tamarack

With less than 1/4" in the past 8 days and none today, I may need to water the garden - for the first time in 2 months. This after 2 days with ginormous downpours within 20 miles of here. (And given the recent outcomes from the most recent 4-5 heavy rain opportunities, we may well skate into next week's sunny with low dews after dodging another couple of chances.)

We reached 35 on Feb 22, but that Sunday afternoon was 32+ for less than 4 hours. Next highest max was 28. The month had 23 subzero minima and the other five were zero, 1, 1, 4, 5. Average max/min was 16.5/-10.0. (Oddly, 2/15 in Fort Kent was only their 2nd coldest February, behind 1993.) 2nd coldest month here was Jan 2004 with 15.2/-4.9. Groundhog Day 2015 had a max of -1 with 7" powder and the next lowest max was 5°. Jan '04 had six days with max between +1 and -8, and the 2nd coldest max, -7 on the 14th, actually failed to get above -11 during the afternoon. Hence the lower average max.

That's tougher than Maine's forester license exam, which is 4 hours morning and 4 more afternoon. During my 10 years on the license board, I proctored 4 exams, about 40 applicants in total. Not one put down their pencil before the end of the morning segment (biology and measurements) and only one finished the PM segment (management and policy) as much as 30 minutes before time's up, with 4-5 others handing in their exam 5-10 minutes early.

Feb 2015 was strange in several ways. It's the coldest Feb by 1.9° at the Farmington co-op (records back thru 1893), but that month's lowest of -18 doesn't even approach the coldest 20 Feb mornings. Feb 15's coldest maxima of 4° also fails to breach the coldest 20. It was the almost total lack of warmth throughout the month that set the record, rather than any record-shattering cold blast. Dec 1989 is a bit similar, with the month mean coldest by 4.3° (how many SDs below avg is that?) but its coldest mornings tied for 10th place. Dec 89's coldest mean temp was -7; Dec 30, 1917 had a mean of -23.5 (the co-op's coldest daily mean by 3.5°). In other news, those poor people in the southwest part of Franklin County got hit again by downpours. Some roads haven't been repaired from the June 29 5-6" cloudburst and now another 3"+ deluge hits. Though not as widespread as the earlier storm, yesterday's event took out several roads in Jay and East Dixfield, perhaps some only recently repaired. We listened to distant thunder and got 0.03". Despite all the rainy days and AN number of days with thunder this year, we get missed by anything beyond what happened yesterday. For the year, we've had only one strike closer than 5 miles and that was about 2.5. (Our thunder-averse Lab mix would like things to stay that way.)

Have not eaten cottontail since moving out of NJ but have had the occasional snowshoe hare. The ones I've eaten were tasty but considerably tougher than cottontail (unless I was getting only the older animals). When we were at our daughter's and family's home last May, they had a cottontail nest under their blackberry thicket - looked like 6 leverets after crows had killed one incautious critter that stayed out on the grass too long.

Likewise here, as you know. I can recall temps occasionally still in the 80s at midnight, but without a good hygrometer I had no way of knowing dewpoints. I watched probably thousands of Tex Antione's forecasts and never recall Uncle Wethbee quoting dews.

I wonder if the observation site was part of the anomaly. No paved roads then but perhaps in the built-up (and treeless) section. The initial obs site at the Farmington co-op had a major effect, with half of the 14 triple-digit highs being recorded during their first 5 years (1893-97) - also no pavement but lots of multi-story brick buildings. Since then, only 1911 with 5 of 100+. 4 in NNE's greatest heat wave, June 1944 and Hot Saturday in 1975 reached the mark. 12 hundies in their first 19 years, only 2 in the next 111.

Hit or miss here - some pines loaded, some with just a few.

0.01" here, 3.20" for the month, as echoes died on the doorstep. Temp was 4° BN yesterday, only the 2nd BN day of the month.

