llama Grove Groove » weather

Growing Season Begins

kari — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:30:39 +0000

The rhubarb and garlic are growing already! We’ve had such warm weather that today I was sweeping wasps nests off the roof and found a wasp. The nights have been very cold, though. there is no cloud cover at night, so we have a real risk of frost taking the buds off the apple trees and killing the garlic and rhubarb.

Sad to Say

kari — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:16:09 +0000

It’s hard to see, but the insanely wet and cold weather we’ve had gave us our first hail this week. Unfortunately we’ve been getting over an inch of rain each each day.

The really sad thing about this is that our barn flooded again! Horses and cows are too heavy for french drains.

Because of this and our lack of time, we gave up our beef cow. He’ll have a gret time with the cows in the new pasture he’s going to live in, well, for a while. He is a Jersey Angus cross steer, so he’s not really slated for a long life.

Winner

kari — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:13:10 +0000

All winter we fought the water. In some ways we were the clear winners: the barn did not flood.

In some ways it was a draw: we directed the stream that runs next to the barn. As long as we didn’t drive over it with the truck, it stayed in the path we made. Did I mention that the truck is the only way to get to the manuer pile in the winter?

Ray rented a trench digger, got some help, and dug 300 feet of soon to be subterranian paths for this water. A French drain was about to begin. The trencher didn’t like working in very wet soil so the water path and about 15 feet of the area North of the barn had to be dug by hand. The trencher was returned, the pipe has been purchased, now we are waiting for a dry day to continue work.

This is it! This will work. We will finally overcome the water!

Today It’s 60. Last night it snowed.

kari — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:13:33 +0000

The weather has been having fun with us lately. How nice and sunny! How it snowed last night! And rained the day before, and was really great for two days before that.

Work must go on, though. Today is the day we’d been dreading: cleaning day. Sure it happens all the time, but the drainage is sucking the wheelbarrow into the earth. Help, help!

Things are looking good. There are fewer runny noses and more sunlight. Let’s hear it for Spring! And we’re back on track to make the outdoors our own again.

We’ll miss the black gold the alpacas and llamas provided, but there is just as much manuer on the pile as there ever wa.

Sulight in the Storm

kari — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:09:46 +0000

With the onset of a storm, we realize that tilling should have been done back when we had that week of sunlight. Fortunately, today we had a short sun burst in the middle of the day. There was even a double rainbow to keep us company as we scurried about doing what we could. No, there was no tilling because the ground was too wet, but the animals had a nice time out.

The barn must be readied for a new group of chicks. We’ll be experimenting this year with cornish cross hens. For the first time we’ll bring meat birds on the farm.

Pruning Time

kari — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:24:21 +0000

We’re running a little behind on the pruning this year, well for the last three years. This is the first year that we’ve really gone after the apple and pear trees. But this is the right time of year, so we’re going to do it! Let’s hear it for large fruit in 2009!~

Snow and Ice

kari — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:36:05 +0000

Just as we started pruning apple trees and moving manuer up to the garden, another snow storm came through! Then last night was about 20F. It might be hard to tell, but in the middle of this picture is an ice sculpture made by a broken water pipe. The crystals were lovely as they froze on tree branches.