Rain Water Harvesting

As the temperature rises, so does the need for water in our gardens. We could debate if we are in a drought or just returning to a normal weather pattern, but the fact is we aren't getting as much water as we would like to have. Yes, this past winter was better than some, but one never knows what the next winter will bring and therefore one good winter tends to leave us with a sense of false security.

We can also discuss water saving methods over and over again, but I think most people know what they are and I also think that most people are actually using them and trying to conserve water. However, the question remains as to what to do in the garden to further reduce water usage? You have added compost to the soil, you have added mulch to retain moisture, you are using a drip irrigation system and have even planted some native plants. But what if you want to grow vegetables or other types of plants? These take water and lots of it. What if you just want to keep your plants alive that are already there?

That leaves one in a quandry. Does one give up gardening of all sorts? Should we let everything die? Should we not try to grow our own food? Should we not plant new trees or beautiful flowers. I hope not, because what kind of a world would we have without the beauty and tranquility of gardens?

The benefits of a garden are many. Housing developments with rocks for yards and no trees for miles around are not my idea of a great way to live. I for one, cannot even begin to imagine living without the benefits of cooling shade from the trees, the privacy that shrubs and bushes provide, the fragrance and color from all the different flowers, the delicious goodness from homegrown vegetables and fruits or the peace and tranquilty provided on a quiet afternoon in a garden.

And what about the wildlife? They too are receipents of the benefits of a green and healthy garden. A garden provides them with food, shelter and protection from the elements. What happens to the wildlife that inhabits our gardens if we had to just let everything die off?

So what is the solution? Is there even a solution at all? I think so. As the drought looms over us year after year, ready to eliminate our ability to maintain our gardens at any moment, we have got to plan ahead and find solutions to provide water for ourselves and our gardens. So what is the solution? Well, I personally think it is rain water harvesting and this is what I will be working towards at my home. When you think about the amount of water just running off our roofs and how it could provide a sustainable source of irrigation water during the summer, why not try to capture it?

One of the many obstacles to this is, of course, the cost. But luckily, there are many ways to do this and I think that it needs to be incorporated more and more into our overall water conservation plans. Yes we have to be good stewards and conserve as much as possible, but why not add rain water harvesting to our bag of tricks?

I have read lots of articles that recommend adding a rain barrel to your downspout to water your garden with, but since the average rain barrel can only hold about 50 to 75 gallons of water, this isn't going to sustain you throughout a long, hot and dry summer. Plus during a rain storm or when snow is melting, it won't be long until it is overflowing. Most people are going to need something larger.

The key is to add as many rain water storage tanks as possible or put in one of those large ones that hold several thousand gallons. If you are opposed to the look of that or don't have the room to put one, here is a nifty solution.

http://www.aquascapeinc.com/why_rainwater_harvesting

While this is pricer than using 55 gallon drums and creating a daisy chain, it is much more attractive and since it is underground, it obviously doesn't take up a lot of room in your yard. I never knew this option existed and for some, it could be the perfect answer. For those of us on smaller budgets, I recommend looking for used 55 gallon drums and you can connect them together with PVC pipe. This is a good way to start capturing rain water, even while on a small budget.

You can do a search on the internet as well and it will reveal many clever ways people across the country and the world are using to capture rain water. Ingenuity is very prevalent in some of these homemade systems and we can get a lot of inspiration and ideas from them.

The whole point is to start saving that rain water and snow in the winter. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all save rainwater and eliminate using our tap water for outside irrigation? Rainwater is so much better for plants and trees since it doesn't contain any chlorine or other chemcials. Think about it. Perhaps rainwater harvesting could be an important tool in our water conserving arsenol.

Gardens

Well folks, with the 4th of July holiday behind us, summer is in full swing. That means outdoor gardening efforts are stepping up. We want to remind everyone that we have lots of mulch available FREE OF CHARGE to help you conserve water in your garden.

If you haven't already, now might be a great time to start a compost pile. Soil that has been amended with compost retains more moisture and therefore makes your watering efforts more productive.

