Yet another Sunday of storms. I am so tired of Sunday School via ZOOM and uploaded Sunday worship. No matter how hard everyone is trying to be supportive and creative, videostreams just aren’t the same. Will anyone ever feel free to just hug someone’s neck again?
This afternoon we were able to “attend” our oldest son and daughter-in-law’s gender reveal for their firstborn, again via ZOOM, shortly before we had to unplug our wifi due to lightning. I didn’t feel the same sense of urgency today about threatening storms, although apparently the morning rounds did a fair bit of damage at friends’ places an hour or two northeast of us. For us, there was just rain that we didn’t take too seriously, even though they are calling for flash floods. Several years ago, volunteers Ray and Betty Lockhart brought their heavy-duty Kubota and reconfigured key elements of our topography . Hallelujah, no longer does a channel stream through the bunny hutch area on its way under our house. Every time it rains heavily, I am thankful once again for Ray’s legacy.
However, pools of water have formed all around the property, and even our dog Lacey deigned to come into the house this afternoon, along with both Jewels and Opie. While it was still light, I looked out the windows from time to time to check on our rooster Charley and the little red hens in their pen. Although water has been gathering there, they were still walking around pecking, perhaps finding insects escaping the saturated ground. If need be, they can always roost well above water level on the second story of the coop. None of the hens have started setting the gathered nest on the ground in the coop. Even if it floods somewhat, the eggs should still be fine. I can gather them tomorrow.
As soon as the lightning settles down, I want to put on my muck boots and check the animals. I wonder if I should have brought in Vanilla bunny again? When I went out this afternoon to switch grazing rotations, right after I shut in the boys (they had already put themselves in their pen, so all I had to do was clip shut their gate) and went to let out the barnyard herd, it started pouring. I left both the inner and outer gates open so they could shelter under the roof in the storage area and hopefully go out between showers to grab some green grass. However, I don’t know that they ever did. I’m eager for the storms to pass enough to do a walk around, shut the goats in, and get to bed.
Our “hay man” called yesterday, and they have fresh-cut hay! We made it through! Sadly, they weren’t able to bring it yesterday, when we could have covered it before the rains. Even though the big bales are designed to shed water, it is so much better when they’ve not had to. Last year we got a bunch that were delivered fresh and promptly covered, and it was amazing.
It’s still raining but hasn’t lightninged for several minutes, maybe I’ll go ahead and run out.
Nope, there was another flash. With thunder strong enough to shudder the house.