Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet - HOL Community Garden

Check out the pollen on that rear leg!

I'm not sure if he knows it or not, but Dustin and I are in training for some bigger bike rides in the next few months. So, yesterday after church we pedaled on over to the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden. The garden's looking great and the pollinators were downright intoxicated. It was awesome to be there and see all that tiny pollinating action happen on such a massive scale. All the six-legged critters were making it happen. Dustin was excited to see his science class lessons coming to life! (Thanks, Ms. Litteral!)

Definitely a Mesquite Hugger happy place!

Click here for the TMBG reference song/video

May we all be fortunate enough to find beauty even in tiny spaces.

Heart of Lubbock Community Garden Pedal-Powered Pump Update

Last weekend there was a little time to do some upgrades and re-install the pump. It's now (a little) easier to pedal, the pump is more securely mounted, and the belt has stopped slipping.

I am a little concerned about the pump we chose. It's still very hard to turn, especially when it has water in it. I am hoping that it will loosen up with use. If not, everything else is good, so it will just be a matter of finding a better pump and swapping it out.

The bigger sprocket helped a lot. It's one that's normally sold to use with those nasty little gas motors that people mount to bicycles. (It was in our bike boneyard.) It made it necessary to lengthen the chain. Our first attempt at brackets allowed too much movement, so we swapped those for some flat right-angle brackets and stud hangers - much sturdier.

And then there was the slipping belt to fix. We needed to make the bicycle rim into a better pulley to cradle and grip the drive belt. After a few other botched attempts, we came up with the idea to put an inverted belt into the channel to make a place for the original belt. Yep, one of those underwhelming MH eureka moments happened.

Semi-instant pulley!

Well, that's it for now. We'll see if the pump loosens up. Right now it pumps a gallon for every five seconds of pedaling, but a minute will wear a pedaler out. Still, we are getting closer!

May your garden love water you harvested yourself and may all of your pedaling be fruitful.

The Heart of Lubbock Community Garden Exercycle Water Pump Update

[How is that title for a mouth full of crunchy goodness?]

 

While it's not the square peg in a round hole syndrome, it's close. The pulley arrived in the mail Tuesday. I excitedly ripped the package open and ran to the garage to check for fit. So the shaft appears to be roughly 0.752", the pulley has a hole that's more like 0.748".

Ugh. It's the little things, or the slightly-too-little things that count.

So, I did what I do well when the going gets tough. I went to have coffee with Grizz. We examined the problem, and I found a solution. I handed the pump and pulley to Grizz and said, "Please fix this." (You should all be fortunate enough to have a Grizz to drink coffee with.)

This is Grizz fixing the problem.

Grizz fixed the problem!

This is my specialized exerbike fork spreader in action

The first belt was too short.

The second belt (pictured) was too long.

The third belt (62") was just right. 

Here's the maiden voyage - it pumps water well, but it's super hard to pedal and the belt slips a bit.

(Back to the drawing board, the bike boneyard, and the hardware store.)

 

Sheila wasn't too impressed by the pump, but she did like the compost pile and the greenhouse.

(You know how hard it is to impress a shepherd-princess.)

 

We are so close to having this thing up and pumping in our favorite community garden!

 

May your projects not need too many revisions or trips to the v-belt store, and may you live healthy and well in your community.

Lubbock in a Garden: Pedal-Powered Water Pump - More Progress! (Part 3)

(For all of you who've been following the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden series) 

 

See where it all started by clicking here and here.

 

Keeping words to a minimum. (Sometimes I talk too much.)

 

I really hate plumbing stuff, snagit!

(Nothing to see here.)

It's coming along.

 

Next steps:

• Create adjustable, sliding brackets for the pump
• Attach the V-belt and pulley setup
• Attach the new wheel (We will try to keep the speedometer intact.)
• Figure out the rest of the plumbing (Snagit!)
• Put it all together
• Have a super-soaker party

May your projects go smoothly, bless someone, and make this ol' blue marble a better place to live!

 

(And may the plumbing department not prompt male and female anatomy questions from children - ¡Oy vey, hermanito!)

 

 

PS. It would already be in the garden and pumping if it weren't for you meddling plumbing parts, snagit!)