Even if you don't garden, the trees and other plants that are in your yard can benefit from the addition of compost. Compost not only helps the soil retain water, but it nourishes it as well, providing much needed nutrients to trees and other plants you may have in your yard. If you do nothing else, add some compost to your soil.

If you do enjoy gardening and would like to share your garden with others, please feel free to email me your pictures at pcwd2675@yahoo.com and I will happily post them here on the blog.

In fact, I would love to post any pictures you take around the Pine Cove area. So go ahead and email them to me.
o

Payments are due

Your current water bill was due on June 25. In order to avoid a late charge, please get your payments in as soon as possible. Thank you.

Summer finally here?

Well I think it is safe to say that summer is finally here. This is great news for gardners. One pleasure of the summer garden is of course, the herb garden. For those who love to garden and cook, this is a double pleasure. I love being in the garden and just smelling the herbs as they are growing. Even more delightful is cooking with the herbs fresh from the garden. I also dry them for use over the long winter months. Let us know what herbs you enjoy growing and what you do with them. My two personal favorites are as follows:

Mint- Mints are a must have in the garden. Spearmint and peppermint top our list and are wonderful when added to freshly brewed ice tea. There are many varieties of mints, so a trip to the nursery is a fun way to spend the afternoon just checking out all the different varities. Even if you don't plan to use the mint in your cooking, it smells so darn good in the garden that you have to grow it just for that reason alone. It is a little invasive, but you can solve that by putting it into a container or putting it in a pot and planting the pot in the garden. No one will ever know your secret that way!

Basil- This is a big favorite of mine for cooking. Basil is great, not only seasoning sauces, but it is fabulous on sandwiches and in salads. I personally feel that one can never have too much basil. If you are like me and make your own spaghetti and pizza sauces, then you will want to grow a lot of basil and dry it for use during the winter months. It is wonderful added to soups and stews as well.

I also plant sage, parsley, oregano and dill. You can plant whatever herbs you like and will use. Herbs are easy to grow and extremely useful and I high recommend planting a few in your garden if you haven't already.

It's Official!

The Pine Cove Water District's Annual Customer Appreciation Lunch was a big success! The food was wonderful and the weather was spectacular. Approximately 40 Pine Covers came out to take advantage of a free lunch at a beautiful setting and enjoyed barbequed tri tip sandwichs, homemade salads of several varieties, ice cream, "sodees" and good company.

A tour of the Dutch Flats facility was led by our General Manager, Jerry Holldber. Stitch and several other dogs were in attendance and they had as good of a time as the humans! All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. We can't wait until next year and we hope to see you there in 2011!

June Billing

Water bills were sent out last week and are due by the 25th of this month. For your convenience, we now accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards. You can use them in person or over the phone. There is $2.50 convenience charge that goes directly to the credit card processing company. This is a quick and easy way to pay your water bill and is especially handy for those who live off the hill. Please call Becky at 951-659-2675 or email her at Becky@pcwd.org for more information on this matter. We hope this helps to make paying your water bill easier.

As usual, we still accept payments at our office at 24917 Marion Ridge Rd. Our hours are 9 to 12 and 1 to 4, Monday through Friday. If you arrive at the office after hours, please feel free to slip your payment through the slot in the door. Of course you can also mail your payment into us if that is easier for you.

Please remember that bills that are not paid by the 10th of July will be charged wtih a late fee. If you are having difficulties paying your water bill, please call Becky at 951-659-2675. Thank you.

Board Meeting

Our next board meeting will be on June 9, 2010 at 10 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend. The agenda for the meeting will be posted on June 4, 2010. We hope to see you at the meeting.

RSVP

In order to give us a better idea of how many people will be attending our Customer Appreciation Day BBQ, please RSVP to Becky or Vicki at 951-659-2675. We want to be sure to make enough food to go around. Thank you.

