A Good Shower

Since I am so good at complaining about dry weather, I felt I should tell you, we've had a good shower!  Things are beginning to turn green again!

Charlotte

Is It Time to Just Give Up?

We've just come through one of the worst summers we can remember; hot days, dry days, no grass for the cattle.  The haying equipment has stayed in the shed since May; we bought hay for the first time in our lives.  We sold the calves which were big enough and kept on with the others, hoping each day for rain and a chance to cut hay one last time before winter.  And each time the radar showed rain coming our way, the clouds parted, like the Red Sea, and went north or south, east or west of us, and the grass browned and died.  We began feeding grain, and the dust almost hid the cattle as the hungry herd rushed to the troughs.

To make the hay go farther, we bought a grinder-mixer, grain, hay, troughs, tubs; the list went on and on.  When the ponds went dry we bought water for the cattle and had the big pond cleaned out.

The little rains finally came, first from tropical storm Isaac and later from a cold front moving through.  Not a great deal of rain, but it fell slowly, and the parched earth drank it in.  We were hopeful again; would the meadows have time for the grass to grow?  Would the cattle have grass to graze on until frost?  To help replace the lost grasses, Popa bought grass seeds and planted for two days until...

They came: army worms, the larvae of  small, brownish gray moths who had slipped in under cover of darkness and laid their eggs on the grass stems.  We know what the worms can do: we've seen them strip an area clean in a matter of days, and when they finished with that area, they moved in hordes, or "armies", eating and destroying vegetation as they moved.  Their meals are taken at night or on cloudy days and since they hide under the grass the damage can be done before being discovered.  Insecticides applied to nearly mature larva that have completed their feeding is a waste of time and money.

So discouraging; maybe it is time to just give up, or take the attitude of "Que sera, sera".

Charlotte

Dealing With Water Shortage

The old pond reached an all-time low: only a circle of green, stagnate muck.  We had never seen it this low.

So it was time to bring in the big equipment to clean out the soil which had settled in the pond over the years.  It is going to be very deep and will hold a lot of water, but it frightens me.

It's unbelievable that all this was cleaned out of the pond.  Now the inside of the pond is being packed down with good red clay soil; then we'll wait for rain.  It will be about a year before all the dirt which was cleaned out can be worked and smoothed out.

We're hauling water to another pasture where the cattle depended on creek water and pond water to drink.  I can only imagine how good the fresh water must be for the cattle.

At least the temperatures are lower, which will help us get through the last week with this flock of chickens. 

Charlotte

Finding Ways to Feed in This Drought

Some of you may be tired of reading about the drought we're having this summer, and unless you've lived it, I know it's difficult for you to understand just how serious this situation is for farmers, ranchers, and grain producers.  Our cattle have had almost no green grass to eat since early spring, and we've only had one cutting of hay, whereas we usually cut at least three times.  With no grass for them to eat, means we've had to feed hay all summer, and the supply meant for winter keeps going down.  Sometimes I go to bed in the evening, and get up in the morning, almost in a panic, wondering how we will make it through the winter.  Not just the thought that there might not be enough for them to eat, but also all the extra work and stress it will mean for us, two older people.

But we're not in this alone; our neighbors are facing the same problems.  If you see the dark red spot in the middle of the country, indicating severe dry conditions, that's us.  So, we're trying to find a way to make the hay go farther to feed now and in the winter to come, and it ain't cheap!!

We bought a grinder-mixer to make a feed for the cattle.  Then we bought eleven bags of various ground grains to mix with the hay.

The hay is put into the grinder,

the grains added and mixed,

then it's augured out into troughs.

This was all done before noon while the cows were still in the shade.  By the middle of the afternoon they had found their new feed, and some were eating while others were going back to the shade; after all, it's been up to l04* today.   Next problem: drinking water shortages.

During all this summer I kept remembering the old bumper stickers which read,

"Don't cuss the farmer with you mouth full."  We'll all be seeing higher prices on food products, but rest assured the person working the fields and the farmer and rancher aren't the ones taking in the extra profits.

