Bring on the wet winter!

I heard something on the news this morning about perhaps seeing one last hurrah rain storm before the monsoons are completely over.  To be honest, it feels pretty dry, and I had a student dehydrate on top of low blood sugar this afternoon, so I am not inclined to hold my breath.  To be fair, though, it was a pretty good monsoon here at our house.

I cannot remember the last time this Texas ranger plant had this many blooms for so long after the last rain.  Not without additional water, anyhow.  

The weather folks have spoken of maybe getting a wetter than usual winter.  I am all for that idea, too.  Especially since I hope to kick off the fall garden in the next couple weeks.  I suppose I should go back and tally up the rainfall total for the monsoon, but I guess this possibility of one last storm gives me a reason for a little procrastination- just until after the last of the rain is gone from my barrels.  Unfortunately, that won't be long.  So, does anyone have any special hidden talents for leading a rain dance?

No rain, but still a beautiful night sky...

It has been a tough week, and today it felt like things just kept piling on.  Charlie took the kids from me at the school, letting me go home to get started there.  After feeding all the little crazies outside, I thought it would be good for me to spend a little more time trying to pick up some of the pieces of the greenhouse and water what was left there.  These clouds rolled in from the east.

They said the monsoon season was over, but as I type this, they are mentioning something about a back door system coming in on the news.  It would be nice to top off the rain I used this week from the barrels, they say we are still two inches behind for the year.

Speaking of rain, the last several days yielded another half inch here at our house.  I will have to look back over the weekend and come up with the overall tally for this year's monsoon.

This little one was sitting on the thermometer next to the rain gauge...

The bottom photo is from when I got started at the greenhouse tonight.  The blueberry plants and several of the mint plants made it, there are a few tomatoes on the fence, and a few other plants like chives and some veggies.  The cacti you see here are back to being upright.  I watered what I could.  It felt good to do something like putting the pieces back together.

Well, I don't know about you all, but I am looking forward to Friday!  Have a great Friday, and a magnificent weekend!

Monsoon Beauty

I have always been a sucker for skies like this.  For some reason, they have been a reminder to me of God's promise, and the possibility that life is.  The monsoon has left in its wake this week, a good bit of destruction, people swept away, the greenhouse in shambles and debris all over the saturated ground.  That makes a good time to look back at the beauty of the monsoon, and to remember all of the life that the water brings.

Some might say photos like this beg to be made into memes or inspirational posters.  Maybe.

Or maybe they are meant to simply transport us back to the beauty of a summer afternoon, when I didn't need to rush to get the kids through homework or off to the next thing, and when we could really just enjoy being together as a family.

Well, either way, whenever I look out and feel overwhelmed, it is a good time to count my blessings and look at the beauty of the life and the world I am given.  So that is what I have chosen to share this morning.  Later today, or tomorrow, I have a picture and a story to share about relaxing and enjoying the moment.  Both tenets of faith, as well as yoga, another place where the world fit together nicely.

Have a beautiful and blessed weekend!

Floating Downstream

This morning, we had some lakefront property on our hands!  It was still raining when we left for town, and much of the property had water.

It took a bit to figure out that we could safely pass the wash going out to Sandario.  But in the end, we got in to town for school and work, visited Auntie and made the feed run.  As dinner was almost ready, I stepped outside to check the rain gauge.  Another inch!  

If I wasn't already motivated to finish up the rain collection upgrade, I would be after the last week.  Two inches in a week, and the barrels were full well before this round.  I am really looking forward to that upgrade!

Well, tomorrow morning is a long drive for football.  The first game to count of the season, with Wyatt having been sick this week, the coach demoted him to being a sub.  But Wyatt says he isn't worried, he will be there for his team.  Then he reminded me a few of the boys don't get back up very often when they get hit, and he will see enough play time for the cough he still has lingering.  I just wish Charlie didn't have to work, and would be on the field with him!

Well, the bell on the dryer is calling my name!  You all have a great night!  Hugs to all =)

Not quite done yet!

Last night, the storms came in fiercely just as the farmers' market where our eggs are sold was setting up.  I left my eggs with the food bank consignment folks, and dashed off as the wind sent the outdoor sellers to their cars to wait out the mess.

I headed up the the kids' school, driving out of the storm at one point.  As I was sitting in the hall outside Bailey's pre-calculus classroom, talking to Charlie, lightning struck and knocked out power. (Big excitement for all the kids in the hallway!)

