A little more!

Started to rain at 7:00 am and rained for two + hours. Then cloudy rest of day with occasional showers. Looks like another 1.4 to 1.5 inches of rain.

I got a weather notice that the Bosque river will crest above Clifton this afternoon and be above flood stage. Highest river level since 1958. Then I got a notice that the Bosque will be way above flood stage at Valley Mills highest since 1936. (photo of Bosque River from old bridge)

I'm glad I'm on top of this mountain.

Deluge

It's been an interesting spring and summer with all the rain. We've been getting additional rain this week around Texas sometimes very heavy with flooding but we have missed it until yesterday. I'll admit I wanted some rain just to test the new creek & low water crossing I'd built. Yesterday late afternoon we had a deluge. We had 4" of rain in a short period of time and the run off was big. The new moved creek worked great, but just couldn't handle that amount of water and overflowed around both side of the cabin. In fact water crossed over our road at one point and it's elevated 6" above the ground. I checked the new culverts in the county road and the one at the 1400 gate was completely underwater. The larger culvert at the 1342 gate was completely full and almost under. I should have also had the larger 18" culvert at the main 1400 gate as well. Of course yesterday was probably a rare rain event with all that water run off coming so fast. Water was below the top of the culverts and back in the bar ditches after a few hour of drainage.

This morning the new drainage pipe at the new crossing is handling the runoff, but we are expecting more rain today. I need to install a larger steel culvert at the trail crossing and not just the plastic pipe I have now. There are main road repairs to be made, but considering the amount of rain we had it's not bad. Amazingly the tank overflow is not completely full. It may be before the day is over though. It has just started to rain again.

I don't feel so bad about my little wash out as I found out that I was cut off from civilization for a while. It seems Gary Creek really overflowed at FM 182. It had flowed over once before, but they never had to close the road. That's a state Farm to Market road so they are already cleaning out the bridge and roadway this afternoon. Looks like a lot of brush and some whole trees were washed down. The rain hasn't really come down hard today so hopefully we will dry out soon.

Photo--notice it is now handling the creek runoff, but note were it was washed out last evening.

Mountain Pink

The mountain pinks are beginning to bloom. To my relatives north of the river, the mountain pink is a native wildflower which only blooms in the Texas Hill country and only on outcroppings of caliche. They will not grow anywhere else. For better or worse I am blessed with caliche so these bloom every year about the 4th of July. Very pretty especially when you see a big grouping of them.

Weekend Update

We didn't get any more rain this week although it was overcast for most of the week. It did start drying out. The weather has been pleasant for the end of spring and beginning of summer.

I did work around the cabin this week. I wanted to move a dry creek further away from the rear of the cabin as I was able. The creek has been wet most of the past few months. As it dried I was able to do more work so it was completed this week. I made a low water crossing of the trail over the creek as well. I moved the picnic table to the top of the mountain as it wasn't getting much use at the cabin. With the new crossing and table moved, visitors will be able to park on the pea gravel next to the cabin when they visit. There's a small table inside the cabin which could be put up under the trees if guests wish to dine alfresco.

I've noticed more fawns. The does are really after the corn we set out. I guess they need the nourishment for feeding. We are going through twice as much deer corn as we usually set out for them. The young bucks are active as well. The new ones just out on their own are fun to watch. Now they are grouping together and playing and prancing, but that will change soon. The rabbits have taken to the ferns planted around the fountain. Very little ferns left. I've also noted much fewer hummingbirds this year. Maybe because of the odd weather in early spring. I miss them as the mosquitoes are more numerous because of the wet weather.

The tomatoes and watermelon are coming along. I really haven't had to water them at all. Really more worried about them having enough sun. Should have tomatoes in about two more weeks.

Weekend Update

I thought we were beginning the "summer routine" of working in the morning hours and breaking before the heat about noon each day. However it has been fairly nice so far this June. We are still getting cloudy days and rain. We had another 2.5 inches of rain this week.

We did trim cedar and clean up around the 1342 gate this week. It is amazing how fast cedar will grow. I did reroute a dry creek around a big live oak and the 1342 gate as well. Too much water coming down this year and washing away around the gate. This tree was very late in coming out this year, I'll need to keep an eye on it.

Later this weekend (after initial post) we received another 3+ inches of rain. Unbelievable!

Home Sweet Home

We are all back at the ranch following the Texas Scottish Festival in Arlington this past weekend. Looks like the animals did fine without us. They have plenty of grass. The rain gauge tells me we had 2.5 inches of rain. Several gullies in the road so it must have come down fast. Time to repair rain damage on the road and get on some projects that we have been putting off for awhile.

After a few days in the big city you are reminded why you moved to the country.