Rain, Rain Go Away
July 23rd, 2010 at 9:36 pm by Jerri
The drought in north central Wisconsin is over. It lasted for five long years. It was horrible. But, have you ever noticed that sometimes the cure is worse than the illness? Such is the case here in my neck of the woods. While we are all grateful to have a normal year, we have also forgotten just how wet it is here in the north during a “normal” year.
With all the water, well over six-inches according to our rain gauge, things are lush, or as we’re starting to call it–soggy. The difference between the two is wholly a one of context. Everything was lush when the rains first began and we were all thankful for the relief, but now that we’re no longer parched, it’s just plain old soggy.
We can’t get into the field to combine the oats, half of which are laying on the ground, and a good part of them not ripe. This year’s oat crop will probably be a total loss. The hard red spring wheat, however, is doing just fine. If we ever get a few dry days, we’ll have tons of wheat to grind and share.
Our garden is soaked. I need to dig potatoes, but it’s just too mushy. I did mange to pull some weeds in the pole beans during a break in the rain the other day. Unfortunately, it was so wet that a few beans came with the grass. That’s the hazards of weeding when wet.
It’s also hard on the cows and the pasture. When it’s soaked to capacity Wayne is hesitant to let the cows out on the pastures for more than a few hours. We don’t want the weight of twenty cows to compact the wet soil, forcing what little oxygen is left in it out into the atmosphere. It kills the grass. It’s expensive grass.
So, that’s the rain report. I’m not complaining. I would just like the rain to take a break. I don’t want to chase it away completely. That’s what it has come to here. I’m worried about offending the rain’s sensibilities. I think it’s called being stir crazy.
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