Charlie called to coordinate with me, and he had watched lightning strike a car two in front of him and send sparks and debris flying.

Charlie took Wyatt down to practice, where there was only light rain and they got in a full practice.  I got Bailey to her college class, then headed home to see what would be there.

We crawled out way down Ajo.  As I sat waiting for our turn at Camino Verde, I snapped this photo of the full washes down by Tucson Estates.  As I drove out past Ryan Airfield, this sight reminded me of a mountain in the winter.

When I got home, the worst of our storm had passed.  I fed and watered and collected eggs.  Then the light rains resumed.  Charlie and the kids were turned around by a sheriff half way home, leading to a very late night.  By midnight, we were back to full fledged electrical storms, with lightning cracking and thunder waking me up.  By 5, the thunder was starting to lessen.  Much of the East and North ends of the property are flooded, and Shadow is driving me nuts from being stuck inside!  My rain barrels are all overflowing!  Thanksfully, the animals are all still high enough to be out of the flooding, the reason why we have been unable to move their pens.

I wonder where today will lead?  For now, time to turn on the news and try to figure out the best way to town for the day.  Stay safe everyone, and Happy Friday!  Hugs to all!

Last Hurrah

Bailey and I had a good time at the goat show.  Lots of nice people, always fun trying to guess where the judges will place the animals, including those you brought and others.

It was late when we finally headed out of Cottonwood, and when Bailey called the boys to check in, they said we had just had a really big storm at home that was hard and crazy.  So we took the highway instead of the back way from Marana, just in case the roads weren't passable.

This morning, I got up and got ready to head out to work.  The rain gauge out front showed a full inch!

I was tired and wanting to upload the photos for friends to share, so I only took little Shadow out front.  I looked out the back door, and saw my greenhouse.  Cacti knocked over, panels out, the roof separating.  There is little left to the front, and not much more left to the back.  There had been some damage I had put temporary redneck repair into, while waiting for the monsoon season to finish out for the total list of parts I would have to order. 

Well, the list did get longer, so I suppose I should be glad I waited on the order.  I am really looking forward to my upcoming class on water harvesting, because I really want to save all the water I can in the future.  I can only imagine how many gallons I would have gotten from a storm such as this.

Well, putting the pieces back together and keeping going.  Just another day at our house!  Hope you all got lots of rain at your house, too, and that you enjoy the rest of your long weekend...

Sunday Projects

Sunday was fun!  When I swept before breakfast, I found a leak in the sink- the seal on the drain basket had worn out, and let the water from the sink, where I was soaking dishes, to leak down under the sink.  With that out of commission and waiting for parts, I headed off to teach Pilates and work out.

When I got home from town in the early afternoon, the gentleman working on Rattlesnake and Chicken Avoidance with Shadow came over to work with her.  The rattlesnake avoidance seems to have gone well, but the chickens are still a big challenge for her.

The Charlie headed off to town, and the kids and I got to work outside.  They were working on pens, I needed to do more laundry and work on my projects to shore up the doe barn, as well as the hen house in the big pen.  This will also strengthen the fencing connections at the barns. If I ever finish, that is!

I measured and cut the poles for Wyatt's pen.

Bailey measured for hers, I cut.

Love power tools!  They make things much faster!

The storms were coming in.  We were trying to work quickly and efficiently, but ran into a big scorpion over four inches long- and it was MAD!  Wyatt got Shadow safely out of the way, and Bailey and I got shovels.  Bailey went to work chopping it into tiny pieces.  I would have taken a photo of the crazy thing, but was more interested in getting rid of it!

The sky was getting more beautiful as we worked.  I wish I could say we got it all done, but the wind came in, and we filled the trailer again.  So we put away our tools for the night in time to have the rain begin falling. Sure hope to get more of those done in the next couple days.

The monsoon sky is just so beautiful!  Bailey and Vegas love the wind and lightning.  But sights like this really make me want to curl up in the rocking chair on the porch.

Shadow is a puppy who really needs to chew, so she has LOTS of bones stashed around the house.  But last night, she found this horn outside.  I think it is a ram's horn.  She looks really funny when chewing on the end, because the other end sits up bu her eye.  But she loves it!  And when she chews on those things, she isn't chewing on anything else, sooo...

Well, the rain gauge didn't even show enough to pour out, though I did try!  Maybe later this week.  I can hope, anyway!  Here's to a beautiful week for everyone this week.  Hope it brings many blessings to you and your family!

