Any body else flooded in ... or out?

Gasp! Not Peace! Surely you jest!
Okay, okay, murmur. don't get me started.

Sofer, That link sends me to your DG homepage. I'm probably being incredibly dense, but which part shows the positive side of rain? I am ready for some good news!

So I wasn't the only one who couldn't figure that link out? I feel better already!

My heart goes out to all of you. I have tried to keep an eye on events, but can only do so on the internet because there doesn't seem to be much news coverage elsewhere. Guess you have to live in California or New York for there to be disasters. I used to be a merchant seaman out of the PS area, so am very familiar with much of the territory. All this rain and flooding is not helping my cause much to get my GF to move up that way. Will keep you all in my thoughts.

Sofer, link went to your homepage- see your bd is 6/2, mine is 6/3!

So vadap are you 2 different people also? I am so Gemini it isn't fair. At least the garden is beautiful on our birthdays.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/659507/ Here is the thread go to almost the bottom. People can be good Soferdig.

I couldn't figure out Sofer's first link either, then thought it was his eternal optimism pointing out that you couldn't have a gorgeous lake for a photo background if it weren't for rainfall of some sort. FIE ON OPTIMISM, thought I. Optimism wasn't helping to clear out our flooded drains last week....LOL The second link is a wonderful accounting of decent human beings for a change. We should introduce the congregation to the hotel owners gouging the flood victims up north.

Murmur, I only have records for January thru mid April of last year. We generally figure about 2x Seattle's rainfall for here, 23 miles east. I've tried and tried to find some map of our soggy little microclimate but can't.

January 05 shook out 31.2 inches total. Feb only 6.8, March a mere 4.9, April 6.9 by mid month and we stopped there for a total of 49.8 inches. I'm sure November and December were good for another 20 or so.

This November is how we took it out of the gauge, not necessarily when it fell:
4th 5 inches
6th 11am 5.25
6th 7 pm 2.2
7th 3 inches
10th 1.5
11th 2.5
13th 3.6

There's another inch out there right now. Putting us over 2 ft for this month. I might have dumped another 2 inches the other evening, but didn't write it down; can't recall, don't want to know!

The closest recording station I can find is one somewhere on the dry side of Tiger Mountain. I'm on the decidely wet side. Looks like wherever this recording is done, is at about half our rainfall so far. Renton even far less.
http://wx.nwspecmiata.org/Current_Vantage_Pro.htm

That's amazing, Poochella!!!! Did you have the winds last night and today? We were without power for the vast majority of the last 18 hours. I was in Seattle a good deal of that time, enduring winds and heavy rain. Glad to be home even if we had no power (we have a generator so no big deal).

Hi Everyone,
Anyone familar with the Tri-Cities? Just thought I'd ask since I'm not that far away from you all.
Sherry

Hi, Sherry - and I'll bet most of us are familiar with the Tri-Cities!!! I'll also bet you are not dealing with any flooding like on this side of the mountains, right?

Murmur, we felt the wind! It blew my swing right of the deck! And a few boards out of our fence. I lost a young tree too, pushed it right over.
But it's a happy accident! My plan is to let it dry out, lacquer it and put it in a deep pot and grow sweet peas or morning glory up it to decorate the deck. I tried it last year with a dead ficus. It was so pretty! But the ficus rotted. Hopefully lacquer will work.

Murmur,
Hi!
No, we are not dealing with the same kind of flooding, but close by in Benton City, West Richland and parts of Richland they had some flooding. On Monday we had a horrid wind storm, which we get occasionally around here with winds from 58 to 89 mph! Ughhhh! One poor guy lost a pine tree that had been there for 21 years. ;o(

It's nice to 'meet' some people that are not so far from here. ;o) We are considered in the Pacific Northwest, but wow are our temps different then the other side of the mountains! It was soooo hot here this summer! We had days in the 115-118 degree range! We always get hot, hot, hot....but not usually THAT hot!! Normally more like 100-108. Still hot, but this summer was ridiculous!! When I've posted photos of my gardens here, some people have said how nice it must be to be in the Pacific Northwest, with all our rain. Yeah, right!!!! We're in the sesert on this side of the mountains!
Sherry

It's the same way with southern and eastern Oregon. It's not all a lush green valley.

