I live in Peoria, IL. Back in the olden days, there was a Hiram Walker's Distillery in the area. So the old oak empty barrels can usually be found at a local antique dealer and second hand stores. They usually sell for around $40-$50. I'd ship you one but shipping would probably cost $200+, they are very heavy... I know one place that has a stack of probably 50 of these barrels. It takes quite a bit of rinsing to get the smell of the old whiskey out... it doesn't smell bad. The bands are rusty and don't last very long. My barrel lasted about 5 years, then I had to get another one. But I really like the rustic appearance. Its not real convenient because its very heavy if you need to move it around... The wooden barrels have two or three slats in the top and you have to be careful not to cut too much of the slats. I cut a large enough hole in the top that I can coil a hose inside and stick my arm down there. I secured a screen cover over the top to keep out skeeters and keep out debris from the roof. I screwed the screen down on one side. Attached a small lathe to the other side of the screen. I could lift the lathe to open the screen to access the hole and the hose. The downspout was cut off to dump on to the top of the barrel. I cut an overflow hole on the side of the barrel just below the top ring. The hole was just large enough (2"x3") to fit an elbow downspout piece. And then I ran the remnant downspout that was cut off for the barrel, on the side of the barrel from the overflow to the ground. I get water out of the barrel by using the hose as a siphon. I would either place potted plants next to the barrel and siphon water directly on to the plants. Or I would siphon water into a watering can or bucket to move around to the patio or wherever the plant were... One end of the hose (in the barrel) was tied to string and the string was tied to a nail the top of the barrel. I could lift the hose with the string an not have to fish around in the barrel looking for the submerged hose. I tip the barrel upside down for the winter and re-attach the normal downspout. Not sure if I explained that very well. But picture is worth a thousand words.

Depends how you disperse your rain water after it is in the barrels, but if dipping buckets or watering cans into them, it is preferred to have one 55 gallon drum full rather than 3 of them one third full. There is the matter of getting the water OUT. It isn't just leaning over the side (and 55 gallons are tall) but lifting the water gets harder the further down you have to dip. We have 5 rain water plastic storage containers. All but one is a 55 gallon drum, we got them all free. One is under a downspout. It has a faucet and hose at the bottom. When it seems like it will rain or is raining heavily, we will run the water through the hose to another 55 gallon barrel. Those are both completely open on the top. Two others are backup storage. Water is run via hose from the first into those when the secondary one is full. They only have a small opening, so the water in them has to be siphoned back into their more open neighbor to use it. The fifth is a large sturdy wheeled garbage container, maybe 70 gallon size. Hubby carries water in 5 gallon buckets out to this container which is by my vegetable gardens. I dip into there to water plants. Slow but except for the faucet we attached to the bottom of the barrel under the downspout, it was all free. So this is our part to save the planet and not waste water, as we don't actually pay for our water supply per se. On the plus side, you get more exercise and you never worry that you have left the hose running. :-) Marcia

George, Jerreth certainly is having a challenging week. It sounds like the power might make it back on before you get home. What wonderful friends y'all have.....loaning Jerreth the RV with its' generator. I'm glad Jerreth is going to be able to save the frozen food. And, putting the refrigerated food in the 5-gallon buckets was a brilliant idea. That's a long way to haul water. So, I guess the two of them are building some serious muscle tissue.....and they don't even have to drive to "the gym" to do it. I know that you are doing terrific work at the Bible Institute and you are fortunate to have a spouse who shares your faith and supports your efforts. It can't be fun to be the one who is "home alone" at this time of year with the risk of ice storms, and I admire her so much for being willing to do it. You said that this is one of the "prices" which you wish y'all didn't have to pay, and I understand that, but we don't really get to choose the price we pay or the challenges we face. I know that Jerreth will come through this challenging period just fine and I suspect she won't even "rub it in" too much that you were off in sunny Mexico doing the work of the Lord while she was here dealing with the mixed blessing of having frozen moisture fall. Look at it this way: The good news, George, is that while you are away in Mexico, all your trees got watered. The bad news is that they got iced too. I hope the rest of your trip is successful and productive and the conditions at "the home place" improve soon. Dawn

Thanks Sue for the tip or thew advise. How many would have thought that bad things for years to come would come just from a check, and not from a personal checking account either.