Extreme Accuracy

Below is a photo of my rain gauge. My wife bought it a few years ago, and it had better markings, but the sun faded them into oblivion. Not wanting to throw away my favorite rain gauge, I pulled out my Sharpie, measured for the markings, and turned it into the most accurate rain gauge ever made. I know some may disagree, and I understand their concern of what appears as exaggeration, but I can assure you my skills allow me to use the markings to accurately measure accumulated rainfall down to the thousands of an inch. Of course I don't record the rainfall, since my memory is so well developed I can tell you the exact amount for any day up to two days ago.

I had a family member read, and question me about my facetious post. I can ascertain my sanity hasn't been compromised, and I'm not trying to mislead about my weather abilities. It was all in fun, and no animals were injured in the process of creating this post.

I Despise Spammers

 After getting the same phishing email multiple times, I decided to block it, and opened up the gates of spammer hell. Otherwise, I notified whoever keeps the spammer list to update my email as a good email for spam, and they've double-teamed my email . 

I despise spammers, and think they should all be punished by hand writing every spam they ever sent, to every mailbox that received one of their spams, and then chop off their fingers...maybe that's too harsh. Just chop off their fingers. 

A Local Sinkhole

Near to where I live is a sinkhole. It's on private property, so access isn't allowed. Since it's in an old, still producing oilfield, oilfield workers still have access, which bring me to what crossed my mind this morning. 

I met a man that had the opportunity to work near the sinkhole. There was a boat accessible, so he, and a coworker, decided to see how deep the water was. After tying a heavy bolt to the end of a 1000' roll of nylon string, they let it out, until he was holding the very end of the roll. They never determined how deep the sinkhole was, but knew it was over 1000' deep. From what I've read, the sinkhole started about a century ago, and has steadily grown since that time.

The sinkhole, from what I know, is the result of the collapse of a salt dome that was structurally compromised after years of oil extraction. One of many in the area, the empty domes are used for storing brine, or ethylene. They usually hold, and no problems appear, but I'm glad I'm a long distance away from the area. I do know the sinkhole started to have a rising water level a few decades ago, which prompted the stoppage of a brine injection process. Otherwise, there was leakage between the salt domes, and what was being injected was coming back up. The same thing happened years ago in Mont Belview, Texas, except the leakage was from a propane storage dome. They evacuated much of the city, placed flares in yards, and a trip through the area on the highway allowed to stay open at night was a macabre experience. All the electricity was turned off, the darkened area was only lit by the pipes protruding from the ground with open flames burning off propane.

We had another sinkhole appear in another local community a few years ago. Due to the proximity to the highway running through the community, TxDot monitored the area closely, and would have closed the highway if the sinkhole had continued growing. 

We don't have the same type of sinkholes that are found in Florida. Those here are not caused by erosion of subterranean limestone deposits. They're caused by the removal of oil from salt domes, without injecting brine to continue the upward pressure. This leads to settlement, which may be gradual, and lead to a large area of land sinking over time, or a rapid settlement creating a sinkhole. It's sobering to think of where they might appear, and with directional drilling, there's no way to completely rule out an unsuspecting landowner finding a hole thousands of feet deep appearing in a short period of time.

Dark Skies Tonight

I dragged out the tripod, and binoculars, to see if I could still see the comet. I could, and with it higher above the horizon, and without too much sky glow, it was more spectacular, in my opinion. 

It's about apparent magnitude of 7, so without really dark skies, naked eye observation is out of the question With binoculars, the comet is a dull point of light, and the tail is about 1 degree in apparent length. (for reference, the full moon is 1/2 degree across) It might be more, but only a time lapse photo would show how spectacular it is to observe.

I miss the clear, dark skies where I once lived. Over time, with people moving closer, TxDot building some tall light towers, and an increase in population in the local small community, once skies good for observing the heavens became mediocre, at best. 

