So far it's a DROUGHT year

[897tgigvib]

TODAY I WALKED HALF WAY ACROSS THE LAKE.

No, it wasn't my mysticism or faith. Ok, maybe it was faith my shoes would not get too muddy, lol.

Our last serious precipitation was last December. Oh, there was some snow and rain in the early months this year but not in the inches we needed.

Add to that, someone in charge of the gates on the dam let way too much water out in the early months of this year. They somehow did not know a tree was holding one of the gates open. (*ga...ding*)

So, Lake Pillsbury is down to 30 something percent. The next lake down the system is Lake Mendocino. That one is down to 40 something percent. The last lake down the line is Lake Sonoma. That one is huge compared to Lake Pillsbury, but the business interests of that county don't ever want it to be less than 80% because it might be bad for tourism.

So, 3 counties will go on water rations that the vineyards are partially exempt from.

DROUGHT. POOR MANAGEMENT.

Where is the application form for the job that would put me in charge of the dams? I live up here. I see the water level every day. Oh yea, nobody ever wants to let an ole neanderthal hippy be in charge of anything like that.

=====

I have my bean vines about 3 fourths out now. Season did not end because of frost. This year it was lack of water. I had to shock our small water system with chlorine because of slow inflow and slow outflow use, and I'm not putting pool quality water in my garden.

 

[so lucky]

I think weird weather is going to be the norm from here on out.

 

[Smart Red]

So, Marshallsmyth, has that doubled your lakefront property line?

I remember walking out into Lake Michigan at Green Bay one summer. About a mile and a half brought the water nearly to my ankles. Of course I did plough through knee high water to reach that point.

I hope you get enough precipitation this winter to renew the lake. Droughts are never good and a drought in your neck of the woods will affect our food prices.

 

[897tgigvib]

Smart Red, what it has done so far is make the lake be a lot farther from my cabin and garden.

When the lake is 104% full, nearly its maximum level which is almost 110% due to height over maximum high gates of flow, 104% being more typical at full, the lake is 120 steps from my cabin door. A typical distance from my door is 200 steps. Right now the nearest lake water is about 600 steps from my cabin door. It can easily become 1,900 steps, and has before, around mid January 2009.

Cold creek is one of the feeder creeks, and where I am at the lake is usually underwater. It usually becomes a creek again every winter and is a visible creek that goes under the docks, which are dry docked. Well, this year COLD CREEK IS ALSO DRY. First time I ever saw that happen. Ole timers say it was dry also back during the mid 1970's during the drought back then.