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scottokla

Who got rain (so I know who to hate)?

scottokla
11 years ago

kidding of course.......mostly.

0.02 at home

0.00 at the farm

tomorrow!!!!

Comments (24)

  • slowpoke_gardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Scott, I am glad you got rain. I hope you get a lot more soon, especially on the farm.

  • soonergrandmom
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Scot, You get to hate me today. It wasn't a big rain, but it seemed funny to see wet ground. LOL

  • Lisa_H OK
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    According to my rain gauge, zip, zero, zilch at my house. However I observed with my very own eyes a few minutes of good rain at the office.

    They have just been teasing us....

    Lisa

  • OklaMoni
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    zilch, nada, NOTHING at my house... besides what the sprinkler puts out.

    Moni

  • scottokla
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The heavy rain stopped 5 miles north of us and gave BA an inch or more. My wife had to wait 45 minutes at McDonalds for the rain to let up so she could get the kids to the car and home. It was all moving our way (at the house) and then just stopped and moved directly east. She drove through rain on the way home and then was shocked that it totally stopped when she crossed the river. The .02 we got was just after noon. We got nothing from the major late push.

    Since the front has stopped right on us, I like our chances tomorrow.

  • scottokla
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Strike the comment about the front stopping here.

    Not liking our chances tomorrow.

  • Macmex
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We received about a half inch of rain. Though, to the North of us (Peggs) I bet they received quite a bit. Also, I suspect there was more precipitation to the South and West. I watched the radar as the storm clouds pretty well skirted above and below us. It looked like the Fayetteville area received some heavy rains.

    George

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I suppose the 0.02" at home was better than nothing, but just barely.

    I was watching the radar and thinking for a while you might be getting rain, or about to get rain.

    Go ahead and hate me if it will make you feel better. This week we've had about 0.90 inches....maybe only 0.88" 'cause I'm just looking at the rain in the gauge and guessing, so it is not precise. It is very humid this morning and we even have dew. I appreciate the rain, truly I do, but I do not want for mosquitoes to start hatching out!

    Today you're one day closer to a good rainfall than you were yesterday. We know it has to rain sooner or later. Hopefully sooner.

    Dawn

  • slowpoke_gardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Seems like last year Jay said something about getting 12" of lightning, I am not sure how much rain 12" of lightning is equal to, but it could equal a lot of fires. I have never heard the remark before and thought it was funny. May we All get the much needed rain.

    Larry

  • miraje
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Still nothing here, but the forecaster husband is liking our chances for Saturday. I'll believe it when I see it.

  • mulberryknob
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When I left my daughter's--18 miles from me--at 7 last evening it was raining and rained heavy the whole 9 miles to town, through town and a mile out of town my way. Then it stopped and I drove on barely wet roads to within a mile of home where I drove out of it. Sigh...so only a trace for us. My daughter is dry, but she has had almost 3" in the last two months that we didn't get.

  • scottokla
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I see hints of a pattern change late next week that will limit rain chances. We have 2 or 3 opportunities before that. We must have 1.5 inches!

    I'll give $10,000 for 2 inches of rain Saturday! Anyone out there that can make that happen for me?

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Scott,

    No-o-o-o-o! We want rain this weekend. We want rain next week. We want rain every day. We don't need no stinkin' pattern change that will limit our rain chances.

    I think you could buy water by the tanker load and haul in a of it for that $10,000. Maybe not enough to equal 2" of real rainfall.

    Let's say the worst happens and no rain falls there. Then what? Do you have more water to haul to the trees or have you emptied every pond already? Is there a water company in town that will sell you water to haul in tankers?

    Dorothy, We were in Gainesville one day driving through pouring rain, and as we came through Thackerville it was still raining, and as we went north from there it was raining, and when we got 2 miles from home, it wasn't raining but the streets were wet....and when we got within a mile of home, the streets and everything else were dry. If it is going to rain close to us, but not on us, I'd rather not even know it rained at all.

