Bird Houses are Re-Stocked!

We have a fresh batch of blue bird houses ready to give away to our customers.  The boys make these out of recycled fence boards.  Rather than take them to the landfill, they figured out something useful to make out of them.  So if you haven't gotten yours yet, why not stop by and pick one up?  They are free for the taking and the blue birds will thank you!

Meter Reading

Just a quick reminder that the boys, a.k.a. Jerry and Jeremy, are out reading meters today.  August water bills will be in the mail on August 2 and will be due on August 25th.  Please remember to continue conserving water when ever possible.  Even though we are not in any conservation stages, the more we save now, the more we will have later or in lean years.  You never know when old Mother Nature is going to withhold the moisture and we want to be sure we are prepared.

Olla Update!

When I planted my tomatoes several weeks ago, I also put in some ollas made out of clay pots.  While the plants were small, they seemed to hold water for a couple of days before going dry.  Of course the temperatures weren't as high then as they are now either.  Now that the tomatoes are well over 3 feet tall and the temperatures are higher, I am finding the ollas are drying out daily.  So this tells me two things.  One, that they must be working and two, that maybe they aren't large enough.  I still have to water the tomatoes as well, but I am trying to do it every other day and let the ollas water them on the off days.  Since most of them now either have tomatoes on them or flowers, I am assuming my watering is sufficient.  I was hoping to only use the ollas, but the tomatoes were wilting, so I have had to do some additional watering.

Anyone who gardens knows that it is a constant learning experience with lots of experimenting going on.   Especially with vegetables.  Lots of trial and error.  But each year you can put that knowledge to use and have a better garden than you did the year before.  So next year I will make ollas that are double the size of the ones I am currently using and see how that works.  I will then take the ones I am using now and put them in another location. Perhaps around some zucchini plants or in the spaces between the green beans. 

I am also wondering if I perhaps I didn't bury deep enough.  Traditionally made ollas have a neck and you bury them up to the neck.  Since I used clay pots, mine have no neck and so I had to make sure the top of the pot was accessible, which means some of the pot is sticking out above the soil line.  So now I am wondering if I could attach a small piece of PVC pipe into the hole on the top of each olla and fill it through the pipe. This would enable me to bury the whole pot well below the soil line and just leave the PVC pipe sticking up.  This would actually be helpful because I could make the pipe any length I want and eliminate bending and kneeling in order to reach the olla to fill it.  So stay tuned for my olla modifications next spring!

If you are using ollas in your garden this year, let us know about it.  We would love to hear how our customers as using them in their gardens and what their experiences are.  I think they are a great alternative to overhead watering and I am determined to use them in my vegetable gardens as much as possible.

Emergency Situations

The guys at the fire station next door asked us to remind everyone that in the case of an emergency or fire, do not call the fire station directly.  Call 911!  All emergency help has to be routed through the 911 system.  They may not be the closest help available and by calling them directly, valuable time is lost.  So please remember that if you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 immediately and they will see to it that you get the help you need as quickly as possible.

August Board Meeting

The August board meeting will be held on August 10 at 10 a.m. in the board room at the water district office.  We are located at 24917 Marion Ridge Rd. right next to the fire station.  Everyone is welcome to attend and we hope to see you there.  If you cannot attend the meetings, you can find the minutes from past meetings on our website at www.pcwd.org. 

Monday Musings

How is your summer going so far?  It is the last week of July and summer is flying on by.  Hope you are having a good one.  Everything is pretty quiet here the water district.  We are keeping busy working though as there is always something to do here.  We are still giving out $25 gift certificates to your restaurant of choice if you spot a leak and report it.  So keep your eyes peeled, even though it is summer.  Leaks can happen at anytime, so we must always be vigilant.  If you spot one, just give us a call and we will go check it out.  If it is a leak, we will go pick up your gift certificate and give it to you. 

As always, we would like to remind everyone to turn their water off at their customer valve when they leave their mountain home.  Leaks don't take a vacation or only happen in the winter, so an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say.  Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?  It only takes a minute to do and can avert a potential disaster.  If you do not know where your customer valve is, please call the office at 951-659-2675 during normal business hours, and we will send one of the boys out to show you where it is and how to turn it on and off.  Everyone should know where they customer shut off valve is.

If you have any other questions about your water service or billing, please feel free to call us or stop by the office.  We will be happy to help you in any way we can.

