# Where the h-ll is SPRING



## Royd Wood

I'm sure it has arrived for some of you but after the terrible weather and the very sad loss of life in the US - just wondering if some normal weather will ever turn up. We are struggling to stay afloat here and are so deep in mud, the grass turned green then stopped growing as the temp shot down to zero again. Tonight we are to have thunder storms and another 30mm of rain - the next 14 day forcast is the same. We are weeks behind compared to other recent years and all my animals are fed up even my ducks.


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## elevan

I hear ya!!  And let me add my own    !!!!

We're supposed to get a very bad T-storm moving in around midnight here...

The muck is building up and the goats are fed up with it!


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## jhm47

Lucky us!!! We're supposed to get up to 8" of new snow here.  Makes calving lots of fun.  Seems like our winter started around July last year, and has continued nonstop ever since.  I WANT MY GLOBAL WARMING  BACK!!!


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## TigerLilly

Well, it's been in the high 80's already this year in Florida...seems like we skipped spring & went straight to summer!  Don't hate, though, it aint all it's cracked up to be with the humidity.


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## happydodgefarm6113

Royd Wood you are very right when it comes to weather that is not what it should be or what we need. The poor people down south are just hammered with the terrible storms creating such destruction.

I guess having snow in Syracuse on April 20 seems mild to some, it is coming in tonight. We are trying to get through the cold wet weather each day and I dont see much improvement coming. Our new 8 wk ND kids do not want to be outside. It is too wet and cold. They just stand by the door to come inside.

 I thought barnyard animals were more tolerant of bad weather but I think that is another suburban myth.


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## herfrds

Well Royd we have a saying here in Montana;
We have only 3 seasons here.
Last winter, this winter and next winter.

I think we are already into next winter. Suppose to snow here again Thursday so I have 1 day to get 500 things done.

Know what your saying about calving in mud. You know its bad when you step in mud and sink knee deep. Pull your foot out and your boot is still down there.
Or when you're trying to get a cow in get stuck, lose your balance and go Splat!
Hubby about got hurt when he told me later, "But honey the rich pay for mud baths."


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## Mea

We _still_ have one patch of sn*w on the ground.  Had flurries yesterday AM.  Supposed to have more tonight.

  More Mother's Days than not... we have had sn*w in the air. so it is not uncommon.

  But i DON'T like it !!!   There is so much outside i want to get going on.  Still say..."Shoot the Great Pennsylvania Rodent !!  He flat out lied to us this year !!! "


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## Royd Wood

Mea said:
			
		

> ."Shoot the Great Pennsylvania Rodent !!  He flat out lied to us this year !!! "


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## herfrds

Mea there have been plans to go a-hunting for that rodent.


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## Royd Wood

Miracles do happen - we had a dusting of snow this morning but got drying winds and a strange bright yellow thing in the sky this afternoon


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## Royd Wood

Its snowing as I write this - was hoping to get round bales into the feeders this morning but will have to throw in small squares (expensive).
The swallows arrived yesterday so maybe some good weather is on its way ?????
Starting to think that jhm47 idea of burning plastic and tyres to induce global warming aint a bad idea


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## dianneS

Our farm just flooded for the first time in 40 years.  We had over ten feet of water in our house and almost had to be rescued by boat!  Everything is a mess.  The animals had to be moved to higher ground.

I'm still feeding hay on these rainy days when the animals don't want to come out of the barn.  I've never fed hay this late in the season.  The mud is out of control!

I'm fed up too!


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## Dreaming Of Goats

My chickens are pretty mad too!!!!!!!!!!!! But at least it isn't snowing yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


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## jodief100

We have had rain, storms, then hail, a little bit of snow then back to the rain and thunderstorms.  

The Licking River hit the 14th highest level on record, 31.9 feet at my station.  My lower fields were flooded but the barn and house were fine. My neighbor had about 40 round bales of hay sitting in 2 feet of water.    Predicted to get back to 29 feet this weekend so the road will be flooded- again! 

The only time the house has had water in it was 1997 when the river went to 51.8' so it doesn't look like that will happen.  

The muck in the barn yard is ankle deep.  I need things to dry out so I get get fence posts in.  More thunderstorms on the way...... 

The ground is so saturated that even a slight rain sends the creek up over the bridge. I had to drive the truck to work last week because the car doesn't have enough clearence to get through the water.   

