Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday Musings
What a wonderful, wet weekend we had! Is there anything better than a summer rain storm? Not in my book. As I left the office on Friday, it was just starting to rain. Saturday brought a downpour and Sunday brought another nice shower. I had to go to the beach all day on Saturday, so I missed Saturday's storm, but as we arrived back up on the hill, we could feel the coolness in the air as well as smell the rain. It was wonderful! It almost makes it worth going off the hill just so you can come back and have that feeling of relief at being back on the hill. I think going off the hill makes me appreciate being able to live on the hill a lot more. After time away, is there anything nicer than coming around the corner in and seeing and smelling Idyllwild? Of course if you are coming up the Banning side, it is seeing the Pine Cove sign. It is almost as if every muscle in your body suddenly relaxes at that point and you realize, I'm home. I have always told my husband that I would rather live in a tent in Pine Cove, than in a million dollar home off the hill. I just hope he doesn't take me literally!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Pets and Heat
It seems we are having a bit of a heat wave this week. Whew! Can't wait until it is over, but in the mean time, we have to all try to stay as cool as possible. Since so many of our customers are also animal owners or animal lovers, it is a good time to remind everyone to be extra diligent with their animals in this heat.
Please do not leave your pet in the car during this heat wave. I know many people like to take their dogs with them when they run errands, but if you can't do them early in the morning, then just leave them at home. It is just too hot to sit in a car, even with all the windows down. Your beloved friend will be much more comfortable at home, than in the hot car.
Water. Make sure your pets have plenty of fresh, clean, cold water to drink. This is especially important for animals kept outside. Add ice to it periodically to make it as cold as possible. It is critically important that they have access to fresh, clean, cool water at all times. Also, be sure to provide shade for them as a resbit from the sun and heat. We all know it can be many degrees cooler in the shade than in the sun and this is a welcome relief to your animal. Some animals enjoy a small kiddie pool full of water to cool off in. If your pet doesn't like to get wet, try this. Fill a kiddie pool or any container large enough to accommodate your pet, with sand. Freeze a couple of gallon jugs or large freezer bags full of water and bury them in the sand. Make sure you put this in the shade and it will provide a cool place for your pet to escape from the heat.
If your pet isn't an indoor pet and if you have a nice cool garage, it can be a good idea to temporarily put your pet in the garage to make sure they stay nice and cool. If this isn't an option, then you will need to take a couple extra steps to ensure your pet stays cool and comfortable during this heat wave.
Remember, our pets depend on us for their health, safety and well being. This heat is hard on them and it doesn't take that much extra effort to make sure they are comfortable and well cared for during this heat wave.
Please do not leave your pet in the car during this heat wave. I know many people like to take their dogs with them when they run errands, but if you can't do them early in the morning, then just leave them at home. It is just too hot to sit in a car, even with all the windows down. Your beloved friend will be much more comfortable at home, than in the hot car.
Water. Make sure your pets have plenty of fresh, clean, cold water to drink. This is especially important for animals kept outside. Add ice to it periodically to make it as cold as possible. It is critically important that they have access to fresh, clean, cool water at all times. Also, be sure to provide shade for them as a resbit from the sun and heat. We all know it can be many degrees cooler in the shade than in the sun and this is a welcome relief to your animal. Some animals enjoy a small kiddie pool full of water to cool off in. If your pet doesn't like to get wet, try this. Fill a kiddie pool or any container large enough to accommodate your pet, with sand. Freeze a couple of gallon jugs or large freezer bags full of water and bury them in the sand. Make sure you put this in the shade and it will provide a cool place for your pet to escape from the heat.
If your pet isn't an indoor pet and if you have a nice cool garage, it can be a good idea to temporarily put your pet in the garage to make sure they stay nice and cool. If this isn't an option, then you will need to take a couple extra steps to ensure your pet stays cool and comfortable during this heat wave.
