Projects Coming Up and Lists

by Ameda Holmes

It seems to be quite ordinary to have multiple projects going at once. Whether it has to do with the multiplicity of chores that need to be done on a developing homestead, updating and repairing clothing, decor changes to the living spaces, improving organization, and creating items for sale, the project list sometimes seems to be getting longer as items are completed.

This doesn't bother me at all. The production measured against my project list is quite satisfying. I did discover that I do have to create lists in order to keep from getting overwhelmed and confused. While I have received dismissive comments to the effect that the detail in my lists is unnecessary, I have found the detail is not only satisfying as it gets checked off, but needful actions don't get overlooked.

There is a daily chore list where individual items just get a checkmark as completed. Making the bed, feeding animals, doing dishes, taking out trash, etc.

A weekly list includes items such as dealing with leftovers. For example, freezing meals for the next week, making stew from left over meats and veggies. Baking bread, any cleaning and organizing projects, and mending, laundry & putting clothes away. With the guys working on remodeling and painting projects away from the homestead during the week, there is a need for portable meals to avoid additional expense.

A monthly list consists of the bills and due dates. While not actually projects, this is a very important part of our household organization. It is also where we schedule spending for materials and equipment.

While most of the homestead construction projects are on the shoulders and strength of the male half of this partnership, I do have input on appearance, priority and problem-solving. I also have some personal projects that are within my strength and energy level. This is a longer term list, as the time / money / energy equation gets continually updated.

A few items on the current list include:
Porch / greenhouse / dining room on the west side of the house. The entry stairs and first 8'x10' porch are mostly completed, though the white fabric awning needs to be replaced with a roof. The awning got taken down this week, though the new roof needs some purchased materials before it can go up.
We have a pile of reclaimed corrugated plastic roofing for this, and hopefully we have enough for the greenhouse as well.

A 16'x16' deck / porch on the east side of the house that will eventually (hopefully this winter) get enclosed for my studio space.

An enclosed storage room under the south end of the house. The house mover left the several-hundred-pound trailer tongue under this area. Rahn got help to manhandle this out around the tie-down straps and help to dig out the sand to level the area prior to it getting enclosed.

A much larger rabbitry needs to be constructed to protect the bunnies from predators and extremes of weather. We lost bunnies to both this summer.

The current cages did get moved to where the new rabbitry will get constructed, and a start was made on the construction. More to be done here as well.

The garden:
First iteration of the garden is going to be in 5 gallon buckets enclosed by half-pallet sides. Most of the soil here is composed of sandstone gravel and clay. Very low in organic matter, so buckets of amended soil as we get larger amounts of compost made will do for now. We can get a nearly unlimited number of free pallets and buckets, and plan to get a chipper to chop up brush in the future.

I'll be planting some radishes and cabbage in a couple planters today.

When I was living in an apartment in Irving I had a successful container garden. The containers here at the homestead will be much larger.

Eventually most of the property will have gardens. Food is the first priority, of course. Some of the plants I want to grow for fiber and dye are quite decorative and will be sited with an eye towards enhancing the overall appearance of the property. I also want to get some wild blackberry starts to plant along the edges of the property, some fruit trees, and perhaps some nut trees.

The "Making" list has sub-headings of clothing, household, and trade goods. This is probably the largest list, though the homestead construction projects are individually larger items. This is also the list that gets longer as I work on items. I have a quirk where I'm working on a project, and a variant occurs to me. I'll put it on the list and write down any details that pop up.

A couple examples of this:
I was knitting one of my favorite edgings on the lace wristers I was finishing. It occurred to me that I could use some of my acrylic yarn stash and knit panels to be mounted in reclaimed wood frames as fencing for the front yard. There was a FB post a few years ago where a knitter in the Shetland Isles made a fence around her garden using fishing net cord and over-sized needles. She used the same edging pattern as I was currently knitting.

Another variant of this was a project I did a few years ago as display panels. The panels I did then didn't survive the multiple moves of the years between then and now, but I plan to get some of these done this week. Reclaimed lumber frames, and twine to make dream-catcher centers.

Other "Making" projects include clothing for both of us. I currently have several historical re-enactment items cut out that just need sewing.

I am also cutting up a number of old pairs of jeans and piecing them into fabric to be used for covers for furniture and a cowboy duster.

