Picture of the day - October 25, 2007

Rainy day at Backbone Rock

Cheria and I paid a visit to Backbone Rock National Recreational Area yesterday afternoon to try to get a few decent pictures of the last remaining autumn leaves, but what we found when we got there was a chilly rain and gusty winds hurling the colorful leaves to the ground right before our eyes. The few leaves that were still on the trees were hanging by a thread, and the ones on the ground were soaking wet and not very pretty - and there was standing water everywhere! But all things considered, it was a glorious autumn afternoon! Please allow me to explain... What made such a miserable afternoon so glorious was the fact that our region was finally benefiting from the start of what is forecasted to be three days of soaking rain. You see, the entire southeastern United States is suffering through one of the worst droughts in recorded history, and many of the farm ponds and streams in our neck of the woods have gone dry leaving a quite a few of the farmers around here with no way to water their livestock. Several fire departments in the region have begun hauling water from local rivers and lakes to the farms as a stop-gap measure to keep the cattle alive, but that is a very expensive solution that simply won't work for the long-term. Even worse, wells and springs are beginning to run dry, leaving many of our Mountain Empire friends and neighbors without drinking or "washing" water. And on top of it all, the woods are dry as a bone which makes the threat of forest fires the strongest it has been in years. And just a few more days without rain would have really made a bad situation worse... But the good Lord answered our prayers by sending us this wonderful rain event, and as it turns out it's the best kind of rain we could have asked for! Instead of getting a ton of rain in a short period of time (most of which would have been lost as runoff), so far it has rained moderately, but steadily, allowing virtually all of the precious rainwater to soak into the thirsty ground and begin filling up our wells, springs, ponds, lakes and streams. Although our total rainfall for the year is still well over a foot below normal, this rain event is a true blessing from God. And as with most of His blessings, He sent it to us right on time! Yes, yesterday was a miserable day at Backbone Rock, but the weather was absolutely glorious.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"