Weather Watching #3 - Count Down to Fall 2013

We can even bring our cars for you to wash!!!!!!!!

Dedark OHHHH groan!!!!! ( naw I like puns)

Never thought I'd be so happy to see rain! :-) It's been coming down nice and steady all evening.

.... dedark. HAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Urine. Opposite of "Urout". =)

It gently pitter-pattered here for about .... oh, LOTS of hours. Haven't gone out to look at the rain gauge yet, but I judge it by the lemon grass on the deck. Yesterday afternoon it was lying down all over the place. This morning it's ALL standing up. =)
It had already been raining for about 2.5 hours when I thanked Ric for washing his car (in dedark) up there, and it was still gently falling when I went to bed about 10:30 last night. Oooooh LOVERLY!!
Now... who wants to come mow my lawn!? < =D No, don't look at me, I have school work to do!!!! < =P

We got 1.5 inches! Yay!

I love to get things in the ground just before the rains hit. :)

The plants all look so happy this morning!! :-) In de-light of course! :-)

JUst a tad shy of an inch here. Heard it really poured along the I 95 corridor.

Speedie, have you ever considered getting a goat?
Here are some before and after videos from EcoGoat. an environmentally friendly alternative
vegetation removal.
http://www.eco-goats.com/ecogoat-videos.shtml

Ecogoats service an area within 150 mile radius of Annapolis. That's most of us!

We got less rain, but hopefully adequate. The official measurement was 0.41"s. I need to buy a new rain gauge.

Ric, do you think a new rain gauge would change the amount of rain you get? Hey, I guess it's worth a try.

De dark!!!! I had to read it twice before I GOT it!!

Yep, rain here, too!! Very nice

An empty soup can be as good a rain gauge as anything....
Just stick a ruler in it to see how much you got....
G.

No it will not change the amount, but especially summer rains can differ quite a bit in a couple of miles.
Earlier this summer areas all around us reported as much as a half inch, and here Nada.

That's the way it usually is here, too, Ric.

You guys haven safe trip!!!

Judy, actually I had thought about goats; there's a place along my drive to work that has goats for just this purpose; I see them in different fenced-off parts of the yard on different days on the way to work... the problem is.. well... multi-part. 1: I have no fencing to contain them to what I'd want "removed", which would be ONLY lawn. 2: As can be seen in the videos.. they eat waayy down lower than is safe for a lawn, and that is something I would NOT want. Now, if I had a HUGE area (I've only got a couple thousand square feet of lawn, just 1/2 hour of mowing) with underbrush and icky stuff, I'd certainly consider goats for a good clearing, but just for a little lawn-mowing.. I think I'll stick with my Briggs & Stratton! I like the exercise anyway. =)

You are right, Speedie. a goat's favorite forage is not 'lawn'!

Glorious weather! Another 10 days of no rain in sight.

Now that it is cooler, It is hard to remember to keep my garden watered before plants are bone dry

3/4 inch rain Monday, 1 1/2 + and counting since Wednesday pm.

We got 1.42 inches on Monday and since Wed pm we've gotten 3.5 inches.

It's great because we were getting so dry and I am especially happy because I just planted a new large shrub garden and was having to water them weekly to keep them going.

perfect for new shrub plantings!

WHOA, my rain gauge is over flowing! Is it possible that we've had more than 5 inches of rain this week? I didn't dump out the gauge after the first storm, and I think we got about 1.5 inches from that one.

Sally, my new shrubs are loving this rain. :)

our gauge must leak! We were on the road between Baltimore and CUmberland for a total of five hours today and drove through several downpours and a lot of normal rain.. Most all day some kind of precip. it FELT like five inches. Sump is running a lot.

I moved some perennials two weeks ago and they are happy! And the potted plants look ecstatic, Coleus cuttings are in seventh heaven.

I spotted my Hostas out back yesterday working on building an ark. Hmmmmm.

official records are for about six inches around here and it's all come in this week!! Not counting the downpour we are just having now.... C'mon now, rain rain go away.....unreal!

The Monacacy River was definitely out of its banks up Frederick way today.

I'm amazed at how much of the recent rain has 'soaked in' rather than flooded. I guess this is what is called 'the rain train'. Glad the temps are mild and not flirting with frozen. Saw some brightness and sun a few minutes this afternoon. I said 'hello'!

Good golly molly. I forgot to turn off the sprinkler system this week, and never noticed or remembered during the work week. I saw them on just yesterday when I got home from Jill's bulb sorting party. That is such a ridiculous sight when you see sprinklers going in the rain, and it has been raining all week with my sprinklers happily watering away. Time to turn them off and winterize now anyway..

oh my Aspen! :-o Hope everything was okay with the super-soaking!! I did that once with a soaker hose.

The weather forecast says it will hit 34 degrees here tomorrow night (Thursday night) and 32 degrees the following night (Friday night) - that's the coldest by far it has gotten here this season.

I'm 6 or 7 degrees warmer here but this is the earliest I have had to bring in my tenders and tropicals.

I usually don't fire up the furnace til Thanksgiving! Still have to get it repaired. Huddling around a space heater can get old fast.