Saturday Random Junky Old Bike Post: Huff3 Rat

[This post is for all of you who wait impatiently by the phone/tablet/computer for the next thrilling installment of Mesquite Hugger. (Hi, Mom!) I am working on some more diversified stuff, but it's some slow going.]

An update on the Huff-E-Rat:

With the addition of the Phantom, the Huff-E-Rat lost its battery and started gathering dust. So...

The Huff3 Rat is born!

Yep, the electric stuff came off and I added the used 3-speed Nexus wheel from the Going-Out-of-Business sale (that broke my heart) in Dallas a few months back. I picked up a shifter and cable, gathered up the right gears - I found the Goldilocks combo - and got it all cruiseworthy.

Now I just need a seat that feels less like concrete, and a pair of grips.

The overall verdict? This thing is great! If you've never had the pleasure of riding a bike with an internally shifting hub, try it out some time. This one is much smoother and quieter than a derailleur. I love it! Now, if I can figure out how to get a GeoOrbital Wheel to sometimes throw on the front...

Detroit Bikes Fanboy Detour:

I came to a big realization this morning when I took the above photo. Without making a conscious attempt at doing so, I built an homage to one of my favorite bikes - the Detroit Bikes A-Type. No, I am not comparing the rattle-can Huffy to what they are building up there in the Motor City, but I was very pleased to realize that I had created a poor-boy version of such a cool machine.

Quintessential Cool and Handmade in the USA

The Fanboy hat I wear a lot - thanks, Mom!

So, now I need to finish up this post and gather up pieces for the community garden water pump that's next on the list!

Garden pump project lurks on the left.

May your green projects thrive, may you be healthy, and may everything be better than expected!

PS. Here's a preview for the next next (yes, I meant to do that) junky bike project on the list:

When a plan comes together: The Pedal-Powered Pump

This is not a completion report by any means, but it is progress.

The people-and-pedal-powered pump project for the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden had a major leap forward - we were blessed with one of the two major components this week - the groovy retro exercycle:

Isn't she a beauty!

The exercycle has all the amenities - a seat, pedals, handledars, and the oh-so-crucial speedometer! A gentleman on 70th Street responded to our Craigslist ad and sold it to us for less $ than many of us will pay for dinner tonight. Yes, Grizz and I are thrilled!

The pump will tie into the black barrel

An overall garden shot - soon to be green!

(That pallet structure is a Motel 6 for solitary bees!)

Don't let the Lubbock-in-February-brown vegetation fool you - this is where the magic happens!

My favorite thing at the garden - a recycled window greenhouse!

(Why have I not built one of these yet?)

They also have some (not pictured) cold frames out there. Why haven't I built any of those yet either?

Now, we just need to come up with the other major component: pump (and some pulleys or sprockets, a  belt or chain, and some fittings to hook up the water hose).

Community Garden???

In case you just don't get this whole community garden thing, be sure to check out this Ted Radio Episode: The Food We Eat

My favorite quotes from this broadcast:

• "We do our flippin' best!" Pam Warhurst of Incredible Edible
• "A hundred years ago...you didn't eat ethnic unless you were ethnic." Mark Bittman
• "74% of all the food in the [grocery] store has been spiked with added sugar in some fashion." Dr. Robert Lustig

May you get involved with something that makes your community a healthy place to be!

A Cool Project Is Born: Lubbock Pedal-Power Water Pump

Grizz and I are stoked! We have been invited to help out on a very cool project right here in Lubbock. And it's a project we've talked about a great deal but we haven't actually tried - yet!

As you know, we love bicycles here at Mesquite Hugger. The bicycle is a very simple solution to a lot of complicated problems. Speaking of which...

Check this one out in great detail at permapai: Bicycle Pump Power

Beth (our favorite of all Lubbock gardeners) asked if we would help put together a bike pump to help with rainwater irrigation over at the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden. Can you imagine a cooler project for the likes of us? Nope, me neither.

So, Grizz and I have been scheming on the best way to go about this. We have a few old bikes around we thought about using, but then we'd need to build a platform to stabilize the bike. Then we realized that there are bikes around that would make an even better pump station - stationary bikes!