Meter Readings

Just a quick reminder that on Thursday and Friday of this week, the boys, Jerry and Jeremy, will be out and about reading meters.  Bills will be mailed out the first part of next week and will be due on August 25.  Remember, we bill every other month on the even months. 

Links

I don't know if everyone has noticed this or not, but down the left side of the blog, I have posted several links that I think are very helpful, including a weather link.  If you know of any other links that would prove useful for us to post, please feel free to email me at pcwd2765@yahoo.com and let me know what you would like to see added.  I tried to add some of the most commonly used ones so people could just come here and look rather than having to search around.  I hope you find a lot of useful information here on the blog.

Monday Musings

Here it is the 18th of the month already.  Where does the time go?  Next week it will be time to read the meters again.  The boys will probably be out and about the second half of next week.  Bills will be sent out the first part of the following week.  Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up.  As a reminder, we bill every other month on the even months.  So February, April, June, August, October and December are the months you will receive a bill.

Bills are always due by the 25th of the month they are received in.  If you are going to have a problem paying, it is best to get in touch with Becky at 951-659-2675 and let her know.  Late payments are subject to a $15 late fee and so you want to avoid that if possible.

We also want to remind everyone to turn their water off at their customer valve when they leave their mountain home.  Yes, it is summer, but leaks can happen any time of the year.  Customers are responsible for all the water that runs through their meter, so leak prevention is critical. We have to be vigilant all year long, not just in the winter time.  So if you are leaving, take a minute and turn your water off.  It is like the old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."  So true when it comes to turning the water off to your home.

If you do not know where your customer valve is, please give us a call and one of the boys, Jerry or Jeremy,  will be more than happy to come out and show you where it is located and how to turn it off and on.  It is a simple thing that can save you thousands of dollars in water bills and damage.  If you have an outdoor watering system, it is good to check that periodically for leaks as well.  Some times the squirrels can reek havoc with outdoor drip systems or they can just develop leaks over time.  A few minutes spent in maintenance and prevention will also go a long way in preventing unexpected leaks. 

Here at the Pine Cove Water District, we want our customers to be aware of things that can and do go wrong and how to prevent a catastrophic leak.  I know we sound like a broken record at times, however, there are still those who do not heed our advice or warnings and they end up with a problem.  We hate to see anyone have to deal with that, so we will keep repeating ourselves over and over again.  Turn your water off when you leave your mountain home!

Fugal Friday

Since summer got off to such a slow start, it seems I am currently in a planting frenzy now that it has warmed up.  Since this is Frugal Friday, it wouldnt' be right of me to say I was at the nursery "buying" things to plant.  That isn't very frugal, now is it?  No, I was actually transplanting things from around my yard that self sow.  Specifically I have been transplanting lambs ear.  About 5 years ago, my friend  gave me half a dozen or so plants  from her garden that were growing everywhere.  At the time, I was just getting started on my current garden and a lack of funds was making for a frustrating gardening experience.  So being the avid gardener that she is, she was happy to share her over flow of plants with me.  So I took my little starts, went home and planted them all in  a row in a small garden I had created in my front yard.

Fast forward 5 years and those 6 plant are probably now abut 50.  They pop up everywhere!  Of course, the gardener in me could never just rip them out of the ground and dispose of them.  They grow like gangbusters up here and when you find something that grows well, you stick with it.  That is my theory anyway. 

Since they self sow and pop up in the most unusual or inconvenient places, I just wait until they get a few inches tall and then I dig them out and plant them somewhere else.  The majority of them survive and I have the feeling that in about 10 years time, I will be living in a sea of lambs ear.  Which is fine.  I think they are very pretty. 

So on this Frugal Friday, I would like to suggest that instead of making a trip to the nursery, look around your own yard and see what you could transplant, divide or share with friend.  Maybe an afternoon plant swapping tea would be fun.  I came home one day to find 6 asparagus plants on my doorstep from a neighbor who gardens.  What a fun surprise that was.  Personally, I am going to try to learn how to propagate roses so that I can expand my rose collection and share with others as well.  Many other plants such as hostas, can be divided up to provide more plants for your yard or to share with others.  

Perhaps you need to remove a plant for whatever reason.  Why not give it to someone else?  My neighbor just did that.  He didn't like a certain bush he had and so he came over and asked me if I wanted it.  You bet I did!  There are lots of ways to get out there and add to the garden without spending any money.