Friday Chore Day

I don't know about the rest of the mamas out there, but the beginning of the school year has me feeling stressed out from the need to do things at home while the kids are needing to be in town at school and at activities and appointments.

Friday, I took the kids to school, ran a couple errands, did a little cardio, dropped some things off at the post office and work, and came home to try to get things done!  Of course, when I got home, the rain began, so I started with laundry!

Above are some of the little young chickens that came home from Phoenix.  They like to cuddle up together.

Above and below are photos of that young roo we have been watching.  He needs to hurry up and pick which color he will be before Labor Day weekend.  Looks like the gene expression has come down to two possibilities.  Funny how the lighter color comes in later.

I needed to tie in the barrier between the bucks and does along their fence.  They manage to loosen it from time to time. I was in the buck pen, and the boys always want attention.  Silly Huey was looking a little redneck.  Despite being an old buck, he is a happy healthy old man.

This little hen hatched this year was wandering around while I was in the garden.  She is beginning to really fill out nicely.

Looks like she decided to stop and pose for me!

Feeding time meant more ear scratching for the bucks.  Charlie picked up the kids so I could work at home. That meant Bailey had to stay at practice with them, so I fed for the kids.

Glory was over in the doe pen wagging her tail for the boys' benefit.  Good grief, that girl!  I told Bailey she was in heat and watch out.  She tends to follow Bailey around biting her when she is in heat, demanding to be bred.  Goofy goat!

Still in the buck pen, the Australorps decided to get a drink.  They have adopted the bucks, and even sleep with them.  Here, they were perched on the water buckets, drinking their water.

Then they decided to share their dinner.  The boys are awfully tolerant of thees little ones!

I raked up the mess the chickens made of the dump cart waiting for Charlie to be home long enough to take it out.  Above me, Muffy was getting ready to settle in for the night.  I decided I had best get more done in the garden before my daylight was gone!

The monsoon sky makes for AMAZING sunsets!  Okay, back to watering hte greenhouse and working on the garden!

Shadow cannot be left alone with the chickens yet.  So she was in the garden keeping me company.  I was ready to put two trees in the garden, and found that the holes where I wanted the trees, since we don't till there, was really hard.  The pitchfork and the water will be coming out today.  I was losing my daylight quickly, and Shadow began taking turns digging with me, wanting to help!

This morning, I got this shot of the monsoon rain gauge from yesterday- 0.15 inches.  Not much, but the rain barrels were full, so cannnot really complain.

The last thing I did outside last night was move this Jasmine plant from the garden to the porch.  Here's to hoping I can do enough to protect the plant fro the chickens who have taken to nesting in these pots!

Well, it is Saturday morning, and time to go teach Step and Yoga.  Hope you all have a great day!

Tuesday Night Storms

The farmers' market this week was really hot!  And rather slow.  Bet still fun.  It did leave me nearly out of grab bags.  For some reason, folks like the random sampling of soaps in one special price.  Nevertheless, it will leave room for other things on the table, like the CocoLime soap that is coming again!

On the way home, you could see the storm that was going through parts of Tucson, even though it was off in the distance.  Some of my students told me they got a lot of rain on the North West side from this one.  We never saw it.  That's jut how the monsoons work.

I enjoy stopping to get photos of the wild side of nature.  The stretch of road n the way home has lots of neat opportunities to stop and take pics of the sky and desert.  Above, I stopped by a feed store near the Marana Municipal Airport for this one.

Just thought you all might enjoy these photos.

I especially love how it can seem almost dark, then light again.

It looks like the storm is taking over here!

More Monsoons!

This was the rain gauge from the weekend storms.  Not much to speak of, but that respectable .3 inches did refill the rain barrels.

Last night, Bailey and I were outside working, the boys were at football practice.  I ran inside to get supplies, and was watching the storm in the distance.  Not even five minutes later, the wind and the crazy came.  I crate flew across the back porch, and I ran out to put things in safe places.

Bailey ran up to the porch, unfortunately we were not going to be getting much done!  On to homework!

I took a couple pictures at the front window.  It tried to look ferocious, but the wind and lightning were more than anything!

You cannot really see the sideways rain.  But little Shadow didn't want to go outside, she said she could wait!

The reflections make this photo look funny, but you can see the dust storm part of it.

Football ended up being rained out.

Water ran down the road.

But only about one tenth of one inch inthe rain gauge!  Those funny monsoons!  Hope I get a lot done tonight in between the driving, I need to get ready for Friday!