The Native Iowan

Morning on this side of the plant, 31 December, 2024.

I’m still “recovering” from my 2nd eye operation. More like “caring for” the eye, keeping it safe, ensuring it dont get injured or damaged, while its most vulnerable, in the 2weeks post-op. The 2weeks are now past and I can start “doing” more. Get off my arse and get back to work again. Lots to do. Always and all ways lots to do when you are a farmer.

On a positive note: The rains that were supposedly coming our way have not shown up, YET. I know many places around us are getting hammered. I’ll not feel too lucky, too dry, YET.

I did rush to get the ground water tank filled up. It’s been empty for a couple weeks… a mystery leak showed up out in the middle of the back field. Never knew there were water lines there, but, yep… a mystery line that is a mainline to the ground water system. What’s it doing way back there?

Over that past weeks the rains have kept the steam running high, and dirty. I was lucky enough to have a couple days where the water was running low and clean. Repaired the leaking line. Managed to get the tank on the hill pretty much filled up, the day before the steam rose.

I’ll hope for no more subterranean leaks, for a while.

The effort expended to plumb the pump in, get it primed and pushing water up hill is not insignificant. The pump has to be removed after use or the floods will drag it away. Every new install is its own event.

Funny that some times its goes reasonably easy. Primes up quick. Some times it simply dont go well. I wear my self out dragging pipes lines around, hauling buckets of water (to prime the pump) up the steep bank at the steam. I usually sleep very well after a day of pumping.

This old property has many miles of poly-prop-pipe criss crossing the property. Some in use, some not.

Large tanks collect the rain water from every roof. The 2houses on the property each live solely on rain-water-catchment. A couple other tanks under shed roofs are auxiliary. All connect onto the system by the mystery poly-prop labyrinth.

The tank on the hill is for ground-water that is pumped up from the stream, and reticulates throughout the property.

Once the big tank of the hill is full it lasts months. Unless it leaks out, again, because of faulty, lost, undiscovered lines.

Water is important to life. Managing water is a positive life’s lesson.

And I’m still a bit wore out.

Which is good.

very good indeed…

more later

The End (for 2024)

Smiles