Hi all....I'm needing a couple of the 55 gallon plastic barrels / drums WITH REMOVEABLE LID AND LOCKING RING. I've seen a number of sources for the "closed top" sealed kind that simply have the bungs in them which make great water barrels. However, I am trying to find the open top kind where the lid comes off and they are resealed with a metal closure/locking ring. My farmer friend had some that I borrowed one time and they were so handy but the person he used to get his from no longer has them. I've only found one ad on Craigslist that advertises them for $30 and it's Southeast of Atlanta which isn't exactly my neck of the woods. I'm on the AL/GA state line. If I'm gonna' go for a drive I'd rather head West into AL than to Southeast Atlanta any day of the week. Thanks in advance if anyone knows. I can buy a Rough Neck 44 gallon Heavy Duty Trash Can but I'd rather have some of these drums if I'm gonna' spend the money. Danielle

We keep a bucket in the shower to collect water that comes out before the hot water. In the summer I keep a tub of warm soapy water and one of clean rinse water in each sink. The rinse water comes from the water gained while waiting for hot water. These are dumped outside at various times of the day. But only when it's really dry outside or if I have time. If you keep a slop bucket for used wash water (think of what you lose just rinsing garden veggies) also add any drinks that family members haven't finished. It all adds up. You can use the water that is dripping from your air conditioner through a dripline to water your plants. Bathwater can be used, assuming you weren't filthy, for the first wash of handwashables, or for washing the car or floor. Then it can be used to flush toilets. Add ammonia to the water for washing the floors, then throw the dirty water on the grass or garden--makes a terrific fertilizer. Someone posted about keeping a 50 gallon garbage can with wheels in her garage. He/she ran a hose from the washer to the can (probably through a slightly opened back door) and wheeled the washer water to where she needed it. You could (for pennies) add a spigot on the bottom of the can and run a soaker hose to your grass and not have to wheel it anywhere. I'd like to recycle my canning water, but that's a bit hard of you are doing load after load. Rainbarrels can be made for very little. Food grade barrels are offered for free from carbonated beverage bottling companies. Add a spigot on the bottom and a hole at the top for the drainpipes. I have 150 gallons of water after each small rain from ours. I have heard of people disengaging the drain under their sinks and letting them run to 5 gallon buckets kept under the sink which they took outside.

We have purchased the Sierra Designs Bedouin 6 tent off Ebay for $183.00. I've set it up inside our garden room and there's room for four large ThermaRest pads and room to cruise up the middle. The tent is only 8 square feet larger in area than our SD Base Camp '88 model, but the headroom is over six feet so it feels a lot larger. I really like the bends in the X-poles and the as-always top-shelf quality of Sierra Designs products. I counted 27 different pockets in the tent, really like the adjustable clothesline too. There are three different dual cupholders attached to the tent, they are mesh and also have small pockets above them. The dual vestibules are a nice feature that the Agnes Big House didn't offer. Brow poles make them possible and don't require stooping for entry like most vestibules. The amount of mesh is just right, there's ventilation but with the fly there is heat retention as well. We're taking it into the back country next month for camping in the Laguna Mountains.

You did it!!! You did it!!! Oh, Caroline, I am so happy for you. And tremendously impressed too, not only by the physical difficulty of the trip, but by your dedication to a good cause. What an amazing thing you did. I can hardly wait to see your photos. Welcome back! Now you can sit back and watch the Giro d'Italia starting on Saturday. (Universal Sports, on TV & online) You'll have new appreciation for the pros putting in over a hundred miles a day in mountainous terrain LOL! Wow, you are one tough cookie...