Blessed Rain and a Cool Down

Just something different for the upcoming Holiday! 

 

 

 

We got .20 hundredths of rain Sunday morning, and then another .80 hundredths yesterday--it was a wicked looking storm coming in, but just wind and rain here.  It made the cow lot area a muddy mess, but I'll deal with that to get the moisture!

And a cool-down, finally!  I know it will be short lived, but no one (especially the critters) is complaining!

 

We have 4 ripe tomatoes; we've eaten two thus far.  BLT's and in a salad.  Ummm ummm good!  I have lots of green ones.....with the cooler temps and rain(s) the garden will explode (along with the weeds, I'm sure!) 

 

Got the bull calf Red banded the other day.  I shouldn't have waited so long--had to stuff his nads around the band to get it high enough (but not too high--nor too low!).  Pat actually 'did the deed' because I didn't want to 'stuff' things!  I was afraid the band rolled up.....and worried about the brat all night. 

First light, I go trucking out there, expecting a distressed calf and a blown-up nether-region. 

Nope--he moo's and comes bouncing over to me, so much for my fretting!  I did give him some Banamine on one side of his neck, and Tetanus Anti-toxin on the other side at 'banding time'.  So that could of helped with his pain.

 

All is well with the critters, except Daisy is limping.  She is definitely a "Dolly Jr."--I couldn't of asked for a better replacement for Dolly! :-) I knew something was up (red flags going off in my head)  when she didn't want to get up Thursday morning.  (She is a very agreeable sweet cow and usually I just have to wave or call her name and she comes).  

 

As she was laying down cudding, (easier for her and me!); I cleaned out her back hooves, and poked, prodded, tapped and tugged, felt her hooves, checked her dew claws, checked in between her toes, felt all up her legs to her hips (while she was laying down and standing), and no flinching, swelling or any obvious injury. 

I'm thinking she slipped in the mud and pulled a muscle.  She is walking much better today than yesterday.  (If not, I was going to call the vet to come look at her).  So I'm taking the wait-and-see approach.

 

I managed to take a very ungraceful fall crossing the fence--of course right in front of Pat.  My foot caught on the electric (unplugged) and I had Red's medicines in my hands.  I knew if I went backwards, I'd impale my backside on a post, so down I went.  I saved the medicines, but managed to pull muscles in my arm--the 'bad' one.  I'm still sore, but not as bad as it was.  So I guess Daisy and I will 'heal' at the same time!

 

Kyle got home OK from his training at Ft Riley; and Jared is out in the Field for training--he'll be home today.  I bet it rained every day (plus hot and humid) he was out--I'm sure he had a lovely time--NOT!  As he says:  "My life sucks week". 

I don't think people realize the situations they go through for training--they get the worst-case-scenario tossed at them to make the best of it.  Not like a bunch of complaining is going to do them any good anyhow.

So I grit my teeth when everyday people complain about petty things that are nothing more than annoyances simply because they are spoiled. 

Most of those folks don't know REAL hardship anyway...they just think they do.  And that's my 2 cents for today!   ;-)

Summer has arrived: literally with the temps!

Sonny (bull) and Nessa grazing.  Daisy is in the background.

It's been HOT and humid....summer officially arrived ahead of schedule!  It's like the rain spigot and cool have been shut off.  We are "officially" out of the drought, but things are dry already, and it won't take much to push us back into it.  :-(  I am soooo ready for some rain!!
Temps are 90's/day and 70's/nights.....reminds me of Texas weather!  ;)  At least we have been having some nice winds to push air around, and with the dew points in the upper 60's and lower 70's we can use all the help we can get. 
We broke down and turned on the central air last week when the weather forecast was for humid and 98*--only because I knew it was going to stay that way for awhile.  Sigh.

All the critters are doing fine--they are taking to the heat well enough.  It never ceases to amaze me the yearly temperature swings--the brutal cold in the winters and the crazy heat in the summers--how the animals are able to cope with it all.  They're tough!

Kyle is at Ft. Riley training, and should be back home soon.  He finally called last night (haven't heard from him for almost 2 weeks), so it was great to hear from him.
Jared and Chandra went to the beach with friends, they looked like they were having a good time in the photos that were posted.  Less than two months left before 'baby Russell' emerges into the world.  I'm getting excited!!

Other than mowing, weed control, moving fence around, chores and work, life is pretty much the same-o around here.  The biting flies and 'skeeters can drive one bonkers some days.  Our strawberries are going crazy...and the Raspberries are starting to turn. 
The garden is growing good, but the peppers will be waaay behind the tomatoes ripening this year.  Oh well.  The cucumbers are blooming, so I'm sure once they really get going, we'll have plenty to make more sweet relish.  We have plenty of dill, so need to replenish the sweet.  I have a feeling I need to buy more pint jars this year.  It just means we have a good harvest and all our work is paid off in awesome food!

Getting Plenty of Rain!

You can see the toe of my boot; this is a 'higher' spot in my pasture.  Some of the water is ankle-high.

We've had 5+ inches of rain in the span of 4 days.  Heavy rains plus hail more than once leads to soggy, wet barn areas and pastures.  One night the sirens went off; so we took shelter at the neighbors.  I had to work early, so went to bed.  I slept through a big fire (sirens, trucks and all) about 2 blocks away.  Thankfully it was just a warehouse, not someones' house.  It was, however, next to our water tower, which came through unscathed.  (Thanks to our Rural Fire Departments!)  Oddly enough, the fire (started by lightening) was across the street from the Fire Department.

Some of the tomatoes got a bit of hail damage; the peppers seem to be OK.  I'm not sure if the cucumbers are going to make it, time will tell.  I'll probably have to re-plant those.
We lost a huge branch off one of the Ash trees in the front yard.  The next-door neighbor cut it up for us--I told them to keep the wood since they did all the work.
Patrick harvested Rhubarb yesterday.  It's chopped and vacuum packed into the freezer.  (Got smart this time and marked the packages, 3 cups or 4 cups!)  ;-)  We still have some growing, so will harvest more soon.

It's been to wet to till, or plant or do anything it seems!  But the grass is growing very fast--hopefully soon the weather will cooperate and the first cutting of hay will be soon.

Jared and Chandra are doing fine; Kyle and his girlfriend should come down Sunday for a visit.  I'm sure they'll want grilled steaks! :)  I should put them to work mowing (ha) since Pat got both mowers fixed.  (Two broke on me the same day!)

Any day it didn't rain, the crop dusters were out.  :(  Sigh.  At least no one does it very close to us.  (I'd hate to see what that costs--is it *really* worth it?!!)

Hopefully the rains will hold off for a week or so, but doubtful.  This all needs to soak down and replenish the sub-soils.  We are pulling slowly out of the drought, for now.  The summer is still young, and who knows what it will bring!