    Parts of western Love County have had more rain this year than we have, but I can't allow myself to begrudge them their rainfall because they're usually a lot drier than we are. With sandy soil that drains fast, the extra moisture doesn't even seem to help them like it helps us here with our clay.

    I have to stress I have no real complaints with our rainfall here at our house this year. We are within a couple of inches of average year-to-date rainfall, but it just hasn't fallen heavily when needed. We had all the rain in the world back when it was time to plant cold-season root crops and my potatoes were sitting there with water standing around them and making them rot, but not much rain in May or this summer when the warm-season crops really needed it.

    Dawn

  • scottokla
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We've hauled about 130,000 gallons and only have about 20,000 gallons left by my estimate. That will allow me to put 100 gallons on each of my 200 young trees one more time if we don't get rain by Labor Day.

    Almost all the trees older than 30 years still look really good for now so I hope they will make it regardless. It's all of the young grafted ones that would be mostly dead if I hadn't watered them.

    Thirty acres are upland and they are the ones in danger. Only rain can help them now. Too bad my 4,000,000 gallon pond didn't hold water. What a waste.

  • ezzirah011
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Whew...I am safe. No rain.

    I cannot tell if the leafs are turning early around my neighborhood, or if they are dying from drought.

  • p_mac
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Chandra got rain yesterday morning and he lives 8 miles from me....(5 as the crow flies)....and I didn't get a stinkin' drop one.

    So I'm safe too.

    Our trees are dropping leaves like crazy, especially the red-buds. Do you think since they're partially dead already that they'll decompose faster and make good mulch? (yes, I'm grasping for ANYTHING good out of this garden season.)

    Paula

  • ezzirah011
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You know, why didn't I think of mulch! I have a bunch of dead trees in my yard that I chopped down. I need to rent a chipper and get at it!

    The house up the way from me has all kinds of dead leafs, I am thinking of taking a rake up there! LOL

  • slowpoke_gardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We got another .3" last night bring my total here at home up to 9" since the first of July. It has been wonderful, but I had rather sent Scott 2 of those 9"

    Larry

  • elkwc
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No rain here yet. But cooler temps. A high of 79 on Thursday. Traveled to Wichita, KS and back yesterday. No sign of recent rains the whole way. The crops are burning up. Moisture now will be too late to make a lot of difference for many of them. Not near as many cattle either. Many have been sold. As my step-dad stated it is very rare that you see that area as dry as it is and especially the whole way from Elkhart to Wichita. It looks like the cooler temps are here to stay at least through next week. Hopefully moisture will arrive soon for everyone. Jay

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Scott, Please tell me that the farm got rain! I was kept awake by ridiculous amounts of lightning and thunder here until about 3 a.m., but no rain at that time, and I was watching the radar as rain crept closer and closer to y'all. I hope it reached the farm.

    It did rain here after I fell asleep--about a quarter-inch. So, I'd say we got about 12" of lighting, 6" of thunder and a quarter-inch of rain. Despite the lack of sleep, I appreciate the rain if not the lighting and noise that came with it.

    What in the world is wrong with your pond? Is the bottom not holding water or is it that enough rain just didn't fall? One of our neighbors put in a huge pond during the drought of 2008 and I am not sure if it has held any water yet. I think he has too much sand and not enough clay. Another one across the highway put in a pond last year, and it held water in winter when it rained so much that my potatoes were rotting, but it didn't hold any this summer---maybe because rain only falls in small amounts that soak into the pond bottom, leaving no surface water in the pond.

    I know your pond has to be fixable.

    Paula, I can't believe the rain missed you. Maybe you'll get some this weekend.

