Working in the sun on the hot cement cistern in the 97 degree heat can't have been fun for her. I watched from the nearby shade. I fitted the plug with a swim cap made from a balloon. All I have to do is plug in an extension cord to get the water flowing.
That night, it was delightful to be able to water the garden without worrying about running up the water bill. I gave every veggie and flower in the fenced garden a long drink of the cold water. The pump gave even better water pressure than the outside faucet.
Back in May, when the rains were adequate, I emptied both 55-gallon barrels into the cistern many times. That sounds like I hefted them on my shoulder and poured them carefully into the stand pipe on the cistern. The procedure was much easier and actually possible. Having installed faucets in the bottom of the barrels, I merely connected the garden hoses to them and poked the ends down the standpipe.
This story would be a triumph but for the rain which arrived the following day. Not just a little rain, either. The National Weather Service was right, we did get one-tenth to one-quarter inch. There was a bit more to it. It was one of those strange thunderstorms, full of crashing lightning, torrential rain and loud thunder that seems to park in one location, unzip the cloud contents and be loathe to move on.
That went on all day and night. I emptied the gauge at bedtime, four inches of rain. This morning, there were another five and a half inches.
Parts of the garden were in standing water. The corn had swooned.
These seed pods of the Toy Choy were being left to ripen.
These sunflowers didn't appreciate nine and a half inches of water. It was a good thing they didn't have their big seed heads yet.
Ever the conserver of water, I began at once to empty the barrels into the cistern. Except for the scary cloud to ground lightning, I could have emptied them many times over.
More rain is suddenly in the week's forecast. There doesn't seem to be a shutoff.