Been there, done that. My dad passed on Pearl Harbor Day in 1993 and I inherited his 1992 Ranger with 6k miles. (Neither of my brothers needed it so it became part of my 1/3.) I burnt out a clutch, thanks in part to the tranny getting stuck in 4th as I was climbing a hill - trying to slip-clutch on a steep upgrade, not recommended. Followed by a nice after-dark 3 mile walk to where my wife picked me up. I drove that for 13 Maine winters and by then it was in tough shape, sold it for $200 and the check bounced, but maybe I got exactly what the rig had been worth. Edit: Unsurprisingly, the siggy RA stayed north - just a few sprinkles here. Now the best action is to the south and also looks to miss. In May, every event overperformed, in June the forecasts were usually spot on (same pattern all month) but if the recent outcomes here continue, I might have to (gasp!) water.

Watching the color drain out of the echoes as they approach (and slide to the NW of here). Everything is still moist, but the trend may be moving to dry here, based on the most recent precip chances. The warned severe storm on 7/7 slides south, we get a rumble and 0.11", VT floods and 3/4" here, last weekend's 'widespread 2-3" with some 5-7"' brings 1.1" and Tuesday's flash flood and severe TS warning produces 2 distant rumbles and 20 drops. When forecasts consistently over- or underperform, it's usually the start of a trend. If/when my 2011 Ranger dies (and if I can afford it) I'd like to move to the hybrid Maverick. However, I'm not interested in all-electric unless: --Rates back down instead of leaping by 50%. --Service interruptions are greatly reduced. Not sure how well recharge would work on genny power. --Grandkids live <200 miles away instead of >500. --I never again need to drive when it's minus 20.

As noted elsewhere, it's the noise. I think leaf blowers are the loudest one-person tools out there, probably 15 decibels above my snowblower and louder than a modern chainsaw. Of course, I won't even use the roaring air hand driers in public bathrooms - not only are they about 90 decibels (a guess) but they're in an echo chamber. (Disclosure: Our nearest neighbor is 500 feet away and no one else is within 1/4 mile, so no exposure to the blowers at home.) Also, in terms of GHG the (non-electric or hybrid) cars and trucks are worse, but for hydrocarbons and NOX those small motors are far more polluting. Raking is overrated… Leaf cleanup is in fact overrated. I don't rake leaves from the lawn, but the side yard gets a 6" layer of (mostly) maple leaves, so I free up the hostas and lily-of-the-valley, and gain nutrients and organic material for the garden, also mulch for when I overwinter carrots. Everything in its proper place.

Saw the Milky Way last evening, 1st time since mid-June. Since June 1 we're running -2 maxima, +4 minima, so +1 overall.

My sister-in-law was staying with us (my father-in-law had passed a week earlier) and she's a big NWL fan and got all teenybopper with Kris, had to get pics. Then insisted that I get pictured with him - at least that one showed the deer. That was my 3rd deer collision. 1st was in Bedford, NH as I was hauling my daughter and 3 friends back to Dublin on a Sunday evening in mid Nov. It had stormed that morning (blew down 2,000 cords on state land near Jackman) and the critters were on the move. I'd taken my foot off the gas upon seeing the light ahead go yellow and it was deer-bang-gone before I could even hit the brake, launched the little lamb of the year into the woods at a 45° angle, $2,900 to the Subaru. We were going south at 45 and the deer about 35 westbound. 2nd was the Sunday morning a week prior to deer season, a nice 6-8 point buck that was running northeast as we drove northwest. Hit the driver side front door and fender, whipped around to mess up the rear door and left the side mirror hanging by one wire. We continued to church after dealing with the LEO; a guy with a scanner asked to retrieve the deer and found it dead in a swamp maybe 1/4 mile from impact. $1,900 for that one. It was decent to finally eat what I'd hit on #3. 54° this morning, lowest of the month. In 25 years only July 2000 failed to get below 50 - hit 51 - and 4 Julys had sub-40 readings. I'll be surprised if July 2023 gets below 50, though HIE hit 49 this morning.