Charlotte

A Banquet

This morning I had a forced freezer defrosting episode, and you know how it is, once into the job you find there are some things too old to put back inside.  I poured these things into a bucket and this afternoon I took them to the woods for the wild animals.

Edgar Allen Crow was appointed to call out the invitations to a banquet, to be held around dusk this evening.  And, instead of the wolf and the lamb, the calf and the young lion, the cow and the bear, as told in the Bible, these guests will be raccoons, skunks, opossums, and maybe field mice and black snakes.  They'll dine in peace, for their hunger has grown in the drought, and they'll find the goodness of the old fruits and vegetables too savory to fight over.

Charlotte 

Edited 7-13-12:  It seems everyone thinks I threw out lots of food (lol) which wasn't the case at all;  there were a few boxes of things which had lost their color due to age and I knew they'd just keep being overlooked, so rather than put it in the compost bin, I fed the wild animals.  Every piece was gone the next morning, so I don't consider it wasted at all.

RAIN

I figured after all the whining I've been doing about the dry, hot weather, I should share the good news with you: last night we received six tenths of an inch of RAIN!  And we felt very blessed to get that much since some close communities got nothing.

In the past week I've started feeling a bit like Jonah (from the Bible, Jonah, chapter one) when he said, "Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you."  Now of course I didn't really think I was the cause of this drought; at least I hope not!

The hills are dotted with trees whose leaves are turning fall colors.

Many of the oaks have lost most of their leaves, making the ground look more like October than July.  The little pond almost dried up, leaving green, nasty water, so we had to move the heifers to another pasture.

So this morning I watch as clouds build up, hoping by this afternoon there will be more rain, if not for us then for our neighboring communities, because we're all in this together, and it's not easy to rejoice when others are suffering.

Charlotte

Haste Makes Waste ??

Stitching is coming along pretty fast on the string quilt; I think there are two full rows and one wonky house left to do. In my haste to put it up, this is what I missed:

I had forgotten to take the paper off the backs of two houses!! No big deal however; they were on the last portion of the quilt to be stitched, so I just took the pins out, folded the top back, lifted the papers off, and pinned it again. Whew!! at least they weren't on the first row! If you paper piece, have you ever forgotten to take off the paper? We've always heard, "Haste makes waste"; in this case, only a waste of a little time.

We continue to get rain showers, so far around 1 3/4 inches, with bad lightning and window-rattling thunder; the grass seems to be holding up their little blade cups to catch it all. The air is much cooler too, so now I must start my walks again! There seems to be a change in the season, but we could be fooled.

Charlotte

A LITTLE RAIN !!!!!

Last night I heard it!! Loud thunder, fierce lightning, and then, raindrops falling on the rooftop!! "Oh thank you, Lord!" I uttered. It was only 1/2 inch, but the grass seems to have responded and already looks greener. At least I'm somewhat revived! and thank each of you who have pitied me after my complaints. :)

Now I have a flower question: in this picture, a few of my irises are in view. They look really tired, and as in most summers, their fronds turned brown on the tips. If I cut them back will they still bloom next spring or do they need the fronds to make food for their corms in order to bloom? How do you manage your irises each year after they have bloomed?

Charlotte

Feeling Defeated

I took off a few days, hoping to have a new topic to write about other than heat and drought. It didn't work; I feel so defeated, crushed by this summer's history making temperatures, the sun's burn, the crackling grass. We watch the radar each day, watching for possible relief, and as the clouds approach our map circle, they divide, one to the north, east, or south, and other than a slight drop in numbers on the thermometer, we're left high and dry. Trees are putting up their defenses against the drought by ridding themselves of their greatest source of water loss, their leaves, and we hope they can retain enough moisture to save their roots.

This is our dogwood tree,

and leaves fell this afternoon, making it look and feel like fall.

We're feeding hay now; the grass in the pastures is brown and too short to be eaten by the cattle. These pictures were taken after sunset, when the cattle came out from the shade of the trees to eat. The blurred effect is from dust kicked up by the cattle.

