Sunday, October 21, 2018

a sunny day, floodwaters, and soggy cotton


As it turned out it rained like hell off and on Friday and we got over 3 1/2”. The ground was already saturated so it's quite mushy out there. It also provided proof that the new gutter across the front of the house is doing its job. The old one leaked above the bay window that juts out barely under the eave and water would sheet down the window screen. I've only gotten about half the screens back up because...rain (and working on molds).


I got the feather mold re-done and yesterday started on the sunflower. I used to work straight through when I filled a mold but I don't necessarily do that now so I'll finish it up today.


Today dawned sunny which seems a rare thing lately though clouds are already moving in. Still, supposed to be mostly sunny today but more heavy rain is predicted for Monday and Tuesday. This area just cannot handle any more rain. A storm from the Pacific moved across and dumped 1 – 3 months rain on the hill country last week and the rivers and lakes are already full to flooding and the Llano River washed away a bridge. Here's a link to the video of it happening. It's pretty awesome and I don't mean in a good way. The Lower Colorado River Authority has opened the floodgates on the dam at Lake Travis on the Colorado River (the one that runs through Wharton) sending all that water downstream to us. It's currently at a little over 26' (bankfull is 20', flood stage is 39') and they expect it to crest at about 31'. 


It crested at 50.5' during the aftermath of Harvey that flooded us. People here are understandably nervous. And now another Pacific hurricane is crossing Mexico and heading our way (the source of the rain predicted for next week).

Because of all this rain the cotton harvesters are backed up and the poor farmer at the end of our street may lose his crop again this year. It looks pretty pathetic already and with more rain it may all end up on the ground.






10 comments:

  1. Being a farmer sounds all idyllic, full of fresh apple pies and cute chickens, but in reality, what a tough life. Plunking down the life savings at a casino seems like a sure thing in comparison.

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  2. The continuing process of your art work, through thick and thin, all these years, inspires me.

    The power of water, not to mention hurricanes and fires and earthquakes, is sobering, isn't it?

    Good to know that you have visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, too. Early this morning I finished reading Waiting For Eden, by Elliot Ackerman, and veterans and all the lives they touch throughout history are on my mind this morning. The book was featured on NPR recently. I'm still processing everything that it brings up for me.

    I love seeing the many views of your newly painted house.

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  3. I agree with Marty on the whole farming business. It's such a crapshoot every year. If it's not draught, it's flood.

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  4. My wheat farming in-laws have to write off their wheat crop quite often. Usually drought. Mother nature never seems to cooperate even for the home gardeners. Can't wait to see the sunflower finished.

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  5. If only I could somehow take some of that rain off you and over here. Keeping fingers crossed for you to stay dry.

    We walked up a hill today to look down on the river which is a miserably little rivulet at record low level exposing unexploded WWII bombs here and there.

    Waiting to discover the next stage of your sunflower.

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  6. We had a lot of rain last weekend. My garden did not do well this year due to the crazy hot and cold days. Farming is hard. I grew up on a tobacco farm and remember the year the barn burned to the ground with most of the crop inside curing. It is a hard life.

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  7. Oh, yikes, that's scary. I hope the river doesn't get too full. You've been through enough!

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  8. Reading "A Painted House" gives me a glimpse at the worries of rain and flood of cotton farmers.what a good read.

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  9. The sunflower looks pretty cool even with only some of the color filled in. I have an Iowa friend whose husband couldn't harvest because of SNOW. Precipitation (too much or the lack thereof) is such a bugaboo for farmers.

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