And you think gets hot where you live!

December temperature in South Georgia???

Metro Monday, Part II

WE NEED SOME MORE RAIN...

While we have been getting rain (enough to make the grass grow and so we don't need to water the garden). But the Beaver Pond is drier than we have seen it in a couple of years.

During wetter times, the water would be well over Metro's head... Below are link to other post with photos showing the same stump.

http://bgstembridge.blogspot.com/2008/01/beaver-pond.html

http://bgstembridge.blogspot.com/2008/01/beaver-pond-dam.html

Metro Monday

You gotta stop and smell the Daffodils!!!

And sometimes the Daffodils need to be watered!!!

And yes, the Daffodils are blooming is south Georgia. General Beau Lee, Ph.D., Georgia’s Official Weather Prognosticator predicted an early spring on Feruary 2nd. With temperature in the upper 60's to lower 70's for nearly two week now, I would say he got another one right!!! In the mean time - his northern cousin, Punxsutawney Phil, has six more weeks of cold, snow and winter in store for those above the Mason-Dixon.

Why Drill??? When you can do it for real???

This week marks National Severe Weather Awareness Week. What is the purpose of this week? According to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, “Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to provide information about the types of severe weather that affect Georgia and what to do in the event that severe weather occurs.”

A statewide tornado drill will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2008.

Update: The statewide tornado drill has been cancelled on Wednesday because of the threat for severe weather in Georgia. The drill has been rescheduled for Friday, February 8.

Beaver Pond Dam

Friday afternoon, we walked to the Beaver Pond to see the level of the water. Sarah had told me on Thursday, the water was within two inches of the top of the Beaver Stump. With just over 1.5" of rain on Saturday, we were sure that the Stump would be completely covered today. Well, guess again.

So I walked over to the Beaver Dam... I hear water flowing!!!


The pressure of the increased water on the earthen plug made by the beaver caused a collapse sometime in the past 36 hours.

And it most likely happened last night... The ice seen above shows a pattern of quickly receding water. The temperature overnight was 19.2° F.


I wasn't the only one investigating the damage, the tracks of a VERY LARGE beaver were near the flowing water.

Beaver Pond

It was a long dry summer... The drought in Georgia has really impacted those to the north of us - Lake Lanier (the source of Atlanta's water) is now at all time low.

We were able to watch the level of the Beaver Pond drop. By taking note of the water mark on one of the Beaver Stumps we were able to guage the fullness of the pond. From the highest level at the beginning of June to the lowest point in mid December - the water level drop over 18 inches.

June 9

August 18

December 13

We figure that the total surface area of the Beaver Pond when full is around 6 acres. So with the drought and lack of rain over the summer - 18 inches evaporated and with 27,138 gallons per acre of 1 inch rain - the pond lost 2,930,904 gallons of water.

January 3


Today, with ice on the surface!

We are almost to the high water mark again with all but 2 inches regained. That means the pond has increased by 2,605,248 gallons.

Thank you Lord for the rain we have received in South Georgia in the recent weeks.

Storm Damage

We heard at Sunday School that there was a tornado that touch down in Jay Bird Road. So, we took a ride after lunch to see!

There were trees uprooted, trees broken in half and trees across the road. The mobile homes near the intersection were not damaged (that we could see, the offical report says otherwise).

The distance from our home to were the tornado did its destruction was exactly 5 cromes (five miles by way the crow flies)

The Offical Report from NOAA:


6 Miles N HELENA, DODGE COUNTY GA
N32° 17' E82° 91'
EF0 NEAR INTERSECTION OF LONG BRIDGE AND NEW BETHEL CHURCH ROADS. MOBILE HOME DAMAGED AND TREES DAMAGED. PATH LENGTH WAS 1/2 MILE AND PATH WIDTH WAS 25 YARDS. (FFC)

Even closer to home:
The guys that rent to hunt the planted pines, felt it necessary to put up a gate at the lane. The lane has always be considered a public road way. A bit of land that each of the property owner's (one of which being Sarah's Dad) would give to be the common land - share by both, owned by none. We were upset by the installation of the gate but we still had access via the breaks in the old fence. With the power pole needing to be replace at midnight last night and no key to open the gate --- the guys from the EMC took the easy route. They plowed the bucket truck though the gate like it wasn't there!!!

