy. Bambi didn't like that idea even though each coin was selected to be meaningful in some way - MA quarter, Ohio Quarter, CT quarter (It has a tree!) and I think something from 1976... to be patriotic or something. Also I finally caulked one bad window...but anyway we did nothing drastic inside. We graded the earth around the house to slope away, took out a few planter boxes on the side of the house that seemed to collect and hold water against the house, took out a wide concrete walkway on the side that sloped into the house, and have added great quantities of organic matter to our clay soil. The result has been a gradual diminishment of basement flooding. At this point, we haven't seen it flood for quite a while. Anyway, the rain barrel takes 55 gallons out of the equation - not much...but maybe enough to take it past the critical mass needed for flooding, and when it does fill, the overflow tube sends the extra far out into the yard.

We do save a few pennies on water but that doesn't feel like much. A bigger issue is the amount of water that no longer ends up as storm run-off which is costly for local government and damages the Chesapeake Bay. Looking for more info? See Arlington County's Sensible Explanation and their What Can I Do Website has other ideas that go beyond the rain barrel.

And one last thing...it is kind of fun...hoping for rain so I can get some free water to water the native (and not so native) plants in the front.

To get even more up close and personal with that spout, click here.

Rain Barrel Time...or Not

IMG_0003
Originally uploaded by okfuskee

Turned the rain barrel over in a fit of over enthusiasm on a sunny warm day. Got fooled by the vagaries of climate change I suppose - 70's days next to freezing days. Very confusing. It filled up in a day, and we will freeze tomorrow night, so now I am emptying.

In case you are wondering - this is a rain barrel from the county - you pay 52 bucks, and go build your own. Caulking, drilling, and snacks! I recommend it. It is an old pickle barrel...painted with some house paint to add some style.