I’m pretty sure we’re setting some kind of rainfall record in Midland, Texas today. While it’s not unusual to have monsoonal downpours in September, it’s been years since we’ve actually experienced one. I’m of the opinion that, except for reasons of bereavement or illness, there’s no such thing as a bad day off, especially in… Continue reading A Damp Tour Through the Neighborhood
Category: Nature
Barreling Along
We finally broke down and bought a rain barrel. OK, I broke down; Debbie had been advocating for it for a long time. I didn’t want a big honking ugly contraption sitting in our yard, and what I’d seen seemed awfully expensive. But we ran across one at Home Depot for $99 – about half… Continue reading Barreling Along
Scary Prairie
According to The Weather Channel, the temperature in Midland today will hit 105° In recognition of this dubious achievement, I offer the following. If my lawn is already looking like this, imagine what August is going to bring. OK, just kidding (sort of). This is an overly bleak perspective of the grass the developers planted… Continue reading Scary Prairie
Comanche Springs 2012: Drought Update
Last February, I posted a series of photos and a video of the vigorous flow of water from Comanche Springs in Fort Stockton, Texas. You might want to take a moment and refresh your memory because this update won’t be as meaningful without the comparison. Fort Stockton has averaged about 14″ of precipitation each year… Continue reading Comanche Springs 2012: Drought Update
Record-setting Snowfall in Midland
Almost a foot of snow, and there’s never a ski lift when you need one.
Snow Report
We got 3-4″ of heavy, wet snow last night and today. It’s not that unusual to have snow in West Texas, but we usually get the dry variety that stays on the trees and shrubs only as long as it takes for the first gust of wind to blow through. But this was snow of… Continue reading Snow Report
Ditch or Pipeline? Neither is likely to help our water situation.
As parts of the country endure flooding while other regions continue to suffer from a history-making drought and water shortage, it’s logical to wonder why we can’t figure out a way to move some of that water from one area to the other. Associated Press Science writer Seth Borenstein writes that the idea is simply not… Continue reading Ditch or Pipeline? Neither is likely to help our water situation.
Drought and the San Saba River
The effects of the ongoing drought are depressingly evident throughout the Hill Country of Texas. We traveled from Midland to Fredericksburg last weekend, and brown was the dominant theme for the countryside. Except for a brief oasis-like hint of green around San Angelo (thanks to some very isolated recent downpours), the countryside was distressed beyond… Continue reading Drought and the San Saba River
Pomegranate Update (Yes, another one. Gimme a break.)
You’re probably growing weary of pomegranate updates, but given everything I have going on right now, this is about all I can come up with. Plus, I think it’s pretty great how a tree we gave up for dead is now thriving as a bush. The photos below don’t map exactly, but they’re pretty close,… Continue reading Pomegranate Update (Yes, another one. Gimme a break.)
Burn now, learn later
While the immediate economic and ecological impacts of the recent wildfires and ongoing drought in West Texas are inarguably negative, there are still some positive aspects to the situation. Steve Nelle is a San Angelo-based wildlife biologist with the USDA‘s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and he has authored a short and quite interesting assessment of… Continue reading Burn now, learn later