The Weather Radio

Ah…spring in the country.

Blue skies, green grass and the singing of birds!

And the incessant buzzing of the weather radio.

I have a love/hate relationship with this vital piece of our homestead.

I obviously love it because it has the potential to save our lives. When you live beyond the sidewalks there are no tornado sirens to warn you of impending bad weather.

We can’t depend on the local TV station – because there isn’t one. And even if there was – satellite TV is the first to go when the clouds roll in.

Not that they would be able to tell us if we were in the path of the storm. Even our GPS has no idea where we are. When we turn on our gravel road it tells us “Driving on (then a pause as if confused) road.”

Our cell phones are useless. Our cell service is spotty even in good weather.

We really depend on that weather radio.

So, why do I hate such an important and useful tool?

You would not be asking that question if you had ever been awakened from a deep sleep with the incessant beeping of a weather radio.

Seriously. It’s enough to cause a heart attack. Or bladder issues.

And when you are in active weather pattern like we have been for the last ten days – it goes off night after night after night.

We get so sleep deprived, I want to unplug the thing, kiss my husband and say “If we don’t make it through the night, I’ll see you in glory, honey!”

It would be bad enough if it was just storms that directly affected us. But the weather radio covers a large listening area and many of the storms are well north, or south, or east or west of us. Then, when you finally settle back to sleep, it goes off again to tell you that same area has a flash flood warning.

You would think in this day and age someone would create a personal weather radio. One that said, “Hit the basement, Melinda! The tornado is about ten minutes out!”

Or, “Wake up! You have 15 minutes to get the chickens in before the torrential rainfall begins!”

Or. “Better cover your tender plants, it’s gonna freeze tonight!”

Surely, with our GPS capabilities this could be a thing!

Oh wait, GPS doesn’t even know where we are.

Scratch that idea.

And there it goes again – the incessant weather radio alarm informing me of our daily afternoon storm. Better get this posted – I’m about to lose internet.

Ahh…spring in the country!

Small Victories

Can we talk about the weather this winter? I’ve been trying to find an appropriate adjective to describe it, but I’m torn between unrelenting and horrid.

It’s been frigid, snowy, icy, rainy, foggy, windy, and muddy.

Sometimes all on the same day.

It’s been tough. Frozen bales. Snow drifts. Tractors that won’t start. Cows that walk over drifted fences. Ice. There were several days the only vehicle we could get out of the driveway was the 4 wheel drive truck – and that was iffy.

No church for three weeks in a row.

We had to cancel the Valentine’s Banquet, which is my favorite church event all year.

But the saddest part of all was that none of the kids could come for my birthday, and the weather was so bad Jan couldn’t even take me out.

It looked for a little bit like winter had us beat.

But we’re tougher than that. We got creative with our schedules and found a Saturday to get together with the kids.

Then February fought back with a massive blizzard due to arrive that day.

But we were undaunted. We watched the weather forecast with the intensity of a mama who was sick of winter and wanted to see her babies. It looked as if the rain would turn to snow about 6:00 in the evening, giving us a small window of opportunity, when the ice from the night before had melted but before the snow started.

And we took it!

It might have been one of the crazier things we have ever done, but we drove an hour and half in dense fog and drizzle to Laura and Steven’s.

We didn’t have a lot of time to do much, but we were together. I saw their faces. I hugged their necks.

And we left at exactly 4:15, which was enough time to get home before the snow started.

We hit heavy rain less than 10 minutes into the drive.

It turned to sleet.

And then snow flurries for the last 45 minutes.

But we made it!

Over three hours on the road to spend a little over 4 hours with our kids. It was so worth it.

So there, Winter! After weeks of giving in to the weather, we finally beat it!

It was a small victory, but oh so sweet!

It might be dangerously cold outside again today and there might be more snow in the forecast this week, but that little victory has given me confidence.

Winter won’t win.

Before the Grass Comes In

I’ve discovered that there is a new season on the farm – one that our city cousins don’t necessarily encounter.

I call it “Before the grass comes in.”

This season happens directly after the snow melts and before the grass greens up and starts growing – which signifies the start of the spring busy season.

I know the season has arrived when I hear –

“Those varmint cedar trees need to be picked up and burned before the grass comes in.”

“I’ve got to get that baler fixed before the grass comes in.”

“Those locust trees down by the pond should be taken care of before the grass comes in.”

“I really should burn the ditches before the grass comes in.”

“There’s lots of brush and thorns to clean up from that last snow storm before the grass comes in.”

With each added minute of daylight as spring approaches, the list gets longer and my husband gets busier.

And I will admit that he’s not the only one with a list.

I know that as soon as the grass turns green all indoor projects will be put on hold until the ground freezes next fall.

There’s a shower that needs to be fixed, a quilt that needs to be finished and a basement that we’ve been slowly working on all winter.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if these projects sit undone. It’s hard to get motivated to work inside when the sun is shining and the temperatures are climbing!

After all – the grass is greening up!

When It Rains It Pours

The weather lady warned us.

She called it a “derecho” or inland hurricane on national TV.

