The average precipitation for Richland County is about 5 inches. Last summer, we were lucky to have gotten an inch of rain in June, and we were probably well under 5 inches for the entire summer.
This year, the growing season started with a respectable amount of rain. It seems like each week we have gotten a half-inch or so of rain. Lately, it has been falling on Saturdays, which puts a crimp on outdoor chores. Still, after last year, we felt fortunate to see any rain. The garden has been slowly filling in, and the crops and mulch are gradually shading out the weeds.
This week, the forecast included rain every day, consisting of popup storms due to the current heat wave. No rain. Until this Saturday.
This Saturday, we were up early for the annual Vernon County dairy breakfast. Geode Farm, as this year's host, probably spent an entire year planning for the breakfast, and of course it rained. It was a light but steady rain. When we arrived at the Town of Harmony, cars were backed up down the road. We learned the fields to be used for parking were too muddy and wet, so the local sheriff had been called to help direct traffic and have cars park along the road. Ever practical, the farm mobilized its tractors and wagons and ferried visitors to the farm. The event had discounted the breakfast cost, so Maggie and I upgraded to the steak breakfast, which for $10 included a small steak, a ham patty, scrambled eggs, pancakes, milk, coffee, and cheese curds. And a custard sundae for dessert. With prices these days, a great deal. We found our way to the seating tent and enjoyed our breakfast while watching the rain. Despite the weather, there was a steady stream of people, all in good spirits.
By the time we left, it had stopped raining. At home, Maggie picked wild raspberries and I assembled a new lawn sweeper to replace the garage sale one that broke last year. By early afternoon we both settled into chairs for naps. When I woke, it was raining again. At first it was a light rain, and so I went outside to pick more raspberries. It soon started raining harder. And harder. By the time it subsided in the early evening, we had received over 5 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. An entire month's rainfall in less than a day. The rain overfilled our gutters, leading to water in our basement. The rain gage on our weather station nearly overflowed. The field across from us had large pools of water, and mulch from areas of our garden washed out.
I spent the evening using a mop and shop vac to collect the water in the basement, and in the morning we re-mulched plants in the garden. For us, the damage was light and only affected the strawberries and some squash. Local reports indicated a number of newly planted fields had been washed out. Our gravel road is also well-rutted, which is hard on the farm equipment and Amish wagons. Hopefully the town is able to get things fixed soon.
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