Finally Friday

This is the last Friday in January. Monday, the boys will be out reading meters. January has been a rough month fraught with leaks. Several customers had substantial leaks and many more had smaller leaks. Once the meters are read and the bills prepared, Becky will be able to tell if anyone else has a leak that has not yet been discovered. If she sees a substantial jump in water usage, she will notify the property owner. We try to be alert to leaks at all times, however, it is ultimately the property owner's responsibility to find and fix leaks that are on their side of the meter.

I know we sound like a broken record here, but we have to keep saying this over and over again because many homeowners do not heed this warning.

The single most important thing you can do when you leave your mountain home is turn the water off at your customer shut off valve.

If the water is shut off at the customer valve, then you will avoid frozen and broken pipes or leaks. If you develop a leak while you are away from your home, an awful lot of water can pass through your meter before you ever find out about it. This can cause a lot of damage if it is inside your house. Not all leaks are detectible either. If they are underground or inside your home, we cannot always spot them and have no way of knowing there is a leak until the meters are read.

If you do not know where your customer shut off valve is or how to shut off your water, please give us a call at 951-659-2675 and we would be happy to come out and help you. Just call during regular business hours of Monday thru Friday from 9 until 4 and we will send Jerry J. or Jeremy out as soon as possible.  We are here to help and we hope you will contact us if you are unsure of how or where to turn your water off.

If you are off the hill and would like us to go out and check your home, we can do so.  There is a $15 fee for this service, however, if you are unsure if you turned your water off and cannot get back up on the hill to check for yourself, having us do it for you is the safest way to go.  That way you will know your water is off and you wont' have to worry about leaks developing while you are away.  It is like the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

It's Snowing!

Well just in case there is anyone out there who hasn't looked out their window yet, it is snowing.

I have read several weather reports and frankly, I think they are way off base. One said 1/2" accumulation possible. I am not believing that because between 7:30 am and 8:30 am, I had to shovel off my deck and side walk twice. I cleaned off my car around 8:30 to come to work and by 8:45, it was covered again. So it is safe to say that weather forecast is out the window.

The next one I read said 3 to 8 inches and called for snow levels to drop to 4,000 feet later today. There was already snow in Mountain Center by 8 am this morning, so I think that one is wrong as well.

As for the total amount of snow we are going to get, I don't know. It seems to be coming down pretty fast and steady, so I can see us getting the full 8 inches with no problem. My personal opinion is that we are going to get more snow than they are predicting and the snow levels will be lower much sooner than they predicted. But what do I know?

This is a good time to remind you to turn off your water at your customer valve if you are leaving your mountain home. Also make sure your outside hoses are disconnected. Once you turn off your water at your customer valve, it is a good idea to go back inside and turn your faucets on to remove any standing water in the pipes. Be sure to turn them off again once they have drained out. This prevents the water from flying out of the faucets when you turn the water back on. Turning off your water is the easiest way to prevent water loss from frozen or broken pipes.

While the snow is beautiful, please be mindful of any pets you have outside. Be sure to provide them with a warm, dry shelter so they can get out of the snow. Warm water is especially appreciated during these cold days.

If you have to go out on the roads, be extremely careful. When I came in at 9 am, the side roads had not been plowed and Highway 243 was getting covered over again. It is best to just stay put if possible. There are not many things worth risking your life for.

To all our customers, stay warm, stay safe and enjoy this beautiful snow!

Blue Bird Houses

We now have blue bird houses back in stock! If you missed out on getting yours the last time, stop on by the district office, located at 24917 Marion Ridge Rd and ask for your FREE blue bird house. The boys, Jerry and Jeremy, make them out of old fence boards. It is a great way to do some recycling and provide shelter for our feathered friends all at one time. Be quick as they usually go fast! If you pick one up now and hang it up, it will be all ready for the birds to move in come spring.

We also have free wood chips if you are still in need of those. They are behind the workshop on Marion Ridge and you can just help yourself. If you need an exceptionally large amount, please check in at the office first.

Weather

Ok, where is the ark? This is the 6th straight day of rain. I don't know if this is a record breaker or not, but it sure feels like an unusual event to me. The weather station has registered 10.47 inches of rain for December. They are calling for some snow and if you haven't seen it yet, here is the messasge from the Nation Weather Service in San Diego.

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
556 PM PST TUE DEC 21 2010

...PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOWFALL POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH
WEDNESDAY...

