If you have taken a look a my weather page from yesterday it looks like we received about 2 inches of rain. That is a lie. Actually, it is the wind messing with the rain gauge. The way the gauge works it that there is a seesaw looking arrangement inside with a small “cup” at either end that collects water that comes through the slotted top cover and as each “cup fills and then empties the instrument sends back information on how often that happens in a set amount of time and the station calculates how much rain has fallen at what rate.
The problem is that simply shaking the instrument will produce rainfall readings as well. In fact when I set up the station, that was how the instructions said to check if it was working. So when we get winds like we had all day yesterday it tends to shake the instrument cluster, and gives false rain readings. No rain fell here at the farm yesterday.
What the winds also produced yesterday was garbage. Well, the neighbors produced the garbage and then because it was not in a trash bin, or secured, or even covered it all ends up here on my property. And it does not just collect in the fence line. winds gusting up to 52 miles/hours tend to push smaller trash through the fence and then spread it all over my property. I am talking about ramen noodle wrappers, plastic bottles, diaper wipes, beer packaging and cans, grocery bags……. I even found a cardboard box with a shipping label addressed to them, full of Christmas wrapping paper on my back patio yesterday. I am happy it did not rip open and spread all of that around as well!
You get the picture. I am trying to NOT be angry about this, but they have never been careful with keeping their trash to themselves. Now I have to go out today and pickup crap before it blows further or the goats decide to “taste test” this new stuff. The wind may have died down a little, but the temperature has dropped as well and it is freakin’ cold out there.
How can people be so damned OBTUSE?
I guess trying to be not angry is not working.