I'LL NEVER CATCH UP

Here I am again, way behind in my blog - but don't feel bad - I'm way behind in everything. there just aren't enough of me. I need at least two clones.

After a depressingly cold and slow spring, Mother Nature has suddenly turned up the heat. I have spent all day outside trying to get some yard work done and am paying the price for not reapplying sunscreen at some point in the afternoon. My face isn't the neon pink it usually goes with too much sun, but, boy do I have a farmer's tan! Well, make that a burn at the moment, but I'll keep slapping on the moisturizer and it will eventually turn brown. I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts so only some of my arms and legs are affected. I'm going to look ridiculous when I want to wear a sleeveless shirt.

The long cool spring has really effected the crops. Things were planted at the regular times but germination was slow because the ground just wasn't warm enough. With the recent heat fields are starting to green up and it wouldn't look bad - if it were the end of May.

We are more concerned with the state of the hay crop. It doesn't look like there will be much of that either. The timothy grass is heading out at eight inches high (it should be double that). We had almost two inches of rain last week and they are saying we should be getting some more tomorrow, but the plants are already stressed into maturing early so the bulk won't be coming to make winter feed for cattle. Glen is really having a struggle with this as he had quite a few replacement heifers that he wanted to keep, but can see that he will be reducing his herd, not expanding it with the feed situation as it is. He's typically the kind of guy who has hay kept over from one year to the next, but this spring had him using almost all his extra feeding the herd while he waited for the pastures to green up. I'm of two minds about this - on the one hand, I think it's ridiculous that we have a herd as big as we do - I thought we were aiming for semi-retirement. On the other hand, I can see some really lovely animals out there that it's going to hurt to have to sell. I understand how he feels.

The only thing that seems to be growing just as fast as ever is the dandelions out in our yard. I made a very quick trip over to England last week to see an aunt who had been hospitalized. My sister and I could only manage a week's worth of time, but we made the most of it, balancing visiting and sight-seeing. I arrived back here last Friday night and have been trying to catch up with yard and garden ever since. I'm beginning to think that the first full week of June is the wrong week to leave a garden and lawn. I was outside working all day long today and, although I've got a lot started, I have nothing done. It sounds like the Good Lord is going to see fit to water it all tomorrow. Part of me is cheering Him on, but the rest is just cringing at the thought of how big the weeds will be by the time I can get out in the garden again.