Aerie Report, January 26, 2010

The rains came down pretty hard yesterday until around 1 PM at which time they suddenly stopped. Why, the sun even came out a little later. Between the rains and the warm temperatures virtually all the snow on the ground had melted and water was pouring down the hill.

I walked out to the end of the driveway and found a veritable stream pouring from our second driveway just up the hill. (The previous owner had subdivided 20 acres into three lots bulldozing driveways to all three. We purchased two of them and, therefore have two driveways.) I tried to divert as much of the water that was running out into the road back into the roadside ditch where it would take the culvert across the road instead of eroding its own path. Then I walked up the drive to where another culvert is supposed to take the water under and down the hill slope. Apparently the lumbermen's skidder had created a slight depression that allowed the water to mostly bypass that catch basin and head on down to the road. I rediverted that flow and sent it down the hill and then went back to the Aerie.

I didn't realize when I did it but as soon as I got back to the cabin it became apparent, my second diversion had sent the water cascading down the small water feature I pictured yesterday and right into the yard. Out I went again.

The problem was the at the mouth of the driveway culvert. Various logs and branches were sending the water down toward the house instead of out to the powerline right of way. So I cleared that obstruction and followed the water up the hill.

A rushing flow was cutting a pretty good ditch along the eastern, uphill side of the driveway/ The skidder having leveled a couple of small diversion ditches that would have sent the water down the slope and into the forest on the west side of the driveway. I worked at rebuilding those small ditches by placing logs and stones in the path of the water and knocking down some blockages from tire ruts on the west side of the drive. I did this in three places and by the time I was done water was gushing down the hill on all three sites. It was like three fire hoses going full bore. I didn't go down the hill to see what erosion these freshets might be causing but will have to face up to it tomorrow when I go do an inspection.

All that work would have gone faster if I had brought the shovel with me.

By the time I was done with creating the diversions, very little water was flowing over the stones outside Terry's window. There sure was a lot of soil and stone moved around on the little hill, however. I see plenty of shovel work when the earth thaws in the spring.

Yeah, I said thaw. See, it was 58 degrees yesterday morning but just 28 degrees this morning. And there was a dusting of snow and flurries for much of the morning. It never did get above 29 degrees as the winds are now blowing out of the west southwest. Tomorrow should be cooler and Thursday and Friday down right cold--again. I hate this yo-yo weather!

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Not much else happening right now. I'm spending time with some library books about digital photography, a couple of books on Photoshop Elements 7, and just playing around with the camera trying to see what it (and I) can do. I've had it for over a year. I figure it's time. Besides, I don't want to be the dunce in the class when I attend the Photography Club.

Terry's finished up an embroidery piece she has to take for teacher evaluation. (Group correspondence course.) She seems pretty pleased with it and I think it looks great. She takes it with her tomorrow up to Big Flats for one of her club meetings.