Remember, our pets depend on us for their health, safety and well being. This heat is hard on them and it doesn't take that much extra effort to make sure they are comfortable and well cared for during this heat wave.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Bills Due
Hi everyone. Tomorrow is August 25 and that is the due date for the August billing period. If you are experiencing difficulties paying your bill, please call Becky at 951-659-2675 and she would be happy to try to work something out with you. Late bills are subject to a late fee, so you want to avoid that if possible.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Frugal Friday
OK, let's be honest here. How many times have you gone out and turned your hose on to water something in the garden, only to get involved in another project and forget all about the hose that is running? I know I have done it. I just did it the other day and I was outside the whole time and still I forgot it was on. I just got involved it another task and the running hose slipped my mind. It is easy to do, especially if you are trying to multi task and get other chores done while the hose is running. I have been trying to think of a way to solve this problem. Since I just did this a couple days ago, it is fresh in my mind, but other than putting sticky notes all over the place, including on myself, I didn't really come up with a good solution.
So imagine my surprise when I came in this morning, logged onto the blog, and saw the answer right there in front of me. On the left side of the blog is a daily water saving tip widget. Most of the tips I have already seen and I know about them. However, today's tip was one I hadn't seen before. It said to set a kitchen timer when watering with a hose so you don't forget about it. How simple, easy and cheap is that? And it is such a simple thing that I am sitting here scratching my head and wondering why the heck didn't I think of that?
Most everyone has a kitchen timer and if you don't, they are easily obtainable at a hardware store, kitchen store, grocery store or discount store and are very inexpensive. You can take it outside with you and put it in your pocket if you are working in the yard. If you are working inside, just take it with you and put it in what ever room you are working in. When it goes off, you will be reminded to go turn off your hose. If you are like me and wear an old apron when working in the yard, just stick it in your apron pocket and you are good to go. Which brings us back to the whole point of Frugal Friday anyway. By watering our gardens in the most efficient way possible, we will not only save water, which is good for our water table, but it will keep our water bills down as well, thereby saving us money. And who doesn't want to save money as well as the environment?
So there you have it. If you are like me and tend to forget the hose is running, invest in a kitchen timer and get in the habit of setting it each and every time you turn the hose on and soon forgotten hoses will be a thing of the past.
So imagine my surprise when I came in this morning, logged onto the blog, and saw the answer right there in front of me. On the left side of the blog is a daily water saving tip widget. Most of the tips I have already seen and I know about them. However, today's tip was one I hadn't seen before. It said to set a kitchen timer when watering with a hose so you don't forget about it. How simple, easy and cheap is that? And it is such a simple thing that I am sitting here scratching my head and wondering why the heck didn't I think of that?
Most everyone has a kitchen timer and if you don't, they are easily obtainable at a hardware store, kitchen store, grocery store or discount store and are very inexpensive. You can take it outside with you and put it in your pocket if you are working in the yard. If you are working inside, just take it with you and put it in what ever room you are working in. When it goes off, you will be reminded to go turn off your hose. If you are like me and wear an old apron when working in the yard, just stick it in your apron pocket and you are good to go. Which brings us back to the whole point of Frugal Friday anyway. By watering our gardens in the most efficient way possible, we will not only save water, which is good for our water table, but it will keep our water bills down as well, thereby saving us money. And who doesn't want to save money as well as the environment?
So there you have it. If you are like me and tend to forget the hose is running, invest in a kitchen timer and get in the habit of setting it each and every time you turn the hose on and soon forgotten hoses will be a thing of the past.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Rainwater-Harvesting Principles
Even though it is summer and we aren't getting much rain right now, you can still think about rainwater-harvesting and start getting ready now for when the rain and snow does come. I have been reading Brad Lancaster's website, www.harvestingraingwater.com, a lot lately. He has a lot of great information and suggestions on how to capture and keep rain water. One of his practices that I find interesting is how he keeps the water that falls onto his property, on his property. He encourages others to do the same. By using swales and berms and by amending your soil so it is more absorbent, you too can keep more of the rain that falls onto your property, on your property.