.A FLOW OF MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTHWEST WILL BRING PERIODS OF
LIGHT SNOWFALL TONIGHT. FOR LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...A
STRONGER...COLDER TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL
BRING NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
SNOWFALL POSSIBLE ABOVE 6500 FEET.

CAZ055-056-221200-
/O.EXP.KSGX.WW.Y.0010.000000T0000Z-101222T0200Z/
/O.EXT.KSGX.WS.W.0010.101222T0800Z-101223T0200Z/
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...BALDWIN LAKE...
BIG BEAR CITY...BIG BEAR LAKE...FAWNSKIN
556 PM PST TUE DEC 21 2010

...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO
6 PM PST WEDNESDAY...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM PST THIS EVENING...

THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM PST THIS EVENING.
THE WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 6500 FOR HEAVY SNOW IS IN EFFECT
FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM PST WEDNESDAY.

* ELEVATION: ABOVE 6500 FEET.

* SNOW LEVELS: 6500 FEET TODAY...MAY RISE BRIEFLY THIS
EVENING...BEFORE LOWERING TO 5000 FEET OR LOWER WEDNESDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 2 TO 4 INCHES ABOVE 6500 FEET EARLY TONIGHT.
FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...12 TO 24 INCHES ABOVE 7000
FEET WITH 4 TO 12 INCHES FROM 6000 TO 7000 FEET.

* TIMING: LIGHT SNOWFALL TONIGHT. NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING
WITH HEAVY SNOWFALL POSSIBLE...DECREASING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
AND ENDING WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: BALDWIN LAKE...BIG BEAR CITY...BIG BEAR
LAKE...FAWNSKIN

* WINDS: SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH EARLY TONIGHT.
SOUTH WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH LATE TONIGHT...
BECOMING SOUTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY.

* VISIBILITY: AREAS OF NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY AT TIMES IN BLOWING
SNOW AND AREAS OF FOG.

* IMPACTS: A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE
WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS.
ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA
FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN
EMERGENCY.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN
AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

WHITLOW


We have sand and sandbags here at the water district office. If you need sandbags, please stop by the office during normal business hours and we will be happy to give you some. We have sand located behind the workshop.

If you are going to be out on the road, please take the appropriate precautions. It is better to arrive somewhere late, but safe and sound, than to not arrive at all. If you don't have to be out on the roads, then stay home. That is the best way to assure you will stay safe.

We hope everyone in the Pine Cove/Idyllwild area is staying warm, safe and dry. Don't forget to provide for your pets in this weather as well. They too appreciate a warm, dry place to hunker down while this storm plays out.

If we are all careful, we can make it through this.

It's Snowing!

I was surprised to see it snowing this morning. I heard it rain during the night and thought that was all we would get. However, when I looked out the window it was snowing. It has now turned to rain but not before leaving a dusting of white. Perfect weather to put you in the Christmas spirit!

If you are going to be out driving, please be careful. Wet, slick roads mixed with fog can spell trouble for mountain drivers. If you are planning to come up the hill for the holidays, please be sure to check road conditions and weather reports prior to heading out. Make sure you have all the necessary equipment for driving in snow or rain. Don't let being unprepared put a damper on you mountain visit.

As always, please be mindful of your pets in this weather. Please provide an adequate shelter for any animal you keep outside. Dry bedding that helps keep them warm is greatly appreciated. Fresh food and water daily is a must. A healthy animal is better able to withstand the harsh weather than one that is not in his prime. If your pet has a condition like arthritis, please consider keeping them indoors if possible. Remember it is your responsibility to provide for your pet's needs.

Don't forget to go to our website at www.pcwd.org and check out our webcam. You can see what is happening with the weather on our real time weather webcam.

Frugal Friday

Let's talk about frozen pipes. According to State Farm, approximately 250,000 families have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted each winter by water pipes that freeze and burst. When the outside temperature drops below freezing, water pipes with little or no insulation can freeze and break.

Now, what does this have to do with Frugal Friday you might ask? Well, think of the cost of preparing your pipes for winter vs. repairing the damage done when they freeze and break. This is obviously a no brainer. Why would anyone want to deal the mess and disruption of frozen, broken pipes when it is so simple to prevent it? While it might mean a small cash outlay initially, the time, money, worry and inconvenience you will save is priceless.

