Happy Harvest Blog
The rain in Spain is totally insane
It has rained hard and steady for ten hours straight and isn't done. There is more standing water than dry land right now. The chickens were all wading over their ankles and the chicks in water up to their feather pants. The rain gauge was over 120mm when I last checked. That is insane! The chickens spent the day in their coops and rain house; I didn't even open them for eggs and risk letting the rain in.
Floods
Today was a torrential downpour in the morning. When it rains I run around like a mad person trying to catch or use it all. I filled several barrels today. I'm expecting a long stretch of rainlessness this summer, and that every rain we get maybe the last for a long time, although it keeps coming and coming. All the birds rushed under cover when it came thundering down, except the little Silkie mama with three chicks.
Saturation point
It's been raining for almost ten days straight. It's just unbelievable. No more water can be absorbed. It's just puddles and standing water everywhere. The ground is so soft you can unexpectedly plunge in the ground over your ankle walking along. then it tries to pull your boot off. The chickens have had their coops outside for several days, but when the rain come hammering down, they run into the greenhouse, which remains empty, to shelter.
Rain day
What a day. Buckets of water coming down, starting out with slush on the ground, and wind, blowing the cold rain into your face and coat. All the chickens opted to stay in the greenhouse most of the day, only making brief forays out when the rain abated. The guineas took one step out in the morning before jumping back in, the chickens got several steps out before pulling their necks back, wheeling around and running back in. It's gross out there! I found it the perfect day for a nap, and that was glorious. Never enough sleep!
Rain relief
The heat wavefinally expired in a thunderstorm, as they often do. After so many days sticky and gross, I decided to go out in the downpour in near swimwear and plastic shoes and just get drenched with the rest of the hot thirsty world. I had to move lots of water, as I always do when it rains, to make sure not to waste a drop that the roofs are catching, and shuttling water in a rubber suit to stay "dry" underneath was not appealing. It was as glorious as I imagined!
Viva les chipmunks!
After the last rain, I found a chipmunk floating dead in a water bucket, unable to swim any longer. I was sick about it all day. There is plenty of tragedy out here. Not life eats life, which we call "that's life", but preventable death or pain, especially due to human (my) activity. Animal death for the sake of human convenience, because a sophisticated and specialized animal hasn't evolved fast enough to cope with human experiments like plastics and cars, that's tragic, and it's a tragic drama of global scale. Everywhere we look there is destruction of animals deliberately, accidentally, and indirectly.
Water off a chick's back
Butterfly party by the GH door. There's a bit of mud there, and it drew a butterfly crowd (why?) Mama hen and her chick duo slip in and out of Silkieland, but stick close by to it. They seem comfortable over there, rather than the far side of the greenhouse. All the chickens could come and go from Silkieland, it's not a secure facility, but most stay. They're a little too crowded for my taste but they show every sign of contentment, so - good enough for now. When I make the next one space will be doubled.
Final notice eviction
Today was transplant day in the greenhouse, so the chickens were officially OUT. They took it pretty well. I expected sad puppy at the door behaviour, but they have spent enough time in transition that they were pretty content outdoors. However, the forecasted 1mm of rain was a bit more than that, and earlier, so just like last year, transplant/eviction day was a big rain day (complete with thunder). So I spent the morning running around hastily throwing up rain and wind shelters for these birds that haven't seen the elements in months to hide under.
Lush
There's that green. The world is overwatered right now and the grass is growing with all its might. Expect to see it in the eggs soon - the chickens are free-range again (fair weather only). HW comes home and says " Where'd all these starts come from!?" "You grew these?" Yep, they're the same ones as were there yesterday, and the day before... "They're so big!" Yes, they are. And so green. Ready to go outside. I was shuttling tomatoes and set a box down for one second to empty the wheelbarrow....oh...oh!
Waiting for rain
It's been so hot, for so long. Everything is parched, tired, thirsty. Fire risk is high.Every day I haul water to keep the greenhouse and garden residents alive.20160626_085638My broccoli is thriving! A surprise. Cabbages utterly failed last year, so I thought cruciferae didn't agree with my garden.
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