.
July and August are hot and dry months in Maine.
.
.
Our verdant green grass is browning in spots and I’m constantly hoping for rain.
.
.
My flowers are thirsty and I can only imagine how much water our farming neighbor is pumping on his fields.
.
.
With the high heat comes afternoon thunderstorms.
.
.
But not for us.
.
.
We sit on the porch and sadly watch them roll on by.
.
.
Not one drop fell on our property from this boomer.
.
.
Talk about a missed opportunity.
🥴
.
.
As you know, we’ve had a wet summer in Maine. For a while there it was literally raining every other day. And though that’s kept our grass a lovely green it also makes for saturated ground that can’t absorb a random downpour … which is what happened the other day.
.
.
I know my blog name is River, but I really didn’t want to see one flowing past my kitchen landing.
.
.
It was a crazy amount of water.
.
.
And before long it was creeping right into the garage.
.
.
We’ve never had this happen before and I’m beginning to wonder if the new smooth driveway is funneling it through the path of least resistance.
.
.
Thankfully it was gone in an hour or two, but I’m glad I didn’t have to go out, that’s shoe ruining water right there.
🥴
.
The new composite boards were stacked and ready.
.
.
The contractor set up a tent to beat the heat of the baking sun.
.
.
He started work on the framing.
.
.
And then my husband went out to talk.
.
.
And talk, and talk, and talk.
At the $55 an hour we’re paying this guy, I could do with a little more work and a lot less talk so I hauled the husband inside and got him busy organizing some of his old magazines and newspapers.
Bad idea. Very bad.
Because as soon as he found some interesting ones?
.
.
He took them out to show the contractor.
And then he talked, and talked, and talked.
Jesus wept…we’ll have to remortgage the house before this is through.
And if Jesus weeping wasn’t bad enough?
.
.
The heavens decided to weep that afternoon as well.
.
.
Torrential rain, heavy downpours and big mud puddles.
.
.
Left us with very little progress.
.
.
But there is a great big tool trailer parked on the lawn.
.
.
That’s a plus, right?
🥴
.
.
Woke up on Friday to rain, so I thought driveway repair work would be postponed.
.
.
I was wrong.
.
.
There they were, not bright… but definitely early.
.
.
And working in the rain.
.
.
Dirt was dumped.
.
.
Dirt was spread.
.
.
And mud was made.
.
.
Why is it every time I clean the windows?
.
.
A drive by birding. It’s like they wait for the Windex…
.
.
Yes. That is actually the McDonalds in Freeport, Maine.
.
.
Another reason I love my state.
.
.
Do not try to remove His Lordship’s catnip. There will be consequences… and most likely, blood.
.
.
Rain. The husband’s car. And a woodchuck staying dry.
Enough said.
.
.
Rain means rainbows.
.
.
And we’ve certainly had our share lately.
❤️
.
.
We’ve had a crazy spring. Or really, a crazy non spring. Cool, overcast and dreary with a little scattered rain here and there. Not nearly the April showers we needed.
.
.
I had high hopes for a deluge when we were driving home under these skies last week.
.
.
They were ominous and promised some good rain.
.
.
It was falling somewhere.
.
.
But not in our backyard.
.
.
This was taken on the other side of town.
Oh well, maybe next time.
.
.
Because my husband never likes to rush things he moved around to the back side of the baby barn yesterday to complete the gutter installation…. 12 days after he did the front. Better late than never is his middle name.
.
.
Did things go more smoothly on the flip side?
.
.
They did not.
.
.
Miscalculation on length left him with two short pieces instead of the one long piece he needed which meant yet another trip to Lowes for additional connectors. Sigh.
Was the finished gutter line straight and true?
.
.
Not quite, but it doesn’t leak. That’s probably as much as I can hope for.
And if you’re wondering just how dry it’s been here?
.
.
Dry enough for the husband to a pan under the downspout to catch the small amount of rain we got last night.
Please note the green you see is all weeds. Most of the grass is still brown.
😕
.
.
Our carefully tended lush green lawn is gone. Baked to a crisp by record breaking heat and dry weather.
.
.
How dry? Severe drought dry…
.
.
How hot?
.
.
Feels like 108 degrees before 10 in the morning hot. I live in Maine FFS! This is not supposed to happen.
That bright green patch of sod we laid?
.
.
Dead.
My full and healthy for the past 20 years boxwood shrubs?
.
.
Dying.
The brand new flowering crabapple tree we planted on June 7th over my mother’s ashes?
.
.
Might soon be joining her in the hereafter.
.
.
It’s beyond depressing at this point and moving toward the panic stage. We live in the country and rely on a well for water. As much as I’d like to water the garden, I can’t. Hell, I’m down to doing laundry twice a week and not flushing for number one.
(TMI? Sorry.)
.
.
As I type this, yet another flash thunderstorm is moving past us without a drop of rain falling.
.
.
Now that’s just cruel.
.
.
Because we are in desperate need at Casa River.
.
.
Our once beautiful lush green lawn is now brown and crunchy.
Time after time we see thunderstorms roll on by with only a few drops falling on our property.
.
.
So few the baby woodchucks were trying to lap them up off the deck boards last night.
Half our state is experiencing drought conditions and I’m filling our bird bath three times a day. If things don’t change I might have to start providing the ground dwellers with a pool as well.
.
.
How dry and crunchy is our lawn? Even the septic system access is brown and dry.
.
.
If it weren’t for the weeds there would be no green at all.
😫
.
.
When a storm is moving in and thunderstorms are threatening? That’s when my husband decides it’s a good time to start installing a barn gutter and downspout.
.
.
How close was the storm?
.
.
Basically right overhead.
.
.
So when the sky opened up and rain started pouring down? There was only one thing to do…
.
.
Pour an adult beverage and watch it fall.
🤣
.
River's world..... 