Dog fences for my garden

Never expected this to be an issue but suddenly in the last month with the heat my dog likes to excavate anywhere moist and lay in her hole. First she started with the new grass ripping it up to reach dirt. That required a cyclone fence to keep her out of half the yard.

Next was the elevated flower bed in her half of the yard. Tried chicken wire, chicken wire with rope and boards .... and finally new posts with barbed wire, chicken wire and a few strategically placed blocks.

It's been two days now and the blocks will come out if this is a proven remedy. Animals are a responsibility and often a pain

Cyclone protecting the lawn

Barbed and chicken wire for garden

Bath in a Bucket

So much for the new gas hot water heater that was supposed to come Saturday (re: previous post). A birdbath in the sink was not going to get it today. Landlord promises tomorrow but we'll see.

Mari used to use a large tub like the foto for pre-soaking clothes and bathing the little kids. I bought one because I didn't have a bathtub on the beach and I like to sit. Now I have a real tub but no hot water.

Maria (she cleans my house on Saturdays) told me their hot-water heater no longer works and they heat water in large pots (olla) for bathing - so that's what I did. I told her they only cost $2000 pesos but who knows how long they have been doing that. Another reason Mexicans may be on Mexican Time.

This shouldn't be happening

Around noon I heard water running off the rear of the house and saw this. I would have checked but it's nearly impossible to get up on the roof. I might get a picture of that when the repair guy comes. Anyway, a quick call to the landlord and he comes over, shows me where the shut-off is and says a repair person will be over this afternoon. Probably a broken copper pipe he says. I have a cupola with good sized windows but none of them open. The cupola route would be a safer way to access the roof.

With a ladder almost long enough the maintenance guy finds that one of the tubes of the solar water heater is broken. He's not sure if tubes can be replaced or if a whole new one is needed. Gonna be expensive so might get a gas heater instead.

Landlord just came over and I get a gas heater Saturday. A few birdbaths for me !!!

Solar water heaters are cool

Never taken solar water heaters seriously but my new house has one and I'm impressed. Even with 2 days of overcast I can stand under the shower as long as I want with hot water that has to be cooled with the cold. My only gas bill is from the stove use.

There is also enough street water pressure to fill the tinaco so I don't have a pump going on and off all day. Don't need 2-3 showers a day like I did on the beach in summer ... but still.

Took my 3 meter ladder upstairs to look through the Cupola dirty windows and this is what I saw. A large unit. Not that I'll have another building project in the near future ... but I would seriously consider a solar heater if I did.

Why they didn't make one of the Cupola windows as a roof access with hinges I'll never know. Almost impossible to get to the roof on this house.

Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico