She sniffed out a 'possum in the old storage cabin last night. We didn't know it was a 'possum until about noon today but anyway I helped her to get to it and then held her back while I shot it. I didn't want to risk her being bitten on her first hunt. And I didn't want the possum to be mauled to death either. We just can't have them around here because of the poultry. I don't know who is most proud. Penny of herself or us of her. From a puppy mill doggie to an inside/outside farm doggie she is finally finding out what life is really like.
It is really hot here. Holly and I don't have much garden stuff left to water anymore so we are giving the flowers more water. I concentrate on perennials that I really love and look like they might be succumbing to the drought conditions. The water conditioner at the well gets run at night only and we do our laundry, I get jugs of water for drinking and cooking, etc. then. During the day we both water plants. I try to give long deep soaking drinks every 1 - 3 weeks because there are so many plants to water. I have come to look at weeds in a whole new way. They are water thieves. So they MUST be removed. We cannot be wasting water on unwanted plants.
I've heard reports that this is the worse drought in 6 years. I think it has been longer than that but maybe not. I remember hearing since childhood that the weather tends to go in approx. 7 year cycles. I thought this is year 4 of the drought, maybe it is closer to the end than I thought. We could use a nice rain. Tho last summer the rains came at almost perfect intervals if I remember correctly. I'm glad for us that we cash rented the land this year- first time ever for us- but sure feel sorry for the tenent. One of the bean fields looks so bad. He planted soybeans after taking out winter wheat. I don't think he will even get the price of the seed back from that field. We have seen other farmers doing what appears to be chopping whole corn fields rather than combining them. Some started with the combines then pulled out and came back with what looked to be a chopper machine. Might be totally wrong about this tho.
The yarden is so dry it crackles when walked on. Even the Gill Over the Ground looks done in. The prostate knotweed still looks fairly good as does some stuff that might be perennial ryegrass. But those are only in small patches. It is really unusual for the old fescue to get into such bad condition even from dry spells.
When it cools off I need to keep working on clearing out the back room of that storage shed. I've burned so much trash. Boxes of boxes. All empty. It must not have been possible to burn a lot of that stuff when it got put in there and then other stuff just got piled on top of it. I found a midevial looking tool in there that had to have belonged to one of Jack's grandfathers. He doesn't really know what it is. Maybe a tree limb removing axe, maybe a log slab axe, etc. I'll let Holly look at it and see if she has ever seen one. Then I'll take it to work tomorrow and see if someone can identify it.
I think I'll lie down for a while. GOD bless and keep each of you.
Penny knows what a terrier is suppose to do now.
