Rain Barrel

I can't speak for everyone but, I believe the water department here in Lorain is raising the rates by the day. I find that our bill for the amount of water we use seems high and considering the steps I have taken to reduce the amount of water we use it seems out of proportion. I am washing the dishes by hand and using the clothes washer on one day only and it still seems the water bill is still too much.
Consequently, this year I have gone one step further and decided I will institute the use of a rain barrel to water our garden and the flowers. Additionally, I have installed a soaker hose in the garden to water the plants on a slow steady basis. Should you also like to cut the amount of water you use continue reading. The rain barrel is nothing more than a large plastic barrel which you can get from factories of manufacturers who throw them away. Make sure you clean them out thoroughly because more than likely what came in the barrel to begin with was not good for you and your plants. Drill a one inch hole near the bottom and you will need a ¾ inch tap and a bulkhead fixture. These can be purchased from a big box hardware store for about sixteen dollars. Install the fixture and the tap and you're in business. I have mine under the downspout from the gutter on my garage as if you set it out in the yard it will take a long time to fill. When it rains the rain from the garage roof fills the barrel up completely. You might want to cover the top with screen to keep dirt and animals out of the barrel. Animals will drown as they have no way out once there inside the barrel so, bear this in mind.
I have been able to water my garden everyday for two weeks on one barrel of water and with no help from the city. Water like the air should be free but, we all know that will never happen.

New Bridge

Several months ago I posted pictures of the Ford road bridge over the Black river. Basically, it was unusable and closed to all traffic. I had been told that the bridge would be fixed and traffic would be restored. I was very skeptical at the time as we were still in deep recession and I did not think that the state had the funds. However, I am happy to say I was wrong and the bridge and the road are well on the way to being finished.

My First Clue

Recently, I had an interview with a large Lorain County hospital for an emergency department position. The experience was not what I expected from the start. I had submitted my resume and application online and received a call from human resources that was a little startling to say the least. "So, you want an interview"? Yes, that is what the woman on the other end of the line said and it should have been my first clue that this job was not to be. While I waited the three weeks for the scheduled interview I studied all the interview questions that could be asked. I was ready.
Interview day finally arrived I was ushered into a small room and introduced to the nurse manager and another nurse from the department. Questions were nothing new and are pretty standard. What wasn't standard was the other nurse yawning away while I answered questions guess that should have been my second clue. Finally, I should have realized that I was wasting my time as the nurse manager was not taking any notes. I checked my email when I got home and had already received thanks for submitting your interest but we are going to go with someone else.
Being unemployed mean suffering all kinds of indignities in search of a job. Overwhelmingly most places are very nice when they interview and the above incident is not the rule.