What A Difference a Day Makes

 As some of you are probably aware unless you live in the artic circle or on a deserted tropical island after a 3 hour tour, Texas weather has been after it this summer with a vengeance. We had over a month of 100+ degree heat. There hasn't been a drop of rain since May, and about the only green in site is a dollar bill being blown by on the wind. 

For example, I offer pictures of the two stock tanks (ponds) on my mother's property taken on August 3RD as the "before" exhibit.

The little pond - bone dry. Not a drop of water or even a mud pie to be seen. 

The big pond. Not quite dry, but well below normal and about 6 feet lower than it's highest level. The green is duck weed which is an invasive algae. 

So, that was just over two weeks ago. Then, the heavens opened up and poured forth a deluge that set records for rainfall. Since midnight, we've gotten 8.4 inches of rain 6.1 of which fell between midnight and 8:00AM. 

The big pond this evening after the rains stopped. I was very surprised by how much duck weed survived.

The small pond around lunch time before the rains stopped. 

An unfortunate casualty of all that rain was a 45 foot tall post oak near mom's house. 

The trunk has a circumference of 6 feet 8 inches. If my math is correct, the diameter is a little over 2 feet (maybe 25 or 26 inches). The canopy was about 40 feet wide. Just the main part of the trunk is roughly 3000 pounds. 

I will be spending quite a bit of time with a chainsaw and safety gear over the next couple of  weeks. Anyone need some firewood?

Nature's Beauty

Spotted on a morning walk with M&M to go get The Queen a cup of coffee.