Saturday Morning Counting

Sure, it's a terrible pic, but it's a beautiful sight

My grandfather grew up in the depression. When I knew him, the depression was long past, but you could see it in his actions and motivations all through his life. There is a ghost of hard times that clings to us.

The drought of the last few years is that for me. This dry spring has scared me a bit. Rain in this part of the country has always been a little scarce and something to be savored, but these days it's more desperately precious.

I sat outside the coffee house this morning, thanking the Lord for this morning's blessing in a dry land.

While I am being thankful...

Toni, Brittany, Vickie, Dustin, and the rest of the family

John, Keith, Chris, and all those who gather around the coffee table

Larry, Julie, and Brandon who stay on my heart more than they will ever know

Spencer and Jereme

My coworkers

The dogs who force me to smile every morning

Free will (even if it gives me the opportunity to be stupid and weird and overwhelmed)

The freedom of a bicycle

The security of a home

Mockingbirds

The people who choose to strive for a healthier world for all

The people who choose to read this blog (we hit 30,000 views this week)

May you remember to count and appreciate your blessings, and may that list be the thing that overwhelms you.

A Better (than my) Rain Barrel

Last year, Keith, Swartzy, and I had a rain barrel party in the driveway. And it went well. We took some free plastic barrels (Thank you, Grizz!), added some hardware, did a little cutting and drilling, and came up with some pretty effective rain barrels. And I have been amazed at how much rain we collect each time it rains. Actually, it fills up so quickly that most of the water has to be diverted. The 55-gallon barrel fills up long before the rain stops.

I hope to build three more rain barrels soon in order to take advantage of every drop I can.

 Photo from the CAGW post

 

A few days ago I ran across a Crafting a Green World post about a slightly different rain barrel approach that has a number of distinct advantages over the ones we made last year. The featured barrel uses less hardware and that hardware is easier to install. It has better provisions for filtration and mosquito avoidance, and it should be easier to service and clean out. I also like the idea of a cinder-block base. It is, however, lacking any type overflow. All in all, it looks like an improvement over mine, so I thought I'd share it with you, dear reader.

Check Out My [CAGW] Rain Barrel

May not a drop be wasted at your home!

Lubbock: Remember the Drought?

One of the best parts of being a bicycle commuter is getting a closer look at where you live.

One of the worst parts of being a bicycle commuter is getting a closer look at where you live.

Over the last few weeks I have seen a change in the town - people, businesses, churches, and schools have started watering their yards.

On a bike, that means 1) it's time to install some fenders, 2) you need to be careful to avoid all of the standing water, or 3) you are going to show up at work with a muddy butt. My watery nemesis these days is the southwest corner of 50th and Utica.

In a bigger sense, it means that we (Lubbock) are not scared of drought.
.
I have been following the plight of Californians in this time of drought. Things are getting desperate. A very informative article showed up on Mother Jones this week. As I was reading through it, I realized how many of the same issues they are facing are very present here. The only difference is that we were fortunate enough to get some significant rain in recent times. We were (ever-so-slightly) pulled out of our severe drought. The Californians haven't been so fortunate.

Mother Jones: 7 Key Facts about the Drought

The article highlights drought issues surrounding municipal water use, agricultural water use, and fracking water use. (Sound familiar?) It also includes a pretty terrifying graphic that captures US drought conditions 1 week ago.

Image from the Mother Jones article (with a few additions)

California (of course) shows extreme drought throughout the state. The Texas panhandle has the next-most severe drought area - in the counties just to the north and east of Lubbock.

It's early April. Today's forecast already has us in the 90's.

Lubbock citizens, please actively pursue water conservation.

May we work together for a common good.

PCR: Another form of self-watering garden - cheap and easy!!!

While searching out the method for building the self-wicking raised-bed planter, I ran across another interesting form of subterranean (big word points on that one!) watering setup. This one is simple, cool, and ancient. And it's cheap and easy to build. And it's been used for centuries. And it's easy to install. It's the olla - pronounced oy-uh.

These beauties are from the Growing Awareness Urban Farm (link below)

Yes - you can buy fancy, artsy, beautiful, ready-made ollas; but here at the Mesquite Hugger alternative growing lab, we believe in things like cheap, like DIY, like quick, like cheap, and ugly does not bother us if it's cheap and effective. Besides, these things are designed to be buried.

Check out the Closer to the Dirt link below to learn more about making and using your own ollas.

Closer to the Dirt: Experimenting with Ollas

For those of you who are not cheap and do have an eye for the aesthetic, check out this site from Albuquerque. They have some beautiful ollas with very reasonable prices (especially if you are local and do not have to pay shipping). The site is very informative and inspiring. I urge you to spend some time poking around there to see people who are working hard to make a difference in their community.

Growing Awareness Urban Farm

May we not ignore the past when learning how to thrive in the future.

West Texas: Another Sight We Seldom See

I have family about two hours south of here. I spend a lot of time heading up and down Highway 84. South of Post, it is a really beautiful drive - at least for the first several hundred trips. Eventually, it all becomes background. I find myself driving by without noticing the beauty.

