Job 1:21

wee....
"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

THAT is my verse of the week/month/year.

Up until last evening, we were having an outstanding garden season. But at 5:50 p.m. July 22, that all changed. A very sudden, very ferocious storm came up with wind, rain, rotating clouds, and massive amounts of hail. Hay in the pasture was as tall as my rib cage. It now is about 6 inches tall. The pumpkins are nothing but pock-marked green orbs. Carrot tops have been sheared off at ground level. Pepper plants that had been loaded with tiny fruits are now nothing but little sticks. Cucumbers are smashed into relish. I have never seen such destruction since I was a child.
We lost 5 windows on the house and 3 on the garage. Fortunately, the 4 calves we have all survived (yes, hail can kill), and some of the plants might come back once they get pruned and have some time to recuperate.
I will be replanting peas, lettuces, spinach, beets and any other crop that will have a chance to fruit before frost, within the next 5 days.
The photo above is what is left of the potatoes. Below is what is left of the tomatoes and a pumpkin--PRE-CARVED!
Through all this, I know my God is in control and I can say "it is well with my soul"

Donna

Summertime

Yep, summer has hit! It has been a month since I have been able to sit long enough to update this. We have been weeding, and raising chickens, and weeding, and haying, and running produce here and there, and weeding, and having company and did I mention WEEDING????
Life's good, just too busy right now.
My dear husband mentioned that I need to fill you in on my "adventures". Let's see, where to begin... the new laying hens are growing up MEAN! They like to jump up and try to spur my arms when I feed them. Other chickens have not learned not to bite the hands and arms that feed them. My forearms look like they have been in a war zone. (Okay, I exaggerate a bit, but not much.)
And take a look at the mower we have! What an interesting learning curve that has been. The mower is an antique horse-driven implement. We don't have horses. We pull it with the pickup. I, oh wonderful super-human woman that I am, get to drive said pickup. Not too fast, not too slow, round and round the pasture we go. Did I mention the pickup doesn't have much for power steering? I have biceps like never before in my 44 years! My job is not as difficult as Lyn's though. He has to bounce around on that thing, lifting and lowering the correct lever to avoid getting the mower bar (upright in the picture) plugged up with cheat grass. Nasty stuff! We have also had to learn to communicate by hand signals for go, stop, left and right. I am SURE we will laugh about this someday. The first time we took the mower out he mentioned something about one of us having some fun doing this. We still aren't sure which one that is.
There are other adventures to tell but will have to wait as I hear the bindweed mocking me and the chickens howling for supper. I guess I'd better get back to it.
D.