Finally a decent rain

Every time my sister texts me that she got some rain, I get her to go up to the oasis to see if the oasis got any, and never anything. So two days ago she texted that she got a third an inch (one mile north of oasis). I checked with the neighbors three miles south and they only got a sprinkle. So I figured at best I got a quarter inch. Not enough to create runoff. And since I'd be down there the following day (yesterday) it could wait.

So I came down at my usual time, after I do supper with my husband, but before dark.  I rushed around all day, no nap, getting my chores done. That means cutting husband's toenails, laundry, make beds, bake husband cake, make him a 3 day supply of salads, etc. I reasoned I'd only have to service feeders when I got down here, and then the next day (today), after a good night's sleep, I'd water trees and head back to town.

But upon checking the rain gauge (.85") things started to get exciting. Since 30 hours had passed since the rain, I'd lost quite a bit already in the dirt tanks. I struggled for an hour with the pump before calling my son for help. He got here at 10 PM, got two pumps running and left at midnight. But this morning after staying up all night gassing up one of the pumps, my vertigo still bad, I got my sister and her daughter to come help with another pumping chore.... setting up a pump in the stucco tank to top off the new above 65,000 gallon tank. I had used 3 feet from it and anxious to replace that.

So the bottom line is, I'm collapsed in exhaustion. Gonna have to let one dirt tank go. The big cement tank lacks one and a half foot of being full, plus enough to top off the new tank. That should get me by a year if no more monsoonal rain comes. It for sure would if half that approximately 100,000 gallons in the big tank wouldn't get lost to evaporation. But I'm sure more hopeful than I was several days ago.

The dragonfly pond caught a little, but nothing for the soapberry thicket in the arroyo. Not enough to go over the dam, which is necessary for the thicket to get a good soaking. Still, nearly an inch of rain on it is good. Surely, it won't be the last for the year.