The water in the ponds is very low, green and turning red around the edges. They really should have well water available to them, but the chickens drink from the wells -- what would we do if the wells went dry? As long as we can keep electricity and water for the cool cells, the chickens should be alright for a couple more weeks; at six weeks it will be more difficult to keep them cool.

I put the string quilt in the frames; a little joyful work to help take my mind off this summer. I'll try to not post about this anymore -- :)) My faith is still strong -- God loves us.

Charlotte

Same Song -- Second Verse

For those of you who have been reading about the hot temperatures we're having, these posts are probably becoming like the words to an old song: "Same song, second verse; could get better, but it's gonna get worse!" So I might as well say it and get it over with -- 114* today!! And that's on the front porch, in the shade! When I rode in the Kubota to check the chickens, the air blowing on my face felt like I was in front of the wood burning furnace: parching hot

Around 5:00 p.m. we were on the fringes of a shower while the sun was shining. There's an old saying, "Rain while the sun is shining, and it'll rain this time tomorrow." We'll see -- hope.

Charlotte

Why Me, Lord?

I picked blueberries again this morning, dark sweetness burdening the stems to the ground, and more in abundance than I need. As I popped a few into my mouth, the image of thin, starving babies being left alongside the road to die, in drought stricken areas of Africa, crept into my mind. And I remember these words, penned by Kris Kristofferson a few years ago:

"Why me Lord?

What have I ever done,

to deserve even one

of the pleasures I've known?

Tell me Lord,

what did I ever do,

that was worth loving you

for the kindness you've shown?"

America you've been so blessed!! Can't you see it?

Charlotte

RAIN

We got rain last night -- 3/4 of an inch!! Then we've had two small showers this morning. The skies are beginning to clear from the north so that will probably be all for now. I just wanted to let those of you who have sent comments to me, following my complaining, that God is gracious to us, and we give him thanksgiving for these showers.

This morning is being spent in the chicken houses getting ready for baby chicks coming tomorrow afternoon. Maybe this afternoon I'll get a chance to piece more string blocks. I have about 70 so far and five wonky house blocks. My daughters thought the house blocks needed a small border around them to set them apart from the string blocks. I added a border to them and it did make them show up better. I guess the little bear in this house would rather read than sew. :)

Have a wonderful day, Charlotte

More Heat Today

Ahh -- remember this?

I think it's called rainwater? Oh how nice just an inch of it would be! I think I must have complained too much the day it flooded the yard. :( The temperature has reached 109.5* this afternoon and there's still several hours before sundown. I'm staying inside!!

Charlotte

The Ugly Side of Summer

At 3:00 p.m. today, the thermometer hit 107* and then dropped to 106.5* for most of the afternoon. No clouds to shade us, just hot, hot sun. Faces feel parched in just a jiffy when we go outside.

So there's no use pretending, not everything is pretty anymore; I have posted pictures of my flowers on Wednesdays when they were in beautiful bloom. Today I'm giving you the other half of the story in pictures: the ugly side of summer. Most flowers have no blooms now, just brown and yellow foliage. I'm wondering if some of them will die.

The pastures are grazed low and are turning brown except in the "draw" where there is still a little moisture for the smart weeds to grow. The cattle don't eat them.

The water in the stock pond is getting very low and has turned a velvety green color, really not good enough for the cattle to drink from. Usually they will come for a wade to cool off, much like the little neighbor children in their pool, but this afternoon I didn't see a cow anywhere; they were all in the shade of the trees.

Finally a little cloud; not a rain cloud, but a welcome shade for a few minutes.

Now I realize some areas are in a much worse drought than we are, and my heart goes out to those who rely on the rains to water their crops. We've probably already put up enough hay, with what we had left over, to feed the cattle next winter; however, if the weather continues to be so hot and dry, we will have to start feeding hay before fall.

But we have hope: "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them..." Is.41:17

Charlotte