Glad I'm planting my bulbs left to plant in containers. Think I'll pre warm the soil!

Not many oak leaves down yet, my major source of winter mulch/protection.

The ac may not work in several of my delivery vehicles, but the heaters do. Thankful? You bet.

We've got a predicted low of 35 down this way tomorrow night, and 33 for Friday night.... it's got me wondering about my Dahlias. < =/ I'll check into that!

Judy, THANK GOD for heaters, huh? Goodness, that's a bit too chilly for you to be without it. Bundle up anyway though, just in case! =)

Yes Judy I agree that does not sound like a good situation! What kind of fix does your heater need? Do we know anyone handy?

Aw, thanks for your concern, Furnace needs fire box rebuilt (destroyed by one yearly maintenace tech installing wrong nozzle among other things) I've just been in denial about approach of cold weather!

We usually keep most of the house quite cool even in Winter, but one of our little heaters can turn the bathroom into a sauna! Kitchen is taken care of with cooking and Brm has a thermostat controled oil filed space heater that provides very consistant temp so not always pulling up or throwing off covers, Have I mentioned how much I love my great big fluffy down comforter? I use mine almost year round.

And polar fleece vests are a staple wardrobe item.

Speedie what is your winter work attire of choice?

As of today--I have everything in the house now that has to be inside.
It has been a haul for 3 days! All that running around--up and down--in and out...
sure wore me out.

I put the still blooming non-stop Begonias in my shed. Also a huge pot of
red wax begonias. May get some warmer weather later--then I'll put them back out--
IF they are still alive.

I should take a bunch of end cuttings from the Persian Shield. I have so many--
and they are so pretty. Would they live in some water for a few days???
i DO want to take some -plants to my HD to give away to people.
OH! Better grab some hand-fulls of the wandering jew....it is everywhere...

Got most of my plants situated inside---Phew-that took some time....
You know--they have to look pretty too where they are.

Judy--The Fishnet Stockings is not liking being indoors! It keeps dropping leaves.
Have you had any luck overwintering it?
I have some cuttings that i am trying to root--but they are not doing so great either,,

I have to dig up the 3rd clump of Iris and re-plant them.
I also have to re-plant all the bulbs That I kept digging up as I was amending
the soil in the 2 other areas of iris.

Digging up the Caladiums also needs to happen any day now, as BG&E is coming
on Nov. 1st to install my Smart Meter. They will never get to it as it is in the back
of my kitchen-side bed which is still full.

AAARRGGGHHHHH---so much to do yet! G.

Can you see the meter behind the ferns on the left?

yes, I can just barely see the meter behind the lovely plants!

It's amazing how busy these fall days are, getting ready for winter! Sounds like you got a lot done, Gita.

Gita: You are an inspiration -- I have barely begun! And I have less than 48 hours to get finished!

But then again, a warming trend -- the forecast here now says it will go to only 33 Friday night, not 32. In a pinch, I'll gather the remaining tropicals and throw an old sheet or tarp on them overnight, and then turn the sprinkler on them Saturday morning....

This message was edited Oct 24, 2013 4:38 AM

Judy; my winter attire of choice for work is: Jeans (of course), boots (of which I need new, 'cause these old ones KILL my feet), a tank-top under a sweat-shirt or Christmas-y sweater. I take my big fat down jacket in case I need to go outside, but keep a sweat-jacket in the store for inside-wear. Oh yes, and I've got a few new (bought last Fall) cute hats as well. And my gardening gloves. ;) Those are the best gloves I've found to keep my hands warm, even if they are a bit cumbersome. What about you, for when you're out running your routes? Surely you're not wearing your wonderful down comforter!? < =D HAAAA!!!

Gita, you're really kickin' dupa and taking no prisoners, huh? YOU GO GIRL!!! =) (and when you're done, you can GO... go my house and start on my Big Bed!) Heeheeheeeheeee WEEEEEDS!!!!!!! < =0

I'm so glad we didn't get frost last night. I still have at least 5 houseplants that need to be brought indoors.

I have a lot more to go. The weather is supposed to warm up a bit, so now I am thinking of only bringing in the ones that are the most cold-sensitive. But other than caladium, I don't recall which those are and I can't find my notes....

20 degrees colder than normal !!! Coldest part of day is between 3 am and dawn. Forecast is for low of 38 here. Not staying up to find out. Must find my max min thermometer.

My outdoor plants need watering. Maybe I'll pick up a non leaking wand or nozzle so I can stay dry while doing it.

discovered tonight that my favorite spot for overwintering a couple large plants last couple years has been taken by 'somebody's ' straightening up the basement…rats.

Hmmm... maybe you need to re-"straighten" up the basement?? < =P heeheeheee

We had a hard frost last night, even had a skim of ice on Alfie's big water bowl.What wasn't gotten in doesn't matter. I did however, get about 150 cuttings started in the greenhouse, many of those are the more expensive annuals we buy every year and of course, coleus. Our large hibiscus were not in yet but suffered from spider mite. I might try pruning them hard and take them in since nature has exercised it's pest control on them. All that remains is getting the pond plants heeled into the garden for the winter.

Sally, for a minute there I thought you had a rat infestation.... haha!