Before the cold weather hits:

Insulate pipes in unheated areas and those that run along outside walls, floors or ceilings. There are several types of insulation available for this job and you can decide which one will work best for your situation.

Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located.

Disconnect garden hoses and cover faucets with special insulated faucet socks.

Once the mercury drops, you can open your cabinet doors to allow heat to get to the piping under sinks and vanities.

If you do experience frozen pipes or a leak, call a plumber immediately and turn your water off at your customer valve. Do not try to thaw the pipe with a torch or other open flame and do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water because you could be electrocuted.

The biggest thing you can do to prevent frozen pipes, is to turn your water off at your customer valve anytime you leave your mountain home. This is the single most critical step you can take in preventing frozen and burst pipes.


Don't let water damage dampen your life this winter. Spend a few minutes protecting your water pipes to save time and money down the road. Remember it is cheaper to prevent a problem than it is to repair one. And remember that there does not have to be snow on the ground for it to be cold enough for pipes to freeze.

Sustainable Thursday

Even though we are currently experiencing Indian Summer here on the hill, I know that Old Man Winter is lurking just around the corner. Yes it was beautiful on Halloween this year, but memories of my daughters Trick or Treating in snow linger in the back of my mind. It seems I get complacent during nice weather and tend to forget how it is all winter long. However, this year, I have been trying to plan and think ahead to the long, cold winter months when many of my sustainable practices have to change due to the weather.

The biggest change that the winter brings for me, is not being able to hang clothes outside to dry. Since I do this with a large majority of my laundry, winter presents a challenge when it comes to drying my clothes all indoors! In order not to just throw everything into the dryer, I have come up with the following solutions.

Since I normally use my shower curtain rod to hang wet clothes, I decided to add another shower curtain rod parallel to, but up higher than the one that holds the shower curtain. This has doubled my space to hang wet clothes. Since I put all my shirts on hangers to dry, this gives me double the space to hang them up to dry. These rods can also be used for large items such as table clothes, quilts or sheets.

The next problem I had to solve was for things like sweaters that need to be laid flat to dry. During summer, it is easy enough to lay a clean sheet or quilt on the ground and put things on that to dry in the sun. But with the onset of cold weather, the amount of sweaters being worn goes up and I quickly run out of drying space on the kitchen table. Plus we do like to eat there once in a while. So a quick trip to Amazon dot com helped solve my problem. They now make nifty little contraptions that can be laid over your tub and then folded back up when you are done. So after purchasing a couple, I had another problem solved.

Then came the real challenge. Pants, jeans, pillow cases and so on. Where was I going to dry them? They take up too much space on my shower curtain rods and were hard to move should anyone actually want to take a shower. I thought fleetingly about hanging a couple of clothes lines up in my living room, but I didn't think my husband would prefer that, so I ended up purchasing a very old fashioned drying rack. It is made out of stainless steel and works great! It is extremely light weight and I can move it around or fold it up and put it away. I can sit it in the bathtub if I have something that is dripping wet or put it in front of the heater, or just off to the side behind the sofa. On nice days, it can even be toted outside to the deck.

It holds anything and everything. Jeans to delicate hand washables. Come winter it will be a lifesaver when my husband comes home from work soaking wet from delivering gas in the snow or rain all day long. His previous solution was to hang his work coat on a dining room chair and put it in front of the heater and then spread the rest of his gear around the heater on the floor. Needless to say, this wasn't a great solution and my wooden chairs were taking a beating from it.

Now I can just put the rack in front of the heater and all his outerwear fits on it! Oh happy day. Plus when the grandkids come up, all their snow gear will be happily accomodated on this one rack. No more hats, mittens, coats and snow pants strewn all over my house!

So that just left one more problem to solve. Little things like plastic bags, socks and so on. Once again, Amazon came to my rescue. I found a nifty little plastic frame that comes complete with clothes pins and a hook for hanging. It fits right over my shower rod and has close to 2 dozen pins on it. So now all winter long I can continue to wash and re-use my freezer bags and I now have a place to hang them to dry.

With a little creativity, a little research, a little effort and a little money, I solved all my laundry problems. Living sustainably might take a little extra effort, but I just think of all the electricity and propane I am saving, which then translates into money saved, and the good I am doing for the earth and I am happy to exert the extra effort.

So, what clever solutions have you come up with to living sustainably throughout the winter months when it can become challenging?

It's Frugal Friday!

