The rain just keeps on coming. Folk are being evacuated over in Flintridge for fear of mudslides.
I paid my water bill yesterday and I asked the gentleman there if the Los Angeles County Waterworks harvest rain water. He didn’t know. He didn’t ‘think’ so. He said, after some thought, “No, we don’t harvest the rain water.”
During the worst of yesterday’s storm the trees were bent double, the rain was smacking into the house horizontally and a waterfall pounded under the drive. Perfectly normal, I might add, for Whitstable but noteworthy for Malibu.
One storm after another smashes into Southern California and will continue to do so until Friday. After the storms pass we will have a few days of glistening palm trees and clean air affording views for miles around then the black LA dust will start building up over everything all over again.
I am guessing that this winter will be very wet. Very, very wet.
Anyhow, the Democrats lost Massatusetts. It didn’t come as any great surprise. I imagine that it suits the White House as they now have a really good excuse not to do anything other than maintain the Bush status quo. Obama will have an even better excuse after the midterms when the Dems lose both houses to the Republicans and the arguments get easier. I am surprised we don’t all just start talking about terrorists again. It’s so much easier than discussing healthcare or equality for the gays.
Today Obama is ‘all up in my grill’ screaming at the banks-more hollow words from a president who sucks on the cock of the banking/insurance industries.
The problem with New Agers is that they don’t get back quickly enough. I am still waiting for the goat shelter to be built-so I can buy the goats. I am still waiting for the fencing man to get back to me and the gardeners with their plan. The only people who get back in a timely fashion are the solar guys who all want to sell $40k solar systems.
Sometimes I have a waking nightmare that by buying goats and chickens and creating a kitchen garden there is something oddly Michael Jackson about me. It was just a fleeting thought..
You can harvest your own rain. Rain barrels.
Hi there Duncan, just reading your blog. What insights!…..
Yes, L.A. does ‘harvest’ rainwater. Its called reservoirs. People have this notion that we can capture and reuse rainwater in Los Angeles, but we only experience rain for 2 months out of the year, usually very intense short bursts, which is the worst situation for any kind of water collecting. Seattle and England come to mind as two places that would benefit, slow dependable rain over many months to use in the few dry months.
Maybe you could get a whole bunch of rain barrels from the city, but they look bad and are pretty useless.
Good Luck with the goats and the veggies. Sounds divine! Erin
I dont see the banking system getting any better, or the economy..tried to cash a check today at bank of america, and they wanted to charge me $6, because i didnt have a account there! The check was written off their bank tho!
{and yes, i asked the teller, i seem to recall bailing out this bank, they sure as hell arent getting another dime of my money!}
as far as collecting rainwater , you do have to be careful with where it comes from, as far as toxins and dirt. in some parts of the contry standing rainwater results in bugs and bacteria, id check with your local country extension office, and in some states, they actually regulate water!{colorado does}
if you think they are taking too long to start projects with the goats and gardens, perhaps you should either, bug the hell out of them or find some one else who wants the job and the work. as slow as my works been id be delighted to work in a garden, always amazes me when you cant get some one to work. and the rain looks lovely outside your windows.
Hee, hee, Duncan. It’s GOATS, not a chimp or wild animals, but it was still a good joke to end on.
People won’t believe that climate change is real (and yes, we did cause it) until THEIR house gets washed away, shook apart, or buried in mud. Nobody learns the hard lessons unless it hurts.
(I’ve been posting about 3D movies lately.)
As a (mostly) life long resident of Massachusetts, I can tell you it was surprising that Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy’s old seat. Up until a month ago the Democrats (Martha Coakley) held a very strong lead, then, sorry to say they just blew it. Terrible campaigning, terrible debating and many, many terrible quotes used as sound bites aginst Coakley herself.
It is sad to see a Republican replace Ted Kennedy because, honestly, love him or hate him, he did have genuine concern for the working class and underprivilaged and he got things done.
the michael jackson comment had me laughing out loud!!!!!!! you are so not like michael jackson darling, darling duncan!!! equally talented, but oh please!!! poor michael. his poor, poor children. what a sad, sad life he led, and all the money in the world couldn’t bring him happiness or a feeling of self acceptance. you hang in their you amazing man.
good grief! i proof read after i sent the post………you hang in THERE, not their!!!!!!! and i’m a school teacher. albeit an incredibly tired school teacher!
Duncan, my wife and I are of somewhat like mind regarding off the grid living. I have a site which while it doesn’t seem to me quite what you’re aiming for has some truly interesting articles. http://www.backwoodshome.com/index.html
They talk about food preservation, building and all manner of self reliance. Hope you find it at least thought provoking.
“all up in my grill”? That made me laugh. Anyway, your house is gorgeous.
it would be really sweet of you to answer your comments duncan. i love your blog, but i would also like to read your thoughts on the comments left by your adoring fans, including me. please find time to respond to your fans! :0> and my first thought when i read your octomom blog today, was i wonder why this is something that matters to duncan that he would blog about it. do you know?