She was right.

The first wave arrived about 4:30 in the afternoon with ominous clouds and heavy rain.

And it never stopped. The weather radio went off all night!

Wave after wave of strong wind, heavy rain and hail.

Even tornadoes.

But thankfully we didn’t get the brunt of it.

We missed the 100 mph wind gusts and tennis ball size hail.

And the tornadoes were all twenty miles north.

Our winds were a measly 60 mph and our hail was only pea sized.

But – oh my the rain! Lots and lots of rain. Five and a half inches of rain.

Walls of rain.

Blinding sheets of rain.

So much rain that we developed a river in the basement.

That river became an ocean.

We quickly moved everything up and away from the water. The wet/dry vac became our best friend.

The guys took two hour shifts all night to stem the tide of water. All night.

And Buddy took the day shift the next day. All day.

But thankfully we didn’t lose anything.

And there was no major damage outside – just a few branches down and some minor hail damage in the garden.

We’re counting our blessings here!

Even the flooded basement has a plus side – my floor has never been so clean!

Storm Damage

We had quite a storm blow through last week.

Black skies. Strong winds. Horizontal rain. Flying shingles.

When the worst of it had blown over, we ventured out to survey the damage.

Shingles littered the yard.

Corn stalks from the neighbor’s fields hung in the trees.

One skylight on the workshop was broken.

Branches and sticks were everywhere.

And one huge silver maple tree was ripped from the ground by the roots.

Wow.

That storm left a mark that we will be cleaning up for sometime!

But as we started to pick up sticks and sharpened the chain saw, we noticed a common theme.

The shingles were all from the old house. They were old, worn and not well attached. The limbs that had blown down were mostly dead branches.

And that big old silver maple? It was totally rotted inside.

The storm did the most damage to those things that were not well grounded or secure.

But the tree didn’t look rotten from the outside. It was big and beautiful and fully leafed out.

And we never saw all the dead branches and limbs hiding in the foliage.

But when the storm hit, it didn’t matter what they looked like on the outside or how well hidden they were. The strong winds found and destroyed them.

There’s a lesson here.

The storms of life will come.

The winds of adversity will blow hard and you will feel deluged by the realities around you.

And when they do – will you stand firm?

Is your faith solid to the core?

Can you stand secure in your heavenly Father?

Dig your roots down deep into the bedrock of His faithfulness and let it rain!

Summertime

After a wet cold spring , we were all kinda wondering if summer would ever get here.

It did. This week.

And not just the weather! (Which is really hot and humid…)

We had our first guests of the season – 2 of my sisters, one soon-to-be-niece-in-law, one niece and her bff. (best friend forever)

Can you say shopping?! At a thrift store of course!

Pedro wasn’t here – he spent the week house sitting for a friend, leaving Buddy as the lone male in a house full of girls while Jan was at work.

So of course the the electric fence charger got knocked down in the mud, the entire fence was down, all the cows got out, and the water tank sprang a leak.

Oh – and we had a baby calf!

We miss you Pedro. Come home. Now.

We planted two more rows of sweet corn, two more rows of green beans, and lots of herbs. Still no weeding though. Maybe next week…

And we enlarged my flower bed!

Okay – so it may not be the flower garden of my dreams – it is twice as big as last year!

Baby steps are still progress. 🙂

Don’t you think the wire fence adds to the charm and beauty of the scene?! Not. But it is a necessary evil to keep the silly chickens and cats out until the flowers get established.

Speaking of cats – we also had our first litter of kitties for the season. Still haven’t found them though.

And to top it all off – we’re packing for our annual family camping trip.

There’s just something about sleeping bags and Hershey bars and bug spray that says “Hello – it’s summer!”

Oh – and did I mention that it’s hot and humid?

The Merry Month of May?

This is one momma who will be very glad to turn the calendar page to June.

We knew May was going to be a humdinger – and it was.

Why? Just take a look at the numbers:

Fifteen days away from home.

Three different states – on eight different trips.

Over 2500 miles driven.

Don’t even ask how much we spent on gas.

Four days with Matt home. (Too short!)

One wedding.

One graduation.

One family reunion.

Two nieces and two nephews in a play.

Numerous hugs.

Many laughs.

A few tears.

Two home school conferences.

Two snowstorms.

Too many thunderstorms.

50 some broilers.

One huge bull calf that needed to be pulled and then – after we heroically saved his life – he died anyway.

Two huge gardens planted, including 40 some tomato plants.

Four broken lawnmowers and one really overgrown lawn.

Whew.

We made it.

We started the month in winter and ended it in summer. I guess spring happened at some point, but I think I missed it.

I’d say we filled this month with just about as much as we could! And it was all good.

Now it’s time to move on.

But first – a very long nap.

Chicken Rodeo

We knew that we had the potential for severe weather when we left for my niece’s graduation party yesterday. But we went anyway. Because that’s what you do when you have an amazing niece who does an awesome job and graduates and has a party and invites you. 🙂

We drove the four hours to the party in overcast skies and light rain. All afternoon at the party it was overcast and rainy. It wasn’t until we were almost half-way home that the clouds started to look a little more ominous.