Sherry, I used to visit a friend every year in Prosser and I remember it being around 100 degrees, but you're right - your temps last summer were ridiculous!!! The friend I used to visit now lives over here (she and her husband raised their kids in Prosser and both taught school there). We grew up together and now both live here on Whidbey Island.

MGH, do you get the high temps in eastern Oregon like in eastern WA?

Renwings, funny how serendipitous things happen!

Poochella, I am still astounded by your rainfall. You're basically only a "few" miles from me!!! Are you feeling pretty soggy today?

The eastern side of the mountains undeniably gets a lot less rain than the west, but I was stunned to find out that western Washington is considered to have "arid summers!" Who would ever think of the Puget Sound area as arid?!?! On the other hand, after this last summer I've had to rethink my ideas of weather in our area. :-)

I wouldn't think 'arid' to describe Western WA either. But ironically, I've just received my highest water bill at this house ever for August and September. It can be very dry here in the summer, once you get June out of the way, and this summer proved it to a T. I recall 2 rainfall events from July well into September and those were each 1/2 inch or less. There was one smattering of droplets that I don't even call 'rain.' Fall and winter are different beasts entirely. When we were first moving from Seattle out here, our friends warned us that we were moving into a very wet microclimate, but we didn't think about that. They were so right! I have been meaning to contact a meteorologist to become an official reporting station, but just too busy (clearing drains and digging drainage ditches.)

Murmur- A few miles can make a world of difference. We had hardly any winds yesterday at all: a few gusts late in the day which I doubt which hit even 30 mph. Hubby works in Issaquah and said the wind was howling. That's about 8 miles from here, but such a difference in topography. No power outage though it flickered a couple times. When we suffer is when the winds come westbound out of the Cascades shooting past Weazelle's old stomping grounds in North Bend. i think the same applies to Enumclaw's area. Last year we had 80 mph, trees down and evergreen branches that absolutely covered every square foot of formerly visible lawn. I was amazed there was any 'green' left on the evergreens. Of course, I was out in it with my chainsaw blaring, clearing the fallen hemlock blocking us in and only knew to take cover when some flying branch hit me in the thick head. We did lose power during that storm.

Sherrygirl, Welcome! I have one memory of Pasco and that was driving through WA from West to East in the late summer. We had no air conditioning in the car at that time and were roasting. The only radio station we could raise kept repeating " It's 105 in Pasco" which made us all the more miserable! It is amazing how barren the center of the state becomes for quite a few miles, but each area offers its own special appeal and beauty.

What do you like to grow in your area? How is the soil?

MGh, I have to take a road trip down to your fair state of OR sometime. I've been to Coos Bay, lovley, and also driven west to east through the Dalles, but it was really hot there too, can't remember much of the scenery. I have to find a place to retire!

YEAH, Annie, come on down here!!! Retire here. We can grow lots of dahlias together, LOL
Mendy and I are just like 10 mins off of I-5 so take a trip for sure!

I'd be happy to do that Carol, just have to find the time. Maybe a rendezvous at Swan Island? And you have to speak to that son of yours about discount dental care for all of Mom's old bag friends LOL!

Sofer, that's wonderful! Go Sumner!! That's a town that still maintains a bit of the 'small town' feel that most places around here have lost.
We lost our power for the day yesterday due to the high winds. But , thankfully, no trees are down, although we lost many branches. That's always the way, though, and we don't worry about it. We are grateful that the weather wasn't too cold, and that we have a great woodburning insert. Roasted marshmallows for all, and a pleasant evening reading by lantern light. We should do it more often, but only when it's not really cold outside.

LOL Annie! I need a crown but hope to wait until he is done with dental school, LOL Yes, Swan Island sounds great!

This morning the tap water was as dark as my coffee. People were running around saying not to drink the water. Went to Starbucks tonight and they weren't service any coffees. Lastnight the tv station was filming some houses when a tree came down on one of the houses behind them. Gosh, we certainly had our share of a big storm this year.

Murmur, I don't think eastern OR gets as hot as eastern WA, but I'm sure they have their days. (Now watch, someone will come on here and prove me wrong. LOL) I know they don't get the rain in the east or the south like we do here in the Willamette Valley. I grew up in southern OR and I know it was quite different there. The last few summers I was there I remember it being much hotter than normal. It seems like you could always see the sun there too! I really miss that. We got snow in the winter....sometimes the roads were packed snow for several weeks.

