Swimming

A beautiful sunny day, so we decided to go swimming in the barn tank.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/284-swimming.html

Overflowing

With a little over 10" of rain this year, all our tanks are overflowing.

Read more: http://www.velacreations.com/blog/item/281-overflowing.html

"Free" Plants

Seeds are sprouting all over the place, even ones we didn't plant.

Read more: http://www.velacreations.com/blog/item/282-free-plants.html

Barn Tank

We have started work on our Food Web's water supply. It consists of a 7,000 gallon rain catchment system. Here's a summary of its construction so far.

Read More: http://www.velacreations.com/blog/item/280-barn-tank.html

How-To List

We are now up to 40 How-to articles. There are more that are instructional by nature, but these are the ones that are step by step directions.

Read More: http://www.velacreations.com/blog/item/279-howto-list.html

Overflowing

With a little over 10" of rain this year, all our tanks are overflowing.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/281-overflowing.html

"Free" Plants

Seeds are sprouting all over the place, even ones we didn't plant.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/282-free-plants.html

Food Web Campaign

We have just launched a crowd-funded project through Indigogo to fund our upcoming book and sustainable farming model: Food Web.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/277-food-web-campaign.html

Abe's Birthday

Today is Abe's birthday.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/276-abe-birthday.html

Transformation

The difference a couple of weeks of rain can make to our views.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/275-transformation.html

Wild Grapes

The wild grapes that grow locally are now ripe, so we picked some to make jelly.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/274-wild-grapes.html

Chispito Theft

We have just been told that someone is unlawfully selling our Chispito wind generator plans on Ebay.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/272-chispito-theft.html

Professor Tour

Yesterday, a group of 20 odd university professors came for a tour of our place and off-grid systems.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/270-professor-tour.html

Planting again

Right before the 2" rain on Wednesday, we planted a bunch of seeds in the garden, and now they've all come up.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/269-planting.html

Swinging Again

With all the rain we've been having, we decided to put up the swing again in the kitchen.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/267-swinging.html

Beautiful Rain

The rains have started. We have had rain every day of July, and we are loving it.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/266-beautiful-rain.html

Launch

Well, after considerable time and energy, we have finally finished our new website.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/241-launch.html

Self-cleaning Tank

In the event that it might actually rain this year, we have been doing some work on our water system, including a self-cleaning overflow.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/239-self-cleaning-tank.html

Worm Bin

We finally got around to building a flow-through worm bin. It didn't take very long to make and is already working as it should.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/238-worm-bin.html

Huge Litter

Just recently, we went into the rabbit barn and found a nest of 19 baby rabbits, all wriggling around together.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/237-huge-litter.html

Sam

We have a new addition to the family, a Border Collie puppy called Sam. He's calm, happy, loves the kids and learns super fast. Should fit in just fine.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/236-sam.html

Leo Update

Leo's now a couple of months over four, and a handful and a half. The changes at this age aren't quite as marked as those of a baby, but they're still significant.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/235-leo-update.html

Nicky Update

Nicky is now 14 months old and is changing so fast it's hard to keep track. It seems like he's now more little boy than baby.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/234-nicky-update.html

Hay

Down by the river, the grass and weeds are already super tall. Once a week, we've been cutting it for the animals.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/233-hay.html

Grape Cuttings

Several weeks ago, we took some cuttings from a grape vine and rooted them. We dipped each cutting in some rooting hormone and put them in a mix of perlite and dirt.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/230-grape-cuttings.html

Ocotillo

Ocotillo blooms make a great tea, a little like hibiscus. They're only out for a short period of time, so make the most of them.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/121-ocotillo.html

Mint

We are now back into mint season. All along the river it grows wild, a thick fragrant carpet. We have a bag of it in the fridge that we continually restock.

Read More: http://velacreations.com/blog/item/120-mint.html