Foreshadowing

There was a tropical feel to July's full moon as it rose over these har hills. A tiny bit of humidity still hung from the tease of cloud that had hovered over our high desert that week, as “monsoon season” played at breaking the drought. Nights now couldn't be more inviting for late summer night lounging (where's a hammock when you need one?). The moths and skeeters are incessant, the squash fatten to calf-size overnight, and the Chaco lines (or is it a dirt tan?) are beginning to look permanent.

“Revel in it now,” I remind myself... we've turned the corner toward Winter. That's right, Texas, Winter's on the march.

Photo, courtesy of my future-Texas-ex-pat friend Ryan.

Growing up in Texas - which just ended a 40-day streak of 100 degree weather- Summer never, ever, ever hints at down blankets or frozen pipes. If church bazaars weren't so primed to innovate new Christmas ornaments, Winter would entirely sneak up on the South. But here in the pines, the moon is taking its sweet time popping up over the peak just next to me, where the sun will soon mimic its slowed pace. As I awake, early morning temps nearing the 40s drive it home - I'm not in Texas anymore. Know what our average first frost is? September 17. Tomatoes, okra, eggplants, and peppers in the LoneStar State will be bursting at the seams while our corn is giving up the ghost. 

Last year, I survived. Twenty-five degrees below zero couldn't polish me off. But, dang, those were some cold feet. Really, one should only put so many beverages, shoes, socks, and electronic devices in bed with her to keep them from freezing (not to mention my weight or better in puppies). This year, I am determined to do better. And I just may have the community around to help pull it off. My neighbor (a fellow Texan) has a mind that inclines itself toward the engineering nature. So, we've been meeting at the giant workflow whiteboard in his basement to hash out a real strategy for water and heating systems that I hope will make this winter a friendlier one.

My incorporation into this community is becoming fortuitous. So far, this same neighbor has brought within my reach: a propane refrigerator, a small propane heater, and a giant water storage tank (and a well from which to pump it!). The simplicity of these things belies the load being removed from this ol' cerebro. Astounding. Just as I was gearing up for a fever-pitched scramble, I found myself instead able to take more chill, measured steps - much to my loved ones' delight, I'm sure.

Yet projects just seem to develop as others resolve. ...That, or I make sure and create new projects to keep my “to-do” list running into the margins (and across the cardboard backs of the little yellow pads of which I'm so fond). Rather than look at the world forming for me here at the back of the pasture as a list, I decided to go all backwoods architect on you and sketch this jazz up (I can't emphasize the handy-dandyness of these little. yellow. pads.):

With any luck, the real thing will be just as grainy and warped.

This would be the makeshift mini water tower I plan to build. My little red wagon's been an indispensable friend in keeping fresh water within reach of me and my pups, but hauling water is a bit more unwieldy in the snow and ice. I fantasize about a well-insulated barrel of sky-water and filtration system just outside my door. The same neighbor's giving me a 250-gallon water storage tank and has extended an offer to roll out a length of hose as needed to refill from his well. I can't even allow myself to dwell on how awesome that would be. So let's not.

First priority is completing my solar setup. How else would I be blogging at 2am? Actually, the motivation comes from the complications that arise in trying to operate with both the off-grid and “civilized” worlds. When your phone's never charged, emails sit unopened, and Allll the rest of your daylight needs to be spent homesteading... your employer, operating under “normal” rules of society, begins to feel neglected. So, on with the Elec.

Next priority is indoor heating. I'll have the catalytic propane heater to back me up (not willing to depend on the propane-electric partnership that failed me below zero last year; quite a sense of humor it has). I think I've found the perfect spot for a tiny woodstove. It is pricey. Maybe too pricey. But there is a near endless source of free wood just out my doorstep, and the promise of a flickering friend indoors soothes this fire sign's spirit. Not to mention, it's a backup cooking surface and cuts down on my need to run to town to replenish resources (a hermit's dream). Which brings us to what may be a better idea in the long-run...

Priority Four: Badass Self-Watering, Rocket Stove-Powered Greenhouse-Slash-SunPorch (shoddy drawing soon to come). Once I figure out what scavenged material will work for the greenhouse (one which won't melt), I want to construct a couple of rows of plants in containers to be automatically watered by rain gutters. These would sit atop a mound or terrace of dirt burmed over the horizontal flue that carries heat from a super-efficient stove made from scrap metal. The dirt and airspace are heated by the Rocket Stove (a genius innovation; give it a look, especially if you're planning a build or renovation). The aforementioned water storage tanks will passively water the plants. And I will (WILL!) have tomatoes and eggplants all winter. 

Take note of where the butts go.

Down on the list, we find plans to:

• Skirt the trailer with corrugated aluminum. (Major thanks to a friend who is giving me a whole stack of metal roofing. I reckon four of them will top the water catch shed. The leftovers should make a lovely, aerodynamic shield to keep from losing as much heat from the floor of the trailer in cold weather.)
• Build storage trailer onto a 4x8 frame my other neighbor's willing to part with. Move out of storage unit and stash my trailer trash.
• Finish lining fence in willows. The brilliant keep-the-puppies-happily-yard-bound plan was no match for the dog geniuses. Still, the local suburbanite Back-East'ers will appreciate the shielding.
• Turn horse manure and pine needles into what is now next year's garden. Needed too much work to make it viable for 2011.
• Plant fall and winter crops (garlic, hardy greens, root veggies).
• Buy a gun. Learn how to use it while the weather's nice.
• Revisit my list (tome) of things I want to learn and indoor projects for Thee Wintre.

August, eh? Summer's sprinting, and four months from now, I'll welcome the mid-Winter melancholies and the reflective retreat they bring. Till then, it's back to the conference room-sized, workflow chart-driven, highly-efficient drawing board.