Rain Barrels To The Rescue

This is my friend Paul Van Heden. He makes really pretty, cute, fun, fancy artsy rain barrels here in Western North Carolina! Today he came over to drop off two hand picked & painted barrels so i can start collecting rain at my cabin, and most importantly at my mini-barn where JuJu the donkey and my chickens live. I have a small spring coming from underground where the animals stay, and also spring water I fill up in buckets at my cabin and drag down to the barn, sloshing water on my jeans and down into my shoes all along the way. These rain barrels will make watering the animals a hella easier...

And seriously... aren't they cute? Nothing wrong with a ridculously adorable & eco friendly rain barrel!

These have two holes at the top with a net over them, so I have to set up a gutter/down spout to direct the water into the tank... until then it'll be all about getting the right aim in the rain. :)

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"One inch of rain on a 1,000-square-foot roof will yield around 600 gallons of water, the average American uses 100 gallons of water per day." (water conservation)

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We give these water barrels two thumbs, hooves, claws, and paws up!

Xoxoxoxox

Upcycled Rain Barrel From Olive Container

I have been wanting a Rain Barrel for quite a long time and have kicked myself for not getting one sooner since we have been in a horrible drought for two years now. Oh, but today they were selling rain barrels at the local health food grocery for nearly half the price of the ones I drooled over online! The dreamy one I wanted most was made from upcycled olive containers, where they had cured olives (mmmm)... and that is what I got. The cool part is actually still smells like olives, yum yum, and I almost had the urge to lick the inside of my rain barrel.

There is minor assembly required to install the spigot and hose attachment, which in all honesty the directions that came with this rain barrel made me giggle and go "oh no it doesn't say THAT !?" he he. Mainly if you have potty humor and are easily entertained by instructions like "screw nipple into spigot, hand tighten" this can send you into a stream of naughty rain barrel jokes.
You actually have to squeeze your body into the rain barrel to screw all these nipples, spigot and washers together - which heroically my friend Nick Coe volunteered to do. (I think he just liked sticking his head in the barrel and screwing the nipple on the spigot) ! oi!

Something I am looking forward to doing with my rain barrel is actually collecting snow! Snow has been called "the poor man's fertilizer" and whenever it snows alot during the winter then crops grow better. Snow and rain have an effect on plants that hose water, filtered water, city water just can't match, which is why collecting rain & snow is essential for keeping a healthy organic garden.

YAY!