Welcome to Homestead Sunday, where we share what we have learned, what we do on a regular basis, and what projects we are building, rebuilding or working on. Who are we? We are a three generation family living on six acres in South Eastern Texas.
And while we have only been in Texas a short time, we have had the homestead mentality and lifestyle for quite a few years. Starting out with our time living in Montana. And, although we are not experts in any way, I hope that what we share with you with this series is helpful, as well as inspirational for you and your own homestead journey. Or even with your own home and yard in the suburbs. Because to homestead is an much an action as it is a lifestyle.
Our little community co-op water system broke!
It started with a lightening strike and then after the first well pump went down, it triggered the next pump in the system, to fail. The end result? After several pumps failed, we were out of water for six days. Through the years, I have lived through water rationing, as well as no water available during power outages, while having a well as my water source. So I have become fairly good at living with water emergencies that come our way. Then last year, being in the path of Tropical Storm Beryl, taught me a few more skills. But we had water, just no power. And after these six days of no water, I do believe having no water is by far, the more challenging.
The first task in any emergency, is staying healthy.
This will include having enough water for personal care, housekeeping, as well as hydration. We learned the hard way while living in Montana to have bottles of water available for flushing the toilet. There, we kept them in the root cellar. They would not freeze and they did now grow algae in the cool environment. Here in Texas we keep them in the shop. This is a relatively easy thing to do, each time we empty a gallon jug of vinegar, we fill it with water. It is marked, "flush". Since the bottles only contained vinegar originally, they are also used for hand washing.
As day one turned into day six...
During the water crisis, we got updates from City Hall, about the damage and estimated time of the repairs being completed. Bottled water was brought in. Then tankers of water arrived to be able to keep livestock healthy. From there the Red Cross sponsored a shower trailer. Then of course more bottled water, as the repairs took longer or obtaining parts was a problem. And suddenly day two turned into day six. I do feel blessed to live in such a caring community. When I decided to use this experience for Homestead Sunday, I began taking photos of the ways we organized ourselves to save water, and stay healthy.
Number 1: Turn off your water heater. No sense burning out the element, when the tank empties but cannot refill.
Number 2: Set up a food prep area that can be managed with once a day scrubbing and being wiped clean with paper towels through out the day. People will be hungry...
Number 3: Bring out the disposable dishes and plastic silverware. This will save the most water and give peace of mind. This is about the only time we ever use disposable dishes. One way to not over spend on disposables is to narrow in on what you use the most and only buy those pieces. For us it was small bowls, lunch plates and plastic spoons.
Number 4: For those dishes that do need to be washed, make a squeeze bottle from a bottle of water by punching a hole in the cap.
You can wash and rinse the dishes using a squeeze bottle. I kept 2 or 3 bottles of water at the sink, and simply put the already punched cap onto the next bottle. These bottles were also used for handwashing.
Number 5: Plan simple meals. And I do mean simple! We often had outdoor grilled meat from our BBQ grill and a microwave roasted russet or sweet potato for our supper. For vegetables I offered cut up fresh cucumbers, etc. No one, went hungry. We did grab a few things from the market, to help us get through this time.
Number 6: Use the amenities brought to your community. I have to be honest, I was hesitant to use the Shower Trailer, but I am so glad I did. The folks in charge could not have been nicer, and the facility was super clean. (They had put the trailer in an area that still had water.) Also I did not want to give the impression that I did not appreciate what had been brought to our community!
Number 7: If it rains, try and capture the rain water off the roof. Not drinkable but perfectly fine to use as flush water or to water the garden.
Fortunately it rained enough each night, that the garden withstood the water crisis quite well! While they would wilt in the heat of the day, they revived each evening after a bit of rain.
How about you, have you been without water for a significant period of time? What new skills did you learn to keep family, and your home in working order? Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.
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That was really interesting. I have never been without water in my life for longer than maybe a few hours and I keep thinking I'm absolutely not prepared enough.
ReplyDeleteCat, we can (and do!) have extreme weather here in Texas, but then again, we did in Montana as well!
DeleteClimate change is making power outs more common here, so many houses by me have generators. (Mine is broken right now, thanks for reminding me to get it fixed!) But being without water for several days would be traumatic, (ok, I'm being dramatic!) You live in a much more remote area than me, but then I remember that NY has occasionally lost power, so your how-to is worthwhile for almost anyone!
ReplyDeleteJeanne, climate change aside, this was what can happen when a lightening strike takes out an electrical appliance or piece of equipment. When we lived in Montana a lightening strike hit our house and we lost several light fixtures and a kitchen appliance. Ironically both of these states I have lived in have had for decades and will continue to have extreme weather. Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteThank goodness it rained enough to keep the plants alive! I haven't had to live without water for more than a day or so these are some great tips on what to do if that ever happens.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I was so thankful for the rain!
DeleteWe live in an area where seasonal outages often occur due to weather. Six days without water is a long time! You came up with some genius ideas -- like the hole in the water bottle lid so you can wash dishes with minimal water usage! I have to admit -- I never thought about turning off the water heater - absolutely make sense!
ReplyDeleteCharlene, especially in our little water heater in our Tiny House, one sink of hot water and it is empty, but the thermostat would not know if it was full of water, only that it was below temp! Thanks so much for stopping by, and your kind comments!
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