weathering the weather, part 3, FLOOD

As Kaleigh and I left ballet/tap class, it began raining cats and dogs. A playdate with Grace was canceled, unfortunately, due to the heavy rain and near-freezing temperatures. Here is Kaleigh, in her rain boots and umbrella, exploring the rainy terrain as her friend Mana gets off the bus in the background. We acquired this lake today, which has been dubbed Lake Zomba. According to Kaleigh, it is as deep as the tops of her feet in her boots. It was about twice as wide as this mere puddle when it became dark. Wow. That is a lot of rain. Our rain gauge said 3.75", and that's for the last 24 hours. We have trickles in our basement, and the sump pump is running (hooray, Don, for getting it going!). I'm glad we have that low spot, so the water can slowly seep into it, filling the ground with moisture. No wonder that big elm is so big and still alive.

Today I noticed how much work we need to do fixing our gutters, and also digging swales to channel water away from the house, basement, and former cistern (which I fear may overflow any time now, and drown the basement) and into the gardens to soak in. It seems we are getting more rain in the wintertime than in the growing season, and swales seem to be an idea to work with, especially since we seem to have this natural swale already in our landscape. It's a trick, too, to figure out what to do with runoff from the road. Maybe line a ditch leading to the storm drain with plants with bioremediation properties. Although, I guess that water would still be useful to keep in the landscape, even if it is TOXIC!

Here is Kaleigh, sewing for the first time by herself on the sewing machine. This was Gramma Dorothy's sewing machine, a Viking Husqvarna, a college graduation gift from Dorothy's parents, if I remember correctly. It's a fine machine, and I'm glad we inherited it. This is Kaleigh's first attempt at sewing, and of course she chose something difficult to start on. Here she is sewing hearts onto a felt purse, a birthday present for one of her friends. Kaleigh did the design, and I helped with the sewing. It's a nice present! And a nice distraction from the cats and dogs howling down outside our windows.

We're supposed to get another inch or two of snow tonight, and then it's getting really cold. I am wondering if we will have a neighborhood ice rink for a while, out on Lake Zomba. And hopefully we'll be meteorologically boring for a while, and I can report on other news in Zomba besides the weather.