Feeding and Small Talk
August 8th, 2006 by Northern FarmerNow some might think when a farmer or rancher lives in a major drought area that there isn’t all that much to do because almost everything is shot. But, that’s not the case, in fact there’s getting to be so much to do that my head is getting into a whirl. Spinning fast every direction, so to speak. I just stopped in the house now for a quick glimpse at the radar which is just a waste of time, but I do it anyhow. Nothing.
This time of year there shouldn’t be any feeding except animals kept around the farm yard. Such is not the case now. I know we had rain last week, but it only lasted about two days max and there was no more sign of moister in the ground, but it did buy a bit of time for some things around here. Every day we’re chopping enough of the worst corn for silage, just enough for that day and I drive to every pasture to feed the cow and calves, otherwise there’s nothing to eat out there anymore. Gee, and it’s only the beginning of August, that’s a long way till mid May when they go back out on pasture for another year. I don’t know exactly when we’re going to start the main silage chopping, depends on the heat, on how fast the corn burns down, or even if there’d be a miracle and it would rain a rain that could actually cut the dust with some seriousness.
One pasture I pump water out of the creek to a stock tank using solar power, well, it’s getting plenty of sun, but this weekend the creek officially went dry, she stopped for the first time since 88. Now to see how long the pool lasts that I’m pumping out of. Last year it almost stopped but a saving rain in August charged it up again. In the 76 drought I remember trapping in fall and early winter walking down the dry creek bed. And boy, I remember that was one cold winter too! I’d better make sure I have enough firewood come late fall, eh.
But on the bright side there’s no water in the basement, the cattle yards and corrals don’t have any mud or manure buildup. The manure turns to dust quick and just kinda disappears. That amazes me somewhat. But the big surprise today was when we ate a cantaloupe from the garden. I think we planted three old varieties, but this particular one was from seeds given to me at church by a friend. They had it in his family for decades, we don’t know the name or even if it does have a name, but I remember him telling me last spring they were the best he ever ate, bar none. Well as of today I think he’s right, I have never, ever tasted cantaloupe that good in my entire days. Wow! I won’t save seed from it, well, maybe some in case of emergency, but have a lot still leftover from this spring. Next year that’s the only variety that I’m planting because that has officially become our families generational cantaloupe! Then we’ll save seed. That’s what we’re looking for in many plants around here as we experiment with several different varieties of family garden plant. We’re looking for the ones that’ll be kept year after year here, with emergency seeds to spare also.
I’d better get back out there, gotta slop the hogs yet, move the sprinkler in the garden, pull some weeds for the henhouse, hope I don’t get a phone call from some neighbor saying calves are out again because they don’t get a shock from the electric fence because it’s to dry, hope I don’t get disturbed again by a seed corn company calling me and trying to sell me next year’s roundup ready hybrid seed corn, (that doesn’t go over all that well with me you know), feed some chickens, feed the turkeys, say howdy to Gilbert, sit down and read the Good Book for a bit and hit the hay. Tomorrow morning it all starts over again, just like it does seven days a week and 365 days a year. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
August 8th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
even with the dry weather , and the way things are going, that is the life to have , and God does take care of our needs ,
and maybe a new donkey , I miss having one
next year if it is in Gods gives us another year , we are going back to farming, with a big garden, some goats, and hogs and chickens, that will be the life!
say hi to Gilbert for me!
have a good night .
God bless
August 8th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
I sure do hope your not still planning on having Ol Gil for Christmas dinner…..Prayin for rain up your way!!!!!!!!
August 9th, 2006 at 5:32 am
Jan,
I’m happy to hear that you folks plan on getting back into it! There’s nothing better!
Patti,
Thanks!
No, I guess we have plenty of turkeys to fit the bill for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners
August 9th, 2006 at 5:37 am
I feel for you, and with you. This morning I’m sore from chasing my goats back into our pastures from halfway around the county…… Three days in a row. Found a place in the dry creekbed they’re sneaking out of. After the third time, my neighbor whose well watered grass is slightly shorter than it used to be gave me a piece of his mind. Nothing I could do but stand there and take it with my hat in my hand.
Plenty to do here too. Sunflower seeds need harvesting (although the birds seem to being a good job of that), I bit into a kernal of corn and about broke my tooth, so I guess thats ready to pick. No rain….. none…. what I wouldn’t give for a green splotch on the radar…….
On a side note. One of my wifes friend’s son is a preacher at a Missionary Baptist Church down here. Sunday week, we’ve been invited to an open house. I think we’re going to go. I want to go just to see the look on my conservative Catholic teens boys faces when the sermon starts. I’m looking forward to it too, sometimes, my spritual life needs a jump start. I figure I should be cranking on all cylinders when I leave there.
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
August 9th, 2006 at 6:18 am
Glad to hear that Gilbert , will be around for a time
have a great day!
August 9th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Life goes on doesn’t it? Praise the Lord, that we KNOW He is in control, not us. May the Lord truly bless your efforts!!!
August 9th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
Brad,
It’s always good to hear from my fellow drought brother! Today I was in the creek with the water intake trying to find deep enough water to cover the intake screen so it could pump for a few more days. But we did figure out a bckup plan incase we lose that pasture so I’m not so stessed now.
Sounds like your corn is a ways ahead of ours, and I just keep watching our radar too. There’s green splotches here and there, but it’s like were playing dodge ball and keep avoiding the ball. And have a good one over at that church and let me know how it all went ! Speaking of church that’s where I’m heading in a half an hour, better get showered up!
