Water usage on the property

So, in my previous post I wrote about my little garden. That little garden obviously requires water on a regular basis, but there isn’t a faucet I can just turn on. I’ve been hauling water several times a week to make sure my garden stays hydrated. It’s been an interesting, and surprisingly rewarding project.

At first my garden was just the one little whiskey barrel, but It includes several little “pots” now, and it has been quite hot and dry here for Vermont, especially for Potted” plants.

They say you don’t truly appreciate water until you have had to carry your own. I have been lucky in my life when it comes to this, but I have spent a summer on a boat, and done a lot of camping through my life, so carrying water isn’t a completely new concept to me. Even if I had to heat it up on a stove, or fire I’ve always had it available close by.

Important side note*

That said, I should note here that you can’t just drink any water you find. I wouldn’t currently drink any of it that I have found on this property with out boiling it. My mom did just this before she met my dad, and got really, really ill. It likely sped up here liver issues later on.

Yes, even very cold, clear water on a mountain can still make you sick. My plants love a little extra silt with their water but I haven’t had it tested for humans, and I don’t bother filtering it for the plants. I suspect that the property will give us a fruitful well, with potable (drinkable) water, just not in time for this year’s little garden.

 I also happen to have the knowledge to make this water potable, but I don’t actually need to, and it would be a fair amount of work. I’m not one to go looking for extra work generally speaking. I love a bit of adventure, and learning about new things though. Ehh, maybe for the sake of experimenting in the future?

I already have quite the project going on just getting the water. It’s oddly satisfying to say I’ve supplied all of the water for my garden from the water on the property though. I’m learning quite a bit about the property too by Giving myself a reason to explore it regularly.

As primitive as it gets

It started on the day I planted the broccoli in the first whiskey barrel. I was in a bit of a rush out the door, and figured I’d “just fill these up in the brook when I’m there.” At that point there was no sign of a drought. If anything the water here was high early this spring.

So, I just found a good spot to access it, and filled my gallon jug at the brook that runs along the side of the property. That day I explored all along the side of the property near the road looking for the best access. I found a nice little pocket with a path to it that didn’t require any climbing. A shady retreat from the heat too!

Drought!

After about a week of this plan going quite smoothly the brook literally dried up. I thought then I would have to transport water from our house, but wanted to get some water to the plants that day, so I gave it some thought, and kept looking along the stream for a few minutes…

After a few minutes I remembered the spring that had been pointed out when exploring the borders of the property. I decided it couldn’t hurt to look, and brought a little trowel, and the wine bottle I had been using to water in between my visits.

I’ve mentioned this land is as raw as it gets, right? The spring is under an old apple tree that no one has gone under in who knows how long. I finally did find evidence of people living here before, but so far it’s just a couple boards buried in mud. (I suspect it’s the remains of either an apple barrel, or an old spring box.

There wasn’t a path for access, or pool of water. It’s not a convenient spigot coming from a rock on a roadside. I made my way in, under the apple tree and dug myself a puddle by looking at where it appeared the water may have been flowing ever so slowly from. I stopped when my very old, very cheap trowel lost its handle. It was deep enough and wide enough for me to fill the wine bottle.

Improvements

On subsequent trips before the heat let off I just filled the gallon jug with the wine bottle. I took a break for a couple days when it rained, but shortly after went back in with a real shovel. This is when I uncovered boards that clearly had a purpose at some point. I even used those to shore up the sides, and left a rock on the bottom for an impermeable surface. It’s effectively a spring box, however primitive, and small it may be. For now it’s all I need. I continue to move silt/mud to the sides to make it just a bit deeper and sturdier

I’ll continue working on it slowly. My next improvement involves carrying a brick up with me each time I go up for a seat. I’ll continue adding to that idea, though we’ve had enough rain now for me to use the stream for easier access. Once I make my way in the spring is a very nice spot to be on a hot day.

Back To Basics- Appreciate The Essentials Of Life

Carrying water is not an easy chore. It’s simple, but requires us to use our brains differently than we usually do. It’s also physical labor. It’s worth the effort it takes to make it more convenient. It is also worth remembering to appreciate it.

This project has been good for me in a couple ways. It’s given me something active, with a purpose to do. I generally don’t like exercising for the sake of exercise, but I don’t shy away from hard work that needs to be done. It has reminded me to appreciate the simple things. It has also, or will, give me a very nice place to spend time on hot summer days! The sense of accomplishment I’m getting from this project isn’t bad either. Maybe by the end of summer I’ll have lined the Spring with brick! When I moved over two hundred of them to the property I’d only planned a fairly small fire pit. For the price I wound up with what should have been two loads for my Yukon!

If you thought this project was fun you should read about the outdoor fire pit/fireplace here https://mytranslucentreflections.com/my-2020-fire-pit-project-made-with-love/