Ok, here we are in the middle of October and the weather has been beautiful so far. This is wonderful news for gardeners and their gardens. Working in this beautiful weather makes even garden chores seem pleasant. This is also a great time to plant trees, bare root roses or shrubs and bulbs. Fall planting gives plants a chance to establish roots and eliminates the need to water during the winter months. Come spring, your plants have had a head start and reward you by springing to life.

Since we are trying to be frugal while gardening, now is the time to clean, oil, sharpen and put away those garden tools. By taking care of them, they will last much longer than if you don't. Who wants to keep spending money on the same things over and over again just because you let them sit outside all winter long?

If you do have some tools that have seen their better days, why not recycle them into the garden? Even household items that have outlived their usefulness indoors, can find their way into the garden to continue being useful. Old tool handles can become stakes for vines. Metal headboards can also be used as supports for climbing plants. Clam shell contains, like the kind muffins come in, can be re-purposed into mini greenhouses for winter seed sowing.

Old pantyhose and T-shirts can be used to tie up plants and old shower curtains can find a new use as tarps out in the yard. They are great to lay out on the ground when you are raking leaves and need to move them to the compost pile. Simply pile them up on top of the shower curtain and then pull it over to the compost pile. If you use your imagination, I am sure you can come up with lots of uses.

Now is also a perfect time to add a layer of mulch to your garden if you haven't already done so. And guess what? We are giving it away, free of charge! What could be more frugal than getting something great for your garden for free? Adding mulch to your garden will help it retain moisture over the winter months as well as protect plant roots from harsh winds and freeze and thaw cycles. The mulch will also slowly decompose over time, enriching your soil with wonderful compost. Compost rich soil retains water better as well, thereby reducing your need to water as often come summer.

So get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather and get some autumn gardening done before it is too late!

Winterizing

It is not too soon to start thinking about winterizing. Preparing now can prevent problems down the road. One thing that is very important to do now while the weather is good, is to be sure you know where your customer valve box is and that you know how to turn your water off. Turning your water off when you leave your mountain home, is the single biggest thing you can do to prevent water damage from frozen pipes. It is a good habit to get into any time you leave your mountain home, but it is especially important in the winter. Leaks can occur at any time of the year and sometimes go undetected for long periods of time. In freezing temperatures, pipes can freeze and possibly burst. If this happens while your water is on and you are away, you will have a real problem on your hands. Turning your water off at your customer valve can prevent these types of things from happening to you.

Other things you can do to prepare for winter is remove hoses from outside spigots and cover the spigots with faucet socks. These are inexpensive and easily obtainable. This is a simple solution that can help keep your pipes from freezing up. Insulate water pipes in crawl spaces and and basements. There are many different types of pipe insulation available so you should be able to find something that suits your situation and your budget. Remember the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is very true when it comes to your water. It is much easier to prevent a problem than it is to fix one after it has occured.

Many people are under the false impression that if they have a water leak or a pipe burs,t that they do not have to pay for the water that is lost. This is not true. Remember, you are responsible for every gallon of water that goes through your meter. Having a leak or a frozen pipe does not absolve you from this responsibility.

If you have any questions at all about how to winterize you water pipes, please feel free to give us a call at 951-659-2675, during normal business hours and we will be more than happy to give you some suggestions. If you cannot find your customer valve or do not know how to turn it off and on, call us and we will be happy to send someone out to help you, during normal business hours. It is your responsibility as the property owner to make sure you are protecting yourself as much as possible against a possible water problem. While all leaks and pipe breaks cannot be prevented, the damage from many of them could be minimized or even prevented, had the water been turned off.

A Kitchen Garden

When I hear the term Kitchen Garden, it conjurs up all sorts of images of a lovely, large picket fenced garden which sits right outside the kitchen door of a quaint little cottage and is just teeming with all sorts of herbs and vegetables. A large willow baskest sits at the ready just outside the garden gate and when I arrive back inside the kitchen, the basket is overflowing with just picked goodies.

But then I wake up and I realize I am still in Pine Cove and that gardening just isn't that easy. While gardening here in the mountains can be challenging for sure, it is not impossible. A lot of gardening success or failure depends on what you are trying to grow. Obviously there are always going to be certain plants that we can't grow due to their water requirements, light requirements or other things that perhaps can't be provided during out short growing season. But there are some things that will grow well up here given the right care and conditions.

