We are a little wet after the deluge … but no major flooding. Phew! Last night we had POUNDING rain. I have never seen our weather forecast include rainfall of over 5mm/hour. We were to get 40 mm in total overnight. These three were safe and cozy in their barn. A thick straw bed and full feeder racks – plus a little night light – meant I woke to find three dry relaxed donkeys ready to face the day. I love Jill’s expression in the shot above.
I’m glad the sun made an appearance this afternoon. I spent the latter part of the morning unpacking our well head. It is a big cement cylinder that caps the spot where the water pipes come up from the submersible pump. Ede called me from the paddock to come down to the basement. The pipe that feeds the wiring from the well head to the electrical unit inside had a steady stream of water pouring out of it onto the floor. Argh!
The good thing is that I worked alongside the plumber last summer to put it all in place. So I could picture where that pipe led … and what might be happening. Sure enough – when I pulled the cap off and took out the bags of insulation … there was a LOT of water in there! It wasn’t coming from the well. It was running in under the bottom of the well head. The soil is just running all that water off from the rain last night. And the only way for it to drain … was directly into our basement. Ha! I used the duck pond pump to clear the water out and then stuffed the ‘drainage pipe’ with a rubber glove in a plastic bag. When I tied it around the pipe … we then waited. That stopped the stream to the basement. But it didn’t stop the well head from filling up again. I’ve used the ‘other’ rubber glove to seal the pipe that runs the wires down to the submersible at the bottom of the well. Wrapped it with another plastic bag. Pumped it all out. And will check in the morning to see just how high the water can go in there! Wish us luck! Once it dries I’ll find some silicone and cap the pipes and seal the wire gaps. Hope this isn’t a new ‘spring routine’. Yikes!
The rain and the short bursts of sunshine have made the woods explode with little flowers. The dog-toothed violets showed up. The first trillium bloomed. There are tiny hepatica. Fragrant hyacinth. And swaths of tiny yellow wood sorrel.
Every one of us that could – was out breathing in the fresh air. It was FRESH! Cold for early May. But it was sunny and the rain had stopped. My two ‘shadows’ (aka rowdy little goats) made sure to keep me in their sights. I love that goats keep their gambolling ways even when they ‘grow up’. This month these two will be five years old. I was feeling very proud of them this afternoon. They walked right through the flock of chickens without chasing a one. And they even gave a wide berth to this waddle of ducks on the path.
It was a gift of an afternoon. Quite a contrast from yesterday and last night. This week is bringing showers every day. But then we are going to have a week of total sunshine and warm weather. Yep – that is pretty much May around here. It still fills me with gratitude and wonder. SPRING!
The Meadow View 