"Home" Improvements...

We've finally seen a few projects completed that we've been anticipating for a while!

One project was our side porch...

In the almost twenty five years that we've lived here, we've replaced the wooden floor boards on this heavily used porch at least twice...maybe three times.  The tongue and groove boards looked nice, until they began to rot from moisture over time.  We tried to keep them painted, but over time there wasn't much option but to replace them. Again.

This time we decided to go with a composite material, from a local Amish company that we've used before for PVC and hi-tensil fencing.  We lined things up in late April, but with the rainy summer we've had, things didn't get underway until last week.

They ripped off the old porch boards on Thursday afternoon,  and came back on Friday morning to install the new floor...

The dogs couldn't stay off the porch even while they were working in it.  I overheard one of the guys commenting that "it looks like she's reclaiming her porch!"

Yesterday the came back to finish up.  They put hinges in the door to the basement, and replaced the pump trough...

...and they finished the other part of the job.

This section of fence around the barnyard was begging to be replaced for a while, and it looks so much better now!  We opted to also put up a section of fence to block off the skid tanks that hold our diesel and gasoline.  I would say it was a great improvement!

You know what would make it even better? 

Some SUNSHINE!  I was just looking up rainfall totals for Lancaster County this year...
Lancaster County usually receives about 41" of rainfall per year.  We've already reached/surpassed that amount, with four months to go in 2018. 

SUNSHINE...please?

A Bright Spot In a Dreary Week...

Let's face it...too much of one kind of weather gets old, no matter how much you've needed said weather...

Earlier this spring we had ten days straight of rain, resulting in +-7 inches of rain and soggy fields.  Crops were planted late, first cutting of hay was late, but eventually it all worked out.

Then we had several weeks straight of hot, dry weather, resulting in stressed crops and worried farmers.

This week we've had four days or so of rain, resulting in +- 6 more inches of rain.  I don't want to be a complainer, because in the long run, all the rain is great for the water table!  Needless to say, it's been a little frustrating.  "Feast or famine, so the saying goes". 

The rain lilies, however, are quite thrilled! 

Yesterday...

Today...

Their true name is Zephyr Lilies, but we call them rain lilies because they push up shoots and bloom right after a heavy rain.  You can trick them into thinking it's rained, by dumping a bucket...yes, a whole bucket full...of water over them every few days.  In the fall, you just take them to the basement before the first hard frost and forget about them until spring!

They are a bright spot on these dreary days!

And Then It Rained...Again...

I'm sure there are many of you who are desperately in need of rain, and would be thrilled for a thunderstorm to roll through...but we are totally saturated here, and need some warm sunshine to dry out the fields!

Several weeks ago we had ten or eleven days straight of rain, and this weekend we just had another 4".

Some things are quite happy about it...

The grapes are flourishing...

The basil is quite happy, while the rosemary is tolerant but not thrilled...

The gerbera daisies have mixed feelings.  I have five pots sitting on this bench, and this one isn't very happy.  Too much water in the crown has caused the leaves to rot and fall off.  This one bloom, however, is persevering and trying desperately to open despite it's less than ideal circumstances...

The corn is struggling.  A lot of the corn came up nice, although it was pretty hesitant to poke through during that first week of rain.  Several areas were replanted, and that corn popped up quickly last week, just in time to lay underwater again.  This is mild.  Driving around in the area, some fields look like ponds.  There will be some permanent damage from too much moisture, and it will be interesting to see what kind of yields Lancaster County has this year.  Unlikely a repeat of last year's bumper crop!

The beans that were planted on Monday are starting to pop up...

Down to the garden...

The tomatoes seem really happy after a slow start.  So does the barley that sprouted from the straw I mulched with.  As soon as I can walk in there without sinking in, I'll have to do some weeding.

And...the verdict is in on the four-year-old seeds.

These are the green beans...

...and the limas are trying.  Really trying.  It could be the age of the seeds or all the rain, I'm not sure, but they're trying.

I sure wish I could send some of our moisture to those of you who need it!

Hoping for some sun!

**In regards to the question I asked on this post last week...that's a soybean planter in the pictures.  It's all folded up for transporting on the road, so it's a guess, really, for most people to know what was being planted!

After The Rain...

I really want this post to be about after the rain...but the problem is, you see...it keeps on raining!!

