If I had any doubts about the truth of climate change (I don’t), this season has brought it home for us. Our roof was severely damaged, parts of the barn were rotting, our stream was flooding, and our toilet was getting blocked because of the high water table – the highest in many years, if not ever.

We bought and installed this composting toilet just before the bathroom became unusable due to the water flooding the drainage field. Surprisingly, I think it works better for Maria and me than the standard toilets we have been using.

I’m open to replacing the old toilet one day with another compact toilet. I was nervous about trying it out, but it is easier and more comfortable than any toilet I remember. It is odorless – this is true for us – and needs no water. I feel that this is the future people will turn to when their water runs out, as it is all over the country.

This isn’t feasible for us right now, but looking into the future, just a year or two,  I can see that the real problem for us will be too little water, not too much. Drought is hitting farms everywhere.

We have an old-style point as well. This kind of well doesn’t go very deep. In a drought, we would be in trouble.

With another composting toilet, water won’t matter, and the tiny amount of electricity used to ventilate the toilet is being paid for by our solar panels, which have just about eliminated monthly electric fees. I’d happily put another one into the house, as would Maria. We might just remove the one in the downstairs bathroom.

We do have to remove waste once or twice every month; that’s the only drawback, but how the toilet is designed will make that simple.

I see climate change as being akin to diabetes in one way. It isn’t curable, but it is controllable. I have to work at it. I don’t want to take these things for granted anymore. Our world is changing, and I can either bitch about it or do something about it. Maria and I get a kick out of being different and trying different things.

And we are determined to get our farm as ready for climate change as possible. We need these storms to stop or take a break.

It also feels good to help the planet when we can. That’s no longer optional to us; we are moving our butts to take it seriously, for our sake, the sake of the animals, and for the sake of the planet.