Guys, I’m going to give this a try, but, to those of you who have previously requested accounts, don’t forget that info just yet. If this little experiment doesn’t work, I’ll lock it back down. Lots of people seemed to want to comment on Cryptogon, they just didn’t want to register.
In other news, Becky and I are going to be out on some exciting Farmlet business today. We will post ASAP.
Becky and I have received two generous donations from Farmlet readers:
AB sent US$25
Ran sent US$40
Thank you both very much!
Two Farmlet readers have made generous contributions:
AS sent US$20
Anonymous sent US$30
Becky and I thank you both very much! Some of the money is going to used to buy the seeds for growing Bushman’s Toilet Paper plants.
Becky and I are frantically trying to get enough garden space ready to plant out all of the seedlings that are coming up. We pulled back another swath of black polythene and I went at it with the shovel, as usual, breaking the clay open so we can add gypsum, lime and compost.
It all came to a halt when my shovel found a vein of sandstone just near the surface. Not broken up sandstone, but a single, solid mass.
There’s only one option at a time like this: Pick axe.
When I bought this pick axe from a garage sale for NZ$2, I sincerely hoped that I would never have to use it. But when you need a pick axe, you really need it.
As I gazed upon the scene above, I thought about my past life in the doomed corporate IT world. When asked, “How’s it going, today, Kevin?” by “Bob in Marketing”—I’m sure you know people like “Bob in Marketing”—my favorite response was, “Just breaking rocks all day, Bob, as usual.” I guess the Universe got me back for using that one a few too many times!
Flush toilets (and the mega sewer systems that go with them) waste a lot of water and destroy ecosystems. Septic tanks are mini versions of the municipal mess makers. Besides, why would you want to flush something away that can help you build great topsoil and grow tasty vegetables?
Becky and I both read The Humanure Handbook by Joseph C. Jenkins. (This is the authoritative text on composting human waste.) We decided to go with the bucket based model described in the book because it was simple, effective and inexpensive. I’d actually built and used one of these for a couple of years back in the U.S. and found it to be a great system. We used scavenged wood for the base and legs. Becky’s cousin, Paul, happened to have an unused, deluxe wood and brass toilet seat in his garage. The most expensive bits were the buckets at NZ$6 each.
We decided to put the toilet in the garage (which we use as a storage area and workshop) because it features a short and clear path to the outside. We didn’t want to have to carry our crap too far and we wanted to minimise the risk of catastrophic spillage mishaps. Becky put a curtain around it for privacy.
We’re happy to report that the bucket is filling up nicely. (And it doesn’t smell!!!)
Powered by WordPress