A kid on the farm, especially a kid who likes the seasons, the crops and animals, will surely have become intimate with weather. I was that kid and remain him today.
Daddy introduced me to the magic of sunrises, the poetry of birds flying at sunset, the unstoppable behavior of flooded waters, the hard work of snow removal, the devastation on hail storms, and best of all, the power of thunderstorms. I’m a better person because I watched gently waving wheat and faced the losses caused by late frost.
Not having TV or a radio, we watched the skies for tomorrow’s weather. Sometimes the animals told us of coming weather changes.
In our home we were not permitted to complain about the weather. I remember occasions when we gathered in the living room, got down on our knees and prayed for rain.
Thus, I am watching the skies these days. The entire state is on a water ban. The mile square around our residence hasn’t received a half inch of rain since early May. Today on driving to Montgomery County I saw corn too dry to make decent silage. No, I don’t feel like complaining. Instead I am in awe of our helplessness when weather passes us by.
A corn field in Montgomery County
“In our home we were not permitted to complain about the weather.” My favorite line in this entry. I fear our family would not find favor with yours!
According to the Goessel weather station, today will mark the 19th day of the last 30 with the high temperature being over 100 degrees. In that stretch we have had 0.14 inches of rain. Our chickens, sheep and cattle seem to be doing well but yesterday we had a dead yew lamb…am sure it was heat related. The 10 day forecast predicts all high temps to be >100 except 99 for this Thursday. Our pond is down 3-4 feet below the over-flow culvert. We are trying to keep our garden alive and the livestock watered with our well water-we have “city” water for the house.
When I stepped out of the hospital at 4 PM yesterday I thought “Hmm, not all that hot”…the car thermometer vacillated between 103 and 104 driving home. The Goerzen Corner weather station across the road from us was reporting 101.5 when I checked at 7:30 last evening…after I had finished off making a batch of wild sand plum jelly we had started on Saturday-beautiful, tasty stuff…using our “summer kitchen” cook stove-of course.
Sherilyn, it was a God-thing. Neither would my dad think of irrigating because he thought it a violation of obedience to God’s will. May you complainers be covered deep with grace!
Which gives me hope that we can survive this thing. Warren, you have acclimated to Kansas.