Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Looking Back On a Strange Summer...

As fall has suddenly arrived here, it's interesting to look back on what has been an unusual year...

Let me start by saying, we do have so much to be thankful for.  There are so many people who have dealt with drought, fires, hurricanes and other issues that we need to keep it in perspective. The weird weather has all of us in the same boat.  All we can do is shake our heads, share stories with our farmer friends and hope for a good harvest despite the weather difficulties that were/are 2018.

We saw rain totals this year like I don't ever remember. With the exception of the month of June, I can't say with confidence that we had many long stretches of consecutive days of sunshine all summer long!

Lancaster County averages 43" of rain annually.  This year we surpassed that total by the end of August.  There was a storm that stalled over the county on August 31, that dumped at least 10" on a nearby town in just a few hours, resulting in unprecedented flooding.

The West Lampeter Community Fair saw major mud this year.  I saw tractors pulling 4 X 4's out of the mud on Wednesday morning, as the vendors were trying to set up their booths.  The fair's board of directors "and company" did an amazing job of making it a memorable year despite circumstances that were out of everyone's control.  Trailer loads of mulch were hauled in and spread...they arranged shuttles from satellite locations for fair goers and they patiently dealt with the many headaches that they were handed.  Hats off to them~ it was still a fun community event!


Baling hay was a challenge all summer, but right now Jim is raking up the last of 5th cutting hay, hoping to bale tonight or tomorrow morning.

Here's what the corn and beans look like today...




It sure would be nice if all the beans looked like this!



There are reports of corn sprouting on the ears in the fields.

There are reports of truck loads of soybeans being rejected at the mills because of mold.

It's been that wet.

It's been cool and windy this week, so I went to the basement and dug out the quilted flannels, washed them and hung them out to dry in the breeze. It didn't take them long!  We haven't had to run the big fans in the barn, so it's been blessedly quiet...



...and just for fun, here's a picture I took at a neighborhood auction about a week ago.  Our little Amish neighbors couldn't wait to try out their "new" sled!


I guess they're dreaming of snow a  bit  lot more than I am!

6 comments:

  1. What a weird summer. All of that rain. That is too bad about the beans and the corn. What a ton of rain. I loved that picture of those boys.
    Well hang in there. I sure wish you could send some way over here.

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  2. That sounds a lot like our summer. The corn is sprouting here too. My nephew just told me a local farmer had his beans rejected because of mold. I am hoping my corn, which was planted really late will still be okay. Hope you guys manage to get a decent harvest.

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  3. It has been a strange weather year, I agree!
    We had the heat and fires out here in the west, however I can relate to having too much water also. I hope that your crops are safely put up and that no one else's crops are turned away at the mills.
    Even with the drought and heat out here in the west, I am hoping that we don't get clobbered by winter snows. Where is it 72 degrees and Fall all year longs?? That's where I'd like to live ~~~LOL!

    Smiles :)
    ~K.

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  4. It really has been a strange year for us too but we got lucky with the haying. The three tarp barns were filled and we have been selling a lot of hay as some places have been having poor crops. The summer was dry and then the rain came.

    I wonder what is in store for next year but we have lots to be thankful for this year.

    Still waiting to sell our dairy cattle. A few farmers are calling it quit and I'm sure there will be more.
    Hugs, Julia

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  5. Last week, when we got 13 inches of rain, I tried to put it in perspective by looking at the photos from the hurricane. We still have a house. We still have power. So, like you, I'm trying to be thankful. On a much happier note, it's been beautiful fall weather this week.

    We've reserved some additional seed wheat for replanting and hope to get the rest of the wheat planted the first time around after it dries out some more. We'll see what happens. It's hard not to worry (even though I know what the Bible says about THAT!)

    Good luck with your fall crops! We had hoped to get another cutting of hay after planting wheat, but we got a hard freeze over the weekend. It's been a challenging year for hay around here.

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  6. The rain here has turned our farm into a Garden of Eden. I never knew how green it could be all summer long. I just hope it's not this wet all winter long.

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I enjoy hearing what you have to say! Thanks for your comments!