One place I do still notice is the Brazos River crossing at Justiceburg. I always glance as I drive over to see if there is a little bit of mud in the riverbed. On fantastic days, there is a little trickle of movement in the water. Over the years, I have seen actual running water three times, and one of those was last Saturday. And I wanted to share it with you. If you live somewhere that actually has naturally-occurring running water, you might not appreciate the red mud stream, but for those of us who are local, it is downright miraculous.

Brazos Running

May you see miracles in your version of the drought!

PS - The impatient white beast at the end is my Sasha, who really wanted us to take a swim. More about her here:
Sashadoption
And here:
Thoreau for your Brain, Sasha for your Smile

And here is the last MH post about the about Justiceburg and the Brazoz:
Save Lubbock's Rivers

Good morning, friends!

It is a rainy Friday morning in Lubbock, and it is glorious!

Readership has been way up on this blog lately, and I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read these scribblings. I hope you find inspiration, mirth, and motivation in what you read here.

Lots of random stuff:

I saw two Inca dove this week. I haven't seen them here in several years. Beautiful smaller dove - easily recognized by the burnt red color visible under their wings when they fly.

And a tiny Mediterranean gecko was scarfing mosquitoes near the mailbox - too fast for photos.

I finished reading the Urban Bestiary (finally) and have been reeling from the ideas presented in the last chapter of what seemed a simple book. I am now reading Crow Planet by the same author and finding it equally inspirational.

The National Bike Challenge is going very well - very happy to have joined it - 18 days left!

I learned about another bike group that I am learning more about - I found them on the back of a beer bottle from our bike and beer loving friends in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
New Belgium and Bikes

I ordered some used battery packs for building a lithium-ion battery pack for my winter bike. (Next week is National Drive Electric Week - Keith, be ready!)

I learned about a very cool neighborhood revitalization project/movement. Check it out at betterblock.org.

The playa lakes are full again - if you are near the park at Quaker and the South Loop in the evening, check out the island in the middle - it has become a rookery for snowy egrets. Let's build islands in all the playa lakes in town - tiny bird sanctuaries in the middle of our lakes!

Thank you again for reading! May you have health, joy, and blessing!

Fight the Drought!!! Wolfforth Water Expo - this weekend

It's looking like one of those weekends. You know that one weekend where you already have plans so everyone plans their cool things to do on that weekend?

One of those cool things to do is happening in Wolfforth, Texas on Saturday.

For those of you who, like me, are concerned about our rapidly diminishing water supply, here is an opportunity for you to get out of the house and learn more, and to find ways to do something about this drought. For information, check out this poster or find the expo on Facebook.

 For those of you who are not worried, I submit two photos of Clapp Park here in Lubbock.

8-5-14

There are four days between these photos.

8-9-14

May you and your neighbors have plenty.

PS> If you go, please consider writing a guest piece for this blog. I will be in another part of the state helping a wonderful young lady to become a horned lizard.

Local Wildlife: The Texas Spiny Lizard, A Bobcat Sighting - and Water

Last year, I posted a tiny gecko who was hanging out on our backyard tree, this time it was a huge Texas spiny lizard that was running around on the outside of my mother's home. He was nice enough to run down into a crack and wait there for a quick photo. Until today's research, I always heard these little guys called "fence swifts," but I like the sound of "Texas spiny lizard" much better. This one was at least eleven inches long.

Here is the Wikipedia entry for the lizard in question. Enjoy!

My second and more surprising sighting came a few hours later as we were headed home. It was about 8:30 pm on Highway 84 just northwest of Snyder. Prowling along the fence was a bobcat. A real, live, pointy-eared, bobbed-tailed bobcat! I have never seen a live one in the real world. Snagit, that was awesome!

Here is the Wikipedia entry for the cat in question.

Please conserve water. Here is today's headline:

May your day hold a wonderful surprise!

PS - for you regular regular readers, I am taking a short blog vacation. I will see you again next week!

Don't forget Ride to Work Day 2014 is this Friday.

As always, thank you for reading!

Local Event: Lubbock Preparedness Fair this Weekend

It's not every day that I get to promote a Lubbock event that promotes backyard chickens! 

Just a few of the things you could learn about. (I highlighted a few that we have discussed on MH.)

There are lots of details available on the website, but the overall goes something like this:

Saturday, March 29

10am-3pm

70th and Frankford Avenue

It's FREE!

Here's the website: http://www.lubbockpreparednessfair.com/

Tell them the Mesquite Hugger sent you!

May your weekend prepare you for something!

Lubbock Electric Car Spotting - My Dorkdom Conversion is complete!

Woohoo!!! The first one I have seen in person!

So, my first dream car was a 1963 Corvette Coupe. Then I discovered the Italians and the Lamborghini Countach was added to the dream stable. Over the years the dream garage kept getting bigger and bigger, and even odder. Each time I saw a car from the list, my heart leapt.