From the sounds of it, as awful as it seems, we are doing better than most. 

My best wishes to y'all!


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## elevan

Our farm pond overflowed it's banks today and we're forecasted for rain for the next week solid  

Thank goodness the goat side of the barn is staying relatively dry but the horse side is awful!

Our chicken coop has water right up to the door and the chickens are not happy to have to fly over a "lake" to get to the field  

Water in the backyard heading for the barn is halfway to our knees right now  

"April showers bring May flowers"  Well, I'm ready for the May flowers!


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## Royd Wood

I hear you all - its atrocious and if I wasnt so embarressed I'd stick a pic or 2 on of my cattle swimming in pea soup mud and sheep sweating inside the barn even though the doors and windows are open. I know pigs like mud but but I've kept them in now for so long I'm waiting for a greasy pig outbreak. I have manure piling up everywhere as I cant get in the fields to spread.
Our house and buildings sump pumps are on overtime and guess what - its raining like a good one out there right now.


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## julieq

We have had the double whammy of an early winter and now more rain than we've ever seen here in the high desert.  We'll have one clear, cold day and then two or three days of rain.  No severe weather like some other areas, but it sure is depressing!


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## herfrds

Wa really nice most of yeaterday. then it got over cast. Then it was raining last night and we had 3 inches of wet snow on the ground this morning.


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## Royd Wood

herfrds said:
			
		

> Wa really nice most of yeaterday. then it got over cast. Then it was raining last night and we had 3 inches of wet snow on the ground this morning.


I'm getting so fed up of this now - we had a day off from rain yesterday but 45 mm on its way starting this afternoon and wet for the whole week. Got to one of the feeders with a round bale last night and going to try the other feeders today before the deluge returns but prob get stuck and spend hours digging the tractor out.


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## herfrds

Finally somewhat dry here. Place south of us got 12 inches of snow the other day. Now they are under a flood warning.

I try to not complain about the moisture. Back in 2000-2001 we were in a terrible drought. Crops were gone and there was no pasture to speak of around here. Guys were shipping out their whole cow herds.
DH spent around 4 months haying droughted out crops for hay.

I still remember when it finally broke and it started raining again. Had gone into town to pick up a bull. Coming home I was in a terrible east wind. Could only get the truck up to 45 mph it was that strong.
Got home and found the trampoline in the backyard in one of the trees.

2 days later it started raining.


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## Royd Wood

Herfrds - The English are famous for moaning about the weather - should have left that trait over there when we moved 
Oh no dont want a drought thats the worst but prob due one as the last 3 years have been pretty good for summer rainfall.
Well we got all the feeders filled and manure spread so things are looking up


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## jodief100

Still raining, river is over the road so I have to detour around to get to work.  Supposed to rain all week but the river isn't supposed to get any higher.  

Tornado passed over us yesterday.  We lost a few shingles and had construction materials spread all over the property.  Neighbor on the top of the hill lost the roof off his barn.  It landed about 200 yards away in the cow field across the road.  Our house and barn are down in the holler. We worry about the creek rising but any higher up and the tornado would have been MUCH worse!  

Spring is here!  Can I have winter back?  At least frozen ground doesn't suck you boots down into it like the mud.


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## elevan

Maybe the title should be...

Where is the firm ground, just the right amount of rain, beautiful skies and lovely weather?


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## herfrds

I think we all complain about the weather. Gotta complain about something.  

I had some people complaining about how cold it was last summer. Told them I would rather deal with a little cold then the 113 degrees we had a couple years before. No more complaints from them.

We are waiting for the ground to dry out more so we can even get in the fields to start planting our malt barley.
The guy that spreads our fertilizer got one of his trucks stuck. They tried to pull it out and the rope snapped and they busted a bunch of hoses on the other truck. They had a logging chain on it too.


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## Royd Wood

Cloud bursts and thunder storms all day today 40mm of rain - unbelievable


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## RockyToggRanch

It's finally 70 here today with scattered thunder boomers and sprinkles. The daffodils just opened up today It was 30 last week.


It's very soggy here too:/


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## herfrds

Suppose to snow here again on either Thursday or Friday. Had rain showers off and on yesterday. Foecast is it is to be nice today.

Suppose to brand on Saturday guess we will see.


