I wonder if anyone thinks about the weather more than a farmer?
When we go to church on Sunday, after the service, all the farmer's stand around and talk.
"You dry at your place?" one asks.
"Burnt up" is the reply.
"Have you had any rain this week?"
"No" or "Not enough to measure" is the answer.
The conversation then proceeds to how there is not hay to cut and no grass to mow
The conversations continue during the week at the grocery store, gas station, produce stand, wherever one farmer meets another.
The dry weather saps our strength and our spirits.
My cows, although well fed, are restless. They are craving the green grass. They want to be able to graze, but there is nothing for them to graze on. When I feed them, they are irritable and push at each other.
When we go to church on Sunday, after the service, all the farmer's stand around and talk.
"You dry at your place?" one asks.
"Burnt up" is the reply.
"Have you had any rain this week?"
"No" or "Not enough to measure" is the answer.
The conversation then proceeds to how there is not hay to cut and no grass to mow
The conversations continue during the week at the grocery store, gas station, produce stand, wherever one farmer meets another.
The dry weather saps our strength and our spirits.
My cows, although well fed, are restless. They are craving the green grass. They want to be able to graze, but there is nothing for them to graze on. When I feed them, they are irritable and push at each other.
The chickens hide out all day away from the sun. They gather around my feet when I go out, hoping for a hand out, so that they don't have to range around and search for food.
The dogs run across the black top on three legs, holding one in the air in a curious "hop and run" dance, to keep their little paws off the pavement.
The corn has shrivled up. The garden just won't produce.
But there is always something to refresh our spirits if we just look for it. Most of the time, for me, it is my animals.
I had brought my cows in to lock them up so that they could be vet checked today, but the vet had an emergency and was not able to make it to our house. So, I sat and watched the girls eating their hay with which I had enticed them. These are my new girls and only one of them was friendly when I got them. I sat on top of the gate, and as the cows finished eating, one by one, they came up and smelled me. (It's a cow thing.) I was able to rub them all and scratch their ears. And Butter Cupp, whom I could not even touch a few weeks ago gave me a cow kiss! Now for those of you who don't know what a cow kiss is, I will explain. Cow's in a herd will groom each other by using their tongues to lick the sides, ears, face, etc. of another cow. You see mother's doing this to their babies, as well as cattle in a herd grooming each other. When the cows begin accepting a human as one of them, they will often lick you. That is a "cow kiss"! So, Butter gave me the sweetest kiss and I was able to touch her sides and feel her baby moving inside of her. Dixie allowed me to do the same with her. I love to feel those babies moving around and I love cow kisses!
But there is always something to refresh our spirits if we just look for it. Most of the time, for me, it is my animals.
I had brought my cows in to lock them up so that they could be vet checked today, but the vet had an emergency and was not able to make it to our house. So, I sat and watched the girls eating their hay with which I had enticed them. These are my new girls and only one of them was friendly when I got them. I sat on top of the gate, and as the cows finished eating, one by one, they came up and smelled me. (It's a cow thing.) I was able to rub them all and scratch their ears. And Butter Cupp, whom I could not even touch a few weeks ago gave me a cow kiss! Now for those of you who don't know what a cow kiss is, I will explain. Cow's in a herd will groom each other by using their tongues to lick the sides, ears, face, etc. of another cow. You see mother's doing this to their babies, as well as cattle in a herd grooming each other. When the cows begin accepting a human as one of them, they will often lick you. That is a "cow kiss"! So, Butter gave me the sweetest kiss and I was able to touch her sides and feel her baby moving inside of her. Dixie allowed me to do the same with her. I love to feel those babies moving around and I love cow kisses!
(Note: Picture of dry yard. It has been weeks since we have mowed grass.)