…and I swear it followed me around like I was Joe Btfsplk.
I was rained on a bit while feeding the dogs, but got off the mesa before all hell broke loose. And then it seems like it just kept right on breaking loose, no matter where I went. A year’s worth of accumulated dust went to mud more or less instantly, and (as we learned in February) there’s a point where 4-wheel-drive and those nice new tires just aren’t any help any longer. So it’s sideways this and oh-god-watch-out-for-that-tree that, and in general it was just one of those rides where you really wish the windshield wipers worked.
The storm was clearly following me west off the plateau and if I’d had any sense at all I’d have just stopped for ten minutes and let it pass me – except that the plateau drains into the canyons that form the headwaters of the wash that runs right past the Lair, which meant there was a fair chance that if I didn’t get home quick I wouldn’t be getting home for hours. It’s storms just like this, happening just where this one was happening, that cause flash floods.
By the time I got past the wash crossings the road was an unholy mess, but the washes never did let go so I got home okay. But the laundry I put on the line certainly got an extra rinse – should have taken it in before I left but I completely misread the clouds.
Anyway, Monsoon has officially – and with quite a series of bangs – begun.
BTW, you know that new bedroom roof? It drains just fine, thanks for your concern, and it will be getting a gutter with a downspout that drains to the gully’s drainage ditch just as soon as I can possibly arrange it. It’s already concentrating the yard mud.
Glad to hear that your new roof serves well. As for the gutter, think “rain barrel” I’ll bet rain water makes great coffee.
So you are done hauling water?
Congratulations!
One of the YouTubers I’ve been watching lives in a region similar to yours (even calls the rainy season “Monsoon”, so he might be a neighbor). He posted an update-of-current projects video a couple of days ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCsx_UMU8A&t=0s) which you might not have the bandwidth to watch, but the relevant bit is his garden area. He’s dug some smallish (~4’X8′) retention ponds and used locally available stone to build berms to direct the rainwater to his plants and the ponds.
I know you’ve done something similar to direct runoff away from the Lair, but I thought I’d pass along the concept. You might try it if you want to take another shot at growing fruit trees (or anything edible).
Ben, I probably won’t haul a lot of water today, except for the greenhouses. Can’t make claims for the rest of the week.
RE: Rain barrel . . .
Excellent idea. You can get a downspout diverter to allow you to put water into a barrel or dump it into the ditch (or another barrel, etc).
While you’re at it, consider the same thing for the big roof.
Several options possible.
We had our first 2 monsoon gully washers Saturday and it already looks as dry as if nothing had happened. Glad the roof passed the test(as you knew it would)!
What everyone else said about a rain barrel. I have one, filled by a drain pipe, and with an on/off spout at the bottom where a hose is attached. Multiple rain barrels can be connected together so one overflow goes into the next barrel. Mine is elevated to get max drain and has a screen on top to keep bugs out and a very heavy stone to keep it from blowing away when empty. As infrequent as your rains are you’d need to filter the rain water to be able to use it for coffee. Amazing things come off a roof that doesn’t get rained on often. And if as I do you live in a state that forbids private collection of rain water, don’t tell anyone you have a rain barrel. Or any kind of rainwater detention device like berms or low dams because the rainwater that falls on your property is not yours to do with as you wish.
People long ago planted in basins and waited for the monsoons. They also built detention dams. It worked fine. Native Seeds SEARCH has a collection of ancient seeds from the southwest for sale and everything I’ve bought has been exactly as claimed. If you want fruit trees to grow plant them in basins and surround the basins with rocks. People living in your area fed themselves quite nicely for many thousands of years and you and your neighbors can do it too.