We went out to the houseboat during the Labor Day holiday weekend, and after no rain for months, of course it rained! I’m not complaining though, we desperately needed it. It started coming down early Sunday evening and rained steadily for almost 40 hours. After that, it tapered off to showers and drizzle and a cloudy and cooler day today. Tropical Storm Lee brought around 8 inches of rain to our area. We had a few torrential downpours, but for the most part, it was just nice steady rain. We were so dry that it didn’t cause a lot of flooding here, the ground just soaked it up. We did have a power outage that lasted four hours yesterday due to a tree falling on the line, but that was it. My garden sure likes all the rain, and everything is so green and lush looking now that I’m not even going to complain about all the plants that flopped due to the storm.
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The heavy rain didn’t stop a hundred boats and jet skis from zooming back and forth in front of the houseboat a million times, creating huge waves and so much motion I could barely stand even after we came home. Water skiers, tubers and joyriders, the lake is more than ten thousand acres and the houseboats are only allowed on a small part of that, why can’t you all go out to the open water to go in circles all day? :-) But I digress…anyway, even with the rain, it was still a nice holiday weekend, and a welcome change for our drought-stricken area.
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I am thinking a hearty congratulations is in order! I’m so happy that you FINALLY got some rain. I know my parents down in the Piedmont were equally as happy. It warranted a phone call from my father since I would often send them pics of rainstorms we were having — just so they didn’t forget was rain looked like. :o)
Once it started raining in August, it really hasn’t stopped. We received 15″ of rain in August and already have about 4″ of rain in the first week of September. So, I totally understand what you mean about the flopping. My plants have flopped over their stakes or pulled the stakes up and fully flopped over. Oh well, that just tell me it’s time to prune and have hidden shorter perennials in the back! My agastaches took a huge beating, so I’ve started to prune them down far and before long I assume I’ll have a nice short tuft of pretty spikey blooms. My rudbeckia that has seeded around the gardens are flopped, my climbing roses are very droopy, heliopsis is sinched up so tightly that it hasn’t flopped but is droopy.
I guess the mums will love all this water for their Sept/Oct display (fingers crossed).
Thanks, Jim. We sure needed it. I’m so glad to hear that your parents got rain too.
Wow, you sure have gotten plenty of rain this summer! Sorry about the floppy plants though, that’s the drawback to lots of rain.. rampant growth and floppiness… my beds mostly look awful right now, everything on the ground, even some of the staked plants, as you mentioned, are down or the stakes are pulled up. Some of my biggest dahlias were well staked, and even they are bent over now. I love agastache, but I don’t think I’ll get any more of it. Some of mine was almost 6 feet tall, so you can imagine what they look like now after all this rain. I looked at the clump today and it’s blocking the pathway above the gazebo — bees and hummingbirds still all over it though… and with all the blooms, I hate to cut it back now, but guess I’ll have to (if I want to be able to walk around that pathway, lol).
Yes, the mums should do well. Mine are full of buds. I hope they don’t flop. :) Good luck with yours too. ( I do wish you would start a blog!) ;)
-Sherry
I hear you about stink pots. That’s what we call the jet ski and fast motor boats in our area. Trying to get a no wake zone on a lake is like trying to walk on water, but it’s something that needs to happen. So, don’t cross out your words; write your local Fish Wildlife and Parks or local Ranger. You are not the only one…
Now, I digress..lol. Gorgeous, misty shots. We haven’t had rain for along time here.
lol Christine, the jet skies are the most annoying aren’t they? I was seasick for two days after leaving the lake! We do have no wake zones here, but they are only up near the boat docks. The houseboats are a couple of miles out, only allowed in a limited area. I don’t understand why all the joy riders want to ride in a big circle so close to the houseboats, causing constant rocking and banging…
Thanks for your comments. :)
-Sherry
It seems those people really have lost all consideration for others. Basically when you allow them everywhere you are limiting access and enjoyment for others. who don’t like all the noise and heavy wake. Hook up with someone else who loves to house boat and I bet you could get some rules established. You don’t have to put up with it! LOl by the way we finally got rain. More than two inches in two days. Yea!
Christine, I know exactly how you feel, with the annoying people who use the lakes.. lol
Glad you got some rain finally. We haven’t had any more since the tropical storm, and are once again, bone-dry here. Four inches below normal, and a burn ban for everywhere. We’re supposed to get a little this week though — fingers crossed!
-Sherry
I do know how it is to be dry. We didn’t have nearly the trouble with fires this summer because of our wet spring. Not it’s gloomy and rainy.
Christine, we are finally getting some rain too. It’s been gloomy and rainy here for two days now. We so needed it though.