Rain, Baby, Rain

[jmfargo]

After a few very small overnight rain showers, our rain barrel filled quickly. I bumped it with my hip the other day to see how full it was, and was surprised to find that I didn't knock it over and felt resistance; I didn't realize that it had rained! I opened the top to see how much water there was and was delighted to see it was filled all the way to the spigot line! There's hope that this rain barrel idea will work! I am extremely hopeful that all season I'll be watering my garden with "fresh" water as opposed to the tap water that killed my basil plants overnight after one watering last year.

But something was nagging me. The water was up to the spigot line exactly. Strange coincidence that it would stop exactly there, I thought. It shouldn't have bothered me to much, and I dismissed the worry, screwed the cap back on, and happily bumped the barrel with my hip.

Only to watch as water sloshed out of the open spigot.

Oops. Probably should have made sure the thing was turned to the "off" position, huh? I wonder how much potential water we lost from the first rain shower. Oh well. Now we know.

I'm still super excited; I know it's silly, but I wasn't sure how well the rain barrel was going to work, so spending money on it seemed like a potential waste. Looks as though it's not a waste!

Comments

[norda.livejournal.com]

I'm still super excited; I know it's silly, but I wasn't sure how well the rain barrel was going to work, so spending money on it seemed like a potential waste. Looks as though it's not a waste!

I don't think it's silly at all!

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

It feels kind of silly to be so happy over something relatively trivial, and the fact that I doubted that something so simple as a rain barrel would work is definitely my brain being a little "duh." :)

It's raining more now, and I can hardly contain myself from running out to see how full the barrel is.

Now I just need to buy two more so we can have one on each drain.

[abbismom.livejournal.com]

Your tap water killed your basil plants overnight? I can believe it, but I'm still shaking my head over here. Yeeesh.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

Yup. One day I didn't use the filtered water because I hadn't gotten around to changing it. Overnight the basil plants went from growing into fine young plants to brown and dying. Brown like you get from over-watering, where they go kinda mushy? Yeah. Except I don't over-water.

I don't drink tap water any more here in Delaware.

[(Anonymous)]

Did you buy or build your rain barrel?
I was thinking of doing one myself, and didn't want to shell out the cash when you can put one together for much less (but more effort :) ).

-tt

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

We purchased it because the University, in a large effort to help the community "go green," was offering them at about half price to what we could find anywhere else. If they do it again this year and we have the money, I'm seriously buying one for every drain on the house. :)