The gauge of rainfall

My husband is incredible – he’s a funny mix of alpha male and sensitive bloke, he’s tough and tender, he’s not house-proud but can pack a mean dishwasher and has taken great care of me over the past 18 months of very ordinary health.  He’s also practical and superstitious all at the same time.

Point in case: our rain gauge.

Our original gauge lived on the pool fence.  During winter as the dry hit us hard, we let the horses into the pool yard to enjoy the remaining green grass and clover.  Our lawn-mowers enjoyed the privilege but also got curious and knocked our plastic rain gauge  down and broke it.

I bought a new one, and for months it has sat on a table downstairs, ready to be put up.  I have gently nagged but so many other jobs took precedence…

My husband was busy being Superman (or Mr Incredible) – running a cattle property, looking after a wife who’d managed to injure both legs, running Violet to and from the school bus, doing the grocery shopping, cooking etc etc.

While there was no rain it didn’t matter that he’d had no time to do the ‘gauge setting up’ task.  El Nino, according to all reports, had a stranglehold on the country.  Not much need for rain gauges anticipated.

Then a couple of weeks ago, the weather began to turn.

Storms began to build and move through parts of inland Queensland – like most, we consciously tempered any excitement over possible falls.  Disappointment can be a bit of a bitch. And superstition begins to seep into those quietly watching the clouds  gather over, and then avoid, dry paddocks and empty dams…

‘Don’t talk about it… you’ll scare it away!

‘I’ll believe it when it hits the ground…’

And as small falls of rain (1mm, 4mm, 8mm) arrived – measured faithfully by our neighbours – Mr I still held off on mounting the gauge.  I don’t even think it was deliberate, but I soon realised that (as our pastures sloooooowly began to gain a little greenness) he was very happy leaving that gauge right where it was.

‘Seems to be raining all right without it…’

I could hardly argue – he was right.  I doubt the clouds were checking the state of our gauged-ness before deciding where to drop their load, but I am notoriously pragmatic.  Annoyingly so, I believe.  I like to measure stuff.  Temperatures, rain, heights. (Not weight though, at least not mine!)

We even had a DECENT fall a week ago.  We think. That’s what the neighbours said anyway.

This week it got the better of me.  Some big falls were forecast (10-20 and more on a couple of days) and I threatened to wire it to the fence myself.  I was upright and moving, and keen to know our OWN rainfall. It’s a bushie thing – comparing rainfalls is one of the great conversation starters out here.  Rainfall charts are treasured historical documents.

So Mr I relented …

It went up on Sunday – the same day a predicted 20-40mm of rain failed to arrive.

I could here the silent ‘I Told you so!’ as the clouds skirted around us.

And then, last night, as the big forecasts petered out…

One inch (25mm) of incredible rain fell… INTO THE NEW RAIN GAUGE!

So I am feeling very, very lucky, very relieved and very much enjoying the new view…

😀