Was I a WWI soldier digging a trench to protect my company from enemy artillery? Or perhaps I was a pirate of old, trying to follow a faded and worn treasure map, digging for the hopelessly lost buried treasure?
Or maybe I was just a foolish homesteader who had lost a septic tank that was in desperate need of pumping out!
We had the tank pumped out once before, and I dug holes all over the yard that time, too. The septic guy said that they recommend pumping every 5 years. We have lived in our present home for 17 years now, and this was just the 2nd time we have needed it pumped out. It has probably been 8 or 9 years since we last had it done, but we were pretty sure where to dig. We were wrong!
I decided to post about the location of our septic tank here on the blog, because I have high hopes that these records will be preserved for my posterity, and therefore also preserved for myself in 8 or 9 years from now if we need to dig up the tank once again!
The magic spot to dig in the future is:
32 feet from the house measured from the bathroom window. 28 feet from the culvert going under our driveway. And 6 1/2 feet from the ash leaf maple we call the "play tree".
Hopefully this will be of future benefit and I will not have to spend all day on a Saturday searching for it! (At least I got a decent workout in because of it, and I have been trying to loose weight.)
Since I am here on the blog, I guess it would be nice to fill in a few gaps that I have neglected over the past month. First off, it is hard to believe that March is just about over already! Spring has been springing with the bright yellow forsythia blooming in front of the house, the daffodills and other "Easter" flowers, as well as the peach trees and cherry bushes beginning to bloom. (We are thankful for the forsythia that we got from Little House Big Garden last year: it is a welcome splash of beauty!)
I pruned the grape vines and peach trees early in the month, and Lisa and I attended an apple tree grafting workshop at the extension office. We grafted 5 trees of different varieties and put them in a pot with some of the garden soil. We will be curious to see how they do. We have pruned some of the old apple trees we have a bit, but I did not get the time to do what really needed to be done on them.
Speaking of the garden, I got it tilled once, but then it rained before we could get anything put out. So, our garden is getting a late start once again this year! The old tiller started up nicely, but we need some new tires.
Other homestead news should be about our livestock. Currently we only have chickens and pigs. The chickens have provided us with some meat as Lisa and Matthew butchered a cockeral earlier this month as well as plenty of eggs from the hens. We are getting between 15 and 20 every day! I sold one rooster for $5 and we have several more waiting to be butchered. We will probably part with some of our hens as well. We don’t really need 29 of them, even though I like them all!
As far as the pigs are concerned, we are expecting piglets any day now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Scarlett has hers today. Crimson may be a few days later? It is so hard to tell for sure. This will be their first litters, so we don’t really know what to expect. I hope they will be good mammas. Right now they are housed in the barn, but we hope to move them back up to the old pig lot before too long. We need to completely re-do the fence up there and one of the sties need some rehab. A few years with 800 pound hogs took it’s toll!
Erica is planning on working at Camp again this summer and is still wating to hear from the colleges she is interested in. Matthew got his driver’s license and has been driving everywhere. We got a ’91 F-150 extended cab that he really wants to drive, but it is still waiting on a gas tank, so he has had to drive my car, or the Pontiac, or the GMC truck. I guess we have too many vehichles, even though we now have 4 drivers in the family. The insurance has gone crazy! It’s not really fair that all 16 year olds get discriminated against just because a majority of them are show-off, dangerous drivers with no responsibility for their actions. Matthew is exceptionally safe and an excellent driver! If GEICO could spend a week or two with him, I’d bet they would be willing to give us a better premium. Oh well…
Christina and Simon started taking piano lessons this month and have really enjoyed it. It has been nice having Erica take them so Lisa does not have to go out. Last week Matthew took them. Having additional drivers in the family can be a benefit (even if the insurance is crazy).
Timothy also had his 2nd birthday in March. We took pictures that I will try to post someday. He is doing great: talking more and more and also learning how to work already. While I was digging all those holes Saturday, I gave him a small shovel and he was moving dirt right along side us! (Matthew was at a Fire School all day, so he couldn’t help. Simon did some digging when he wasn’t babysitting Timothy. Christina helped dig quite a bit before she had to go to the Reformation 2010 meeting with Erica) I wish I got a picture of Timothy with the shovel. Time is getting away from us too quickly, and I’m afraid he is growing up without as many pictures as some of the older children!
Judging from that last paragraph, I am beginning to ramble, so I think I should cut this post off now. I can’t wait to see the blessings God has in store for us as the Spring continues!
Until next time,
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3 comments
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Anonymous on March 29, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Eric,
This post is so very timely for us….we have had some issues with our septic tank and the Health Dept. coming to our home…Marc will have to call and tell you all about it. Marc will be working to find our septic tank today pray that it will not be to far down to locate.
I am glad you are doing well..we had such a good visit with you a couple weeks ago. We are looking forward to seeing you in May:)
We are also looking forward to the spring and summer ..God is so very Good!
Looking forward to seeing how God blesses you in the coming monthes:)
Renee
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Purewater on March 29, 2010 at 2:05 pm
We also had a great time with you all at Winter Jam! That was another happening during March that I neglected to write about! Seeing Third Day and the Newsboys and the other groups was great, but the company was what really made it special!
Septic tanks can be problematic, but I would still much rather have one than being on a city sewer system! They are really maintenance free until they get filled up, and then it is not so pretty.
I'll be interested in hearing about your septic dilemma sometime soon! I hope it all works out ok and Marc will find your tank easier than we did!
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jrejhkids on March 30, 2010 at 8:56 am
We have had a time finding exactly where ours is as well. We ended up making a little planter around the opening, except without the flowers. We have a board that covers it and we can store our garden hoses on top of it.
Insurance is crazy. We only have two drivers at home now. My son got his license before he went to Berea, so we don't have to pay for him. We have another child who will be driving next year.
Enjoyed reading your blog. Have a great day.
~Cheryl
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