I, personally have noticed that herbs seem to do fairly well up here. So that leads me to believe that a Kitchen Garden might be a really great way to start gardening, since it pretty much guarantees some gardening success. While herbs do require sun, they also do great in pots, making it easy to put the garden where the sun is. So instead of saying my yard is too shady to grow anything, you can put a container garden where ever you have some sun. That problem is solved.

Over the past several years I have noticed in my own garden, that rosemary and lavender seem almost indestructable. They pop up in the spring no matter how much snow has been piled on them over the winter and they seem to grow no matter how sporadically I water them. Since both rosemary and lavender like more arid conditions than some other plants in the garden, it makes them an idea choice for here in Pine Cove. It also makes them good to plant in the same area since they have similiar sun and water requirements.

Plus you may not realize that rosemary can be used for more things than just flavoring that chicken you are making for dinner tonight. It can actually be used as ground cover or for topiaries. This makes it not only a fragrant, edible addition to your garden, but a decorative one as well. There is no need to keep this herb only in the kitchen garden. It can go anywhere it will get a fair amount of sun and it will thrive.

Some other things I have had success with is basil, parsely, oregano and sage. These all grow fairly well and I have been able to harvest them and dry them for use throughout the winter. If you have ever stopped to figure out the cost per pound of those little jars of herbs they sell in the grocery stores, you would be flaberghasted at the price. For a few dollars spent on plants and seeds, you can create a wonderful, organic herb garden for all your cooking needs.

A Kitchen Garden can can be as small as a few herbs in pots or as large as a vegetable garden or anything in between. How about a salad garden? A few varieties of leaf lettuce, a couple cherry tomatoe plants and a cucumber vine set the stage for some really yummy summer salads. Remember that a lot of things can be grown in containers making gardening much more portable and attainable for a larger amount of people. So when next spring rolls around, why not give a Kitchen Garden a try?

The Pine Cove Conservation Cafe

I am announcing a new feature on the blog that I hope will go over well. It is the Pine Cove Conservation Cafe. It is all about water saving tips that our customers are using in their homes and gardens. Do you have a great water saving tip? If so, send it in to us at pcwd2675@yahoo.com and I will post it here on the blog. Have pictures of your garden? Send them in and I will post them also.

Just make sure you send your name, street address and what the picture is of. We love to see what is going on in the gardens around Pine Cove. I will start off by posting some pictures of my garden, which is located at 25150 Marion Ridge Dr. within the next couple of days.

Some things I have been doing in my garden are adding compost to the soil for several years now to improve the soil and it's water retaining abilities. I am also using the free mulch we have availabe here at the water district to reduce watering and help retain moisture. I am watering in the evening or in the early morning to avoid mid day evaportation and I have started adding soaker hoses and will eventually move up to a drip irrigation system. I have also started a compost pile, but I need to be more diligent with it as it is just kind of sitting there. I plan to go out and turn it and add some water to it this week and see if I can get it going. I will try to get some horse manure to add to it as well. That usually helps it heat up.

So get out into your yard and take some pictures and send them in. We look forward
to seeing what is happening the the gardens of Pine Covers.

It's Frugal Friday!

I know I have been remiss in my Frugal Friday postings, however, water business before pleasure and I have been keeping busy at the office. So today offered the opportunity to catch up on my blog posts and I am going to take advantage of it.

I know many people think that frugal gardening involves having a lot of junk sitting around in your yard under the auspice of art. But that just isn't the case. I think that frugal gardening is all about re-purposing and recyling things and giving them a new and useful life. And no, I am not talking about toilet planters!

Here's an idea I thought was lovely. Turn an old bird bath or better yet, a two or three tiered fountain, into a planter. Since a bird bath generally isn't very deep, you could set a small planter in the middle of the bird bath and plant some annuals. Then in the bird bath, add soil and plant something like moss, that will provide an carpet of green. If you use a plant in the pot that trails or vines, you will create a lovely, antique, drippy look which goes perfectly in a bird bath.

Use the same method for planting in an old fountain. Check Craigslist, Freecycle, thrift shops and yard sales for fountains that are still beautiful to look at, but perhaps have developed a leak or the owners are just tired of them. I saw one on Craigslist for $10. It had no pump and had 2 tiers. Perfect for planting. These make wonderful, classic additions to a garden. And by using them as a planter instead of a fountain, you will eliminate the need for running electricity and possibly water out to the fountain. This will enable you to locate it any where you like.

