Water Conservation

I love to garden. Working in the dirt makes me absolutely positively happy! I'm really pretty good with flowers.... veggies....not so much.

Since starting to garden, I have lamented my high water and sewer bills during the summer months. The
county sewer system is linked up to our water system (we are billed for sewer based on water usage), and due to massive corruption and ill advised bond swaps, the system (and therefore the County) has been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy for the past few years. And who do you think gets to pay the costs of the corruption? Yes, that would be the users. I have no problem paying for my usage. What I do have a problem with is paying for the corrupt politicians whose pocket lining made the usage costs sky high. Add on a few summer droughts and you've got gargantuan bills!

To combat the issue, I've taken a few steps to reduce our water usage. I've installed low flow toilets, low flow shower heads (word to the wise, older houses with really old pipes can be disagreeable to this...tread carefully) and I started catching rain in buckets for later use in the garden. The catching rain in buckets was a help, but it was definitely labor intensive and not the most time efficient. So, this year as my birthday rolled around, when family would ask what I wanted for my birthday, I kept saying a rain barrel.... the conversation went something like this:
Family: So, what do you want for your birthday?

Me: I really, really, really want a rain barrel.

Family: But that's so PRACTICAL! We want to get you something FUN!

Me: Gardening is FUN! So, a rainbarrel to make my posies all perky is FUN!

Family: (Rolled eyes)

Me: Where do I spend all my time in the spring and summer?

Family: In your garden....

Me: And why do I do it?

Family: Because you're just a little bit crazy?

Me: (Huffs)

Anyway, all that was a long way of saying the family came through! And I am now the proud owner of a rain barrel! Which now, I just have to figure out how to hook up!

But in the meantime, here are a few things blooming right this minute:

Daylilies

More Daylilies

Asters

Hmmmm..... I love Spring!