It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Somehow with the drought last year, it didn’t dawn on me that we could also be in the midst of setting a good record.  But we were until it came to an end yesterday.  We had 359 consecutive days without a tornado warning in the state.  It was hot and humid, and we were warned of storms coming.

I did my storm preparations of picking up feed pans and then I went out to pasture to tell the goats and llama they needed to come to the barn.

Millie

The bovine wanted to go back north, and I tried letting them, but I opened the gate too late.  They’d changed their minds and were going to stay in the pasture.  Now, if you think I can convince a 3000 pound steer to move when he doesn’t want to, it’s not going to happen.

MJ and Maxine

I jumped up and down behind him and hollered, “Get up, Hyiah!”  He stood.  I had a hand firmly on each rump roast pushing as hard as I could, and he didn’t notice me.  I finally gave up and reminded them they could come to the barn. They drive me crazy when they stay in the pasture in stormy weather.

I sent my nephew a text saying it was time to quit farming for the day and then went into town to get my mother since she doesn’t have a basement.  We got back to my house just as the first jagged streak of lightning hit.  Mom went in, and I went to make sure some silly Cinnamon goat was getting her butt out of the pasture and into the barn.  About that time the thunder came and everyone was scared inside.

By the time I got inside, I saw we were under a tornado warning.  I looked out the wind0w again (yeah, I know that’s not what you’re supposed to do in a tornado warning, but still) and saw I had a goat outside.  I headed for my boots and had just gotten them on when my mom told me the goat went in the barn.  For some reason the geese just sit out there in the tornado warning.  They could go in.  Really.

Then they said a tornado had been spotted five miles south of State Center.  Well, that’s just north of town.  Then we got a text from my son asking if we had electricity and did I have any ice cream.  I can’t make this stuff up.  Of course his next text was that he’d driven through the funnel cloud (I believe he meant the rotating wall cloud that is associated with tornadoes and not the actual tornado).  That would have been just about five miles south of State Center.

Well, our streak of no tornadoes has ended, but everyone in my world is safe.  The cows survived. The geese are all here and everyone is fine.

We had more storms come through in the night and there are more chances again tonight.  So how do you prepare for storms?

Linking to Homestead Barn Hop and Clever Chick’s Blog Hop

Busy Weekend

We had beautiful weather yesterday, so I spent a lot of time outside.  I finally started working in my garden.  Yes, this is really the first I’ve worked on it this year.

I got most of the old dead weeds piled up, but there’s a bit more.  Weather permitting, I’ll have a large bonfire in the next couple of days.  I still need to pick up the remains of last year’s planting (don’t judge me, 2012 was a rough year).

While working in the garden, I did notice the apple blossoms are just about to open.

I keep watching my big shade trees.

With the warmer weather, they are finally starting to get some leaves.

That’s a good thing.

I wanted to move the bovine to the Back Forty this weekend, but I had to wait.

Maxine is enjoying the sunny weather today.

Our temperature tomorrow is supposed to be 95*F.   I can’t move them until they have some nice shade trees completely leafed out.

For now they will have to use their cattle shed for shade.

The goats have their barn for shade.  They all have tanks with plenty of water.

Hopefully, I can get them back there in the  next couple of days.  Okay, after we get past our one really hot day.  They’ll all be happier when they have shade trees.

That heat is also going to be very hard on my really pregnant goats.

With the up and down temperatures, some of them still have at least part of their winter coats.  This wet month has also been hard on their feet.  My son was good to me and held some goats yesterday while I trimmed hooves.  That’s all I wanted for Mother’s Day!  We’re supposed to finish that task this evening.

Linking to Clever Chick’s Blog Hop, Homestead Barn Hop, Ruby Tuesday 2, Barn Charm, and Tuesday Muse.

Another Scavenger Hunt

The topics for this week’s scavenger hunt are:  perspective, golden, bloom, dark and local.

Perspective:  I’m so glad that my cherry tree is loaded with lots of blossoms, and they are just starting to open up.  Hopefully we’ll have a good year for cherries and apples, and I’ll be making a lot of wine this fall!

This is the wild plum blossoms.

Golden:  My favorite time to go outside and take pictures is in the golden light of evening.  It’s perfect, even if it is sometimes more orange than gold.

Minnie Pearl

Millie

Bloom:  My peach tree is blooming.  Well, there’s about ten or so blossoms on it.

Dark:  My beautiful MJ is about as dark as they come.  Soon the longer days will bleach him out to a dark brown color.  As round as Maxine is looking, I need to move them off that alfalfa to the Back Forty.  The trees need to get some leaves first though.

MJ and Maxine

Local:  This is one of the local residents in my Back Forty.  This little fellow was enjoying a drink in the drainage ditch.

Then he saw me.

He went back to his tree.

He decided to just get comfy in the tree and wait for me to move on.

Linking to Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Weekly Top Shot, Macro Monday, Mandarin Orange Monday, and Monday Mellow Yellows.