If you are lucky enough to find a fountain with two or more tiers, you can make a combination planter and bird bath. Having these types of creative features in your garden also helps provide habitat for wildlife. The birds will appreciate the water to bath in and drink and the cool carpet of moss makes a nice place to stop and rest for a minute.

If you have any ideas on re-purposing an item, feel free to let me know. If you have pictures, feel free to send them in and I will post them here on the blog. Let's see how creative we can get!

Customer Appreciation Day

We are less than 2 weeks from our annual Customer Appreciation Day Lunch. It will be held at Dutch Flats immediately following the Pine Cove Property Owners Association meeting. If you aren't attending the PCPOA meeting, you can meet us at Dutch Flats any time after 11 a.m. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Becky at 951-659-2675. We would appreciate having an idea how many people are attending so that we can provide an adequate amount of food. Our now famous tri-tip sandwiches will be the star of the show accompanied by scrumptious homemade salads. We will also have desserts available for those with a sweet tooth. So please come by, have some lunch, meet your neighbors and even take a tour of the Dutch Flats aeration plant. It will be a fun way to enjoy a picnic lunch and find out what is going on here at the Pine Cove Water District.

Wild, Wild, Weather

Well, it appears I was WRONG! Sunday brought more cold and snow so it evidently was not safe to plant things out in the garden. I can only hope my morning glory seeds will make it through. I have covered my cucumbers and my one cherry tomato plant. My strawberries look very unhappy as of this morning and I hope they make it through unscathed.

Yesterday presented us with snow, wind, hail and cold temperatures. Call me crazy, but I wasn't really prepared for this because I thought it was spring! But that is life here in Pine Cove. Sometimes Mother Nature throws us a curve ball and we have to just roll with it. I am not sure when it will be safe to plant my garden, so I think I will make sure I am ready to cover my plants just in case. I will be putting off my tomato planting until after Memorial Day now.

I know they are calling for another storm to come through later this week, and I am hoping that it will be the last one. I am all for spring showers, but not so much for spring snow. I think we are all ready for a dose of sunshine and summer.

Spring here for good?

This weekend provided residents of Pine Cove with some spring like weather. The sun was shining and although it wasn't all that warm, it was better than it has been. It feels good to fling open the windows and doors and let that fresh air and sunshine in. Now is a good time to check and see how your irrigation system, outside faucets and hoses faired over the long winter. Check for leaks and repair them immediately. Once the summer gets here, you want your outdoor watering to be as efficient as possible.

It is easy to get complacent when it comes to water use after such a long, seemingly wet winter. But remember, we are not out of the water woods yet. One wet winter does not a drought eliminate. If we are to continue to have an adequate supply of clean water, we must be ever vigilant and always conserve when possible. Being ever mindful of our water situation and conserving when possible, reduces the possibility that we will have to go into a Stage 2 or 3 conservation effort. We are currently in Stage 1 and we hope everyone will continue to conserve and be good stewards of the water supply that we have. We here at the PCWD appreciate everyone's efforts to conserve water and only use what is necessary. If everyone does their part, then we will all have plenty of wonderful water for all our needs.

Remember we have water saving kits available for FREE at the water district office. Just come in and ask for yours. We also have FREE wood chips to use as mulch in your garden. Mulch helps keeps the moisture in the soil and slowly decomposes and adds valuable nutrients to your garden soil. Stop by anytime and pick up as much as you need. The pile is located behind the workshop on Marion Ridge Rd.

Sustainable Thursday

This week while searching for an interesting topic to discuss, I came across something I had never heard of before. Keyhole gardens. While they are used a lot in Africa, I had never heard of them before. Their design is very simple and uses permaculture methods and would be very beneficial to gardeners everywhere. Their unique design makes them a combination of a raised bed garden and a compost pile all in one structure. They are extremely efficient and can be custom built to an individuals specific needs. By building the garden about 3 feet high, they are easy for people who may be older, disabled or have back problems to care for. In fact, that is one of the reasons they use them in Africa. Since so many are chronically ill there, these gardens make it possible for them to grow food for themselves and their families.

After doing some research this week, I have found you can make them from a variety of materials and in any size you desire. As the name implies, they are shaped like a keyhole. They are round with a small, angled path on one end. The compost section is right in the middle and the path makes it easy to walk up to the compost pile and add to it. If you don't prefer to have a compost pile in the middle of your keyhole garden, you could have a tree, a water feature or a rain barrel there instead.

