The Weather

I doubt I will get many takers in the "comments" section of this post, but here goes!

I have never cared much about the weather.  For most of my life, I've just looked outside the window and dressed appropriately.  I've made several trips without checking the weather first, only to find out that the return trip must be made with white-knuckle driving in feet of snow.  I've worn sweaters when the temperature has topped out at 80 degrees, and I've left my coat at home in the middle of negative-degree weather.  I've just never really cared.

And then I started farming.

Okay, I can't really call myself a farmer, unless I am comparing myself to any other suburbanite, 40-year-old woman.  In that case, I'm pretty legit.

With 11 acres that were previously pastureland, we are constantly planting and landscaping.  I have learned that the success of what we do is in large part due to the weather.  In the past, I would put anything in the ground at any old time and hope for the best.  What both John and I have learned over the last five years is that unless we want to cart water in watering cans over the many acres, we plant things before guaranteed rain.

Like 4-5 solid days of rain.  That's what it takes for a large plant (i.e. trees or bushes) to take root.

I've also learned that with that rain come lots and lots of weeds.

That's where the sunshine and droughts are handy.

With lots of sunshine (and little to no rain), the weeds don't grow.  They try, but they really need water.  Too, when we are waiting for the strawberries to ripen, there's nothing like a few good days of strong sunshine.  Of course, they won't ever get to the point of ripening if they haven't had lots of rain at first.

Now, I care about the weather.  I check the weather every morning when I get up, and I watch the forecasts 4-5 days out.  It takes me a solid day to mow and trim the lawn, so that needs to be planned perfectly too.  The worst sunny day?  Sunday.  No work can be done, and I just grit my teeth, thinking of all the things that should be done.  I honestly don't know how LDS farmers do it!

Last Thursday, I checked the weather, and as far as it could be predicted, starting on Saturday, it was rain and more rain everyday.  That night, I had John help me take the plow off the tractor (I had plowed under the garden that day, thankfully) and put the Bush Hog back on so I could mow.

First thing Friday morning, I was out mowing.  It took me most of the time the kids were at school.  When they came home, I trimmed up the edges with the hand mower (this takes me several hours at least over many acres).  I found the kids happily enjoying their Friday afternoon inside the house, and begged them to come out and help me plant 36 raspberry bushes.  Seeing as Mark had helped John plant four magnolia trees the day before with a pickaxe, he wasn't too thrilled, but he always has a soft spot in his heart for his mother with the recovering ankle and two back surgeries (yes, I take complete advantage of Mark's tender heart and my disabilities).  Off to the garden we headed.

Glo was happy to find the nice, soft, upturned soil, and they got busy measuring and digging holes while I unwrapped the newbie plants from the plastic.  The sky was darkening, and the air was heavy with moisture.  I can't begin to explain the desperation I felt.  I just had to get these in the ground.  Otherwise, I would need to keep them alive for a week, in the house, with no guarantee for rain when this round of it ended.

Thankfully, we got everything in the ground, and we've had solid rain for the last five days.  Of course, with all the weeds springing up through my mulch, I'm now counting down the hours until Saturday when sunshine is promised.  Mow, weed, trim, plant.  Sunday will be sunny, and back to more rain on Monday.

Yep, I'm watching the weather now.