Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Measuring the rain

For over ten years now, I've had a rain gauge in the back yard. Ken and I dutifully (more or less) record each day's precipitation and I keep a spreadsheet that dates back to October 2004. It's one of those things that you have time to do when you're retired.

Six and a half millimeters (about a quarter of an inch) fell overnight Monday-Tuesday.

The actual gauges have come and gone. We've had this one for a few years now. It used to have a holder, but that broke, so now the gauge sits in a hole in the ground. That's why it looks dirty and marked up. But it works pretty well, as long as I remember to move it before I cut the grass. I haven't forgotten, yet.

When we first arrived here in 2003, our region was in a drought. We've noticed, and our records clearly show, that the annual rainfall since then has been steadily increasing. We are no longer in a drought. Interestingly, I think that the increase in mole activity is directly related to the increased rainfall. We barely had any moles the first few years, and now they're everywhere. Wetter ground is easier to burrow in, and I'm sure there are more worms and larvae to feed on than there used to be when it was drier. Is it wrong to hope for another drought cycle?

5 comments:

  1. The moles haven't just arrived....
    they were probably around in about the same numbers before...
    but dry earth is not good for worms...
    too hard and difficult to eat your way through...
    so the moles stay down there, too...
    throwing up the odd molehill here and there...
    usually kept open to ventilate the tunnel system....
    but with all the soft earth at the surface, the wurrums rise...
    and with the wurrums, the moles...
    so we see more mole hills and more surface runs.

    I don't want a drought...
    but I do want some longer periods of dry weather...
    I can't dig beds or plant trees in our soil when it is like this...
    I managed to move two trees yesterday before the rain beat me!!
    Dry for a fortnight would do...
    but cold and sunny... so the trees don't wake up!!

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  2. Geeeze, Walt, you can make any subject into a great photo. :)

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  3. Now the weather is rainy at my place too

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  4. Be careful what you wish for.

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  5. tim, in the words of Mr. Jagger: you can't always get what you want!

    judy, don't tempt me. ;)

    gosia, yup.

    chris, if wishes were fishes... they could swim across my yard.

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