Friday a week ago, most of corn went in the ground.  Saturday the rain began.  And Sunday. And Monday. I remember that Tuesday was just cloudy, and I regretted not getting the yard mowed. It rained again on Wednesday. And Thursday. Friday was finally nice enough to mow, (I could have baled the grass, it had grown so much!) and then it rained in the evening.  Saturday brought heavy rain all day, and finally, Sunday was nice, with only a brief shower. 

You get the picture.  We lost track of the measurements, but we must have had +-3" of rain in the past week. 

The corn was a concern.  However, as soon as the sun came out again, we saw this...

If you enlarge the picture, you'll see faint green rows running the length of the field.  Most of the corn germinated and came up, except for some low lying areas where the water either washed or couldn't get away in the saturated ground.  We're very thankful!

Now for the colorful part of the post...

Years ago, our neighbor Ruth grew and sold bearded iris.  She shared with us, and whenever I see them bloom, I think of her!

Their blooming season is short...we'll only enjoy them for a week or so...but I just love them!  When I walk past them to the calf hutches, their sweet scent is so pleasant!

Yesterday was perfect.  Just perfect...lots of blue sky, a gentle breeze and low humidity.

And today it rained again. 

Sigh.

"Marching" In Like a Lion...

March has come roaring in like a lion here...

The winds started early this morning, and are picking up as the morning progresses.  We're supposed to have gusts of up to 50-60 mph all day and through the night. 

The dogs all "helped' me feed the calves this morning as usual, and the rain didn't stop Phoebe from begging to play ball on the way to the hutches.  You can see the path the wagon has made through the grass this winter. This morning I was slipping in the mud as I pulled it back to the barn...                                                               

We've had lots of puddles like this, this winter.  February on average around here, brings about 2.5" of rain.  We've had over 5"!

 

It's pretty difficult to see in this picture taken out the dining room window, but snow flurries are now blowing sideways!  They're melting as soon as they hit the ground, but it's snowing! 

I for one am thankful that it's not freezing cold and blowing like this.  The mud is a mess, yes, but a lot less trouble than a cold west wind, frozen water lines and plowing the driveway!

I'm hoping that if March is blowing in like a lion, that it will go out like a lamb! 

A Bumper Crop Of 'Maters...

It's been a fabulous growing season here!  Rain, rain and more rain, and hot humid days have given every plant the extra boost needed to grow.  Even the weeds.  :(

Like most other crops, my tomatoes have over achieved this year.  I planted six different varieties...one plant of each...and they've gone wild!

I planted Celebrity, Early Girl, Mountain Fresh, Amish Paste, Abe Lincoln and ??  I can't seem to remember the last one, and the tag is missing.  All of them are producing large fruit that are ripening evenly without cracking (from all the rain) except for Mr Lincoln.  I don't think I'll plant that one again. Those tomatoes are yellow on the shoulders and have mostly cracked. Lucky for the chickens, their pen is right next to the garden, and they get the rejects for snack!

This morning I picked a large bucket full, and made my first batch of salsa.  I tried to make it a little on the hot side, since Eric and Jim both like it better that way, but I'm not sure I was too successful. Eric will be living in an on campus apartment this year at college, so I figured I'd send a stash with him. Hopefully he and his room mates will like it even if it's mild.

It looks like tomorrow or Saturday I'll have another bunch ready for picking...

My favorite cherry tomato ever is Sweet Baby Girl.  I've not been disappointed in her this summer either.  These beauties are just the right size for a bite sized taste, and they're wonderfully sweet...

This afternoon's harvest...

...and the batch of salsa that I made this morning is bubbling away in the canner as I type...so see...I'm not wasting time, I'm multi tasking!  :)

Jim is about half finished with fourth cutting hay...Jenna is mowing the yard...Eric is at work...and we're enjoying our last week together as a family before both kids head off to college next weekend.  It's going to be really, really different around here as we do the "empty nest" thing for the first time!

What's happening where you are?  In your garden? On your farm?

Here's a link to the salsa recipe that we like!

Unusual Sky...

Last night, this happened...

It was unusual enough that I just had to show you!

Last night after milking, I was outside when I began to hear rain coming across the fields.  I looked up to see blue sky above the barn, beautiful clouds just to the south of it, and rain in the garden, only a few hundred feet away.