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## elevan

I have seriously had enough of the rain!!  We now have to carry the chickens out of the coop to higher ground so that they can free range.  The coop is elevated but the water is now up to the bottom of it and the girls just look at the water and then at us and back at the water when we wade through to open the door for them


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## Royd Wood

We got ripped with 120 km winds this morning with trees tossed like toothpicks barns and coveralls destroyed but yet again it seems so trivial to what has happened with you guys down in the States.
Its a total different view from our place as whole tree lines and woods have disappeared


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## rockdoveranch

We are 50 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast. 

We are in a horrible drought.  Have had less than 1/4 inch rain all year.  Our grasses are brown in the sheep pastures and there is exposed dirt and sand everywhere.  The grass in the horse pasture is disappearing, but we still have a little drying green grass on the track of land where the house is.

It feels like August here.  In fact, I keep thinking it is August.


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## savingdogs

While I'm grateful I have not seen tornados and my heart goes out to those hard hit, we have had freaky cold weather this year. We had snow today....it is practically MAY for goodness sakes. It did not stick, but even so. I want our regular weather back! 

I find it interesting we are all vaguely embarassed about our mud and our animals in mud. As if there is anything we can do about the weather....

I sure wish there was, but then again, man would probably screw it up somehow, so maybe I won't wish that after all.


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## rockdoveranch

savingdogs said:
			
		

> As if there is anything we can do about the weather....
> 
> I sure wish there was,* but then again, man would probably screw it up somehow*, so maybe I won't wish that after all.


+ 1


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## dianneS

We had high water on our property again yesterday.  It was headed for the house again and we haven't even finished the clean up from the last flood!  I figured if its gonna flood again, do it now before we replace the furnace and the other appliances!  The water did receed quickly though.

My aunt and uncle just lost about 3/4's of their huge dairy barn to a tornado the other night.  I don't know if they lost any animals, but it was all pretty bad.

I've had about enough of this weather already!  We'd better have a really late indian summer this year to make up for all of this!


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## herfrds

Last calf born today. FINALLY!!!!!!
Have been having off and on snow showers.
Forecast is calling for 60+ degrees on Monday.  
Hope they are right.


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## Royd Wood

Its the 3rd of freakin MAY and its rained solid all day with a temp of 6 and thick fog out there.
I'll be starting a new post - Where the h-ll is SUMMER soon


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## elevan

Royd Wood said:
			
		

> Its the 3rd of freakin MAY and its rained solid all day with a temp of 6 and thick fog out there.
> I'll be starting a new post - Where the h-ll is SUMMER soon


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## Royd Wood

16th of May - still raining - a crappy temp of 6 - all my animals still in - hay bill growing unlike the pasture.

The US and Canada are having droughts, floods (some man made), Wild fires and just cold wet conditions - whats yours ????????


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## DonnaBelle

Yep, it's 50 degrees here today, but the sun is shining.

I know you far Northerners have had a tough time this year.  It's no fun doing the chores in cold weather, let alone cold WET weather.  

I am hoping for some warm breezes for you guys soon.

DonnaBelle
McIntosh County, Oklahoma, USA

P.S.  We have had 20 in. of rain in the last month, so no drought here.  YET.


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## herfrds

Wind howling like crazy yesterday. Cloudy and spitting rain.


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## savingdogs

I doubt the Pacific Northwest will have any droughts soon, so I will be wishing for sun as hard as I can.

We have had a record-breaking year as far as rain and low temps. I'm really stumped how to go about planting this year. I've held off planting some of my cool weather crops but I'm sure summer will hit with a big bang as soon as I get them in the ground. 

We do not even have the lilacs blooming yet, still too cold.


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## rockdoveranch

A few days ago we got almost 2 inches of rain down here along the Texas Gulf Coast.  Our native grasses greened right up, but we are back in the drought again.  Grasses out in the sun look like hay sticking up out of the ground.

We have been in summer here for over a month.  I keep forgetting it is not summer.


