Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Monday, August 23, 2010
Weather and Wrens, plus Macro Monday
Katydid
Rain, not just a sprinkle but a never ending downpour. Sluicing, slashing, screaming, splashing, yeah that kind of rain. While farms all around us, even just up-county, have faced a summer of mini-drought, here at Northview it has rained at least three days of every week but one or two. The men have gone nuts trying to put in baled hay. It takes a couple of days to dry it and those couple of days have been so hard to come by.
When we complain about excess rain people look at us like we lost our noodles or something, but every two or three days I dump the wheelbarrow that sits beside the stove...half-full most of the time.
Slashing rains finds leaks....leaks that probably just developed from the slashing rain....don't ask....
And wrens. I love wrens. The cheeky, uppity house wrens that take over the place like they were paying the taxes, or the Carolina wrens that just showed up to serenade me every morning, they are great favorites of mine.
Thus I was so sad when I found a dead one...or what was left of him, just a head and enough feathers to guess what he was. I was also perplexed because I found those tattered relics on the carpet in the front hallway where the birds sing outside the door to get that sought-after concert hall effect. How the heck did he get into the house? And how the heck did our fat, never-been-outdoors since he was a kitten, Elvis the Schaufelcat, catch him? The stinker....every time I have fed him since I have chastised him verbally about his diet and his terminal wren breath. Eating my wren is pretty close to over the edge....
Then yesterday as we looked out at the deluge, knowing it was nearly time to go out in it, get the cows and get our jobs done, Alan heard something. He thought it was outdoors. He perfectly mimicked a wren's alarm call and asked me what bird made that sound.
A wren I answered.
A few minutes later he again roused me from my stupor to point out that said wren was on the upstairs banister. The indoor banister, just outside our bedroom door.
Let's just say that catching an agile wren in a huge, cluttered monster of a house (with ten-foot ceilings) with many rooms and doors and windows is challenging.
Just a little.
A bit the worse for wear after all his thrilling house exploration he finally was released into the bushes out front, whence we set about dealing with the water.
Enough already.
Enough rain.
Enough cruddy weather (the boss is reading me the forecast as week speak...rain every day all week.)
And enough wrens in the house. We still have not figured out how they are coming in, but we closed all the doors so they can't slip around screens or anything.
One certain term comes to mind here.......arrggghhhhhh!!!!!!!
We used to get blackbirds down the stove chimney and they'd leave black ash marks all over the walls they crashed into until we fixed the "leak". Great photo!
Sorry so you've had so much wet weather..but just your talk of the rain seems so refreshing to me..seems we are in need of some moisture here in Nevada. The well ater keeps going off and the new water pump is acting up, so my trees surely need more water than I've been able to give them. Living here in the high desert, I hope I don't lose any more of my beloved and beautiful, green trees.
I've, also, had my fair share of katydids, as they really harmed my trees last year ..love your pic ..but I so glad I haven't seen a one here this season!
I can identify with trying to get dry hay baled! It's been a challenge here in Lancaster PA, even though we've not had nearly so much rain as you in NY!
feelin' you regarding the rain - it's rained A LOT here this summer. of course, that means i cuddle up on my couch, sip hazelnut coffee and listen to the blues as the rain bounces off the tin roof on the porch so i guess i don't REALLY understand your pain... still, i miss the sun.
glad you managed to save the wren. clearly they wanted to stay dry too!
I can sympathize with your wet conditions. I finally got baling done, but still have a hundred and fifty big round bales waiting to be hauled to the barn. Maybe this week!
Cathy M, oh, how I wish I could send it to you. It isn't supposed to let up until Friday.
Ed, thanks, wish we could!
Deb, we have had three years of wet, wet,wet like we live under a monsoon. Wish we could share!
Ava, poor little wrens. I hope they decide to stay outdoors!
Linda, what a pain! We used to have chimney swifts in the chimney, but they seem to have moved along.
CTG, wish we could share. Oddly I took a day between storms and dug a few potatoes and the ground was not very wet. Must be running off.
Dibear, thank you. He was hanging around out by the clothesline
Rev. Paul, it is just a misery isn't it? We are looking at more until Friday and there is a lot of fairly serious flooding all around us.
