It’s not unusual to find a Mountain Citian who added a rain gauge to their life as they settled in here. We did.
I keep watch for Sonny Hollub’s rain report from Ruby Ranch on Nextdoor.com. Ruby Ranch doesn’t seem so close by vehicle; it’s over 9 miles. But, an overhead look as the crow flies shows Ruby Ranch is about 2 miles away from Mountain City.
Rain reports within Mountain City can vary by over half-an-inch. So, Sonny’s measurements to the 1/16 are close enough for me.
The rain that came before we awoke this past Sunday morning was almost a half-inch.
Were you around on the afternoon of December 19 when we got a freak hail storm? Holly Cass posted video on her Facebook with “It was a downpour that came up quickly turned to hail and then moved on and the sun came up. Very unexpected and weird.”
During our cul-de-sac’s Christmas gathering, Bill and Lanelle Polley shared that the hail broke their skylights.
At the Bunco gathering I attended in January, Betty Puckett (her husband, Jay, has a roofing business) told us sometimes a hail storm with tiny pellets will have some large chunks. So, you might want to check your roof for hail damage and place an insurance claim, if need be.
Sonny’s report for that “rain event”, the one that brought us hail, shows one-half inch. In Mountain City, that small amount filled “Lake Wilson”, the large space in John Wilson’s yard.
Recently, a flood study was performed for the City. The results were provided in the January Council meeting. The City then proceeded with an additional study to help design a plan and course of action for improved drainage.
By the way, when we went to church on Sunday morning after the slow rain, Lake Wilson had no standing water.
We added bluebird nestboxes to our yard after we came to Mountain City, after I saw bluebirds at Pedernales Falls State Park, just 30 miles away as the crow flies. And, we installed nestboxes nearby. Sure enough, the very first season, I saw a bluebird atop a nestbox in the nearby Church of Christ parking lot.
I’ve been seeing bluebirds in and around Mountain City. Now’s a good time to install a nestbox, since it’s common for bluebirds in Texas to build nests in February. Other small native “cavity-nesting” birds that nest in Mountain City include Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bewick’s Wren, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee.
It just so happens that the volunteer nestbox distributor for Texas Bluebird Society lives in Mountain City. It’s me! Texas Bluebird Society offers a free nestbox with an “in person” $20 new membership. Contact me if you’re interested.
And, please contact me if you have a Mountain City tidbit. [email protected] (subject: tidbit) or 512-517-5678 Thanks! Love to you, PTom