Jan,
The day was alright once I screw my head on straight and realize that this drought is a minor thing in the big picture. It sure can wear on a guy though, but we go on! Have a good one!!
Marci,
Thanks and life goes on and what is a person worrying about when we are “commanded” not to worry about tomorrow. Now if anyone figures I’m sitting around gloom and doom, they don’t know me at all. The biggest thing in my head right now, besides the Lord and church tonight is learning how to home cure ham the old fashion way and I’m sure finding some good info searching google on the subject. I want to make the real ham that doesn’t require refrigeration once cured. Also in between my ears is the plans for a bridge we’re going to start building tomorrow over the dry creek that’ll be heavy enough to hold 30 or 40 ton at a crack.
Oops, just thinking to myself and I’m running late, yikes, gotta go pronto!
August 9th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Hi
Your blog is very nice.
God bless you
August 9th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Tom,
We will keep praying for rain for your area.
I am going to make sure I am ready for this coming winter. The last summer that I remember where the temperature hit 100 was the summer of 1995. In February 1996 we had a whole week where the temperature every morning was around -40. I think this was the year your area got down to -57.
Jim
August 9th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
I think I’d like to plant some cantaloupe like that next year.
God, please bring us rain.
August 10th, 2006 at 5:36 am
Tom,
When you get that bridge figured out let me know. Thats one of those things on my list. I thought I had everything figured out when I got into these goats. Then I found out they don’t cross creeks….. whodathunkit!!
Sure would like to get my other pastures in the mix.
Dodgeball and goat chasing again last night.
Take care,
Brad
August 10th, 2006 at 5:38 am
Hi Audrey!
Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you!
Jim,
Thanks for the prayers, believe me.
Your right about that winter, I’ll never forget that cool spell. 57 below was a bit of a challenge doing chores and keeping energy free waterers open! Better make a bigger wood pile eh.
Todd,
For some reason I think you and your wife will have some seed that’ll let you enjoy em! And that goes for other folks too. Interesting story about them and I’ll go into it more some other time. My friends dad got them seeds a long time ago from a Baptist Pastor that raised them in his own personal garden for years. Then my friends family kept them going in their gardens, and this spring, decades later, gave me some seeds. This is a strain that I plan on keeping going, I don’t think you could buy these cantaloupes in any store, but they are “good”!
August 10th, 2006 at 5:45 am
have a great day!
hi to the family
August 10th, 2006 at 5:46 am
Brad,
Well, I already have it figured out, now it’s just to do it! Like I said, it’ll be heavy duty so anything we want to drive over will be safe. Right now we have 5 I-beams across the creek resting on huge timbers. Now we’ll be laying rail road ties down on them, 14 footers, crossways, and fastening them down here and there to the I-beams. The one plus to the drought is that I won’t get wet doing this job standing below and drilling. That wasn’t figured in the plan when we were thinking about it a few months ago
Dodge ball and calf chasing here also, no wonder I stay so slim!
Have a good one!
August 10th, 2006 at 5:48 am
Janice,
You take care down there and have a blessed day!
Wow! Busy morning here, everytime I post a comment another one is waiting
August 13th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
DELICIOUS cataloupe! Thank you! I shared it with my friend Scott (http://paulsonian.blogspot.com/) and his family today after worship.
The seeds are drying.
Great meeting you and the family.
August 14th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Hi Tom,
Thinking about your melons this morning as we finished up our last cantaloupe…wish you knew the name. I have been trying different varieties for years trying to find a keeper in each of the veggie families. Haven’t found a good cantaloupe yet but I can recommend Rattlesnake pole beans - Yummy! I tried others but these are so sweet, they work up nice for canning and keep nice for years once canned. Sometimes they are called Preacher Beans but I don’t think I want to know the story about how they got both names
I am about ready to harvest some comfrey roots to send to friends - think you are ready to try them? I’ll walk you through the salve making process
Praying for rain for you,
Blessings,
Cheri
August 14th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Todd,
Whew, I was wondering eh. You never know how they will be until a person tastes them. Glad to hear your saving the seeds!
Great meeting you folks to! Kinda caught me by surprise, but sometimes that’s the best way! To bad it couldn’t have been longer and you folks could have got the tour. You know, the tour of all my projects that get me in trouble!
Thanks for stopping in!
Cheri,
I don’t know what them melons are called but here they’ve been dubbed Baptist Pastor melons. Because my friend’s dad got them decades ago from a Baptist Pastor and this past Saturday I gave them to another Baptist Pastor, (Todd Mitchell), to help continue the line.
Our beans are a bit behind this year, must be from lack of water or something, but I have faith we’ll have plenty coming soon.
You bet I’m ready for some comfrey roots!
Oh, by the way, we got our saving rain, Praise Jesus!! More later.
Thanks!
August 15th, 2006 at 1:31 am
Praise God that you got rain! I surprised my wife by putting a sealed paper bag of those cataloupe seeds on the dresser this afternoon; it is labeled with the place and time and the nice people from whom we received them. We’ll be reading that label next spring at planting time and remembering our out-of-the-blue visit. Thanks again!
August 15th, 2006 at 5:31 am
Todd,
I am so thankful for that rain, what a difference it makes!! Oh, and I forgot to say thank you for the pickles you folks brought over, so “THANK YOU” so much!!