Conserving Water .... a couple of ideas.

UPDATE:
A few days ago I met with a very nice couple that I've done work for in the past. I thought it was really quite neat to see that their daughter had hand painted a rain barrel at the front corner of their home to help irrigate some plants in their back yard. I think she did a great job, don't you?


ORIGINAL POST:
Our cities grow and the demand for water increases. Many people love their plants. They are like friends to them. During the last few years, there have been instances where city governments have placed restrictions on outdoor watering. When outdoor watering is restricted, we are making it hard for our plant friends to be all they can be. One way to help is homemade water conservation.
Water Barrels - Connect to your roof gutters and direct year-round rainfall into these durable collection barrels. These barrels range in price from $60 - $150.

A link to "How to make your own water barrel:
http://www.bayteccontainers.com/howtomaraba.html
Here are a few more ideas that might help with water conservation:
You can do many things to capture rainfall at your site:
-Create depressions around trees and line them with rocks or mulch to retain moisture.
-If you are designing a new home site for water harvesting, arrange brick or flagstone paving to direct water to plants.
-Dig furrows and channels to direct water to a garden.
-Make sure your gutters and downspouts are free of trash, dirt and leaves.

Stone mailbox

VIDEO ABOVE

I really enjoyed doing this job. It was my first stone mailbox and my clients felt comfortable with me doing the work. Just about the entire time I was working on this project, the homeowners were out of town. I was told that the lady of the house closed her eyes and she and her husband drove up. "How does it look?", she asked her husband. All is well. The homeowners are pleased and, of course, that is very important to me.

A fall wall?

Do you feel the hint of fall in the air? I do! At least, I think I do. I hope it's not a mirage. As the summer winds down and footballs begin to penetrate the air, I find myself in the middle of a couple of projects. One is a stone mailbox and the other is a backyard stack wall. Here are some pictures of the wall I'm building. I'll be sure to provide photos of the finished project when I'm done. Photos of the mailbox are forthcoming.




PHOTO LEFT: Here's part of the wall I'm working on, including some of the tools of my trade (shovel, hand mattock, rubber mallet, small sledge hammer, rock hammer...level and chisel missing in photo).




PHOTO LEFT: One aspect of putting this wall together was removing the artificial segmented stones and redesigning the wall. The stone used is a mixture of various types of stone already on the property.

Circular patio with fire pit and sitting wall

Me and my trusty pick-up found our way to Trussville, recently. I met a very nice family there that was interested in having a round patio with a firepit and sitting wall. They explained to me that the round shape of a patio would contribute a calming effect to those who used it. I have to admit, I do feel a calm pass over me when I sit on that patio, now that it is completed. The line of a circle is so simple, yet beautiful, you know. It's no wonder it can bring about serenity and convergence.

VIDEO: Circle Patio