I hit a deer in 2014 while driving home from the Sundy evening service, the day after the regular firearms season ended (of course ) with no deer meat. I had slowed to maybe 15-20 at impact and the critter was able to get up and run into the woods, after destroying the Ranger's plastic grill and also bending the bumper. Next morning, Kris McCabe of North Woods Law fame came and tagged it (a hairy-horned doe, 2nd one I've "taken". 1st was shot on T18R12 in 1979) and I took it to the meat cutter in Oakland after following the tracks in the snow left from the pre-T.Day 13" dump. It had gone only 500' before dying from massive internal bleeding and was still slightly warm inside. Based on what I took home, deboned except for one roast and nothing bloodshot, the butcher had to discard less than 10%. About $1500 of repairs, but it only cost me the $100 for Comprehensive - actually less as the mechanic bill came in at less than the adjuster's price. Edit, for some wx: Saw the Milky Way last night, first time in nearly a month after loads of clouds and haze, and dews were probably mid 50s this morning.

Deer meat is wonderful - tasty and very low cholesterol. However, in the Northeast, buck fawns have only buttons by deer season and most states have a 3"+ antler standard to be a legal antlered buck. (Some states are more rigorous. PA requires that at least one antler has 3+ points.)

Looked again and found a few blues, almost all on the Northlands. Also found the fastest growing jewelweed I've ever encountered. Two weeks ago, they were a foot tall or less, but some were near 6 ft and many in the 4-5' class, and many many hundreds. Still some in the patch but the ones I pulled (no weed pulls easier, fortunately) pretty much filled the 6' by 6' cedar log compost area. Those plants must be 95%+ water, and surely love this warm season's tropical rainforest wx. They will quickly break down and make room for other compost.

We started with 3 Patriots and 2 Northlands, added 2 more Northlands and 3 Bluecrops a few years later. These more recent additions are lagging badly in both growth and production. Looks like a moderate crop on the big 5 but none have begun to color - above norm temps but the lack of sun being the bigger factor.

Roy Clark's "Yesterday when I was young" might've broken the mold for thoughtful country, though another (name unremembered) sang the most concise description of alcoholism I recall: "One drink is one too many, and a thousand not enough!" Just once . Just one time is all we all ask for . 80-110 mph gusts for a few hours. "A few hours" would probably mean a solid Cat 4 at landfall, Nassau and Suffolk Counties on separate islands?

Flash flood warning stops about one mile to my west (literally), severe storm areacloser to 5 miles away. Precip seems to be dying as it passes beyond Farmington, though there's still some bright echoes upstream. Not a 7-10; if we miss the good stuff it will be like the ball going between the 4 and 6 pins while touching neither.

In my 50 years living in Maine, I swam in 70+ water only once. It was in shallow (3-5 ft) water in a small bay just south of Otter Cliffs on Acadia's Loop Road - mid-afternoon on August 2, 1975, when BHB hit triple digits for the only time on record.

Some flooded roads in Fort Fairfield and Easton, Maine. (central Aroostook) Just PC/hazy sun with 70+ dews here.

I noted how the break in the pretty colors was right over my head - this year TS have tended to die between Farmington and here. Wonder if the haze will short-circuit any convection. we lived in standish that year and I recall having contractors need most of the summer to do some carpentry work on the exterior. The town was replacing the Muddy Brook bridge that summer, and as the steep banks made a temp bridge costly, they chose to gravel the long-unmaintained road beyond our place so the dozen or so families east of the brook had access. At least twice, juicy August TS blew out the gravel; we had dump trucks going past the house all that month.

Took until August here. July's rain came in smaller buckets than June's but with equal frequency. June 2009: Dry for 1-8, then 21 of 22 with some RA, 18 measurable, total 9.76" July 2009: Dry for 5 days and measurable for 24, total 7.29" (That 25 total/24 measurable was tied last month, in one less day.) August 2009: 17 dry days plus 2 with T, total 6.77". That met summer total of 23.82" is 4.71" higher than the next highest here.

Looks like the power company decided to run poles up a brook.