The sky is much darker where I now live, but unless I take out my pellet rifle, and spend some time taking care of some security lights, I have to tolerate the effect it has with astronomy. I don't like it, but that's how things are. It's not the best, but tolerable.

The Fiction of Reality

I've watched multiple "reality" programs on the television. They can be interesting, but they aren't reality. 

Boat skippers, and crew, being paid to be on television don't have the same financial concerns of those that don't. That, and those thinking they should also try the same endeavor have a tendency to cause problems with fishing limits, and yields.

Regardless of how portrayed, few people have a few hundred thousand to remodel a home overpriced at a few hundred thousand. That, and few envision an entertainment space of a thousand square feet for entertaining. Most people just want the opportunity to own their own home, but can't afford a note that's more than half of what they make...if they can even get financing for that endeavor. When you add the taxes, heating costs, and insurance to these "Taj Mahals" of fantasy, reality goes out the window.

There are more "reality" shows, but they're all entertainment. Reality is much tougher and restrained by considerations most people face. The drama showed, and obvious retakes, or staging, of actual events, is not reality, and never will be. I can write that those that hold the camaras, feed the crews, take care of arrangements, direct or produce, and endure hours of boredom, are the reality stars. You seldom see them, and they're edited out of most productions.

Unmistakable Sound

I was outside, heard an airplane fly over, and immediately recognized the sound of a C-130 flying over. It was at a higher altitude, and probably in route to one of the bases in Texas. It made me think of the past. 

During the Vietnam War, our local airport was used daily for training of C-130 pilots. I'm guessing the reason was the lack of traffic, the fact the wind direction was usually from a direction near south, and the if there was a problem, any crashes south of the airport would be in the miles of empty fields in that direction. Maybe there was another reason, but that's the one that makes the most sense. 

On any day, the pilots would do touch-and-go's constantly. From where I lived, I could see them after they gained altitude, and headed south. I really didn't pay much attention where they went after that, but with the Gulf of Mexico within twenty miles, they probably spent some of their time flying where uh-ohs didn't involve populated areas. 

West of our city, there were some large, mostly empty pastures, which were handy for paratrooper training. Occasionally, if you happened to be driving down the highway that adjoined the fields, you could see them jumping from the planes, and it reminded me of watching WW2 footage. 

So, what is now a rare occurrence brought back some things I haven't thought about in years. I never knew if the pilots, or troops, were full time troops, or National Guard. Regardless, it was an interesting time.

Early Morning Peace

We had some fog this morning. I was out on the porch before sunrise, drinking some coffee, and remembering the aftermath of Hurricane Rita came to my mind. When I finally almost made it home, after a long out of the way trip to avoid road blocks, the heavy fog gave the area a surreal feel. 

Power lines were down. I ran over a few, and went around trees partially blocking the road to my house. The things I saw on the main highway, and what I was driving through, gave me a sense of foreboding. I couldn't see my house until I pulled into the driveway. A quick glance showed some pine trees laying across the drive. Looking toward my house, all I could see were a few shingles missing, and a lot of leaf debris scattered in the yard. I got out of my truck, and walked around to the back. A  big oak had split, but the large branch fell away from my house. Further inspection yielded no other damage, and a look in the house showed no water had made its way through the damaged roof. It was already hot, and the day would bring brutal heat with high humidity. 

I was relieved, but the light tower/generator I was pulling needed to be placed, and the trees removed from the drive. It led to a long day, and the installation of a window unit in the bedroom where my wife, and I, slept. I had extension cords ran, but hooking up the well pump would have to wait until tomorrow, when I hoped I could find the correct plug for the generator. The sun faded quickly, The darkness was complete after the sun set. The entire area was without power, and it took long minutes in the dark outside to adjust to the darkness. Even then, little could be seen. 

My sleep was fitful. I had my gun handy, but the drone of the light tower, and air conditioner, kept me from hearing anything outside. My mind raced with thoughts of people coming to rob, or more, and the darkness in the house was complete. Holding my hand to my face revealed nothing. It was as though we were in a cave, and I felt a little claustrophobic. In that type of darkness, it closes around you, until you feel as though you're in a casket. 