Here comes the Request Part

If any of you Lubbockites happen to have an old stationary bike lying around unused that you would like to donate to a very worthy cause, we could definitely put it to good use. We are looking for something similar to this:

My mom had this exact same exercycle when I was a kid!

I only posted this pic because I think Randy

may be my Tennessee doppelganger.

We could also use a rotary pump or parts of a pump that we could adapt for the project. If it has to spin to operate, we'd love to find a way to adapt it for the bike water pump.

If you have a stationary bike or a pump you'd like to donate, please email me from the contact portion of this page or contact Beth through the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden Facebook page.

And if you want to get involved with the HOL Community Garden, there is a spring cleanup day happening this Saturday at 12:30 (February 4), so swing by and get yourself involved.

To learn more about the garden, check it out on one of these three platforms:

https://www.gofundme.com/lubbockcommunitygarden

https://www.instagram.com/lubbockcommunitygarden/
https://www.facebook.com/heartoflubbockgarden

For those of you who want to build your own pedal-powered pump, here are some more resources to check out:

Instructables: Portable Bicycle Water Pump

(Have I mentioned lately that I love Instructables?!!)

A little different approach from Make Magazine.

Community Garden: Blog Drill Pump

To sum up, this project involves upcycling, rainwater harvesting, bicycle-power, local food,

petroleum-free power, and spending time with good people. Beth, thank you for inviting us!

May you find yourself in the middle of something worthwhile, and may we all be better for it. See you in the garden!

Making a Complex Problem Simple as Dirt (Part 3)

So, here is where you have to decide what is right for you and your situation. (Keep in mind your answers to the Part 2 questions.) Indoor? Outdoor? Hot? Cold? Fancy? Cheap? Recycled? DIY? High maintenance? Low maintenance? The possibilities are pretty vast, and there is indeed something for everyone.

Let's look at some of those possibilities so your idea about compost can be composting nto something good.

Find the whole infographic on Treehugger.

Even more of the Why

Vermicomposting Basics Straight Outa Compton Nebraska (Worms!)

I've deliberately tried this one twice. So far, it has not gone well. Lots of little red wigglers gave their lives in my folly. I still love the idea, but I need to find a way to keep the little guygals at a temp more comfortable and stable than outdoors in Lubbock has to offer.

Super simple composting

Yucky But Useful!

I have actually tried this one, but not on purpose. Last year, I found black soldier fly larvae in one of my two compost boxes. I didn't know what they were until very recently. Who knew? Here I was worrying about the little invaders and had no idea that they were superstars of the composting world. I hope to step it up this year since they help to break down a lot of materials that are normally not acceptable in your compost.

While we do not have may opportunities for municipal composting (except for tree branches and Christmas trees) we do have access to something even better - the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden. Beth (Hi, Beth!) and the crew have a drop-off station at 21st Street and Avenue X here in Lubbock. For those of you who love the idea but don't want to keep up with it, this a great way to go.

Heart of Lubbock Community Garden

(From this rather cool local blog)

Cool Composting sidebar - mealworms eat (and digest) Styrofoam!

 

EPA: Composting at Home (Support the EPA!)

EPA: How to Create and Maintain an Indoor Worm Composting Bin

Little Green Goddess: Composting 101

(Great post for learning more)

Bokashi - brew your way to great compost

The high-tech Mesquite Hugger hot compost system

Happy tomatoes and peppers!

Happy gecko!

As for the Mesquite Hugger home, we do our composting in two shipping boxes turned compost 

boxes. (Have I mentioned that I am super cheap?) We've had great success with very little effort and very little thinking involved. As long as I stay mindful of the green to brown ratio, turn it once per week, and maintain the moisture levels, we get great compost which leads to happy geckos and tomatoes. And really, what more could a Mesquite Hugger want out of life? [Rhetorical answer: Maybe a job with Compost Pedalers where I could ride around on a cargo bike, return carbon to the ground, and keep Austin weird!]

Composter ideas on Instructables

Just in case I haven't thrown enough compost ideas into one post for you, check out all the compost ideas on Instructables. (I love Instructables.)

May something as basic and elemental as recycled refuse lead us all to a better place!