The new and old pole

Mama was scared last night. The sound of something hitting the roof was LOUD. They were thinking hail... But instead it was the pecans being loosed from the huge tree and descending onto the metal roof. With the wind last night all the pecans have fallen from the trees and need to be harvested.

And then, the storm came,

The winds really picked up around 10:00 last night and shortly thereafter, the lights go out. Sarah grabbed the Weather Radio (battery operated, you do have one, don't ya) and we hear the alarm...

Tornado Watch...

and then, less than 10 minutes later...

Tornado WARNING, radar indicated wind rotation 10 miles north east of Alamo - the southern Laurens, northern Wheeler counties area. Moving toward the ESE at 55 mph, and away from us, the winds die down as quickly as they arose.

We head to bed knowing that when the power returns, Metro will run through the house looking for the unseen force that made the various clocks beep. We are unaware that the damage to the power lines are so close. Truck from Little Omulgee EMC stop in the road at the corner of the farm. The pole on the lane, is down. At 1:03 the electricy is restored and finishing touches are applied to the new pole...

Glad we got a good nap yesterday afternoon!

Rainy Night in Georgia

It has been a long time since the Weather Channel maps indicated rain in south Georgia. Sprinkles started this morning about 10:15 while we were fishing for our supper. Yummm, brim, cole slaw and fried sweet taters!!!

Our afternoon nap was enhanced with heavy raindrops hitting the back deck. And with rain falling nearly non-stop since 2:00, Metro's walks outside have been mostly done under the carport. Isn't that the main reason we build the carport in the first place?

With most of the country - east of the Rockies and north of the Mason-Dixon line - in the grips of ice and snow, we are due get a taste of the temperature but not the frozen precipitation. Monday morning's low will be in the upper 20's. We rarely get the moisture and cold temperatures at the same time - that's a good thing!

So far today, 1.22" of rain. More rain in less than 10 hours versus the past 30 days combined. The forecast has the rain ending overnight, between 2 and 3 a.m.

We didn't just fall...

Off the Turnip Truck, that is.

We have been enjoying the turnip roots and greens and Mustard greens for about five weeks now. Maurice, Sarah’s brother, loves to buy seeds, plant and fertilize and then watch stuff grow. That’s about the end of his involvement, until the bounty comes out of the cooking pot.

Our Turnip Queen, Brooke!!!

Mustards, washed and ready for the pot.

We have been rather selfish with the mustard greens. Of the nearly acre of greens planted back in September, only about 5% are mustards. Sarah's favorite green is by far --- mustard. We gathered the last of the curly tops, if we don't get rain before the next frost.

There is a 60% chance of rain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow!!!

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20

Frost

Well, maybe it suppose to be 9 weeks after the goldenrods bloom?!?!?

Frost on the lawn... does this mean we won't have to mow any more till spring?!?!

Fog and Frost - the pond on "fire".

Full Moon

Pink Twilight

I scan the horizons, westward the setting sun.
Cloudlessness mingling with tree tops.
The day is nearly complete,
The crispness of autumn in the air.

The deep blue sky of the day fades,
Contrails the only contrast of the sun filled day,
Vapors concentrate on the rim of the atmosphere.

To the east the wisps are painted pink
Darkness begins to settle 'round about.
Our day is ending with a sense of awe
Full moon rising to light the night.

Rainbow

We had just finished the Goat Playground and were gathering tools and such when we saw it. The skies had been dark in the eastern half of the sky most of the afternoon. In fact, we were forced to delay working on the playground due to a downpour about 2 o'clock.

One of the more spectacular rainbows of the summer. The geese in the field were wet about ten minutes later...

Eight Weeks until Frost

Like the weather lore I learned as a child in middle Tennessee, I learned a new bit of weather wisdom when I moved to Vidalia nearly 18 years ago.

When the Goldenrod blooms, the first frost of winter will follow in eight weeks.

/ Marks November 1 on calendar

On our ride to the Beaver Pond this evening, we spotted them. The dull yellow flowerets were bowing in the gentle coolness of the September twilight.
The heat of this summer has been overwhelming at time, so we are looking forward to cooler tempatures of fall (and winter).

Rain at VBS

Katherine said, "It always rains at least one night during Vacation Bible School."

How about two evenings in a row. Just enough to settle the dust last night. But tonight, we receive almost 1/2 inch. And a RAINBOW as a bonus - it was very faint and did not photograph very well. But I stood under the awning, gazing to the east until it completely faded away!

