Rain

I remember as  a child having those little seasonal sayings.  For March it was "in like a lion and out like a lamb".... also "April showers bring May flowers"  In general, the weather of spring has seemed to overflow it's boundaries  All around us the weather has been excessive.  There has been a lot of rain.  Some areas are getting in one rain fall the amount of rain expected for a whole month.  Last week we got one storm that brought down three inches.  That isn't so bad.  While we were at Mac's Dr. appointment I heard a woman say they had a two day storm that resulted in six inches of rain.

Of course, that brings a number of problems.  Flash flooding.  Flooding that doesn't "flash" and just stands there killing out the lower sections of corn fields.  And with the flooding we will have more issues with chemical run off into creeks, rivers and lakes.  The lake in the state park to the south of us has caused swimmers to break out in a skin rash.  Some are saying e-coli.  but since no one is mentioning a life threatening version of diarrhea, I'm thinking chemical run off.

Along with the rain, has come the wind.  A couple of tornadoes, but nothing bad there.  That is, as far as tornadoes go, they are pretty much non-events, but the straight line winds have been impressive.  Many communities have gone to the practice of sounding the tornado alarm for straight line winds just as they do for tornadoes.  Day before yesterday when a front moved through with straight line winds, trees were uprooted.  Barns blown down and fields of corn were laid completely flat.

We have been lucky.  Here on our little farm, we are built into the hill, protected and above the turmoil.  Our trees are still standing.  We just haven't been able to get enough clear sunny days in a row to allow for cutting hay.  That is a pretty small problem compared to what other people are going through..... but I really need some hay.  I also need to sell some hay so I can pay some bills.  Here it is July and we are still getting those April showers.  These days we might as well just call it "monsoon season" in Iowa.

Louie