Storm and flood!

[flowerweaver]

Never a dull moment around here. We had 60 mph winds and over 4 inches of rain around 5 am this morning while under a tornado watch. There were lots of close lightning strikes and our electricity was out about 3 hours. Because large hail was forecast we brought the donkey in the living room again to wait it out. Building his barn is going to be number one priority this summer!

Almost all my 80 tomato cages and plants were laying on the ground so I righted them, and the knee-high corn had lodged, but I'm sure it will right itself. The beans looked fine. I don't know yet how the tepary beans I planted as an experiment down in the creek have fared, because it is flooding. They may have been swept away or covered with debris.

Here's a couple of videos of the waterfalls:
https://flic.kr/p/rKR61t
https://flic.kr/p/rKFcmq

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Oh my goodness! What wild weather! Stay safe and give that Donkey a pat on the head for me!

 

[Nyboy]

Sorry mother nature can be a witch sometimes.

 

[so lucky]

I hope most of your garden can be salvaged. Weather keeps getting trickier and meaner. Scary what may be in store in future decades.

 

[Carol Dee]

WOW that is a lot of water. Glad most of the crop will survive and you and Donkey are O.K. Storms like that are always scary.

 

[flowerweaver]

Considering it is a dry creek, it is a lot of water! We are used to spring storms, but the hail and winds seem to be getting bigger and worse. On the way to the post office I noticed one of my neighbors lost part of his roof, and the highway department was picking up some felled trees. It hasn't even been a year since the tornado. I called a friend 5 miles down the road, and they just had rain. Not sure why my little community keeps getting hammered.

 

[thistlebloom]

It seems to be all or nothing for you water wise Flowerweaver.
Glad you didn't have any damaged structures and I hope your beans were hanging on tight!

Too bad you don't have some sort of cistern or something to take advantage of when you get excess.

 

[flowerweaver]

Thistle, I have three 1,500 gal rainwater tanks not yet hooked up to the new roof, but I hope to eventually add enough to collect about 17,000 gallons. My chicken coop has two 150 gal tanks also not yet hooked up to their new roof that will gravity feed into their drinking system. With the unpredictability of weather these days I think everyone should be collecting rainwater.

Bean field looks fine. I don't see my teparies down in the creek, though. Maybe they will push up through the mulchy debris that came down. Although these storms and floods are a bit unnerving, I always appreciate the fresh batch of topsoil and mulch they deliver to my creek, which I can haul to the gardens.

 

[Carol Dee]

Good for You @flowerweaver to see some good even in the worst weather.

 

[897tgigvib]

Wow, that's some weather!

Tepary beans can be replanted.