Rain update

My son and I arrived at the oasis at 7 AM this morning. The only runoff was at the upper dirt tank. We spent the day wrestling with heavy lines to make the water go directly from the dirt tank into the reserve tank. Eventually, we topped it off, but in hindsight decided we should have done it differently by putting it into the stucco tank first and then into the reserve tank. We got .62" to dry parched ground during a half hour period, so most of it just soaked into the ground. Nevertheless, so grateful for it.

Good to see water going into tanks instead of out from.

Here you can look at the vegetation around the dirt tank to see how high the water was before we started pumping. Notice how lush the Soapberry thicket is there compared to the one at the oasis. Better soil is the reason, I think.

This is the oasis Soapberry thicket today. Since the rain it should start putting on new leaves.

Hoping for a great monsoon season!  I still intend to water less, even if it means losing some things. I want a more natural habitat with a less risky maintenance routine.

After the reserve tank was topped off, we put what was left into the stucco tank. Not a lot, but should last until a good monsoon.