Rainy September weekend

Friday evening the rain started (Sept. 11). Lightning was common that evening but now it is Sunday and we haven't had lightning since that night. Just constant rainfall! Further south, along I-35 around Salado, the freeway was shut down due to high water. Tarrant County has had a flood warning. The odd thing about this storm is that it is moving from the southeast across to the west. Normally our storms come from the west or southwest.

Rain gauge measurements:
9-13-09 (first time I checked, so covers several days)
4.6 inches at 9:15am 9-13-09 (first time I checked, so covers several days)
0.85 inches at 4:30pm
0.15 inches at 7pm
For a 4 day total of 5.6 inches.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 7pm after what seemed like a gray, drizzly day:
barely a trace at 7pm (DFW reports .01")

Rasberry crazy ant

The Rasberry crazy ant, a tiny new pest, is working its way here from the Houston area, possibly transferred geographically on landscaping plants or hay bales.

The swarming, uniformly-sized 1/8 inch long, reddish-brown ants crawl "rapidly and erratically." They nest outdoors under such things as rocks and landscape timbers.

"In infested areas around the Houston area, large numbers of Rasberry crazy ants have caused great annoyance to residents and businesses. In some situations, it has become uncomfortable for residents to enjoy time in their yards. Companion animals may, in some cases, avoid the outdoors as well, and wildlife such as nesting songbirds, can be affected. The economic impact is currently unknown." The Texas A&M Center for Urban and Structural Entomology is working on identifying it.

TAMU also has a separate website for information on fire ants.

Wild Geese land for a break on their trip

Early in September as my neighbor and I were walking at the Boys Ranch around 8am we spotted a large number of geese on the ground. At first I thought it was a mom with her grown up babies but then realized it was a wild flock that had landed on their migration trip!