Sprint to the finish line
Whatever happened to those Monsoons I heard about?
How many times do we buy a tool only to use it once? I did this with a set of punches that were used to remove one roll pin from a rotary cutter about two months ago. With my bad memory, I predict that I will probably buy another set of punches when it comes time to remove another roll pin in the future. I tend to “discover” tools I buy after buying another one later in life. Guess it’s good to always have a backup.
One of the tools I found I rarely used this year was my rain gauge. I was excited to get it from the Water Resource Division. It’s always good to have metrics about as many things as possible. I track temperature and on which days it rains. Now that I can track how much rain we get, the only thing I was able to track was the number of wind-blown leaves that accumulated in the cylinder instead of water. No Bueno.
As I understand it, the last two weeks of July and most of August are supposed to be the rainy season with annual monsoons arriving. During these months, rainfall is unpredictable, and a person is more likely to find that cut grasses would be met with a dose of sprinkles or drenches. I do recall that this was the case growing up. Are times changing? This year was a welcome change of having a healthy amount of snowfall in years. Is this now considered a fluke? It’s hard to know what the concept of typical weather means now and in the future.
Holidays are not the time to be Idle
Looking around at the neighbors and the community, it appears that most people favor the 4th of July weekend to knock down that first cut of hay. Maybe it is because there is an extra day to bring in the harvest. Now, I look around and it seems like farmers are also big on knocking down another harvest right during Labor Day weekend.
Without having too much expertise whispered to me, I tend to think about the why. In this case, I believe that the “why” for when people choose to harvest hay during 4th of July might also be because this is where the grasses are fully seeded out and anything that was going to grow in the Spring is up, out, and showing its little head. This is also when the temperatures are blazing, and stalks and leaves can dry very rapidly.
Tying harvest to a holiday is also one less thing to have to think about. It’s like a yearly clock reminder that requires no mental space to remember. So, 4th of July and Labor Day it is. So, for those of you planning out that last cut and bale, I imagine that the clock is winding down. The days are getting shorter. The temperatures are dropping. I even discovered that my orchard is ready to have the pears and apples harvested. How do I know this? Because people who like to pick those fruits are now coming by to let me know. So, I guess it is probably canning season too.
Talks of winterizing pumps, equipment, vehicles, and animal structures are occurring. Last-minute changes to the land are imminent. The water will be shut off by the time this article goes to print. I can already see these darn prairie dogs waiving that little waive under their chin as they button down the hatches for the winter. Always take time to appreciate the successes and learning opportunities of the season. Pass along the lessons learned. Smile and smirk as the sun sets on yet another great season that the creator has blessed upon us.