Well, today it happened again. I went out for lunch and found a Ford C-Max Energi parked next to Lucy. I completely admit it. I have turned into the dad from every dork movie ever made. No fins, no V-12, no auto-sexiness whatsoever. It is a plug-in range-extended Ford that falls into an attainable price range for an average middle-classer. It has the ability to do most of my family's running about on no gasoline whatsoever. It also has the capability to travel long distances without having to stop for charging. And my heart leapt!

Ick. The view from the office next to mine.

On a drier and dirtier note, I am suffering from post-vacation depression. I spent the weekend next to a beautiful lake. There were naturally occurring green plants surrounding me. There were streams with running water. I saw two great blue herons within 100 feet of each other. And there was rain, life-giving glorious rain!

Now I am back home in Lubbock reading articles about surrounding towns that have less than 90 days of water in reserve.

Some West Texas counties could run out of water in 90 days

May your skies be blue and clear, and may there be water for us all.

Roll Out the (Rain) Barrel (Mark Your Calendar)

Happiness is a rain barrel!

(http://www.hoklife.com/tag/rain-barrel/)

A day late and a gallon short, so to speak, I learned that on Tuesday night Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, gave a talk here in Lubbock. You can click on the title and visit his very informative website that is designed for people who live in areas of  very little rainfall to harvest and conserve our most precious natural resource. Snagit!!! Please check out the site.

While you are there, you can also check out a book on a subject that is near and dear to the Mesquite Hugger heart and stomach: Eat Mesquite.

For another local opportunity for you to learn about rainwater harvesting (and to use tools!), mark your calendar for the Make and Take Rain Barrel Workshop Saturday, April 12, 2014 here in Lubbock. If you want a rain barrel but do not have the tools, skills, or place to make one, this is your chance to work with others and make it happen!

I hope to see you there!

May your barrel runneth over!

WATER: Today's Avalanche Journal Front Page

Why should we need incentives? We live in a desert under extreme drought conditions. Towns in our region have completely dried up. We have a great deal invested in living here, and we are quite screwed if we run out of water.

Why should we need incentives to conserve water?

A decent place to start if you want to make changes:
The EPA's Water Use Checklist

May your home town not dry up and blow away.

For you tiny house fanatics out there

(Notice that I snuck in a gratuitous vintage scooter shot here. Somebody get that guy a helmet - and some arms!)

We are resurrecting an old house for my mother and brothers after last week's fire, and it has me thinking again about tiny houses. The house we are re-building is actually three tiny houses tied together. (These tiny houses were called lake cabins when they were originally built.) Keith, Grizz, Swartz and I had great fun installing roofing, sheetrock, flooring and lots of other wonderful stuff on a building that was originally 14' x 20'.

I have mentioned Derek Markham's writing before and thought this would be a great time to share his website that has all kinds of great tiny house resources. Enjoy!

Derek Markham's Tiny House Site

By the way, how cool would it be to introduce yourself as, "I am Joe Smith, builder of tiny houses"?

May your house be Goldilocksian - just right!

Fire in Drought and 10 Sustainable Living Tips

On a more personal than usual note for this blogger, I have often written about the drought conditions near my mother's home. The lake is dry and the land surrounding her home is filled with brush. Two days ago, those conditions proved to be just right for a fire. No people were hurt, two beloved dogs, her house, two other houses, and all their contents were completely destroyed.

Only one plastic flamingo succumbed to smoke inhalation!

Please keep brush clear from your home and be prepared with fire alarms, extinguishers, and emergency evacuation plans. It is amazing how quickly fire can spread in these dry conditions.

And, to all of you who have shown support to our family, THANK YOU so very much! We have been amazingly blessed with the caring and generosity of the people and communities around us.

For those of you missing your Mesquite Hugger fix, here is great article outlining ten greener living tips that require little investment in time or money. The article is written by Derek Markham, a New Mexico Treehugger writer who is definitely worth following if you are a follower of this blog.

10 Low-tech tactics for living more sustainably

May God bless and keep you all safe and surrounded by people who care.

Texas Wildlife - Sandhill Cranes

My mother lives on what is left of a lake 110 miles south of Lubbock. As is the case with most bodies of water in West Texas these days, there is almost no water in the lake. And that is mostly a terrible thing. But there has been a few distinct advantages for some wildlife. Since the water is shallow, the mud is deep, and the vegetation is thick, people no longer flock to the lake. But the birds do.

And my favorite birds there this time of year are the sandhill cranes. When I visit there, I am enthralled by these elegant and vocal giants. I usually sneak away for fifteen minutes or so to sit in a secluded place to watch and listen to them. I never feel more human or any closer to God than I do when I am in the presence of such natural beauty.

Then, being a stupid human, I usually pull out the phone to take a picture. A picture that ends up looking like a mudhole with gray dots.

On Treehugger.com this morning, there is an article that features some great Jaymi Heimbuch photos of sandhill cranes. Enjoy!

Treehugger Sandhill Cranes

May you be fortunate enough to be enthralled by the world around you today!

Special bonus link:

The International Crane Foundation - Sandhill Page