Random crap with Uno.

[Unorthodox]

Not especially.  Going to be another year focused on non-halloween projects. 

2016 remodel house
2018 a large part of the yard put together. 

Among the goals of 2018 was a covered patio, and it's time to make a much more permanent solution to that after the current gazebo collapsed this winter.  We've often had a gazebo like you see in stores and they usually last a few years.  This one had been damaged in a wind storm, replaced the roof, and slowly come damaged in other storms til it finally collapsed this winter.  Though, that collapse is largely due to kids not going out to shovel the roof when told to....

All that said, we're looking for a much more solid solution this time with a hurricane winds and 30" snow load steel roof monstrousity that will anchor permanently to the patio as the primary project/budget piece this year. 

https://www.backyarddiscovery.com/collections/gazebos/products/16x12-barrington-gazebo?variant=39873267728519

It's going to literally require a barn raising party to build. 

Then we still have about 1/4 of the easement xeriscaping to finish.  We have a good chunk of the material purchased, and while I was waiting for snow to melt, it is now waiting for a good weekend to work it. 

From THERE, it's time to start planning the permanent xeriscape/landscaping of the front lawn/yard. 

Features of the front plan: 

Another stone circle
sacrificial altar in the center.  Or stone table.  Depends on your point of view. 
Finish permanent path from side yard all the way around the yard. 
After lots of thought on design and how it relates, have realized we can't give up the negative space a lawn allots for Halloween purposes, so looking at a thyme lawn. 
Ideally burning bush accents if I can transplant the 2 burning bushes that have never been watered in the time we've lived here from the side of the garage. 
Saving the milkweed corner if possible.
automated sprinkler system. 
Redoing the back yard path after some downsides to that stonework have become apparent.
repurposing path stone into an arch and possibly fence. 
cleanup and finish building of raised beds in the garden. 
possible creation of greenhouse. 

This is likely a multi-year project. 

[Rusty Edge]

That does sound like a multi-year project, even for you. It also sounds really nice. I'd agree that those windstorms you get in October call for something more robust than something you can buy at Home Depot.

The stone altar made me laugh.

[Unorthodox]

So it’s now officially the most snow/water ever in Utah since they started recording in 1980.  I think southern utah hovering around 300% of normal is skewing the average somewhat.  Snow/rain all
Weekend.  If we repeat the rapid warm in April of 84, there’s going to be huge flooding. 
My basement will be tested. But I think our issues have all been plumbing related.   
Kyle should be ok, but there’s a chance they screwed up his water table with construction in that area

[Unorthodox]

A good 18-24" of snow over the last 48 hours at the house. 
50s and rain by Wednesday. 

More on the basement, we had water issues during construction.  I THINK that was largely because though we were dried in, the rain gutters were not installed yet, and thus the water wasn't being carried away from the back of the house properly.
However, we had carpenter ant issues last year, which tends to indicate water sources in the desert here, so something I'm mildly wary of.  I haven't noticed anything yet but want to watch into the rainy weather if the ground is getting saturated. 

[Unorthodox]

Another solid 12-15 today.  Forecast for another 6-8 over the next few days. 

It's weird, I vividly recall the 'terrible' snow years of 83 and 84.  This year is by the numbers breaking the record for those years.  But it's not the same. 

83/84 we had absolutely MASSIVE snowfall, but it was more all at once.  I recall roofs collapsing on the news.  People needing to shovel roofs.  PRODUCTS being invented to shovel roofs easily and commercials for them (essentially a slip and slide between two telescoping poles).  I also recall shoveling our own roof and WALKING OFF OF IT onto the bank when we did.  Digging tunnels for the dogs to do their business.  Snow banks well over my head. 

THIS year...it's just been a CONSISTENT snow.  we've had 2-3' in the yard consistently.  It'll melt down a little and we get more snow, it will melt a little, more snow. 

[Geo]

I was starting to think the snow would be windows-high with your latest posts, but if there's some melting inbetween it sounds like its not too bad?

[Unorthodox]

No, not really.  There's maybe a foot of base with 4' banks where we shovel right now.  We had fully melted and were getting rain a few weeks ago. 

The ski resort, however, (top of the mountain out my front door) is at 549" on the year with 225" base right now.  Both are records.
 For perspective, 285" is the average annual snowfall up there.

[Geo]

Just took a look on Google View on the ridges in that area. Beautiful lookout you have there on the trails.

[Unorthodox]

Yeah, it's pretty glorious when the air is clear. 

I tend to prefer the back side of the mountain overlooking more or less wilderness to the views from the front side overlooking the city. 

[Unorthodox]

https://kutv.com/amp/news/local/utahs-2023-snowpack-breaks-record-for-snow-water-equivalent-winter-weather-swe-usda-estimate-from-1952

I have many caveats about that graph.  I’ve played around on the data page it’s from.  Statewide average, when we didn’t have any measuring stations til 1980 and only a handful through the 90s probably doesn’t give a great data set til early 2000s.

[Unorthodox]

Looking at the long range forecasts I use for Halloween, it's looking like an average but dry April followed by a warm dry May and cool wet early June. 

Snow stopping now and the rest of April looks pretty dry with just 2 minor rain storms forecast the rest the month. 

[Unorthodox]

[Unorthodox]

I live above the Weber River and drive along it on my way to work.  It's officially the highest I've ever seen it since my childhood, though that comes with some caveats.  They've been building an embankment along it to utilize fields that were historically in it's floodplain.  One of those embankments has lost containment and flooded the field up to the point they were building commercial buildings.  Don't know if they're officially flooding yet. 

If I have time might go get pictures. 

[Unorthodox]

River is up over the bank works in several places. 

Interesting you got the expected sandbags to control flooding in areas, but what looks like a giant tarp and truckloads of dirt in other places.  Haven't seen that before. 

What I don't understand is the reservoir up river is at 20% capacity and still DRAINING more than it's receiving so far.  I don't know why they wouldn't close it up some more and let it start filling as it's contributing to this flooding downstream at the moment by letting out more outflow than inflow. 

Record snowfall followed by record high temps early May...

[Buster's Uncle]

Federal judge rules Pennsylvania school district must allow After School Satan Club