Here are Brad's Eight Rainwater-Harvesting Principles. If you want more info, he has two books out as well as his website. They are all worth checking out.
1. Begin with long and thoughtful observation.
Use all of your senses to see where the water flows and how. What is working and what is not? Build
on what works.
2. Start at the top-or highpoint-of your watershed and work your way down.
Water travels downhill. Start at the top where there is less volume and velocity so it is easier to follow
the next principle...
3. Start small and simple.
Work at the human scale so you can build and repair everything. One thousand small strategies are far
more effective than one big one when you are trying to infiltrate water into the soil.
4. Spread and infiltrate the flow of water.
Rather than having water run erosively off the land's surface, encourage it to stick around, walk around
and infiltrate INTO the soil.
5. Always plan for an overflow route and manage that overflow as a resource.
Always have an overflow for the water in times of extra-heavy rains and use that overflow as a resource.
6. Maximize living, organic ground cover.
Create a living sponge so the harvested water is used to create more resources, while the soil's ability to
infiltrate and hold water steadily improves.
7. Maximize beneficial relationships and efficiency by "stacking functions."
Get your water-harvesting strategies to do more than hold water. Berms or swales can double as high
and dry raised paths. Plantings can be placed to cool buildings. Trees can be selected to provide food.
8. Continually reassess your system: the "feedback loop."
Learn from your work-we begin with the first principle.
I know a lot of this information seems daunting, but Brad breaks things down and takes them one step at a time and makes it seem like a much more manageable way to keep our yards and gardens. By getting more water to stay on your property, you will be able to decrease your dependency on irrigation in order to keep your landscape green and healthy. So think about taking some baby steps toward keeping more rainwater on your property instead of letting it run down the road.
Here are Brad's Eight Rainwater-Harvesting Principles. If you want more info, he has two books out as well as his website. They are all worth checking out.
1. Begin with long and thoughtful observation.
Use all of your senses to see where the water flows and how. What is working and what is not? Build
on what works.
2. Start at the top-or highpoint-of your watershed and work your way down.
Water travels downhill. Start at the top where there is less volume and velocity so it is easier to follow
the next principle...
3. Start small and simple.
Work at the human scale so you can build and repair everything. One thousand small strategies are far
more effective than one big one when you are trying to infiltrate water into the soil.
4. Spread and infiltrate the flow of water.
Rather than having water run erosively off the land's surface, encourage it to stick around, walk around
and infiltrate INTO the soil.
5. Always plan for an overflow route and manage that overflow as a resource.
Always have an overflow for the water in times of extra-heavy rains and use that overflow as a resource.
6. Maximize living, organic ground cover.
Create a living sponge so the harvested water is used to create more resources, while the soil's ability to
infiltrate and hold water steadily improves.
7. Maximize beneficial relationships and efficiency by "stacking functions."
Get your water-harvesting strategies to do more than hold water. Berms or swales can double as high
and dry raised paths. Plantings can be placed to cool buildings. Trees can be selected to provide food.
8. Continually reassess your system: the "feedback loop."
Learn from your work-we begin with the first principle.
I know a lot of this information seems daunting, but Brad breaks things down and takes them one step at a time and makes it seem like a much more manageable way to keep our yards and gardens. By getting more water to stay on your property, you will be able to decrease your dependency on irrigation in order to keep your landscape green and healthy. So think about taking some baby steps toward keeping more rainwater on your property instead of letting it run down the road.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Firewise Landscaping
Here we are in the middle of August and while it hasn't been an overly hot summer, it hasn't been an especially wet one either. We must remain ever vigilant about our fire abatement and keeping the plants and trees in our yards healthy, as a healthy plant or tree is more fire resistant than a sickly one.
We all know about the basics of fire abatement around our properties and homes, however, I came across a Guide to Firewise Landscaping at the website of the National Fire Protection Association and thought they had some additional ideas that aren't normally told to people.