Faithful, seems as if it is feast or famine in the water department all across the country. I really wish we could send ours to everyone that needs it and catch a couple of dry weeks to finish up crops.
Chloe, thanks, he really was a big one, the size of my thumb, and completely tame.
Alicia, so frustrating! And so many folks need it desperately. We have had three extremely wet years in succession. Didn't even plant corn this year because we haven't been able to get it harvested because of the weather.
Ericka, what a strange summer it has been! At least it is green...very, very green. lol
Paul, some year! I used to have a rain gauge. It was broken and not replaced and I think I am glad. The wheelbarrow is bad enough. Glad to hear you finished up baling.
16 comments:
I'd gladly take some of your rain. Wish you could send it down here.
LOVE the Katydid shot!!! Stay dry and send it to Eastern Tennessee.:-)
You folks seem to be the only ones who don't need the rain. Sorry it's causing such misery.
Terribly dry here - hayfield dried up/grazing land as well. Fire danger is very high. Hopefully it will head our way today :)
Great photos :) Hope our week improves!
Good Grief! I know what you mean about the rain. We've had a very rainy summer here including one flood. I've had enough rain for a while too.
It's always disconcerting to find a bird in the house. And they are very hard to catch! Power to you for getting yours!
We used to get blackbirds down the stove chimney and they'd leave black ash marks all over the walls they crashed into until we fixed the "leak". Great photo!
Glad to hear you were able to rescue the wren. Hot and dry here with a little bit of welcome rain. The ground is so dry it barely soaks in.
Great capture of the Katydid. :)
We had 32 consecutive days of rain, which just ended last week. I feel your pain.
Sorry so you've had so much wet weather..but just your talk of the rain seems so refreshing to me..seems we are in need of some moisture here in Nevada. The well ater keeps going off and the new water pump is acting up, so my trees surely need more water than I've been able to give them. Living here in the high desert, I hope I don't lose any more of my beloved and beautiful, green trees.
I've, also, had my fair share of katydids, as they really harmed my trees last year ..love your pic ..but I so glad I haven't seen a one here this season!
either he's huge or you're very good at macros hehe
well done
I can identify with trying to get dry hay baled! It's been a challenge here in Lancaster PA, even though we've not had nearly so much rain as you in NY!
cool katydid she did!
feelin' you regarding the rain - it's rained A LOT here this summer. of course, that means i cuddle up on my couch, sip hazelnut coffee and listen to the blues as the rain bounces off the tin roof on the porch so i guess i don't REALLY understand your pain... still, i miss the sun.
glad you managed to save the wren. clearly they wanted to stay dry too!
I can sympathize with your wet conditions. I finally got baling done, but still have a hundred and fifty big round bales waiting to be hauled to the barn. Maybe this week!
Wish we had your rain, it's DRY here...the grass has gone to nothing. And it's beginning to look like fall... :(
Cathy M, oh, how I wish I could send it to you. It isn't supposed to let up until Friday.
Ed, thanks, wish we could!
Deb, we have had three years of wet, wet,wet like we live under a monsoon. Wish we could share!
Ava, poor little wrens. I hope they decide to stay outdoors!
Linda, what a pain! We used to have chimney swifts in the chimney, but they seem to have moved along.
CTG, wish we could share. Oddly I took a day between storms and dug a few potatoes and the ground was not very wet. Must be running off.
Dibear, thank you. He was hanging around out by the clothesline
Rev. Paul, it is just a misery isn't it? We are looking at more until Friday and there is a lot of fairly serious flooding all around us.
Faithful, seems as if it is feast or famine in the water department all across the country. I really wish we could send ours to everyone that needs it and catch a couple of dry weeks to finish up crops.
Chloe, thanks, he really was a big one, the size of my thumb, and completely tame.
Alicia, so frustrating! And so many folks need it desperately. We have had three extremely wet years in succession. Didn't even plant corn this year because we haven't been able to get it harvested because of the weather.
Ericka, what a strange summer it has been! At least it is green...very, very green. lol
Paul, some year! I used to have a rain gauge. It was broken and not replaced and I think I am glad. The wheelbarrow is bad enough. Glad to hear you finished up baling.
Sara, I would so gladly share this excess water! Things are so weird here with apples early and pears late and everything else kinda out of sync.
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