Yes, Annie do come down this way and pick up Pixydish on your way.....or would she be picking you up on her way? LOL I need to figure out where you guys are! Then we can all meet at SID!

Growin - no coffee????? Them's fightin' words!!! My dh got up earlier than normal the other day to get the generator going so I could have my coffee. He's either the sweetest guy ever, or he's scared to death of me when I don't have my caffeine!!!

lol murmur. Yep, I'm pretty scarry without atleast one cup of coffee and don't ask me anything intelliktual. Starbucks closed? I'm sure there are some very sketchy suits running around town.

This message was edited Nov 17, 2006 8:18 AM

Any Starbucks in the Seattle or Greater Eastside area would run right out and buy up all the bottled water they could find. They know that workers "going postal" would be a walk in the park compared to Seattle area people without their morning fix!

You said it! Having my morning 'fix' right now. It is so necessary! Last year when we didn't have electricity we broke out the campstove to make coffee.
Swan Island sounds great. How about Cistus Nursery, too? Supposed to be a great rare plant nursery and ever since Heronswood's (may it rest in peace) demise I've tried to buy plants at the smaller, independant nurseries.

Where is Cistus Nursery?

Cistus is in Portland http://www.cistus.com/ I've purchase quite a bit from Colvos Creek - an interesting mix of plants http://www.colvoscreeknursery.com/ - a quick ferry trip to Vashon Island from dt Seattle.

Thank you, growin. I've never been there before.

Murmur,
Yes, ridiculous hot! Global warming??? LOL But really, we're always hot here. And then cold too. Oh well.... Our weather is just so strange lately. I just got the last of my bulbs planted and don't know how some of the people on here plant by the 100's or 1000's of bulbs! Of course, I did plant quite a few, but not all at the same time. I'm just glad I'm done!

mgh,
Wow, look at the zone difference between us. Maybe I have my zone wrong. Don't you get cold winters there?

Poochella,
Thanks for the welcome!

"The only radio station we could raise kept repeating " It's 105 in Pasco"

Yeah, it always helps to keep repeating how hot is is! LOL

I grow everything! Trees, shrubs, perennials, roses, lilies, daylilies, you name it. I've really started getting into lilies and daylilies just the past year or two. But not the real fancy daylilies I see around DG. I wish! But just can't afford them. Maybe someday.... Also new to me are a few Iris I've received.

Sherry

Sherry, global warming has definitely had an effect on this part of the country. When I was a kid, we got a relatively big snow several times a year - enough that everyone owned a sled and we had favorite hills we all gathered at to go sailing down. We also built many snowmen and often a fort. Now it's rare to even see a dusting. Something had to change it so drastically!!

We don't get very cold here, Sherry. If we do, it's only for a couple of weeks. We rarely ever see snow. Here is a zone map of WA I got from the Better Homes and Gardens website. What county are you in, Sherry? It looks to me like you might be in zone 6b or 7a.


This message was edited Nov 17, 2006 9:35 PM

Wasn't it about this time last year that we had a week of below freezing weather? It is downright BALMY out there!

2' of rain- that's nuts!! If that happened here in Denver, would have to build an arc. We've only gotten 7.18" (officially) for the whole year. Granted, we had 12.45" last year. I've heard of drowning plants, don't know if it's true or not. Any of you having issues with that? I've had things a few feet under snow for about a week or so, but they were already, or going dormant, so not an issue. Wow, still can't beleive the the rain you guys have gotten. Would imagine a trip to Vegas or some desert city would be sounding good about now, eh? Well, you remain in my thoughts.

Yea Sofer, as if one of me wasn't enough for anybody, and cyclothymic (mild bipolar) to boot. "Don't like my mood, wait a day and it will change" LOL

Ahhh, southern Utah! I would love a trip down there just about now. Red rocks, sunshine, and blue sky. It's heaven on earth.
Now drowning plants I've had plenty of. I lose a few each year, it seems. That's why I'm out there anytime it's not raining right now, turning yards of compost into my soil to get better drainage. Tons of work, but I think it will be worth it.