h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What a cute Zeppo-doggy, I just want to hug him!!

I would love a dog like him, but my cats won't let me get one!

SC

Has anyone in your local council contacted someone in government to arrange for a water tanker to come incase?
It sounds like it could be serious if water runs out completely and you are so isolated there, by sound of it.

The idea that HMH had, regarding cisterns, is a good one. With weather patterns as erratic as they've been the last couple of years, a cistern wouldn't be a bad idea just about anywhere.

A little passive solar wouldn't go amiss, either. An active solar device would also net an IRS deduction: 30% of the cost, to a max of $2000, provided it supplies electricity to the main system of the house.


'Night all.

SC

It's official. We have no water. Lil if you have to resort to rinsing with vintage champange after brushing your teeth, try to resist the urge to swallow it

I don't have any useful suggestions to make, but I hope they find and fix the leak very, very quickly.

Lil, I second the emotion! SS is right, though - doesn't your local government have to give you access to clean water in some way? I sympathise with the waterless situation. As you all know, we are on a hosepipe ban here in Nodnol - which makes the fact that at l'il 's sportsday yeaterday (which is held at a public/independent school) had no less than 6 sprinklers on in one single field we walked through - in the middle of the afternoon... truly

We have built in cisterns in Lebanon - couldn't survive without them as the water comes on periodically if at all - especially in the summer.

SC, my parents' home is in Bkennaya - famous for one thing: the psychiatric hospital, Deir el Saleeb or Convent of the Cross (only one of its kind in the Middle East ) So they are in the foothills above Antelias, if you know Lebanon at all, and just north of Beirut if you don't. The house has been in the family for about 150 years. My parents finally decided to refurb it five years ago and now it is a lovely white villa with beautiful gardens (roses in coastal Lebanon... mad! and definitely *not* organic, unfortunately) Another sad thing is that I remember from my childhood that we could see all the way down to the coast as well as the Bay of St Georges once upon a time. Now all you can see is into people's living rooms and kitchens. There are high rises all around the house and it is a low green oasis in a jungle of concrete. Not so much a village as a blip on a mountainside road anymore.

The scenery shots are from further up the mountains. My husband's home town in Aintouret el Metn on the road to Damascus, just before the peaks into the Bekaa valley - *really* high up. We go up into those mountain ranges and the ski resorts (abandoned in the summer) whenever we can - offroading or camping or both. In the evenings the clouds roll in and cover the deep valleys - so that our li'l once asked if we came from Heaven

Lentilla, I loved the sunset shot with the bonfire. What a lush clolourfest!

BB, I wish. Trog's plans have just changed - again. *giggle* and my two little darlings just stared at me when I suggested a museum today - we usually go swimming on Saturdays. You guys have a great time and make sure you put up some photos so we can all pretend we were there with you.

W

<>

I sincerely hope that’s not hushpuppies as served in the Templar’s Downfall* (if you don’t know, and are squeamish, don’t ask. Trust me on this, it’s very, very )

No helpfulness regarding water loss from Swindon... although it reminds me of when we in the UK had drought warnings on the same weekend as I was LARPing. It rained most of the weekend and so there we were having to put up with this arid, parched desert of a place.


*It's a roleplaying thing.

*sneaks in and inserts an 'is' - removes an 'l' on her way out...

[GDZ]

Mr. D, our hushpuppies are quite edible and not disgusting at all. We normally have them with fish. They are little balls of cornmeal and onions and spices deep fried in oil.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/Hushpuppies.htm

The basic recipe is att he end of that article, but is a pretty plain version. When I make them I always add finely minced onion to the batter, minced garlic and a touch of cayenne pepper or some lemon pepper. I've tried other seasoniongs, but like those the best.

Lil, your water situation sounds scary and has me very concerned for all of you in Lincoln. I have a feeling the mighty Wal-Mart is going to sell out of water today in a hurry.

I hope everyone attending the London Meet today has a wonderful time.

Mr. D., I can only imagine what you refer to as hushpuppies...