One is to use brick or stone finishes on your house. I would think this is a no brainer, but I have never seen this on any fire abatement literature that I have read. If you are going to be re-doing the outside of your home, it might be a good idea to incorporate some stone or brick into the design. Here in the mountains, stone is a very appropriate look if you are trying to stay with that rustic, mountainy look. Instead of installing cedar shingles down to the ground, why not put some stone around the bottom of the house and then your cedar shingles on the upper half.
Also using pavers for driveways or walkways can create a fuel break within your yard. If you are wanting a water permeable driveway or path, try using gravel with large rocks lining your path. This will keep the gravel in the path or driveway as well as help with creating a fuel break and look pleasing in your landscape as well.
If you are going to be replacing any doors or windows, go for double paned or tempered glass. Double-paned glass can help reduce the risk of fracture or collapses during an extreme wildfire. Tempered glass is the most effective of the two and if you are going to be installing any skylights, glass is a better choice than plastic or fiberglass.
Some other tips, which may or may not be feasible are to use a concrete patio instead of a wooded deck, use pebbles, river rock or gravel instead of mulch near your home's foundation and use rubber outdoor mats rather than natural fiber ones.
Anything attached to the house (decks, porches, fences and outbuildings)should be considered part of the house. These act as fuel bridges, particularly if they are constructed from flammable materials. If a wood fence is attached to the house, separate the fence from the house with a masonry or metal barrier. Decks need to be kept free of combustible materials and debris. Box in eaves, fascias, soffits and vents or enclose them with metal screens. Vent openings should be covered with 1/8" metal screen.
So remember, fire season is never over and go out and take a walk around your property and see what you can do today to make it more fire safe. By continually making improvements to protect your home, you will stand a greater chance of your home surviving, should a fire come our way.
We all know about the basics of fire abatement around our properties and homes, however, I came across a Guide to Firewise Landscaping at the website of the National Fire Protection Association and thought they had some additional ideas that aren't normally told to people.
One is to use brick or stone finishes on your house. I would think this is a no brainer, but I have never seen this on any fire abatement literature that I have read. If you are going to be re-doing the outside of your home, it might be a good idea to incorporate some stone or brick into the design. Here in the mountains, stone is a very appropriate look if you are trying to stay with that rustic, mountainy look. Instead of installing cedar shingles down to the ground, why not put some stone around the bottom of the house and then your cedar shingles on the upper half.
Also using pavers for driveways or walkways can create a fuel break within your yard. If you are wanting a water permeable driveway or path, try using gravel with large rocks lining your path. This will keep the gravel in the path or driveway as well as help with creating a fuel break and look pleasing in your landscape as well.
If you are going to be replacing any doors or windows, go for double paned or tempered glass. Double-paned glass can help reduce the risk of fracture or collapses during an extreme wildfire. Tempered glass is the most effective of the two and if you are going to be installing any skylights, glass is a better choice than plastic or fiberglass.
Some other tips, which may or may not be feasible are to use a concrete patio instead of a wooded deck, use pebbles, river rock or gravel instead of mulch near your home's foundation and use rubber outdoor mats rather than natural fiber ones.
Anything attached to the house (decks, porches, fences and outbuildings)should be considered part of the house. These act as fuel bridges, particularly if they are constructed from flammable materials. If a wood fence is attached to the house, separate the fence from the house with a masonry or metal barrier. Decks need to be kept free of combustible materials and debris. Box in eaves, fascias, soffits and vents or enclose them with metal screens. Vent openings should be covered with 1/8" metal screen.
So remember, fire season is never over and go out and take a walk around your property and see what you can do today to make it more fire safe. By continually making improvements to protect your home, you will stand a greater chance of your home surviving, should a fire come our way.
Next Board Meeting
Just a head's up that the next water district board meeting will be held on September 14th at 10 a.m. in the board room at the water district office. The public is welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!
Monday, August 8, 2011
10,000 Hits!
Well the blog has reached another milestone! Actually we reached it last Monday on August 1. We have over 10,000 hits now! That is incredible. We were getting close at the end of July and I was predicting we would hit 10,000 by the board meeting on Aug. 10. Boy was I wrong. When I came in the morning of August 1 and read the blogs stats, it said 10,039. I couldn't believe it.