Keyhole gardens can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Some are made from stone and others just from wire fencing. You could use bricks, landscape stones, river rocks, fencing or whatever strikes your fancy. You can use recycled materials or have it made to match your home. Let you imagination run wild.

There are many benefits of these types of gardens. It is an excellent way to grow a lot of vegetables in a small space. There is a wonderful article on permaculture and keyhole gardens at www.gardeningknowhow. com/organic/the-essence-of-permaculture-gardening.htm. Also if you do a search on Google for keyhole gardens, you will be able to find a wealth of pictures of keyhole gardens which will give you many ideas on how you too can build one in your own yard. There are many other wonderful articles online as well. This is a topic well worth researching.

Since they retain water better than a traditional garden, this makes them ideal for here on the hill. If you are wanting to do some gardening this summer, I would suggest giving a keyhole garden a try. If you do, send us pictures and let us know how it turns out. We love to hear of everyone's gardening adventures.

Here we go again!

Well here we are enjoying mild weather for the past couple of weeks. The lilac bushes are budding up, the roses are coming back to life and many other trees and plants think it is spring and have started to leaf out or come up. As per usual, Old Man Winter has decided he isn't quite ready to leave the hill yet. Weather reports are calling for a storm today and possibly more snow! This seems to happen each and every year almost without fail. It is very frustrating for gardeners. However, there isn't anything we can do about the weather, so we just have to hang in there. Hopefully this will be a brief storm and it won't damage any of the plants or trees that think it is spring. Here's hoping we DO NOT have a white Easter!

Free Wood Chips!

We have free woodchips available to anyone who would like to have some. Just come on up and help yourself. They are located behind the water district's workshop. You may come anytime to pick them up. They are great around plants and trees to help with water retention.

Sustainable Thursday

Here on the hill we like to think that we are community minded. We all say we want to protect what we have here on the hill. But are we really living in a sustainable way that benefits the community as a whole or are we all just lone rangers who think we are community minded, but in reality we are only worried about ourselves. What does community minded mean anyway and how does that affect sustainable living?

I like to think that here on the hill, we all work together for the common good and not for our own individual interests. After all, there is no me in community. In order to live sustainably, you must be concerned about others. After all, in 50 years, many of us will be gone and it will be our children and grandchildren who benefit or suffer from the choices we make today and the lifestyle we choose.

Choosing to live in a sustainable way shows you care. Not only about yourself or your family, but about everyone. It shows you care about the environment, the future, the earth, the wildlife and the community. If we are to preserve our resources, then everyone has to be on board. We have to live in a way that benefits the common good and not just ourselves. It does no good if 50% of us are trying to live sustainably while the other 50% are only out for themselves.

Living sustainably can take on many forms. It is hard in today's world to be 100% sustainable. However, every little thing we do or don't do, use or don't use, can help the future. Some changes are very simple and do not take much effort. Others do take time or effort or money. The key is to have everyone on the same page and everyone doing something!

One thing that is important is to get everyone talking. Remember the days when everyone had a front porch? Just sitting out on the porch swing with a glass of iced tea or lemonade, was a pleasant way to pass a summer evening. As people strolled by, it was easy to greet them and have a chat. Then we all got air conditioning, TV's and computers and porches, screen doors and swings became unnecessary as we all moved inside to climate controlled comfort. Soon people were living in neighborhoods where neighbors didn't know each other.

When you actually know the people who live in your neighbhood, it makes you want to take care of that neighborhood even more. It always takes me longer to do garden chores than I anticipate it will because inevitably while I am out there working, someone walks by and we end up chatting. It doesn't matter if I am in my old overalls with barn boots on and dirt on my hands and face cleaning out the goat pen or planting flowers in the garden or just sitting out there reading. A friendly smile and hello has started many conversations over my fence or garden gate. Each of these encounters allows me to get to know the people who live in my neighborhood and makes me realzie that what I do affects others around me.

With nice weather approaching, lets all make a pact to get outside and interact with each other more. Let's think about the the greater good before we think of what is good for us. Let's all try to do something to live more sustainably and improve things, not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors as well.

Free woodchips

If anyone wants to get a jump on their spring mulching, we are still giving away free woodchips to anyone who would like some. They are great for mulching your yard and garden and help retain all this lovely moisture we have had recently. Since we have had such a wet winter, it is a good idea to get them down early if you don't already have any mulch in your yard. Just come by and pick some up!