Unusual, and too pretty not to share!

Friday's Hunt #18...

For some reason this seems like a long week!  I've been confused about what day it is, all week long...but today I know it's finally Saturday.  The teenager in the other room drinking some tea is a dead giveaway!  I'm glad she has a day with no commitments for once.

On to Friday's Hunt...

I'm glad Teresa gives us extra time to get our posts done, because I'm struggling to get anything written in a timely manner.  "Spring training", as someone put it lately, is keeping us stepping!

Starts with "R"...

We finally got some much needed rain the past few days...

It didn't amount to a whole lot, but it sure helped!

I found raindrops in some fun places...

My "week's favorite" has to do with flowers and plants, of course!

I made a trip to the green house this week, and came home with a couple flats of plants...

It's a little early to plant tomatoes, but I bought them anyway.  I'll let them sit on the porch for a few days until the ground dries out enough to plant them.  I don't plant a lot of annuals, but Coleus are some of my favorite.  I fill pots on the porch with these beauties. These beautiful shades of Gerbera daisies caught my eye, and I couldn't resist bringing  a couple of them home either...

And last night I was enjoying these lilacs on my windowsill.  They have a nice soft, airy texture that I enjoy...

The fragrance isn't so bad, either!

I just love spring!!

Making Use of the Cistern...

Do you know what a cistern is?

It's a tank for storing water.  In our case, it's an underground tank made of concrete, which is fed by the rain spouts on two sides of the house.

Our house was built a little over 100 years ago, and I have no idea when the cistern was put in...but it's a handy thing to have.  We've been regularly putting it to use ever since we moved to the farm in 1994.  We try to use it about every 4 - 6 weeks, depending on how much rain we have.  The water is not suitable for drinking, so when we plan to use it, we fill up enough water jugs to last a few days.  If we run out, our neighbors are glad to let us fill a few jugs from their faucets. (We all have wells, so no one is paying a water bill!)

You'd never know it's there if you don't know where to look.  See the spout coming down the side of the house, angling down to the left under the window?

That spout collects rain water and runs it directly into the cistern, which is under what we call the "shop".  That corner has become a bit of a catchall for some garden tools, but you can see where the spout goes down into the concrete.  There's another spout on the north side of the house as well...

The heavy !! metal grate covers the cistern...

The lid is heavy for an adult to lift, so we had no worries about the kids removing it and falling in...

The cistern is made of concrete and is probably around 7' deep.  To be honest, I don't know the other measurements.  A few years ago it was leaking, and we had it pumped out, cleaned, and the concrete repaired and sealed.  At that time, Jim was down inside, and I looked in to get an idea of the size, but I'll suffice it to say that it's big...probably at least as big as our farmhouse bathroom, which is pretty big...

Why do we use it?

With all the water that we use on the farm, our well pump gets used hard, so using the cistern occasionally gives it a break.  It also keeps the cistern pump in good working order in case of an emergency.  I remember one very hot summer, our well pump gave out, and we had trouble with the new one not working properly.  We had a load of water brought in and dumped into the cistern, and the thirsty cows were very happy!

The water is also great for doing laundry, as it's naturally soft, so when we run the cistern I do as much laundry as I can find!

I guess the rain barrels that folks are getting these days are a similar thing, except for the size and the manner in which the water is accessed.

Do any of you still have a working cistern on your property?

More Rain...

The last time we had rainfall of any account was on June 2.  That's long enough ago that the ground was beginning to get pretty parched and dry. The crops were really thirsty!

On Sunday evening a storm rolled through, but we barely got .10", while just south of us folks got close to an inch of rain.  That's the way the storms have been this spring...very spotty.  The weather forecast has called for rain but we've barely got a drop, until last night.  I woke up around 2 am to hear the sound of a steady, gentle rain.  Music to our ears!

This morning this was the measurement...

It might seem silly to be excited over this,  but when your livelihood depends on the weather...over which we have no control...we are especially thankful when we are given what we need.

It's nice to see tracks in the mud...the milk truck and the tractor...

...and of course the reflection of the barn in a puddle...

Even the flowers are rain - kissed and happy...

I know that some of you have been desperately hoping for dry weather.

I hope you're getting what you need where you are!