Tuesday, October 19, 2004

A not so simple gift

My bulb order from Colorblends has arrived! Not only are the bulbs fat and fresh but a bonus gift was included – a rain gauge!

I am fascinated with weather but have never done more than cursory observation. However, noting daily weather details appeals to the technician in me. For several years I happily helped with a southern Oregon phenology, tracking bloom dates for certain representative flowers and trees, and egg deposition and development for particular insects. I was endlessly fascinated with poring over previous years and noting similarities and differences from year to year.

And now my own rain gauge. A simple free gift has me haunting ebay, looking around for barometers, minimum-maximum thermometers, paraphenalia coveted by lovers of climatic minutiae.

But it truly does get worse, if you can imagine. If I record the data in a spreadsheet I can map and graph weather data for my own garden. Do you see where this madness is going? Never mind that weather collection data is readily available for this region, and in vastly more sophisticated form. This would be my own garden! Carried to its unhealthy extreme I could get a GPS unit and locate said rain gauge with excruciating precision. GAWD!

(Taking a deep breath)

I am familiar with the use of weather data for tracking and observing effects on fruit development, disease occurrence and other horticultural concerns. But don’t I get enough of that at work? Why not just smell the flowers when I get home?

Notwithstanding I am grateful for my new gift. Now that the rains have started it will be nice to observe the rain in my own microcosm. I have always been suspect of weather data that bears no resemblance to what I observe outside my window.

But I think I’ll leave prediction to the professionals. Weather prediction has a Delphic quality to it, oracular prophecy borne of divine spark, and certainly not to be trespassed on by a climatic bookkeeper.

7 Comments:

At 8:42 AM, Blogger Jenn said...

I never thought I needed a rain gauge, but they are handy to have.

Mine (and I now have two, both gifts) have been happy to tell me this year that the week's rain provided the neccessary allotment, and all I had to water were the patio pots. Michigan had a very wet spring and early summer.

I don't check mine but weekly, when I go around noting the level and emptying it for the next week.

Good luck with your impulse control!
Do you really NEED a barometer?

 
At 5:49 AM, Blogger a gardener said...

Thanks Jenn. Think I will enjoy tracking the rain. As to the barometer...need vs. want is always tricky :)

Barometers are fascinating though. I just found instructions for making your own!

Sally

 
At 11:14 AM, Blogger Kathy said...

These guys are already treading where you hesitate to go http://garden.therichards.org/weather Click on the About This Page link to find out where they bought the stuff. On the About page, click on the word roof to see how they set it up. The first mention of the weather station is http://journals.gardenporn.com/users/lisa/index.cfm?mode=page&month=05-10-2003 . And the technical how-to is here:
http://www.granolageek.com/sysadminII/index.php?m=20030606

That should give you something to hint for for the holidays!

 
At 5:27 PM, Blogger a gardener said...

Kathy...WOW, those people take their weather seriously. Thanks for the links. I think I will start modestly. Yes, perhaps for Christmas!

 
At 3:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was afflicted by this virus two years ago. I live & garden on a slope. The house is about in the middle with the slope ending at the veggie garden. The veggie garden many times has had frost when the house hasn't. It itched my curiosity. I bought a simple multichannel temp device made by Oregon Scientific (mod# JTR168LR). It works with up to 3 remote sensors. It can record the max & min and current temps. So for 2 years I've kept that spreadsheet you fantasize about. Too much data! But I have learned that there can be as much as 10 degrees difference both when it is warm & cold. Pretty handy information in making plant selections.

 
At 11:39 AM, Blogger a gardener said...

Nice to hear that I'm not alone in this fascination. My garden is at the top of a cutbank down to a creek. I suspect this makes for a microclimate. It would be interesting to note the difference between the garden and the creek. I imagine it would be similar to your experience. Thanks for the tip on Oregon Scientific.

Sally

 
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