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| Sunday morning 7-12-15 It sure is nice to see the sun! |
In the past week, we have had at least 2 ½ inches of rain.
While this is nothing compared to what they are experiencing in Texas and the Mid-West, the moisture, humidity and mud have affected everything here on the hill.
I was going to tell you how soggy it is around here. But, I
realized that you could just read this…http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/08/rainforest-farming.html
and change the date.
And, this piece was written almost exactly two years ago, so
wet weather issues are nothing new. http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-beg-to-differ_10.html
Honestly, every year has its challenges, and this year it is
moisture for us. The odd thing is there
are folks just twenty miles from here who would LOVE to see a few more drops of
rain. The hilly terrain here in the Valley makes weather a VERY localized
thing.
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| when it's not raining it's hot and hazy and the fog often doesn't lift 'til noon |
Despite the weather, there is still plenty to do. Actually, the moisture and humidity create a
unique set of issues. During the dry times we can irrigate. But, there is no way to turn off the rain or
dry things out. Fighting disease becomes an all-out battle in the gardens and
hoophouses. Some of the animals struggle to
remain healthy and hearty when it’s so wet. And, the grass (and weeds) just
keeps growing. It is quite unusual to
see grass this lush in July.
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| But, the sheep are loving it! |
Speaking of grass, there was a bit of a setback in the
mowing department this week. When I walked into the shop Sunday morning, I was nearly knocked backwards by the smell of gasoline. Not good! There was a puddle under the new mower. Very definitely NOT good! After pulling the whole thing apart, the Boss found that a tiny part needed replacing. For $2, he was back in business.
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| well, now...this can't be good! |
Not so fast…the part had to be ordered. It wouldn’t arrive
until Tuesday. Do you know how much
grass can grow in two days? We were definitely rockin’ the jungle look around
here.
In the end, the part didn’t arrive until Wednesday
afternoon. And, it was Thursday before
any mowing got done. But, it’s all good…
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| mowing the jungle |
The weather that allows amazing grass growth also creates
havoc in the lamb flock.
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| lush July grass |
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| heading out to fresh pasture through the haze |
The warm,
moist conditions are just right for parasites to flourish. In eating the lush
grass, the lambs ingest countless oocysts (parasite eggs). These hatch inside and make their
home in the lambs’ intestines, living off the nutrients that should be
assimilated by the lambs. Unlike cattle,
sheep cannot survive a large parasite infestation. They lose condition and die quickly if not treated.
There are numerous parasites that cause serious problems, but this year, we are
in a constant battle with Haemonchus contortus (barber pole worms) and Moniezia expansa (tapeworms). Each of these parasites causes a different set
of symptoms and requires specific action on our part. I don’t think we have ever had so
many cases of bottlejaw in a single season.
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| See how fat his chin looks? That's fluid caused by parasite overload. |
We had planned to work the lambs on
Monday afternoon when I got back from town, but it looked like rain. We waited until chore time only to be trapped
in the barn for a half an hour by an unexpected downpour. Working with wet lambs is NOT at the top of
my favorite things to do…but, when the rain stopped, we slogged through the mud
and administered an anthelmintic. Then,
we would have to wait to see how they responded to treatment. (and do a load of
laundry and take a shower…because lambs with parasites are really poopy…as my
jeans and t-shirt could attest) The GROSS factor is high in animal husbandry. On a positive note, the lambs are currently ALL looking healthy.
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| THIS is why I have "town clothes". the photo doesn't begin to do justice to the disgusting amount of filth |
The Boss took advantage
of a relatively dry morning and bush-hogged the potatoes.
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| bush hogging the potato patch see the mud? |
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| a groundhog hole IN the garden |
There was a down-side of mowing the potatoes…the now homeless potato beetles moved into the hoophouse! I couldn’t believe it. It’s another one of those things I can honestly say I’ve never seen before. They were everywhere and laying eggs on everything. Seriously?
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| a bumper crop of potato beetles |
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| there were THIRTEEN on this one plant |
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| I told you they were everywhere! ...even on my jeans |
This year’s battle with the bugs might just
be my Waterloo.
