Rat thoughts

We got about an inch of snow Friday night.  Saturday morning when we headed out to do our weekly shopping, the ground was completely white.  The high temperature for the day was near freezing, and the sky was hazy all afternoon.  But by the time we got home that evening, the snow had completely melted.

We really don't need any more precipitation.  The ground is extremely muddy around here, and many of the area rivers are at or above flood stage.  The Hydrologic Information Center website says that 174 gauges are reporting flooding, with 22 reporting major flooding.  Another 136 gauges are near flood stage.  The Missouri River at Omaha is reporting 27.6 feet; the flood stage is 29 feet.  At Brownville, the Missouri has reached 37.3 feet and is rising; at 38 feet the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant begins flooding preparations.

Fortunately the forecast appears to be dry for the week ahead, with temps in the 50s.

There is so much snow and it's all starting to melt at once that the little waterfall in the creek just south of here is absolutely roaring.

The snow has melted enough that we've been able to let the sheep and goats out of the barn.  The goats have lost a bit of their tameness, but they're quickly remembering that I'm the good guy.  I'm going to need to retrain them to dance on their hind legs for treats.  The ram is more affectionate than ever; he's absolutely just the sweetest thing now.

There's still over a foot of snow on my side of the garage.  That area is shaded by the woods, so it'll probably be weeks before I can use my car again.  It's been trapped in the garage since December!

I'm even beginning to see traces of green in the grass.  It'll be nice to have the sheep back on grass instead of feeding them expensive alfalfa.

April 5th and it snowed.  We didn't get much here; most of it melted by the time I got up, though there was some snow accumulation between the rows in the soybean field behind the house.  Some places north of us got as much as 6 or 7 inches.

April 11th, and it's snowing.

March 1st was the snowstorm of the decade, with a snowdrift across the driveway over 5 feet deep.

Today, the 13th, the temperature got up 80ºF, a new record for this date.  The last few patches of snow that were hanging on this morning were gone by the afternoon.  The only remaining snow is the huge pile made by the snow plow, which has gone from 8 or 9 feet high to a mere foot and a half.

The driveway has begun to dry out, though the lawn and the area I normally park is a total swamp.  It probably won't dry out for at least a couple weeks.

Temperatures are expected to drop the rest of the week into the 40's, which is still better than a couple weeks ago.

Most of the slush in the driveway has melted, but now it's turning into a creek from all the meltwater.  The ground is so saturated that the gravel feels spongy under my feet.  I'm surprised just how much the snow has melted in the past couple days.

Yesterday

Today