Texas Heat!

[Bird]

Yesterday, just before noon, I was northbound on the I-35E service road near exit 460 when I saw a huge cloud of dust between the service road and the main highway. I couldn't tell for sure what it was until I got even with it, and it was an open station Kubota tractor with what I'd guess to be a 15' batwing mower mowing the right-of-way. Now I always kind of enjoyed mowing with a rotary cutter, but I sure would not envy that guy; don't know how he could breathe in that cloud of dust. And of course the grass & weeds he was cutting were dead and brown.

 

[jinman]

Bird, in our travels the last few days, we've passed quite a few gas well and drilling sites with trucks coming and going constantly onto crushed rock roads. They all are surrounded by trees that look as if they are white with snow from a complete coating of dust. Along many county roads the trees along the ROW are also very white and the grass the same. You could not pay me enough to go out there in an open station tractor and mow. I'd be dead in a few hours with clogged lungs.

Ron: I never measure the # of square feet with my sprinklers. I just overlap the circular patterns by around 1/3 and move the sprinklers around. One day of hot sun and the grass will tell me if I miss any spots. It will start turning dark and showing stress. If I get one of those spots, I'll use the "no moving parts" sprinkler like I told Dennis about. It is very good about applying a concentrated spray in a localized area in a short period of time.

Dennis: Even though I may end up on the EPA hit list for using too much water, I ain't stoppin'. When they quit watering golf courses, I'll slow down my usage. When we went to the Gainesville Zoo on Wednesday, they had sprinklers going all over that place and the golf course just outside of town was lush and green. They ain't pullin' that water from the Red River. It's coming out of their city wells. I don't think Gainesville uses any lake or reservoir for their municipal water. Bowie uses Amon Carter Lake and it can get really low in dry years like this one.

 

[pacerron]

Was this GCD ever established?
http://www.mctexlaw.com/com-pgma.asp

 

[Western]

I was "told" by the guy that installed my septic 2 1/2 years ago that they had started regulations concerning new water wells, primarily a well registration fee of some sort. There has also been rumor's about private wells be taxed on consumption. We do have water "district" and regulating bodies for our water supply's, I believe Wise county, with others is in the Trinity water district??

JIM You know I'm "funnin" with ya right? I drive through the D/FW metro mess working at night and it is amazing how much water they pour down the city drains with their sprinklers. Now water restrictions are showing up in some city's.

I water my yard for the most part, I do let it go some since I want the roots to grow deeper, The St, Augustine uses the most, but I like it the best. Your right about 1 thing , 1 day is all it takes to know what spot you missed.

 

[jinman]

Was this GCD ever established?
http://www.mctexlaw.com/com-pgma.asp

Well, that particular piece was written by a lawyer trolling for clients, but things are certainly heating up. The amount of water used for gas well fracking and production is being closely examined. There's also talk that homeowners may have to pay a one-time fee of up to $10k for drilling a well. All of this is at the proposal state as far as I know. Certainly there will be a huge outcry if it starts to see more pressure for passage of water districts with taxing authority. Dallas already owns the rights to most water in surface reservoirs between Dallas and the Red River. If you are a city that wants water out of these reservoirs, you have to pay Dallas.

 

[pacerron]

Here's some inside hot for ya. Today is time to can some hot Kosher Dill Spears. You sure don't want to rub your eyes after working with these guys.
We had to pick a lot of not quite ripe tomatoes today to protect them from the sun and heat damage. We like to use vine ripe tomatoes for our canned juice and canned tomatoes as it is really fantastic that way. But, you gotta do, what you gotta do, to save the crop. They will continue to ripen inside but not as sweet...
Ron

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Bernice asked the Director of the hurricane center (my old boss) if they were afraid to name one Bernice ....might be a real b_tch of a storm. He said he'd see what he could do - I think he chaired the WMO naming committee last yr.

I ain't touching that one with a 10' pole...but it was funny..

So far, we are getting a bit of wind. A steady 15-20mph I believe. Not much precipitation unless you count the beads of sweat dripping off my forehead and beer.

 

[Alan L.]

I was "told" by the guy that installed my septic 2 1/2 years ago that they had started regulations concerning new water wells, primarily a well registration fee of some sort. There has also been rumor's about private wells be taxed on consumption. We do have water "district" and regulating bodies for our water supply's, I believe Wise county, with others is in the Trinity water district??

JIM You know I'm "funnin" with ya right? I drive through the D/FW metro mess working at night and it is amazing how much water they pour down the city drains with their sprinklers. Now water restrictions are showing up in some city's.

I water my yard for the most part, I do let it go some since I want the roots to grow deeper, The St, Augustine uses the most, but I like it the best. Your right about 1 thing , 1 day is all it takes to know what spot you missed.

I'll pay taxes on the water coming out of my well right after they pry my gun out of my cold dead hands.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I mowed the yard today well whats left of it since I stopped watering a month ago!!!


Brown is in!!