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| portion of the onion harvest |
While I battled bugs, the
Boss harvested onions. The fact that he
did this job alone should tell you something. (ordinarily it takes both of us
the better part of a day) For a number of reasons, the onion crop was one of
the worst ever. Those poor, spindly
little plants just didn’t hold up well to all the wind and rain and weed
pressure. The rains meant that the weeds grew with wild abandon and the wet
ground precluded any intervention on our part. While there is indeed a harvest,
it is most disappointing. In our ongoing
“onion discussions” we have come up with a number of possible solutions, but we
will have to wait until next Spring to implement most of them. It’s too late in
the season to start over and so we tell ourselves…there’s always next year!
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| first canner load of beans cooling on the porch |
We found a little time to can off
a few green beans for winter. We will
need to put up a few more and can some tomatoes, tomato sauce and a few other
things. Sometimes, in all the planting and growing and harvesting, it’s easy to
lose sight of the fact that we started this enterprise to feed ourselves (and
our family) with the fruits of our labors. So, it is vitally important to make time for food
preservation, recipe trials and home-cooked meals.
In between rain showers,
we did our usual Market prep, hoping all the while that the rains would hold
off. This year we are ever so greatful for the fact that the hoophouses make it possible to work at planting or harvesting despite
the weather.
However, we have a new
inhabitant in the hoophouse. Thankfully, it was NOT another "whistle-pig". Did you read this?
This time it is the Lettuce Looper, which I didn't even know about until I Googled it.
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| Lettuce Looper |
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| this one looked rather bothered that I interrupted his meal |
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| this WAS a leaf before the Loopers had lunch |
But, there was indeed a lot
to harvest, regardless of the weather. Yay for that!
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| the first of the peppers aren't they pretty? |
Unfortunately, the
weather did not cooperate and it did indeed rain for Market. As a matter of
fact, it was torrential at times. Doing
morning chores by headlamp is not easy (or fun) but when it’s during a
downpour, things get real “interesting”.
I felt bad for the Boss who was setting up our Market stand in the
deluge. But, we both got through it with few serious incidents.
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| rain splashing on the market sidewalk |
Amazingly, or maybe not…since
we do have great customers, it was a great Market. There were actually a number of customers who
braved the downpours at 7 (and 8 and 9…) The heaviest of rain ended by 10 o’clock,
and although it remained wet and drizzly, there were droves of shoppers and we sold
almost everything we took. It may take the rest of the week for our market
baskets to dry out, though.
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| there was no way to capture the sogginess of the Market but, trust me...it was WET! |
The week ahead promises
showers or thunderstorms every day.
Every. Single. Day. It appears we are locked into this weather pattern
for the duration. At this rate, our hay
guy might NEVER cut and bale the hay for this winter. He’s given up calling us
to tell us “not this week” and I am certain he will be just as relieved as we
will when he does call to say it’s finally on the wagon!
Regardless of the
weather, or maybe because of it, the to-do list is pretty full for the next few
days. It will be the week of meat. Processing broilers, hauling lambs, moving
broilers and getting chicks…will all be done by Wednesday. We need to get the
fall potatoes in the ground and some more broccoli started…
But, now it’s nearly
seven and time to head out for chores and then tie up the tomatoes (before the
next big rain)…
Wait a minute…the dogs
are in the garden.
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| dogs in the garden on a misty morning |
HOW and WHY are the dogs in the garden? This week may include a little mystery solving as well.
Hope you’re having a Happy Sunday!
Thanks for stopping
by! Come visit us again real soon.
Oh, if I could ask a
favor? Pray a little prayer, think dry
thoughts, whatever… for a week (or so) of dry weather…so the hay guy can cut
and bale…and we could feel slightly less waterlogged.
We truly appreciate it!
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| the goldfinches are enjoying the seeds from the thistles There's a bumper crop of thistles, so we could use a LOT more finches! |
Did you want to see pics from this week’s Market? Check out the Boss’ shots at the link below.
