Skip to main content

No Rain


We are walking through a difficult time. We have had no measurable rain for several weeks, and it shows. We've had a week of mid-90 degree temps, and today and tomorrow we should hit 100 degrees.


The Farmer talks about the top layer of soil being extremely dry, locking in some moisture below. When we dig down in the soil, we do find some moisture. In the mornings, the corn leaves glisten with dew and lay out flat. But later in the day, these same leaves are all dried up and curled up. I suspect it's the corn plant's way of protecting itself against the heat and evaporation. Eventually, the whole corn plant starts to look kind of spiky. We call this the pineapple stage, and it's not a good thing. Without rain, those spiked leaves are the "death rattle" of the corn plant.



This morning, while walking, I had tears in my eyes as I saw that the beans still look good. How they can look good in spite of the circumstances, I'm not quite sure. This would be our first good crop of heirloom beans, but without rain, they cannot continue to survive.



I wrestle with God. He sends the rain, and he holds it. I wonder about our neighbors who are watching this same slow-motion destruction of this year's harvest dreams. I pray. I think about Joseph in Egypt, over-seeing the 7-year drought that encompassed the entire middle eastern world. I remember back to 1988, the last really bad drought year we had, and try to push away the thoughts. I plead. Not again.



Oh God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

--Psalm 63:1

Comments

  1. I have been crying out to the Lord for rain. Let's continue to ask. He has promised He will never leave or forsake. More of His people need to beseech for this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Our area is also experiencing extreme drought. We are surrounded by devastating forest fires... joining with you in pleading with the Lord for rain.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am in N. Ga. and the corn fields are yellow. It's a horrible sight to see. We just did have about 20 minutes of hard soaking rain. But that's all we.ve had in over a month right here. It's rained all around us. We are in a valley here so it can rain realy good a mile to the North and we get nothing here. Very sad. I told the trees ealrier to cry out for rain. And we got some! They are very happy now! So are my sheep. And I am too. I stood out there in it for a few minutes, til I saw lightening. I will pray that you all get some rain up there. I know grain prices are going to be really high this winter.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.)  Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have