Reef Townsite overlook

My fence is up

Jodi came by around 9am with her daughter Jasmine and husband Stan to finish stretching the fence.  She had done all the poles Friday.  Having two more people to help her made the job easier and faster for her.  All she has to do now is install the gate and walk-in gate Wednesday and the job is complete. Right now she has temporary gates in place to keep the dogs in the yard.

When her party left after 1pm I let the dogs out to try out the new fence.  All six dogs exploded out of the back patio.  First they ran toward the south side where they were used to jumping over the old field fence. That exit is no longer available to them, so they ran along the perimeter at full speed.  They all seemed to relish the opportunity to run free, even within a confined 3/4 acre.

 

I enjoyed watching the dogs play.  While Gretchen and Wolfie quickly went back inside, the other four stayed outside for a while, exploring the fence line, wandering under the mesquite and pooping and peeing in the back yard.  And that's when I realized that watching my dogs enjoy being dogs again, without being tethered, is what is making my new place finally aiow I have six more weeks to plant vines along the fence to create a natural barrier.  Chainlink fences aren't very attractive, but they are efficient and make good trellises for climbing vines. 

OUR FIRST RAIN OF THE YEAR!

The first tropical storm in the eastern Pacific, Alvin, moving north along the Baja peninsula, sent us some residual rains today. Heavy rains had been forecasted a week out. These rains affected all of Arizona. That included me. We have been dry since September 10 of last year and both flora and fauna have been suffering from lack of rain. 

I got up early at 5am to walk Gretchen and then Wolfie for three miles each. The sky was already overcast with a cooler breeze. This was ideal for some gardening. I have so many plants still in pots needing permanent homes . 

I dug a few holes for some of the plants I had planned to put in the front yard. I timed myself to be done with my gardening by 1pm. 

My last errand before the rain was going to the old lot to pick up the 50 gallon water trough and place it against the east side of the house to catch water running off the roof. 

The mature photinias along my northern fence at the old house have died from the drought. It's a sad sight, as for all all the time we lived in that small house, I kept the plants alive with grey water. 

I brought all the dogs inside, closed the patio door, and watched the sky. By 2:30pm people in Bisbee were sharing videos of rain on Facebook. Oh, the jealousy! But then at 2:46pm the rain came to me. Big, glorious, news-making rain! 

My parched front yard quickly flooded. I was glad I could witness this event safely from my windows.

The downpour lasted just 30 minutes; a bit of a let-down. 

I wanted to walk Gretel next but then decided not to as rattlesnakes are most prevalent after heavy rain because their burrows and dens are flooded and they slither out to look for flooded-out rodents. The water trough was half-full when I checked. 

The rest of the day was spent inside. Storm clouds made nightfall especially dark. A gentle rain began at 9pm, with lightning over the mountains that made the dogs uneasy. This saturating rain then continued until 3am. We were under a flood watch until 10am the next day.