OK......ENOUGH RAIN ALREADY.........!!

John and I went to Tucson yesterday and it was raining on us on the way home.  Got home and it didn't look too bad, when all of a sudden it started raining, just about the time John went out to start chores.  I looked out one time and couldn't see the feed room.  For those that know the distance to the feed room from the house, that was a lot of rain.  

In about a 3 hour period, we got 3 1/2 inches of rain.  Doug and John were trapped in the feed room, I was in the house and the donkeys were in their pens. That much rain in a short time, flooded some of the pens.  In fact John let Bill out of his pen, he had no place to stand that was not standing water.  So where did Bill go?  Up on the porch of the feed room, where the guys were waiting out the rain.  

Actually on the way home, we had to wait at the 1st wash that crosses the road.  It's been years since we've got to visit with our neighbors while the water rises and then recedes enough that you think you can make it.  Even had the afternoon school bus keeping us company.  

We waited about half an hour and finally decided to give it a run.  Thank goodness we were in the truck and not the little car, it probably would have floated away.  The truck did good and after sacrificing us everybody but the school bus, followed us.  They must have some rule about the buses when they have kids on board.  He actually had more clearance than us and would be a lot heavier.  

That wash crosses the main road 7 times before we can get home.  Right after we got home is when the heavy rain started.  The wash was already running and adding the new rain to that, destroyed the fences that run across the wash on our property.  So the donkeys had to stay in their pens overnight or we would have been chasing donkeys all over  this part of Cochise County........!!!  LOL
 

The post is still up on the bank.  All the t-posts went somewhere.  To the left is the wash.

John is on the other side of the wash, trying to figure out if he can get the wire away from those trees. 

He finally decided it would be quicker and easier to use new wire and figure out how to get this wire away from the trees and limbs later when he had more time.  I would imagine some of the missing t-posts are in this mess somewhere.  T he donkeys were getting tired of being in their pens and were starting to get loud and cranky about it.  LOL

This is the perimeter fence on the east side of the property.  It's called a kick-out, the posts aren't buried in the ground.  When the water rushes down the wash about 3 feet deep and sometimes even has white caps  on it, or if one of those limbs or trees comes down with the water the fence will just lay over like it is.  So he and Doug just stood it up and buried the posts about 6 inches in the sand.  Just enough to make it a barrier that works, the donkeys aren't fence challengers, which is a good thing. 

This is how Casper the mini mule looked this morning, all the donkeys looked about the same.  For animals that hate water and really hate to be bathed, if there is mud available, they all will take a mud bath.  Needless to say we had mud everywhere. 

This is Nigel, our "wild"cat.  Not really, he does not have a survivor instinct at all, and is  very clumsy for a cat.  Every once in awhile, he decides he wants to go outside and is very good at getting out the door when someone is going out.  John was out trying to entice him into the house, which wasn't going very well.  John came in and said get the camera.  We had no idea he was capable to climbing a tree and getting on the porch metal roof without falling off. let alone make it to the roof.  He sat up there like a king looking around like he had really done something.  I took a couple of pictures and then we ignored him.  Went up to the hay barn and the next thing we know here he comes meowing and slinking along on his belly.  Guess he figured how to get down too.  We usually work to get him in, so he's not use to being ignored.  Guess he figured he was out  of his element and came to get us to take care of him it's about 300 feet of open country from the house to the hay barn..  I told John to leave him outside for awhile, but he wouldn't do it.  John picked him up, put him in the house, he was so exhausted,  he slept the rest of the day........

This is a young white wing dove, that was out at the bird feeder a few days ago and a hawk came thru hunting.  The hawks have learned to use the house and windows as a hunting tool.  They fly at the feeders which scatters the birds and if one hits a window, it's a free meal for the hawk.  They swoop down, pick it up and go have breakfast.  I happened to see this one, ran out and picked up the dove.  It was very neurological, I guess hitting the window really rang it's bell.  At 1st it couldn't even sit up on it's feet, but after a couple of days it started improving and now sits on a perch and the last day or so, has been trying to get out of the cage.  I put the cage in the hay barn during the day and in the spare bedroom at night.  We have a lot of skunks around here and they would have no problem getting it out of the cage.  It's still not completely recovered and I'd be afraid to let it go.  Quite often it's tail isn't straight behind, it goes to the left.  We have a wildlife refuge in Tucson, that we might take it to if it stops improving with us.  Another problem this time of year is, most of the white wings have migrated to Texas, so if we released him, he wouldn't have a flock.  .