02 July 2009

Can the Rain Save Us?

The temps have been something to behold in Central Texas this year, with weeks of triple digit heat already. It's like a repeat of last summer. Stepping outside is like walking into a blast furnace. Stand on the asphalt and you can feel the temperature go up a notch or two more (that's why shade trees are so good for the city). The plants are getting brown, wilted and crispy. The grackles are standing still in the yard with their beaks open and panting.

But we were treated to a summer rain, which is very rare during this terrible drought, this past Tuesday. It brought us 1 inch of rain at the Grackle!

It also brought out the mushrooms, their fruiting bodies waiting to explode from the mulch.



It perked up these purple coneflowers that have somehow survived the crispy afternoon sun.





And just that 1 inch filled my 2 empty 75-gallon rain barrels to the brim. It feels good to be able to save that precious rain and make it go much further over the weeks.



That's a fleeting rain that you really have to appreciate around here. The temperatures are already back up in the 100s, with little moisture in sight...

4 comments:

Bob said...

We only got spit on here around Lake Georgetown. I'm in the process of building a 24,000 gallon rain water collection system and can't get any rain to fill the first tank. It's disheartening.

TexasDeb said...

We were so happy to have our rain barrels refilled. After days of hand watering tomato and pepper plants they were getting sooooo low. I am impressed your coneflowers look so good. Lots of ours are sporting brown tips on the blooms now. I think it is the heat - hope it isn't anything more serious. Their first year to bloom for us and I am a huge fan.

Jennings said...

Howdy - did you install your rain barrels by yourself or have someone do them? I'd love a reference. Way to go.

Lee said...

Super easy to do by yourself. We got our barrels from the City of Austin for a discounted price. I guess the only challenge would be to cut your downspouts short, but that's pretty easy. Also, if you don't have downspouts, you can just place these in a corner where the water pours over...