Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Friday, July 03, 2009
Friday Follies
The newspaper for which I write the Farm Side, is without phone service and has been since Tuesday. I can't imagine how hard coping with that must be for an entity that depends on communication to function.
It rained more yesterday. A lot more. Alan was sick all day, so we just let him sleep, although he did get up for chores. There wasn't really much you could do anyhow as hard as it was raining. Liz did fix stanchions and banged her finger pretty bad.....anyhow he seemed a lot better last night, so I guess the rest did him good. He has this stay up until two AM thing going on and it just isn't working out for him. We all learn at our own speed it seems.
Not sure what else to tell you. It is wet. A good day of warm air and stiff breezes would go a long way toward making it possible at least to get in the garden. It is going to take a while for the fields to dry out if they ever do this year. We are waiting on a roof guy for the barn and hoping it dries out enough so he can work so we can bail hay. If it ever dries out enough to do that.
The mockingbird has taken to singing all night. I like it. (Others are not so thrilled.) It is disconcerting though to hear a ring billed gull calling from the box elders by the lawn...he is real good at gull calls. The baby wrens have stayed around and they are still an endless source of cheap thrills. We have two front porches. They were hatched on one. Now they live in the cedar trees next to the other and take great delight in hopping up and down the steps, sometimes in sets of two or three. I have to tell you, it is hard to stifle laughter when you watch them bouncing up and down like kids on a play ground. Pop, pop, pop, up they hop. Reverse. Down, down, down. Then do it all again. They also go in and out of the old nest the parents used last year and the year before. Don't know what is up with that but it is also entertaining as half a dozen of them try to squeeze into the old pillar. I will miss them when they finally leave us for good.
Above is another picture of the lake. (I am figuring you don't want to see pictures of rain any more than I want to take them.) Fifteen more days. (Yeah, I'm counting.)
I am counting the days also!!! I agree, I hate to even think of the wet weather we have been getting. The weeds in the garden keep getting bigger and bigger. I hate to see them. I get one garden weeded then it rains and I can't get into the other two. Matt was able to get one rototilled but one still remains untouched!
The amount of rain you're getting is amazing! Does this happen every year? I love the thought of the babies playing on the porch. Baby birds are a little clumsy and so funny to watch.
We don't have mockingbirds but I've always wanted to see/hear one,instead we have thrashers which mock other birds but nearly as well. Send all that rain this direction........we NEED it!
Lisa...it needs to warm up and dry off. Yesterday was nice. Today was supposed to be nice....and now I am thinking about putting on a fleece jacket. Good grief!!!
Joated, I am ready for it to dry off. We could use a couple of WEEKS without rain. We had a good laugh over the gulls in the pasture, but sadly, you are probably exactly right!
SC Momma, it is not normally normal, but we did have a similar spring in 06. Wish we could send it where it is needed so we could get some crops in.
Linda, they are the funniest, bravest birds I have ever seen. They run a neighborhood watch and drive out everything from cats to grackles to wood chucks. I love them! Wish we could send you the rain. Our hay is rotting where cut and lodging where not cut. We have one short bag made up, when we should be done with first cutting and well into second. I am sick about it.
June, it is Peck's Lake, just south of Caroga...it is my heart's home. And yeah, this rain is a major bad thing for farmers.
Gail, somebody needs to get the hot air politicians to come blow on all these rain clouds and send them to folks who can use them.
Jeanelle, been doing it for 11 years now. It is fun to meet the folks who read it....thanks for your kind words...
8 comments:
I am counting the days also!!! I agree, I hate to even think of the wet weather we have been getting. The weeds in the garden keep getting bigger and bigger. I hate to see them. I get one garden weeded then it rains and I can't get into the other two. Matt was able to get one rototilled but one still remains untouched!
Maybe it will dry out some today or tomorrow, but right now I can watch the grass grow as I stnad on the deck.
You sure it's the mockingbird doing the gull calls? With the amount of rain lately, you could have a breeding colony of ring-bills out in the pasture!
The amount of rain you're getting is amazing! Does this happen every year? I love the thought of the babies playing on the porch. Baby birds are a little clumsy and so funny to watch.
We don't have mockingbirds but I've always wanted to see/hear one,instead we have thrashers which mock other birds but nearly as well. Send all that rain this direction........we NEED it!
What lake is that?
The other day my front yard looked a lot like that...
I heard the neighbor moving haywagons into different fields two weeks ago. I'm guessin' it's all going to go for mulch hay this year.
Wet is good, we are dry in Arkansas. Beautiful pictures.
Good for you to write for the newspaper! And, yeah, how odd to hear them being out of phone service...don't hear of that too often anymore.
I do hope a dry weather spell comes your way SOON!
Lisa...it needs to warm up and dry off. Yesterday was nice. Today was supposed to be nice....and now I am thinking about putting on a fleece jacket. Good grief!!!
Joated, I am ready for it to dry off. We could use a couple of WEEKS without rain. We had a good laugh over the gulls in the pasture, but sadly, you are probably exactly right!
SC Momma, it is not normally normal, but we did have a similar spring in 06. Wish we could send it where it is needed so we could get some crops in.
Linda, they are the funniest, bravest birds I have ever seen. They run a neighborhood watch and drive out everything from cats to grackles to wood chucks. I love them!
Wish we could send you the rain. Our hay is rotting where cut and lodging where not cut. We have one short bag made up, when we should be done with first cutting and well into second. I am sick about it.
June, it is Peck's Lake, just south of Caroga...it is my heart's home. And yeah, this rain is a major bad thing for farmers.
Gail, somebody needs to get the hot air politicians to come blow on all these rain clouds and send them to folks who can use them.
Jeanelle, been doing it for 11 years now. It is fun to meet the folks who read it....thanks for your kind words...
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