Speaking of rain...

Thom brought home three 5-gallon buckets to put water in so that we could let it sit out (to de-chlorinate) before putting it into our goldfish pond.

A couple of weeks ago Thom noticed the two drainpipes off the front porch leak a LOT when it rains hard. So he stuck two of the buckets under them to catch the runoff. The third bucket went under the edge of the gazebo's tin roof.

Voila - 15 gallons of free water.

Hmmm...

I got the water bill a few days later. I don't know if it's this way everywhere, but we pay a fee for the water, then a separate fee (which is equal to the water cost) for sewer services. To my way of thinking, I pay for the water twice. Once to get it here in the first place, then again to get rid of it.

Now that there are only three humans left in the house, the bill dropped by a few bucks. A testament to a reduction in the amount of showering and laundry, I'm sure. But I expected it to go up again because we'll be watering the garden and filling the pond all summer.

Hmmm...

Off I went to the web to look into rain barrels. Those buggers are expensive. No way to offset the cost in one summer. And we're cash poor anyway.

Hmmm...

Every time it drizzled for the last couple of weeks I got irritated. I'm "wasting" water. And money. Patience isn't my strong suit.

Still thinking. Hmmm...

Turns out, Thom's Dad has a *very* large reservoir down at his Lafeyette property. A visit to the in-laws and yep, we can have it if we want it. Super! Now if we only had a truck...

(Here's where life just catches you off guard). Best friend's husband puts himself out of the running by hitting a deer with his Chevy pickup last Monday. Thankfully he was not injured. Sadly the truck was seriously damaged, and the deer was killed.

We still need at least three barrels anyway. I've got a line on some barrels but they're 30 miles away, and still I have no truck.

At this writing, I'll be back in Roanoke in two weeks. Hopefully I can convince my boss (and best friend) to stop at the cola bottling plant to inquire after the 55-gallon barrels. They are, according to my research, ideal for the job. She has a van and I think I can get 'em up here in that.

The reservoir will probably require the in-laws truck. Which will require a little more time, a little more patience, and a little more horse-trading.

I've calculated that we could capture enough rain to keep the pond up, the garden watered, and the cold-water laundry done. All without the benefit of town water, and with little or no electricity. Well worth the time and money investment in getting the system built.

In the meantime, the buckets are standing ready at the drains and roof. Hey, 15 gallons is better than nothing...

***** DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT drink captured rainwater.*****

Chemicals from untreated water could make you very sick.

After my research, I determined that I could use rainwater from my system to water my garden, do laundry, and fill the fish pond. Filtration systems are not cost-effective for me.

***DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and determine the safety of using rainwater for yourself!!!***