As we drove through some pretty heavy rain, Jan had me try to find some weather information on the radio.

Oh dear. There was a line of strong storms stretching across the state at an angle. Strong winds. Heavy rain. Hail. Even tornadoes.

We drove a little faster, ahead of the storm momentarily, but we could see it – massive clouds churning and moving.

An hour from home we start worrying about the chickens – 50 some broilers and a few layers that were in an outside pen. They had protection from the rain – but strong winds would destroy their pen in a matter of seconds.

We drove even faster, watching the clouds darken, all the while formulating our plan to get those birds into safety before the storm hit.

As soon as we pulled into the yard – everyone would exit the van running. We would then all grab our boots and gloves and head to the chicken pen.

Buddy would grab the chicken tubs, Pedro and Jan the portable pens. Then Angel Girl and I would catch chickens, put them in the tubs and the guys would carry them to the pens in coop.

Great plan! We can do this!

As we drove down the gravel road I suddenly remembered that I was wearing my “Sunday best” clothes and would soon be wrangling chickens in a pen full of wet chicken droppings. This is not a good thing.

I removed all my jewelry and revised my plan to include a stop in the basement for a pair of coveralls.

Jan pulled in the driveway – with the clouds hanging overhead. He and the kids race towards the house. I race, too, but a little slower as I realize that I’ve been in the car for 4 hours and really need to save my bladder before I can save even one chicken.

I’m just leaving the bathroom as the kids are already heading outside. Then – in a massive dash to catch up – I run to the basement and grab the first pair of coveralls I can find – a bright blue pair of my dad’s that say Jim on the pocket.

As I squeeze into them – I notice that one knee is out and material is a little thin. But there’s no time to change. I grab the only pair of boots I can find – and of course they haven’t been worn for some time and are covered with dust and spider webs. I can only imagine what’s inside each one.

It’s then that I remember that I’m barefoot – having worn sandals all day. But there is no time to be squeamish, I turn the boots upside down and shake them out – just praying that any spiders that may be inside are dead. Then push my bare feet into the boots, shuddering as I hear crunching.

I grab a pair of gloves – mismatched of course – and rush out to save the day.

To their credit, none of my children laughed (much) as I showed up in the chicken pen, bent over to grab a chicken and promptly ripped out the entire backside of the coveralls.

But I kept working – everybody did – and we saved all fifty some broilers and the handful of skittish layers as it started to drizzle.

There went my hair. So I’m wearing bright blue coveralls with a ripped out backside and Jim on the pocket, rubber chore boots full of dead bug parts and a pair of mismatched gloves and now I have Bozo the clown hair.

But at least we saved the chickens.

And I got a blog post.

I hope you at least got a chuckle out of it. 🙂

A Good O’ Snow Storm

I love a good snow storm.

The temperature drops as the wind picks up, blowing fresh snow, closing schools and roads.

Everything stops.

The calendar gets cleared.

My busy day turned into a vacation day.

I can hunker down in my nice warm house with my family around me and rest.

No schedule. No obligations.

There’s a bit of excitement in the air, almost a holiday atmosphere.

The kids sleep in.

Fresh scones for breakfast – maybe some homemade hot chocolate later.

No traffic goes by.

We’re isolated in our little world – surrounded by a blanket of white.

The wind howls.

The furnace hums.

And my soul rests.

Later, when the wind dies down, we’ll pull out the sleds and the cross country skies. Ready to slowly rejoin the rest of the world, reveling in the stillness and beauty after the storm. Refreshed after our unexpected day off.

But now is the time to cocoon.

For hot tea and warm quilts.

For jig saw puzzles and family games.

A time to savor home and family.

Oh yes, I love a good snow storm!

A Little Bit Crazy

Sometimes I think we might be more than a little crazy.

Take Saturday night for instance.

We had plans to go to a free gospel concert about 30 miles away. We don’t get a lot of Christian concerts around here – and free ones are even harder to find! We really wanted to go.

But the forecasters had been calling for severe weather.

And the weather radio kept going off all afternoon.

But by the time we were ready to leave, the dark clouds had passed our house, leaving just a few drops of rain, and the sun was trying to come out.

Things looked good – so we packed up and headed out.

The sunshine didn’t last long. We watched an ominous wall cloud moving quickly ahead of us. The sky blackened as we drove right under the massive, whirling storm clouds.

Angel Girl made us stop so she could take some pictures because the sky was so incredible – in a scary weird “hold on to Toto” way.

By the time we reached the concert venue and got inside – the sky was black.

But for the next 2 hours we were oblivious to the weather as we enjoyed some amazing gospel country music from High Road III . Wow – can those girls sing!

As their three voices blended together in praise, I had goose bumps on my arms.

Absolutely beautiful music.

It wasn’t until we were on the way home that Dagmar got a text from a friend that while we were there, a tornado had touched down just 20 miles away.

We never even noticed!

I guess only crazy people drive from safety into the storm to see a concert.

But then again – that concert was crazy good!