    Leaves decompose fastest if cut/shredded and then kept wet. Otherwise, it can take them a year or two to break down. So, I always rake mine into a pile and run over it with the lawn mower, catching the cut-up leaves and grass clippings with the mower's grass catcher. If you have some grass clippings mixed in with the leaves, they'll decompose faster...and that is what you want. You want them to be a good winter mulch now, but you want them to break down and enrich the soil by next spring too. Fresh off the trees they are likely to be too dry to decompose, so water them after you put them wherever you want them for mulch.

    If you want to save this fall's leaves for next spring's mulch to be put on the garden after plants have emerged, chop them up, put them in black garbage bags, use a water hose to put a little water in the bag (not a lot, just want it moist not sopping wet). Then, poke air holes in the bags and pile them up behind the garage or something. By spring, you'll have bags of beautiful leaf mold to use as a composty mulch.

    Ezzirah, That sounds like a good plan. Hardwood mulch from native trees is a great mulch.

    Larry, That's a lot of rain. It is nice that you would have sent some of it to Scott if you could have.

    Jay, It is cooler here too the last couple of days. Only 97 degrees yesterday! With any luck at all, we won't see a 97-degree day again for at least the new few days.

    I think that Kansas looks simply dreadful on the drought map and cannot even imagine how devastating this summer weather is for all the farmers, ranchers, market growers and gardeners. I am afraid rain will be coming too late for the farmers and ranchers though.

    Can y'all grow winter wheat in Kansas like we do here in Oklahoma or does Kansas get too cold? I can see folks here in southern OK and western North Texas are plowing their fields now to get them ready to plant winter wheat. They have to be ready so they can rush out into the fields and plant the wheat when rain seems likely so it will be able to sprout and grow. Of course, the rain deficits are so high in much of Kansas that it makes you wonder if enough rain could fall to make the winter wheat grow anyway.

    The rainfall map since midnight looks pretty good. I'm going to link it below.

    Dawn

    Here is a link that might be useful: Rainfall Since Midnight

  • scottokla
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We missed the heaviest rain, but we did OK. I never could get to sleep. I caught the newscast at 11:30 on my way to bed and they showed storms just starting to form near Ponca City, so I stayed up a bit and watched the line form from there to near Sapulpa. About a 20 mile wide strip got about 1.5 to 2 inches but we struck out until the middle of the night, and then the line shifted and we got an inch before it stopped as the sun came up.

    (Some areas of our pond did not get compacted clay on the bottom. It filled the entire 4,000,000 gallons in one day last spring and it dropped 2 inches per day until it only held a small amount.)

  • slowpoke_gardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dawn, I use to drive an 18 wheeler, I drove all the lower 48 states and a good bit of Canada. I saw what looked like large wheat fields in central Canada. It may not be the same kind of wheat grown here, but it looks about the same. I have seen much more wheat in northern states than I have in southern states. At the time I was driving Canada was shipping a lot of hay south, which seem strange to me, but some may have felt it was easier to sell their hay than to over winter their cattle in a harsh winter.

    Larry

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Scott, Hooray! An inch is a good start, and if the radar is any indication, you might get more today. I am so glad for you.

    At least you know the problem is fixable. A little compacted clay or some betonite, and you'll have a 4-million gallon pond for future drought years.

    Larry, That's good to know about winter wheat being able to grow so far north. Maybe if rain returns at the right them, the farmers and ranchers have a shot at a great winter wheat crop.

    I don't know how winter wheat is grown in other areas, but here where we live it is a dual-purpose crop. After it sprouts and gets to a certain size, you can let the cattle graze it in winter. Then, at a certain point in spring, you pull the cattle off of it and it grows and forms heads, which you can harvest and sell. This spring, with the prospects of rain being poor in the summer months, some of the farmers then came back after the grain was harvested and cut and baled the wheat straw, but others left it standing. In some cases, fires got the dry wheat stubble. Our worst summer fires often are started in dry wheat fields during harvest time, which is so unfortunate.

    Dawn

  • miraje
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good news!! Our rainless streak ended today. We just received about a half inch, and it looks like there's a possibility for more later today. It looks like Norman got a fair amount, too.

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