Actually hushpuppies are a southern tradition, usually served with fried fish. They are made from self rising corn meal, eggs, buttermilk,flour,salt, chopped onion (if desired), and a few other seasonings. One cook I know of adds garlic powder and cayenne pepper to the mix. They are traditionally fried. The story is that they were fed to the dogs during the meal with the admonishment "Hush, puppy." Really a tasty treat.

Wondering if Baggers liked the fried okra.........

Oops, sorry Hyp, I didn't know you had already posted about hushpuppies.

[hmh]

I've got out the paper cups, and managed to feed cats and neaten the kitchen on two cups of water. There's a water dispenser in Capitan where I can fill a gallon jug for 25 cents, and I'll use that if needs be.

And I have the post awful gig this morning, too. At least I'll be at the epicenter of news.

Lil, it sounds like you are coping with your situation. It isn't an easy situation. We were without power several days during an ice storm, but we still had water. Our water heater is natural gas, so we still had hot water. We were able to do dishes and shower without a problem, but since our furnace depends on electricity--well, you get the picture. The kitchen range also has an electronic ignitor. We cooked on the grill. Lord C walked out there very carefully too.
Our daughter, SIL, and two boys were without electricity too. Since they live in the country, they had no water. They stayed with us.

Under such restrictions, Lil, you really shouldn't have to pay for water and a gallon doesn't go very far.

Our water butt filled up very rapidly after the storms of Wednesday. Now K is planning to build a proper base and have a chain of four water butts ready for autumn/winter rain. If nothing else we will use it to keep our fountain topped up as I feel guilty using tap water for it.

Lil, I lived in Alaska for 10 years, and after I grad. from the U of Ak in Fairbanks I got married. In our idealistic youth we built a 20x24' cabin (with loft and full basement)that was off the grid. We had no running water and no electricity. There was a 500 gal. tank in the basement that we hired the water wagon to fill occasionally. But most of the time we hauled water from town in 5 gallon gerry cans. (Great upper body workout)

Anyway, the point I am slowly working around to is how very little water you can use and still get your dishes clean. If you use a CLEAR dishwashing liquid (like palmolive or joy), and make your dishwater with just a small squeeze, you can wash your dishes and put them in the drain to dry without rinsing them. This sounds all wrong, I know. My friend Bonnie Snarski was in the same boat water and power wise as I was, and I was visiting her one day and that was how she was doing dishes and I sort of freaked out a little about it. I honestly couldn't believe that people didn't get diarrhea or something, that it didn't leave a taste on the dishes. She looked at me and said, "well, you just drank tea and ate lunch using dishes washed this way, did you notice anything?" So I washed my dishes that way for all the years I was hauling water. We also used this method in San Rafael when we were on water rationing - 50 gals per person per day per household and that was for EVERYTHING.

I hope that they throw the book at the idiots with the augur. Better yet, make them live without water for a few months.

All these pictures have made me envious of the posting capability you all have. I must look into being able to do the same; I'd love to share my pics with you. Does anyone have a favorite piture posting site they could recommend?

I am torn between the sailboat in the mist and the bonfire on the beach as a favorite picture. But being a dyed in the wool pyromaniac I guess I'd have to pick the fire. Beautiful.

We have a rain barrel out back, but what use is it when one has three showers in 8 months, as we did before the monsoons arrived?

I'm sure we'll find out today what the rest of the weekend will be like. It will be interesting when the tourists start arriving in town this morning!

Ouch, that's tough, Lil

Lentilla, thosepics are fab! I agree, the bonfire-at-the-beach one is fantabulous

(visiting friends, using a pc in return for wpa-securing their new wireless net )

Erg...by the time I was able to get home on Thursday, I'd spent nearly a seventh of a week travelling.

And since I spent so much time traveling on Friday, I've spent nearly *two* sevenths of a week travelling.

Pity that my hair is so unkempt in that photo...it's doing that "eye" thing again. Off to read backlog!