This morning was far different. The temperature was in the fifties, the cold dampness permeated the morning, and everything felt right. The coffee was good, and crow of roosters broke the quiet. Eventually the fog lifted, and the warm sun broke the chill. It was the dawn of a beautiful morning, and I feel blessed to have peace.

Another Hurricane

Hurricane Milton is the next storm to threaten the U.S. mainland. The question is how strong it will be at landfall. That, and how it will affect the area in Florida where it is expected to make landfall. 

I looked at the Tampa area elevations. Surprisingly, like many sections of the Florida Coast, elevations way above any surge are found near the coast. Anything 20 feet, or above, in elevations will not be inundated by a storm surge, and if impacted by a hurricane in the last few years, wind damage will be much lower than an area not impacted for decades. 

So, there is a lot of doom and gloom, which is what some of the meteorologists are paid to peddle, but I have a feeling those in Florida know the drill, most will leave, newer structures have been built for hurricane force winds, and the state forces are will prepared to offer help after the passage of the storm. Hopefully, as it approaches, the wind lessens, a lower number hurricane comes ashore, and those that were just impacted by Helene are not severely impacted by the next storm. 

What's Coming For the Unfortunate People Affected by Helene

Disasters bring something that many don't realize. Relief from the feds has strings attached, which involve insurance. There might be some money, which isn't enough for rebuilding, and the stipulation of keeping insurance on what is rebuilt. The caveat? The insurance will be cost prohibitive for most people, the new building codes very strict, and the condemnation of land is a possibility. Otherwise, families may find the land they occupied, and lived on, for generations is condemned, or too expensive to keep, if they want financial help. Investors will offer money to many, and they'll take the money for their land because they have nothing they can do to survive without the money. Of course, some will stay, and take care of things without government help, but with the feds involved, no relief will ever be available again in the future for areas considered part of the relief.

The Progression Nobody Cares For

School started about a month ago. So has the seasonal passing of pathogens by children. The usual colds, stomach viruses and maladies without names appeared, and now a great niece that lives close has strep throat. So, the entire family will now be exposed, including a toddler and an infant. My wife, like me, will now avoid them all, keep the hand sanitizer close, and hope we haven't been exposed to any of the illnesses that are now prevalent. 

Bleh!

Something Learned By Experience

FEMA is feckless. It's a ponderous bureaucracy filled with people that have a comfortable salary, good benefits, ridiculous political beliefs, and willing to use the money they have for anything other than what it was intended. If you don't believe this, think about how taxpayer money allocated for helping those in a disaster is being funneled into the traitorous effort to help illegal invaders. That alone should be convincing, and a less polite society would be rounding up traitors for prosecution. 

Reflecting

 I was reflecting on how things change. I now live where I once hunted. Pastures once filled with cattle are now cookie-cutter testaments to urban sprawl, small rural highways are now six lane streets in congested areas, once clear night skies are dimmed by electric lighting that removes the splendor of the heavens, and the creep of "civilization" is closer than I feel comfortable with. 

I'm now at the age of my grandfather (who was in the Army Air Corp during WW1) when the first men landed on the moon. He, too, eventually lived where he once hunted, and watched the evolution of flight from fabric covered airplanes to supersonic jets. Communication during his youth was by mail, or telegraph. Telephones eventually arrived, but a party line was the usual luxury of a telephone in a home. He lived to see mobile phones, but was gone before the modern smart phones were introduced. 

Unless some miracle method to stop aging arrives, my time here is down to maybe a few decades. It's a sobering thought, and at this time, I'm in good enough health to have not reached the point passing on will be a welcome relief. I'll enjoy it while it lasts, and count my blessings. Age has brought the realization all the "things" so cherished when young are burdens during later life, and the simple things, when observed without the bustle of a career, are things to be cherished.