Author: WJG (Page 7 of 12)

Most everyone around here did their first cutting a month ago. However, it took us a while to line up someone to complete ours (since we lack the machinery). He started cutting on Monday and finished about 1/3 of the area we wanted harvested before the PTO broke on his tractor. Then he raked and baled that area before moving on to the rest of it.

The results of that initial cutting below.

Last year, our field (about 8 or 9 acres) produced 221 bales but it was an exceedingly dry summer and the farmer said we should expect double that in a normal year. Well this year, that 1/3 initial area that was cut produced 300 bales!

With minimal drying time, I was leery of storing it in the barn so is under a huge tarp out below the shop. With rain forecast, it is now wrapped pretty tight. If it doesn’t spontaneously combust before then, we’ll uncover for more drying when the forecast clears.

Luckily, I had help with Remy staying with us for a few weeks. Here we are hauling the final load to the hay pile. I have a dozen bales in the big trailer with Remy pitching in with his tractor and trailer.

The “next batch” was cut on Wednesday and then raked and baled on Thursday late into the afternoon. Also, after asking the farmer to tighten up the bales a bit, we ended up with ONLY an additional 252 (heavier) bales to add to the 300 already under the tarp. We had no choice but to leave it in the field overnight (with a 40% chance of rain). 

Thankfully, it stayed dry and we set out to get it under cover this morning. We finished moving all of the new bales into the shop by 1PM. We stacked it loose with plenty of airflow so it can dry out more in there.

We’ll let it settle in there for a week before moving it under the barn lean-tos. Now, nearing 4PM, the skies are rumbling and rain is approaching. So, we are extremely glad to be done with that fiasco.

God is good!!! Anyone need any hay? Our total of 540 is about 400 bales more than we needed.

With the core of (what’s left of) Beryl passing overhead now, the rain is relentless. I had to empty our rain gauge (at 5″) before it overflowed. That’s after I emptied it yesterday after 2″ so we are at 7″ total in this storm so far.

We’ve been under a flood watch for a few days that are now turning to warnings for the rivers in the area. Luckily, we are situated pretty high but travel is quite interesting. Even being at a higher elevation, the standing water pooling in the yard is a pain but thankful that is all we have to worry about.

I realize many are dealing with monsoon rains and major flooding these days. I just saw the video of the white home toppling into the river at the Rapidan dam in southern MN. That is tragic and my heart bleeds for that family’s loss. It very much reminds me of 1993, when a similar scenario hit the upper Midwest – only to see Missouri succumb to the same flooding later on as both the Mississippi and Missouri river watersheds channel that water downstream.

However, down where we are in the southern part of the state, it’s been stinking hot and we haven’t seen rain in 3 weeks now. It’s supposed to happen overnight tonight and into tomorrow. But the closest we’ve come is a storm that formed overhead, but then moved east and is now “severe” in the bootheel/Memphis area. I am still praying we get something tomorrow though to green things back up.

As for the heat, we are dealing as best we can. Today topped out at 108 (feels like) degrees. 90 degrees is our threshold for running the AC and it’s been on for about 5 days now. I hate AC and having a sealed up house but would rather have it than not. Unfortunately, many of our neighbors (Amish and off grid homesteaders) have no such refuge and are suffering right now.

We also take care to make the critters as comfortable as possible. Jack enjoys the AC (and his personal fan) indoors. The younger dogs are out all day but have plenty of shade on the porch and also enjoy the fans we have set up at the doors to keep the flies away. Lydia acts like a fashion diva laying directly in front of one of them with her hair flying in the breeze. They get plenty of water and today we set up a small wading pool that they jump in to cool down. We also bring them to the river up the road where they get to swim in the cool water.

Incidentally, our pool is now getting much too warm for my liking but has been a godsend that gets used around 4pm each day. I am hoping for some rain to cool it off.

The chickens are uncomfortable but hanging in there. Today, we only had 4 eggs – a record low for the 15 hens. I’ve made canopies for each of the 3 runs and they get plenty of water – both in their waterers and via a sprinkler that they all enjoy. They also have fans in each of the 3 coops.

As of now, the major storm activity is up in the Omaha area but seems to be slowly sliding east and south so we appear to be still lined up for some action later this morning. Let’s hope so.

I wrote most of this post at 1am, when the weather alarm blared for a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. Now at 7:45am, the front of the storm has finally reached us and everything has dropped below the severe level so looking forward to a good ol’ fashioned soaking. No wind. No hail. Just RAIN. Bring it on!!!