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## PattySh

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN! So wet the water is pooling on top of my yards. The dogs come in soaked. My pigs are in the mud and the cows and horses padocks are all nasty. Whole barn is damp and the goats barely venturing out. Pour chickens and turkeys are stuck in their coop won't even venture out the door. It's disgusting.  Get soaked doing chores. The only plus is that the strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are thriving. Have no idea how we are going to get a vegie garden in if this continues tho


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## Royd Wood

Hey Patty - your place looks just like mine then
Rained all day and its so cold with no end to it before next week
No chance to sow oats and barley as the fields are soaked and its getting so late


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## Royd Wood

May 17th

temp 6
conditions - Raining - fog - windy - cold and damp
Animals - totally fed up
Chickens - wind blown and soaked
Me - pulling my hair out (whats left )


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## jodief100

We are 9 inches above "normal" for rainfall for the year.  Every step you take in the barnyard is "squish", pull your boot out of the mud and "squish" again.  

Last week was hot, in the 90's, this week is cold,  50's with lows in the 30's.  

The goats are all sleeping in the hayrack because it is the only dry place in the barn.  I feel bad but I can't clean out the winter yuck because I can't even get a wheelbarrow across the mud without it sinking let alone the tractor.  I keep putting more straw down but it will stay dry for about an hour.  

At least the kidding stalls are dry.  I opened the empty one last night and this morning it was full of wall to wall goat!

The chicks and turkeys are in the storage area of the barn with the tractor!  

I know some people have it much worse so I am thankfull that this is all.

Rain in the forcast untill Friday.


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## savingdogs

Jodie my goat barn is okay, but I feel bad for my chickens....I can't seem to get their run to drain and they have to walk through a small lake to go from their coop to their run. And the SMELL.....gross! I usually don't think my chickens smell but poop soup is horrific. I have someone coming to buy some chickens too and I'm not sure how to make the area look more presentable. I guess there isn't really, but they don't usually live like that! I can't seem to get the coop to dry out very well either from them walking through water to get in.


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## Royd Wood

savingdogs said:
			
		

> I have someone coming to buy some chickens too and I'm not sure how to make the area look more presentable. I guess there isn't really, but they don't usually live like that! I can't seem to get the coop to dry out very well either from them walking through water to get in.


I know what you mean as we have a farm shop selling everything and spend more time explaining the unusual spring = mud mud mud than the actual products and as for chicken poo soup


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## savingdogs

Well I shoveled out a whole bunch of wet stuff today and sprinkled a little pine shavings over the top and what a difference! It was a good thing I wrote down my intentions here, if not, I might have pooped out and gone nah.........but now I'm glad I did. I tried to make a trough for the water to drain out of there instead of making Lake Chickenpoo.


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## Royd Wood

Lake Chickenpoo   
Venture further down our place and there's Lake Cowpatty


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## elevan

We gave up on the ground drying out any.  We planted our garden veggies in pots.  My DH carries our cochin hen out of the coop every day (or she wouldn't leave it).  We put together a make shift bridge for the goats to be able to get out into the field.


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## Royd Wood

At last - we turned out the cattle Friday and sheep today. The pigs should be in the woods by next weekend and chickens in the pasture very soon. That was one mother awful spring and just wondered if we are all still around or did some of you go to Heaven on the 21st


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## Shiloh Acres

Wow, ok, I won't complain about the drought. Worst in many years, they say, and the last one has folks selling off herds they couldn't feed. No hay. And probably none this year. So I'm watering my pasture, which seems weird to me, but so far everyone is just able to eat. 

Weather strangely cool here too. I was late getting the garden in, which might be a good thing. I'm just afraid we'll spike to the more normal 100+ before anything is ready. Who knows what will happen? At least the tornadoes missed me -- some folks weren't so lucky. 

So I think I won't complain, and hope all y'all dry out soon!


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## rockdoveranch

Shiloh Acres said:
			
		

> Wow, ok, I won't complain about the drought. Worst in many years, they say, and the last one has folks selling off herds they couldn't feed. No hay. And probably none this year. So I'm watering my pasture, which seems weird to me, but so far everyone is just able to eat.


We are doing the exact same thing . . . watering at least one of our pastures.  We had to do the same thing two summers ago, but it is not summer yet.  One pasture is basically all dirt.  I envision the Oklahoma dust storms of the 20s or 30s.  

I wish we had a deep well pump like the rice farmers do, then we could flood the whole place.  

Hopefully we can avoid buying hay.  I am not a big fan of bringing someone else's grasses onto our place.  We have had our sheep and horse refuse to eat some bales even though they looked and smelled good to us, and we have had bales will dried cow poo and thorny plants in them.  And who know what parasites we are bringing in.


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