Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Monday, August 04, 2008
Hay weather (not)
Here it comes
Yep, that's rain
And there it goes again
I am hoping real hard for a couple weeks of precipitation-free weather. For three weeks now, I don't think we have gone two days without a shower, many of them very heavy. In one two or three day period the man we buy straw from said we had nine inches. There is simply no place for that much water to go. You also cannot bale decent hay in this kind of season and we need to get some. The guys are chopping, but even that is hindered as we have acres and acres of new seeding and barley that need to go in the bag, but they don't want to rut the wet fields all up. This could be a rough year if the weather doesn't change.
Anyhow, yesterday, my delicious, wonderful, restful, peaceful, nasty-old-lady-calming morning and mid day off, I needed to pick some squash for dinner....get some laundry off the line...knock down more brush so I can see the long lawn from the big windows (the better to laugh and wonder at the grey foxes). I knew full well and consciously that I needed to do these things. Instead I parked in my Sunday chair with a couple of good books and drank lemon ginger tea. Silly me, I should have gone out and gotten my chores done.
Instead this gully washer arrived. It sloshed the squash, lashed the laundry and beat the brush until all were soaked beyond redemption (or at least beyond redeeming them yesterday). I couldn't believe that the sun was shining brightly half a mile away in town, while we were getting dumped on. Yeah, those are rain drops rolling off the sitting porch roof. (Notice that I will jump out of my chair, dump the book and run for the camera even when I won't do chores.)
It needs to dry up for a while here, but the hurricanes hitting the gulf coast will probably be here in a couple of days. Gah!!
This short video shows just how hard it was raining. We got perhaps an hour of rain this hard in a a series of several storms. Dang! I wish it would go rain like this on the many farmers and ranchers on this continent that need it!
I'll commiserate with you on the rain. It just won't quit here. We got 3" over the weekend, most of it yesterday afternoon all at once. As soon as my coffee's gone I'm going to throw on a pair of old disgusting jeans that are already stained from mud and tall boots and go pick beans before the rain starts again. I shouldn't be in the beans while the plants are wet but at this point, it's me possibly spreading rust or other disease, or mold wiping it all out. I can't pick everything else, stock the farm stand and put up what I've picked later in the worst of the rain.
I too hope you get some haying weather. You can always send moisture our way, we need it. I spent some time in my "Sunday" place yesterday and quite enjoyed it.
That's terrible and the days are getting so short too, it'll make getting that hay dry a problem.
We were glad for the inch we got, and now they are predicting 95 -100 for a few days. Maybe we can get the hay finished. We have to put on a roof on the house, and I'm beginning to wonder if that will transpire.
I'm sorry the rain is making life so difficult... such weather woes this season for so many of us.....it continues to rain and rain hard here as well - Not steady but sporatic severe thunderstorms that dump 2" in just an hour or so. Flooding as we've never seen this time of year. People don't realize how hard this is going to hit farmers that just can't get their feed in and therefore, will affect everyone eventually. We are expecting one dry day this week. I certainly share your discouragement. The silver lining - the gardens are looking fabulous. I simply cannot keep up with the amount of produce they are producing :)
Seasoneatingfarm, thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment! It is so hard to know what to do with the gardens...I too want to pick and don't want to spread disease. I chopped down some weeds around the borders of the gardens yesterday to try to increase the air flow. And thanks, hope you can get your harvest done as well.
Linda, thanks, wish we could send it your way. We are right in the track of all the hurricanes and once they get started up we get so much rain
Nita, thanks, it will be great if we can exchange weather patterns, although I am not sure I want to see any hundred degree weather. You must really suffer when you are getting your canning done.
Aussie, yeah, it was some storm! And you are right. I won't even get up to get myself a cup of coffee, but show me something to take a picture of and I will be in motion in about two seconds.lol You have some truly wonderful photos on your blog, which I have much enjoyed
Deb, same here...can't make hay, but everything is a breathtaking emerald green like I don't think I have ever seen before. Hope you get some better weather too, thanks
Jeffro, maybe we can get some of those hot air-filled politicians to huff and puff and blow the rain clouds your way. They are certainly generating enough of it these days...hot air that is.
Marti, 8 inches! Wow, that is a lot. I hope and pray that things will get easier and better for you and real soon. You folks have had so much more than any one should have to handle....take care, and thanks for taking time to stop by yourself.
8 comments:
I'll commiserate with you on the rain. It just won't quit here. We got 3" over the weekend, most of it yesterday afternoon all at once. As soon as my coffee's gone I'm going to throw on a pair of old disgusting jeans that are already stained from mud and tall boots and go pick beans before the rain starts again. I shouldn't be in the beans while the plants are wet but at this point, it's me possibly spreading rust or other disease, or mold wiping it all out. I can't pick everything else, stock the farm stand and put up what I've picked later in the worst of the rain.
I hope you get your haying done. Good luck.
I too hope you get some haying weather. You can always send moisture our way, we need it. I spent some time in my "Sunday" place yesterday and quite enjoyed it.
That's terrible and the days are getting so short too, it'll make getting that hay dry a problem.
We were glad for the inch we got, and now they are predicting 95 -100 for a few days. Maybe we can get the hay finished. We have to put on a roof on the house, and I'm beginning to wonder if that will transpire.
Sending dry weather your way!
Ack, those are some big rain drops. Looks like quite a storm.
Yes, it's funny how you can dump what you're doing to run and get the camera.
I'm sorry the rain is making life so difficult... such weather woes this season for so many of us.....it continues to rain and rain hard here as well - Not steady but sporatic severe thunderstorms that dump 2" in just an hour or so. Flooding as we've never seen this time of year. People don't realize how hard this is going to hit farmers that just can't get their feed in and therefore, will affect everyone eventually.
We are expecting one dry day this week. I certainly share your discouragement.
The silver lining - the gardens are looking fabulous. I simply cannot keep up with the amount of produce they are producing :)
Keep your chin up - sunny days are coming!
You could send some of that thar rain out to the ol' prairie! We'd take it, no questions asked!
Wow! I know how that goes, we got 8 inches last week as fallout from Hurricane Dolly.
Hope you dry out soon!
Thank you so much for continuing to stop by - it meant so much to me! Hope you have a wonderful (and dry) day!
Seasoneatingfarm, thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment! It is so hard to know what to do with the gardens...I too want to pick and don't want to spread disease. I chopped down some weeds around the borders of the gardens yesterday to try to increase the air flow. And thanks, hope you can get your harvest done as well.
Linda, thanks, wish we could send it your way. We are right in the track of all the hurricanes and once they get started up we get so much rain
Nita, thanks, it will be great if we can exchange weather patterns, although I am not sure I want to see any hundred degree weather. You must really suffer when you are getting your canning done.
Aussie, yeah, it was some storm! And you are right. I won't even get up to get myself a cup of coffee, but show me something to take a picture of and I will be in motion in about two seconds.lol You have some truly wonderful photos on your blog, which I have much enjoyed
Deb, same here...can't make hay, but everything is a breathtaking emerald green like I don't think I have ever seen before. Hope you get some better weather too, thanks
Jeffro, maybe we can get some of those hot air-filled politicians to huff and puff and blow the rain clouds your way. They are certainly generating enough of it these days...hot air that is.
Marti, 8 inches! Wow, that is a lot.
I hope and pray that things will get easier and better for you and real soon. You folks have had so much more than any one should have to handle....take care, and thanks for taking time to stop by yourself.
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