 

[Western]

I'll pay taxes on the water coming out of my well right after they pry my gun out of my cold dead hands.

Got that right.
In the 90's even, when we had a ranch in Erath county, I had a county surveyor come out and ask me about our wells and was telling me back then, about the proposed idea. I asked him if they plan on doing all the repairs and upkeep, and where going to guarantee my water as "clean" for human consumption and standards.

He said "no" it's a way to make money" and "control water". He also had a well and didn't like the idea, "just doing his job"

 

[Bird]

I see this morning that the NWS forecast for Denton today is only 100 degrees, but it's supposed to warm up the rest of the week.:confused2: 107 Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

[jinman]

I see this morning that the NWS forecast for Denton today is only 100 degrees, but it's supposed to warm up the rest of the week.:confused2: 107 Tuesday and Wednesday.

The word from last night's 10 o'clock news on channel 8 was that the metroplex will see a forecast of 107, while the western counties may see 110 or more. AARGH! Oh well. . . August is quickly upon us. . . sigh.

But hey! We have tropical storm Don coming to solve all our problems.:dance1:
What!. . . It just evaporated as soon as it hit the Texas coast? . . . Oh. . . never mind.:ashamed:

 

[pacerron]

Did Jim post his findings anywhere about the visit to the pond aeration company?

 

[jinman]

Did Jim post his findings anywhere about the visit to the pond aeration company?

No, like TS Don, that trip kind of fizzled too. I was extremely worried about stocking minnows and coppernose bluegill in this heat and drought. I was afraid the shock of going from the tanks at the fishery to my warm water would cause a massive kill (i.e., waste of money). When I got to Pond King, they told me that they only had 4" to 6" channel catfish and no minnows or bluegill. They quit stocking most fish in June. Their prime stocking time is March through June each year.

I did find out some info on their surface aerator. It's called the F1000 DP Aerator. It is a portable unit that runs on 120-220 vac and has a 1 hp motor that draws 8.2 starting to 4.1 sustained amps. It comes with 100' of watertight cord and a protective cage. It will aerate 1.5 acres of pond surface. It can be tethered for movment around the pond or just towed out and anchored on the bottom. They had one of these units going in their demo pond and it looked to move lots of water for natural fountain aeration. The cost of this unit is $1395. They indicated that was the cost if I picked it up at their location. For $25 more, they will ship it to my house. It's probably not as good as an aerator with a bubbler stone on the bottom, but the ease of setting this system up and it's portability makes it seem pretty darn flexible. The cost is a bit on the high side, but it's a ready-to-go solution if you have power available and probably much cheaper than any windmill system. I have some more searching to do, but I consider it a cost-effective solution.:thumbsup:

EDIT: I just did a search and already found a source that is $300 cheaper. At less than $1100, this is a very good deal.

 

[pacerron]

Jim,
Thanks for the info on the aeration equipment.
For a couple years we have passed a pond on one of our routes in for supplies, usually every 2-3 weeks, that has an aerator that sprays a fountain about 6 feet high in a pond about the size of ours. Nobody has a house on that side of the road but there is a barn nearby which must be the power source. We have never been by there when a person is in the vicinity.
The strange thing is the entire pond is often completely covered with a layer of blue-green smooth algae of some type, even up to and around the aeration pipe. We have noticed many times that when we pass back by there
2-3 hours later that the pond is completely clear of algae. My wife thought I was nuts, I probably am about a lot of things, but she started watching and confirms my observations. I must remember to take a camera and get some shots as well as ask somebody that lives in the area. They must be growing the algae for commercial purposes?
Ron

 

[tglass]

I see this morning that the NWS forecast for Denton today is only 100 degrees, but it's supposed to warm up the rest of the week.:confused2: 107 Tuesday and Wednesday.

Uh huh, weather forecast say's alot of things, but my thermometer say's different. Depends where you are, but the weather is way to hot and not a chance of any amount of rain for a while.

 

[mikim]

I mowed the yard today well whats left of it since I stopped watering a month ago!!!


Brown is in!!

I don't have to mow-- neighbors cows are jumpin fence to get to what little I have and to my water trough....he's suppose to come by today to see what we can do about it. He's across the road - they get out and wander in my place (no fence on my side yet) It's on my list but since I don't have animals has not been a priority.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I don't have to mow-- neighbors cows are jumpin fence to get to what little I have and to my water trough....he's suppose to come by today to see what we can do about it. He's across the road - they get out and wander in my place (no fence on my side yet) It's on my list but since I don't have animals has not been a priority.

Yeah its good that your cool with it,its just grass aslong as they are not messing with anything or sh****g in your yard!! It good when nieghbors can help out neighbors!! :thumbsup:

 

[sldva00]

Not even Tropical Storm Don could stand the heat. As soon as it hit the coast, it evaporated. The local meteorologist said he hadn't seen a storm do that in his entire career (20+ years).

 

[Larry Caldwell]

You might stretch some shade cloth. Anywhere you buy greenhouse supplies.