4.62 inches

3.63" of rain for yesterday

0.99" today from 12:00 AM to around 7:30 when it stopped sprinkling.

Even the Weather Channel Meteorologist were saying the Tropical Storm Barry was the answer to prayers by those in South Georgia and Northern Florida! Barry has moved on and sunshine is beaming down this afternoon.

The weather station at McRae, GA - Telfair County

My new best friend!

His name is Barry...

Someone famous? Like - Barry Manilow or Barry White? Nope!

Barry Bonds? No way... especially if he breaks Henry's record (which he is likely to do soon).

I don't think I even personally know someone with the first (or last) name Barry.

The Barry that I met this morning is not human. But, he is a creation of God!

Tropical Storm Barry, the second name storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season is throwing moisture across Florida and southern Georgia. The rain began here around 3:30 this morning and has been steadily falling since. A slow, slight rain. The raindrop are small and quickly soaked up by the thristy earth. Offically, we only received 0.38" of rain for the entire month of May.

That sounds like such a small amount of water. Go ahead and turn on the facuet in the sink and measure out just over a 1/3 of an inch of water. Doesn't look like much, does it? But God can spread that much water over His land in just a short time...

43,560 sq feet in one acre of land

1 inch rain on 1 acre = 6,272,640 cu inches water

1 sq foot = 144 sq inches

1 acre = 6,272,640 sq inches

1 cu inch water = 0.004329005 gallons

1 acre - inch of water = 27,154 gallons

so our 0.38" for May = 10,319 gallons

Try running that much water from your kitchen sink!


It felt so good to have rain falling again, that we walked to the Beaver Pond this morning. Stopping by the tractor shed in the Tall Pines, we listened to the drops as they hit the tin roof.

We thank God and Praise Him for the rain this Morning. We have already received over 1/2" of rain this morning!!!

Rain drops falling on our front deck!

South Georgia Fires

A thick layer of smoke hung in the air this morning as I opened the front door for Metro. The wind shift over night has once again sent a pungent reminder that the ordeal for the folk around the Okefenokee is far from over. The sun glowed a orange-red for an hour longer than normal this morning.

Lastest update from Waycross:

Number of acres burned: An estimated 22,000.

Size of the fire: One mile wide; 11 miles long.

The fire is about 25 percent contained.

Number of homes destroyed: 14.

Number of firefighters on the scene: 300.

Fire break: Twelve plows side-by-side cutting a 12-mile-long swath between the fire and Waycross.

Number of injuries: Three firefighters, one with a broken leg, one with a broken wrist and one with heat exhaustion.

Overhead flight restriction by Federal Aviation Administration: 8 miles from fire.

Cost: Undetermined.

Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance: 75 percent of eligible costs.

Number of evacuation areas reopened to residents: None.

State highways closed: U.S. 84 and Georgia 122 in Ware County; Georgia 177 between U.S. 1 and Okefenokee Swamp Park.

Other closures: Ware County public schools; Waycross College; Okefenokee Technical College; Okefenokee Swamp Park.

What's this wet stuff falling from the sky?

The last time we had any rain was April 15.

Lord, Thank you for the rain!!!

South Georgia Fires

In my April 15th post, I told you about the dry conditions and fire warnings for the region. One of the driest areas is around the Okefenokee Swamp. The Okefenokee is the largest peat-based "blackwater" swamp in North America. The name comes from the Mikasuki word meaning "trembling earth" - referring to the spongy peat bogs.

For a week now, firefighters have been battling two wildfires. More than 1000 people have been forced from their homes and 14 houses have been destroyed. The fire has spread over 45 miles of tinder-dry pine and cypress forest. The fires are now on the edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The larger of the two fires started Monday when a tree fell on a power line. But it has edged toward the wet prairie area and has slowed down and is 30% contained. Higher humidity and decreasing winds have also aided firefighters. But officials worried about stronger wind over the weekend spreading any flames. The cause of the smaller fire was still unknown.

Fire danger map showing drought conditions

The winds this week have been from the west and the northwest. Had they been from the south, we would be smoked over - like we experienced during the Florida fires of 1998.

Southeast Georgia is extremely dry, with rainfall deficits of 6 to 8 inches for the year. We pray for rain and for the safety of the firefighters and the residents of the area.





Including this one:

Pogo the Possum by Walt Kelly