It is not raining at the moment. Wonderful. After the rains this past week, our area has a new record for the second highest amount of precipitation in a year since records have been kept...54.75 inches. Our average precipitation ranges from a little over 37 to 40 inches. In first place for the most rain ever recorded is 1990 with 59.75 inches.
Since 2011 is nearly over, that record is not likely to be broken. That's fine with me. When we came home from the Christmas program at the high school on December 15, we drove home through rain. That's life. But when we arrived in our plat, the electricity was off. That's bad. The sump pumps that keep our basement dry run on electricity.
Sure enough, there was water at the foot of the basement stairs. Between Tom and me, we started the emergency generator and within a half hour, the sump pumps had pumped out the water. Of course, I had a few soaked rugs to deal with.
If the electricity does not go off ,or, if it does and we are home, our basement has been staying dry. Earlier this year when the back basement wall was leaking, that was not the case. Since then we have had the sump pump hole near the back wall deepened. That turned out to be a bigger job than expected since the original hole's depth was down as far as the bedrock. The handy men had to use a tool that is the baby brother of a jack hammer to deepen the hole.
I drive past the new extension to to the bike trail on my way to Charleston Falls. Yesterday the trail was partly underwater.
To the left and right the floodplain waters threaten more of the trail.
But a floodplain filling with water means the falls are beautiful to see. At the right on the upper viewing area a man is taking a photograph.
The intermittent falls that sometimes doesn't flow all year was splashing over its ledge.
The trails were soggy. This puddle extends into the prairie grasses on either side of the trail.
I had the choice of backtracking and taking another trail or wading through along the edge. Guess which option I chose.
Since 2011 is nearly over, that record is not likely to be broken. That's fine with me. When we came home from the Christmas program at the high school on December 15, we drove home through rain. That's life. But when we arrived in our plat, the electricity was off. That's bad. The sump pumps that keep our basement dry run on electricity.
Sure enough, there was water at the foot of the basement stairs. Between Tom and me, we started the emergency generator and within a half hour, the sump pumps had pumped out the water. Of course, I had a few soaked rugs to deal with.
If the electricity does not go off ,or, if it does and we are home, our basement has been staying dry. Earlier this year when the back basement wall was leaking, that was not the case. Since then we have had the sump pump hole near the back wall deepened. That turned out to be a bigger job than expected since the original hole's depth was down as far as the bedrock. The handy men had to use a tool that is the baby brother of a jack hammer to deepen the hole.
I drive past the new extension to to the bike trail on my way to Charleston Falls. Yesterday the trail was partly underwater.
To the left and right the floodplain waters threaten more of the trail.
But a floodplain filling with water means the falls are beautiful to see. At the right on the upper viewing area a man is taking a photograph.
The intermittent falls that sometimes doesn't flow all year was splashing over its ledge.
The trails were soggy. This puddle extends into the prairie grasses on either side of the trail.
I had the choice of backtracking and taking another trail or wading through along the edge. Guess which option I chose.
We are so dry here.. the weather patterns seem to get stuck. I would have walked on the edge too!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas !! :)
Em and Ab and I were there yesterday and it was a lot drier, but the wooden stairs were slippery with frost. I was trying to tough it out when I noticed Emmy was so scared she was shaking. We headed back for the car, satisfied we'd made the attempt.
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