Sustainable Thursday

With the summer season upon us and in full swing, watering the garden or your trees and bushes becomes a frequent chore.  During last weeks rain storm, I stood and watched where the water was going and I was shocked to see a good portion of it running right off my property and down the street.  I have amended the soil in my garden beds and have been slowly trying to stop the water from leaving my property, however, it was clear that a lot of it was still running off.  So the question is how can I stop that and retain that water in my garden?

Since my house sits way at the back of my property, the majority of my yard is in the front of my house and gently slopes toward the road, which encourages all the rain to run right off my property.  So how could I keep more of the water on my property?  Rain barrels?  Sure, they are great, but once they are full, you are right back to square one with all the excess running off.   So I decided to do a little research.

I found Brad Lancaster's website, books and videos.  He lives in Arizona and is passionate about rainwater harvesting.  Here is a little blurb about him from his website, www.harvestingrainwater.com.

Since 1993 I’ve run a successful permaculture consulting, design, and education business focused on integrated and sustainable approaches to landscape design, planning, and living. And as I live in the dryland environment, rainwater harvesting has long been one of my specialties and a passion. Through my business I’ve been able to share this passion and many of the fun innovations and daily adventures that come about from striving to live more sustainably and comfortably in the Sonoran Desert.  At home my brother and I harvest over 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year on a 1/8-acre urban lot and adjoining right-of-way.

I found his website and the work he has done, to be fascinating and I ended up reading his website and watching several of his videos.  I plan to read his books in the near future as well.  He has a really good video about getting your soil to absorb water more like a sponge and retain it instead of letting it all run off.  You can save a whole lot more water by having your land absorb water like a sponge, then by adding rain barrels.  Here is a link to that video.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wbyUz4IkjM  It is well worth the 5 minutes it takes to watch it. 

Since I am in the process of creating a garden in my front yard, now is the perfect time for me to start implementing some of these ideas and incorporating them into my garden landscaping.  Imagine when it rained or snowed, if all or the majority of that moisture stayed right in your yard instead of running off down the street.  By implementing some of Brad's ideas, I will not only create a better water situation for my new garden, but for the plants and trees that are all ready established there as well.  So take a few a minutes to either watch his videos or read his website.  I think it is really full of helpful rainwater harvesting and he has ideas we can all implement without going to the expense of adding huge rainwater collection tanks.

Lemon Lily Festival

It is hard to believe, but it has been a year since the very first Lemon Lily Festival and we are about to enjoy the second one, which is this coming weekend.  We are lucky enough to have some lemon lily's on the Black wells property along the highway.  You can see them as you drive by.  They seem to have started to slowly multiply in recent years.  This is very exciting and we hope that they will continue to thrive and multiply.

Summer Rain

Wasn't the rain storm that came through our area last week just wonderful?  I was at home when it arrived and it was great.  I even got cool enough that I had to put on a sweater.  I have always loved the rain.  Even when I lived in Pennsylvania and it seemed like that is all it did.  It is just too bad we can't talk Mother Nature into sending one of those storms our way every week.  Hope you enjoyed it too and got some of your pine pollen washed away.

Board Meeting Canceled!

Our monthly board meeting was scheduled to take place on July 13th this month, however, we have had to cancel it.  There won't be enough board members in attendance to form a quorum and so we must cancel.  However, next month's meeting will be on August 10th at 10 a.m. as per usual.  Hope to see you there!

Monday Musings

It is good to be back.  I was on vacation last week so I have a lot to catch up on.  I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July holiday.  The parade was great, as per usual and I think everyone had a  great time.  While I generally steer clear of the village during holiday weekends, there is no missing the 4th of July parade.  And as always, the holiday weekend flies by leaving us wondering where the time went.  We hope everyone got to attend the activities they wanted and had a great time doing it.

Happy 4th of July!

Hard to believe but the 4th of July week end is upon us!  The Pine Cove Water District office we be closed on Monday, July 4, 2011.  We hope to see lots of you in town on Monday at the parade and out and about.  But no matter what your plans are, we hope you have a wonderful time and a great holiday weekend.  Stay cool and stay safe.

 And please remember your pets in this heat.  Make sure you don't leave your animals in the car and make sure they always have plenty of fresh water and a place to get out of the sun and or heat and cool off.

We will resume our normal office hours of 9 to 4 on July 5, 2011.   Happy 4th of July to everyone in Pine Cove!