Billing

It is June 1st and that means it is billing time. Please remember that we bill the first of the even months. February, April, June, August, October and December are our billing months. The bills are due on the 25th of the month they are received in and if they are not paid by that time, a late notice will be generated and sent to you. If your bill is not paid by the 10th of the next month, a $15 late fee will be added to your account.

Please keep these dates in mind when figuring your budget so you can pay your bill in a timely manner. If you are experiencing difficulties, please call the office at 951-659-2675 and talk to Becky, our office manager. She handles all the billing and is very happy to work with you. If you do not contact her, she has no way of knowing that you are experiencing difficulties and will have no choice but to charge late fees to your account. Keeping the lines of communication open is the best way to handle a difficult situation and to find a solution that works for all parties involved.

Customer Appreciation Day

Hopefully everyone had a fun filled Memorial Day Weekend. It seemed there was lots to do from yard sales to BBQs. The weather was beautiful so no matter what activities you chose to participate in, it should have been enjoyable!

Now that it is June 1st, it is time to remind you about our annual Customer Appreciation Day, complete with a BBQ lunch. It will be held at Dutch Flats again this year and all Pine Cove residents are welcome to come. It is a wonderful opportunity to come out and meet some fellow Pine Covers, have a wonderful lunch and find out what is going on with the water distict.

The BBQ will start right after the Pine Cove Property Owners Association meeting. Jerry Holldber, General Manager of the Pine Cove Water District will be giving a talk at the PCPOA meeting, so you might want to attend the meeting first and then head on over to Dutch Flats for lunch. Jerry and Stitch will be holding court at Dutch Flats and will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the water district.

Due to their immense popularity, we will again be serving tri tip sandwiches. We will also have homemade salads and some desserts available. You don't want to be late because last year there wasn't a single bite of tri tip left. So make sure you get there early and get yours. You can enjoy the beautiful setting at Dutch Flats, tour the aeration plant or just enjoy having lunch in the great outdoors under the trees. Hope to see you there!

Happy Memorial Day!

The first holiday weekend of the summer is upon us! Can this be possible? While you would never know it by the weather, the calendar says it is so. Yard salers will be out in full force and I am sure the village will be hopping with tourists. If you have to drive into town, please drive carefully. I have found that on these holiday weekends, the roads are full of people who are familiar with our area or pedistrians who meandor on and off the streets at will.

The water district office will be closed on Monday May 31, 2010 in observance of Memorial Day. Our regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, June 1. As always, someone will be on call should an emergency arise.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend from everyone here at the Pine Cove Water District. Jerry, Becky, Vicki, Jerry J., Jeremey, Mike and of course Stitch.

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.

Frugal Fridays

It is now after Mother's Day, so I am hoping it is safe to start planting. I have lettuce coming up as well as peas. I put 4 cucumber plants in and one kicked the bucket already, so I am hoping the other 3 hang in there. I have had to cover them several days and nights. I am chomping at the bit to get everything in.

I am also chomping at the bit to get started on some garden projects. My first one is a fairy chair. I found an old wooden chair from the thrift shop in the village. I lined the seat with wire and planted it. I put one strawberry plant in the front and filled the rest with morning glory seeds. I love morning glories and I am hoping they actually grow. The chair is in a sunny spot, but that means the soil is going to dry out very quickly. Once the seeds sprout and are a few inches tall, I will mulch the whole planter to help retain the moisture. Once the morning glories come up, they will grow up and over the chair and down and around the legs and through the garden. It should look very nice.

I did spray paint the chair green prior to planting it. I am hoping that the chair blends in with the plants and it will eventually look like the morning glories are floating in air. Since the garden the chair sits in is full of mint and vinca, there isn't much flower action going on there. So the morning glories will give the mint garden a shot of color all summer long. Stay tuned for pictures.

Breaking News!

The bluebird houses are back!! We recently had a run on our bird houses and ran out. I know several of you were disappointed when you stopped in and we didn't have any. We are happy to announce that we have a fresh supply so if you didn't get one, please feel free to stop in and pick one up.