Gonna Need a Icon for SCIENCE (Appropriate for Pi Day)

[lydamorehouse]

Like everyone I know, I've been trying to figure out how to cope in these trying times. 

I find that, for myself, I do better when I feel like I'm contributing something. Doing anything--no matter how small (and these days I am counting really small things)--in Real Life makes me feel like I'm holding back a tiny bit of darkeness.

The other day, Shawn spotted a volunteer gig with CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network.) These are the people who bring you a whole lot of weather-related data that helps a whole bevy of institutions and businesses from The National Weather Service (yay!) to Insurance Adjusters (ugh). This isn't like being a storm spotter (though that might be my next thing), it's way more granular and boring science. Like they have a motto that says, "Be a hero, report zero." What they want are daily records of your little microcosom. I will be literally tracking my own backyard FOR SCIENCE.

I signed up immediately and have since been patiently waiting for my fancy-ass rain guage to arrive. This is not your grandma's rain guage. Without the CoCoRaHS discount, this thing costs nearly a hundred bucks! On the other hand it measures to a hundreth of a degree. 

So, finally, in yesterday's mail, the guage arrived!!

I've been so excited to get this that at one point yesterday I actually double-checked a package that was approximately the expected size that was placed at my across the street neighbor's doorstep, just to be sure my guage was not misdelivered. I'm sure Tesla Caleb (my new across the street neighbor, replacing the Hot Swede. who has, in fact, returned to Sweden) was freaked to see me do so in his little Google-spy doorcam. I have no regrets. If he's worried about me, he can text!

Now comes the big exciting problem: where to place it.

In developed areas, like where I live, they want the guage top to be approximately 5 feet off the ground. I am hoping that it will work out to attach it to the back of our little free library. Otherwise, we're going to have to have dig and set a post somewhere in our yard. They want you to be sure not to get splash off a roof, etc., but perhaps there will be a way to make sure the guage lip is higher than the LFL roof.

This will be one of our weekend projects. 

And,  you know what? It's something nice to think about instead of *gestures at everything*

Comments

[seleneheart]

That's so awesome!! You give me hope. And a reminder to get out of my head and *do* something, even if it's just a little. I used to be that person, but I think I lost that part of myself somewhere.

[profiterole_reads]

This is the way to go. <3

[dreamingpixels]

I've honestly been thinking about CoCoRaHS myself - I'm a bit of a weather nerd, to the point where if my friends ask me what I want for my birthday I'm going to see if they'll all go in together on a fancy backyard weather station for me, heheh.

[elainegrey]

I do CoCoRaHS! Yay for joining! I love participating this way.

[pameladean]

Oh wow, there are so many really worthwhile things I won't do because of COVID vulnerability or can't do because of various personal foibles or actual physical deficiencies. But this is awesome and I am going to check it out.

I wonder if the rain gauge could be attached to a rose arch. I hope your LFL works for yours.

P.

[indarkdirected]

This is wonderful!
Great reminder to keep working on the little things, thanks :)

[minnehaha]

My mom was a NWS reporter for her remote small town for many years. Loved it. How fun to know you are up to something as cool.

K.