We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read the blog, send in a picture or leave a comment or emailed us. We appreciate it very much. We want everyone to know what is going on here at the Pine Cove Water District and we feel the blog is a great way to let people know what is going on as well as provide a lot of community information, links, addresses and phone numbers as well as emergency numbers.
We hope you find the blog helpful and as always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us. Our office phone number is 951-659-2675. My email address is pcwd2675@yahoo.com and Becky's email address is Becky@pcwd.org. Our address is 24917 Marion Ridge Road in case you want to pop into the office. We are located right next to the fire station.
We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read the blog, send in a picture or leave a comment or emailed us. We appreciate it very much. We want everyone to know what is going on here at the Pine Cove Water District and we feel the blog is a great way to let people know what is going on as well as provide a lot of community information, links, addresses and phone numbers as well as emergency numbers.
We hope you find the blog helpful and as always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us. Our office phone number is 951-659-2675. My email address is pcwd2675@yahoo.com and Becky's email address is Becky@pcwd.org. Our address is 24917 Marion Ridge Road in case you want to pop into the office. We are located right next to the fire station.
Board Meeting Reminder
This month's board meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 10th at 10 a.m. The agenda was posted last Friday morning if you want to have a look at it. Becky also posts it on the website at http://www.pcwd.org/ if you prefer to use the Internet. As always, the public is invited to attend and we hope to see you there.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
August Board Meeting
August's 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 Road, right next to the fire station. The meeting is open to the public and we hope to see everyone there. The agenda will be posted tomorrow if you care to come and look at it prior to the meeting.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Monday Musings
August is here! Wow, where is the time going? Wasn't it just the 4th of July the other day? Well, we still have lots of summer concerts and the Jazz Festival to look forward to before we head into Labor Day weekend. July went out spectacularly. What a lovely, rainy weekend. While I didn't get any painting done on my shed, I can't complain. The rain was well worth putting off the painting for another week. It will probably take me until Christmas time to get it done anyway. The rain was a good excuse for staying inside and napping! I did do some inside chores, but I also took the liberty of goofing off as well. I just love waking up to a cloudy, rainy morning and it puts me in a good mood for the remainder of the day.
This morning as I walked to work, everything looked so refreshed. I think most of the pine pollen has now been washed away, as I saw very little of it during this storm. The last storm that came through created yellow rivers and puddles, due to the large amount of pine pollen that had settled onto everything. I noticed the plants and trees all looked extremely happy this morning. Freshly showered and cooled off, they were standing taller, looking greener and I think some of my trees actually grew over the weekend! Rain is an amazing gift and it rejuvenates everything living here on the mountain. The plants and trees Rain is so incredibly refreshing during the summer. I tire easily of the heat and the dryness. But the rain brings a coolness to the air that is invigorating and I think plants, animals and humans are grateful for the break from the unrelenting sunshine.
We have a couple more chances for rain this week and I do hope they pan out. Here in southern California, I don't think we can have too much rain in the summer time. At least not in my opinion.
This morning as I walked to work, everything looked so refreshed. I think most of the pine pollen has now been washed away, as I saw very little of it during this storm. The last storm that came through created yellow rivers and puddles, due to the large amount of pine pollen that had settled onto everything. I noticed the plants and trees all looked extremely happy this morning. Freshly showered and cooled off, they were standing taller, looking greener and I think some of my trees actually grew over the weekend! Rain is an amazing gift and it rejuvenates everything living here on the mountain. The plants and trees Rain is so incredibly refreshing during the summer. I tire easily of the heat and the dryness. But the rain brings a coolness to the air that is invigorating and I think plants, animals and humans are grateful for the break from the unrelenting sunshine.
We have a couple more chances for rain this week and I do hope they pan out. Here in southern California, I don't think we can have too much rain in the summer time. At least not in my opinion.
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