November 24

November 3. October was a dry month, but starting with Friday November 3, about midnight, it rained till nearly midnight Saturday; a gentle, soaking rain that gave us about 2.3 inches and spectacular claps of thunder. Saturday morning during a lull in the rain, I was walking to the shop when a flash of lightning obscured everything and the crash of thunder that followed a second or two later shook the ground and me with it. I was glad when I was safely down in the office.

The sun finally broke through the clouds Sunday afternoon, but the weather pattern wasn’t through with us yet and Monday morning it rained another 1.3 inches. The average moisture for November over the last 15 years is .33 inches. We got no moisture in October but so far this month we have accumulated as much moisture as the typical fourth quarter of the year and maybe as much as the average for the first quarter of the next quarter to boot. Our trees should be sufficiently hydrated for a while. I have been pulling hoses around the place so much this year I don’t know what to do with myself. Maybe we will get to other things more interesting this winter.

November 10. John Derbyshire started off his weekly podcast this week not with the Derbyshire March as usual, but with Hyden’s Hallelujah chorus. Guess he enjoyed the election results, as did I. His feelings were of jubilation while mine were more of relief. Now, it will be interesting to watch as things play out. The Republicans’ strong showing may make it more difficult for the Marxists to do Satan’s bidding. One can hope anyway.

November 17 Abigail finished painting the porch posts at 1911. It takes more time to paint one than a person might guess. Seems like she’s been working on that project for weeks but now the job is done, and we are both pleased with the result.

We are getting some fall colors now and not just yellow, although the oak is a very pretty bright yellow. The pistachios are turning red. They commonly turn red, some more than others, but last year they all just turned brown. Maybe the rain earlier this month influenced that. Regardless, their contribution to fall on SA is welcome.

November 18 Rain was predicted for yesterday evening and so it was that it began to rain about 9 AM and continued more or less through mid morning today. I emptied 2.1 inches out of the rain gauge.

November 24 Rebecca’s stomach was rumbling so loud in church this morning I could hardly sleep.

We got a couple more inches of rain starting Sunday evening through mid morning Monday. That puts the mark for the month at nearly six inches. I have several saucers back of the house I keep water in for the critters and typically I have to add water to them every three or four days, even more frequently in hot weather. Because of the frequent rains this month, I haven’t had to add any water at all.

Abigail and I didn’t get out Monday because of the rain, but we got a little done Wednesday and Thursday. We trimmed a couple of the four wing salt bushes on the south end. They had never been trimmed and were over grown. Abigail used the hedge trimmer to good effect while I piled up the trimmings ready for hauling off. We also used the pole saw to cut off the limbs we could reach on a couple of dead trees in that area. I think we are going to put the device I purchased last fall to good use. It consists of a chainsaw chain with lengths of cord attached to either end. It works by running the cord over a limb and positioning the chain on the limb, then pulling it back and forth to cut the limb. Could be very effective for limbs too high to reach with the pole saw. A weighted bag is used to toss the cord over the limb so some practice may be required.

Things are changing out at the Bluff. I’m used to just doing what I think can help the five acre area encompassing the nature center. Now there are other people working out there. There is a fellow we’ll call Will because that’s his name. He has some sort of official capacity and he’s told me what his title is but I can’t remember what it is. I think he directs the interns from Amarillo College. A young fellow I think is one of those came up to me last Friday and asked if I was “Mr. Robert.” I admitted I was. His name is Joel and I guess he had been warned about me. I don’t want to get in anyone’s way so time will tell how I fit in. I’ve had a couple of conversations with Will and we may be developing a working relationship.

November 30 Them Wylies are packing up to leave. There is much scurrying about. We had nice Thanksgiving week but now it’s time to get back to our respective routines. Bless Rebecca’s heart, she had the whole week off from school and her internships but came down with a bug that laid her low front Wednesday on. Cuzems just wasn’t the same without her. It was pretty cold all week so there wasn’t much outdoor activity. The ladies performed their customary culinary art and Chris did a fine job roasting a brisket.

Now. It’s time to hustle and get the Christmas decorations out, there only being three weeks plus a few days until Christmas. The sun is up and shining brightly. By this afternoon it should be pleasant enough to get the outdoor lights up.