Lightning

Ohio is among the leading states in lightning fatalities

Apropos of our recent storms, the National Weather Service published some unsettling statistics on lightning and lightning deaths. For example, over the last 30 years, an average of 54 people have been killed annually in the United States by lightning strikes. (Intriguingly, 81 percent were male.) Only about 10 percent of the people who are struck by lightning are killed outright, but the rest have to deal with varying degrees of pain and disability, sometimes for the rest of their lives.

The chart shows where the most fatalities have occurred (click to enlarge). It’s a little disturbing to us that Ohio ranks 4th, with 145. More stats and safety info about lightning can be found on the NWS Website.

No Drought Here

The national news is about how dry it has been in the Midwest this summer, and the damage that the heat and lack of rain have done to crops such as corn. Here in southern Ohio, though, the drought ended several weeks ago, and we have been pounded with rain ever since.

Recent storms have had awesome, nearly constant lightning

Last week, a line of storms accompanied by high winds and torrid heat brought down a huge tree across our septic outfall path. It will be fall before I get it cleared. And this evening the third storm in three days knocked out our power again for several hours. A torrential downpour left our front yard swampy – rainfall rates sometimes approach an inch an hour, which is really something to see. Although the word “see” is a misnomer here, because you simply can’t see through rain that hard, especially if you’re in a car. It’s like a curtain.

As I write, another front is moving through, with a line of towering clouds that recalls a line of elephants moving past, each using its trunk to hold the tail of the one in front. Lots and lots of lightning, accompanied by rumbling, ominous thunder.

Backyard Birds

The forest behind our house is teeming with birds — so many, in fact, that in one year, our backyard “list” has equaled the one we had after eight years at our last house in Los Angeles. That is to say, 43 different species.

A spectacular flash of blue in the garden

Some of the most spectacular birds we’ve identified in the yard are the pileated woodpecker, barred owl and wild turkey. This morning, though, I saw another one: indigo bunting. I’ve been looking for one of these ever since coming to Cincinnati, but although they’re not rare, they’re somewhat shy and secretive, and I wasn’t able to ID one until today as it sat in a bush outside our bedroom window.

The deep blue color of this sparrow-sized bird is truly remarkable.

The Garden: Midsummer Update

After a slow start, looking good

Despite a slow start, the garden has picked up steam in the last few weeks (no pun intended, considering how hot it has been). The eggplants seem to be flourishing despite being attacked by what are probably “flea beetles,” tiny beetles that eat pinprick holes in the leaves. The tomatillos, habaneros and other peppers are looking good, and the Thai basil is taking over. Most of the tomatoes are flowering and some have already set fruit. Meanwhile, our separate herb garden is overflowing with basil, thyme, rosemary, sage and other things.

One thing we’re happy about so far is that the fence around the vegetable garden, and the gravel around its base, have kept out rabbits and deer (fingers crossed). And this has been a big year for rabbits — they’re the size of large cats, for chrissake. But even if our luck holds, our guess is that everything is going to ripen at the same time, which means we’ll be deluged with fruit and vegetables in the latter half of August, roughly – a common problem for gardeners, especially in this part of the world. The challenge then will be figuring out how to not let anything go to waste.

The Back Yard: A Timeline

January 2, 2012

February 10, 2012

March 10, 2012

April 10, 2012

May 10, 2012

June 10, 2012

July 10, 2012

Storm Report

After weathering a pair of vicious summer storms over the weekend, we’re back to normal life here on “the farm.” But having our electricity and water knocked out – twice – for the better part of two days during a record heat wave was nerve-wracking. We packed the fridge full of ice, lit candles, and had large bottles of water on hand for drinking, filling toilets and taking GI showers. And one plus is that with a kitchen stove and a patio grill powered by propane, we can always cook. In the end, it was all simply an inconvenience for us, not an emergency by any stretch.

However, it’s just not acceptable that the electrical supply to our neighborhood goes out so often, especially in the last storm, which was nasty but well below hurricane or tornado force. Is that the best you can do, Duke Energy? Really?