Reclaimed denim is also a great resource for the trade goods list. Little bags, medium bags, quilts, wall hangings, are all on the list to be done.

Then there is my sizable stash of fabrics, yarn, jewelry supplies, and the creativity that gets splattered around my work space.

An on-going item on the "making" list is regular time spent spinning yarns to be used in future projects. I can sometimes get some production done as part of public spinning demonstrations. Honestly, there is a lot more explaining of the process than actual spinning happening.

Rain Water Harvesting

Fall rains will be arriving in north Texas soon.

As a beginning for figuring how much rainwater can be captured, one inch of rainfall can produce 0.62 gallons per square foot of collection (roof) area.

A 1,000 square foot roof with a 1 inch rainfall would produce 620 gallons. That seems like quite a bit of water, and the weight of that much water is 2.5 tons.
However, most households go through that much water in only a few days to a week. Laundry, lawn & garden watering, baths, toilets use the largest amount of water, with potable water usage being much less.

In practice, the actual harvested amount will be lower depending on several factors. Heavy rain events can lead to water cascading over the rain gutters, or fail to drain into tanks because gutters and pipes can't handle the amount. Some water is lost to first flush systems, or when tanks become full, water simply overflows the system.

As a more practical figure, 75% of the potential amount is a good estimate.

If I plug in our roof square footage, 1,072 square feet x 0.62 gallons per one inch of rain, by 0.75 to account for the loss factor, that comes out as 498.5 gallons.

While we currently don't have sufficient storage for our water needs, this area averages 41 inches of moisture per year. That figures out to a potentional 20,438 gallons!

The tank in the image was designed to be only decorative, we're working with the idea of having functional versions

Our plans include using a number of 50 gallon food grade barrels with equalizing plumbing so they fill and empty in unison. Some will be installed under the house to protect them from temperature extremes.

With a good filtering system, we plan to be independent of the water companies.

How do you make sure the water you harvest and store is clean?

Make sure junk never gets into the storage.

Starts with the roof itself.

This trailer is old and the roof has quite a bit of rust. We were thinking of dealing with it with more filtration, but we came up with a better idea.

We'll be coating the roof with three 18' x 24' tarps. At $99 each from Amazon, we'll have several benefits.

The tarps will keep the rust from the roof from getting into the rainwater in the first place.

We can get tarps as we can afford them. The first one will go over the north end of the house. Rahn already has one 20 foot section of gutter on the back side of the house, and he'll put another 20 foot section on the front when he gets the tarp put up.

The tarps are white, so we'll have less heat gain during the summer heat.

The tarps will keep the roof from rusting out further, giving us needed breathing space until the roof needs to be replaced. It's not leaking YET but I wouldn't count on the roof metal lasting another year at this point. We're estimating that the tarps will give us at least another two years.

The house is 67 feet long, so the second tarp will go over the south end of the house, leaving only 19 feet of the center to be covered by the third, giving plenty of overlap.

With the tarps keeping the rust out of the rainwater, the next part of keeping the water in the storage clean is what is called a "first flush" system. Basically, this diverts the first bit of water - including dust and bird droppings - into a side pipe and then lets the bulk of the rainwater into the storage tanks. It's simple to build out of bits and pieces of PVC pipe, and Rahn is working on that today.

After the first flush fills up, the water will come down the downspout. Before it hits the tank, It goes through a home made filter. Poly fiber, charcoal and gravel ensure that the water going into the storage is as clean as we can get it, and keeps mosquitoes from gaining access.

To prevent the growth of algae, we're keeping sunlight from the barrels. Some of the barrels are the blue poly, and wouldn't be susceptible to algae growth, but we do have a couple white barrels.

The barrels will be sited on the north end of the house on an elevated stand, and Rahn plans to enclose them with a protective box. This will improve the appearance of the set up as well as keep the barrels from any weather damage.

The barrels will be connected with a manifold that lets them fill and drain in unison, and can be expanded with more barrels to keep our water storage ahead of our needs.

There are a number of very good resources online.
This PDF is one of the best I've found. http://www.twdb.texas.gov/…/RainwaterHarvestingManual_3rded…
And this one from Texas A&M is also a big help.
https://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/
It also includes links to quite a few useful publications.

Here is an affiliate link to the tarps we are using on the roof: 18 foot by 24 foot tarp )