Mud

It’s officially here – the fifth season of the year.

For those of us who live in a rural area, we actually get an extra season. It comes right after winter and lasts until spring.

It’s the mud season.

The combination of melting snow and cold wet rains makes our country living messy for a few weeks.

The chickens have muddy feet and muddy feathers which in turn makes their eggs muddy after they are laid.

The gravel roads are a soggy mess we like to call gumbo. They can be slicker than the ice and snow that preceded them.

Oh, and did I mention the ruts that develop on the high spots? So deep they could blow a tire.

Those folk with livestock sure don’t appreciate this extra season. It wreaks havoc with the feeding schedule as they have to deal with muddy lanes and muddy pastures and muddy equipment.

On the way to church Sunday we saw one farmer starting to slide down hill in the mud. He got the truck in 4- wheel drive just in time to avert an accident.

But as messy as it is, and as much of a nuisance, we’re still thankful for it.

It’s this moisture that will make our pastures green and lush in a few weeks. It will fill our ponds and water our livestock.

It means the soil is good and moist. It will be ready to receive seed in a few weeks and produce a bountiful harvest.

“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” – Hosea 6:3