April Showers, Indeed

April has certainly been the month for showers. Here on the farm, the ground is saturated with water from all the rain we have experienced over the past several weeks. When I walk my friend, The Heavy-B, I hear the ground burble with oversaturation. The many springs on the farm are flowing steadily, and water pools in low-lying areas. There is a divot in our front lawn that resembles a small pond. This divot is large enough that my gaggle of grumpy geese has been hanging around, splashing and preening in it. Getting any yard work done, let alone mowing the grass, has been impossible.

Nature is fickle. Too much water causes flooding, mud and muck, and fast grass growth, which is almost impossible to keep abreast of. Too little rain, and we worry about drought, failed crops, and slow-growing pastures. I try to look at the rainy season in a positive light. My thought is that we won't have to worry about drought because the water table is high. We had very little snow this year, so Mother Nature is compensating. There is a downside to too much rain, though. We have not been able to mow the grass, clean out the barn, or begin our landscaping project. Running equipment to do any of these things is out of the question. The large tractor will create ruts and mud so deep a baby goat could get lost in them. That, in turn, leads to more work because then, said ruts will have to be filled in, smoothed over, and replanted. I have said before that farming is a balancing act.

Yesterday, we spent the day outside picking up sticks from the oak trees that line the driveway. The Bibbed Wonder's back is giving him issues, so The Bean and I were on stick-picking duty. Although my bib overall-wearing buddy declared he would not mow until later in the week to give the ground time to dry up a bit, his grass-mowing OCD got the better of him, and he mowed the front yard, my walking path, and the right side of the driveway. He claimed if he had not mowed yesterday, the mower would not have been able to cut the grass without stalling. I'm not sure what a few more days would have hurt, but at this stage in our marriage, I understand that sometimes it's better not to ask too many questions. My husband has to stay busy. He has a running to-do list in his head. If he does not meet his self-imposed quota, he gets twitchy. I prefer a non-twitchy bibbed wonder.

I can't mock Eric for his need to accomplish tasks. I, too, have things I deem important and need to do. I would rather do these things sooner than later, so I act, sometimes impulsively. For example, I have looked at a non-functioning outdoor lamppost for almost a decade. As the years pass, this lamppost falls deeper into disrepair. The electricity to it was cut before we moved in, so I knew I was in no danger of being shocked. I finally took it upon myself to dismantle this lamppost. As I asked The Bibbed Wonder to give me the tools, I would need to take it down. He sighed and said he was sure it was a job that would turn into his job, but he humored me and gave me three wrenches. None of the wrenches fit. Being the responsible adult I am, I placed his wrenches in the correct order, back on the holding rack he created to house them. I got three larger wrenches and tried my best to unscrew the bolts holding the lamppost onto the cement pad. After four unsuccessful attempts to get the bolts to move, I lost my grip and whacked my knuckles on the metal post. Only slightly discouraged by the blood running down my hand, I decided I needed to take a less refined approach. I, again, placed my bib overall wearing buddies wrenches in their rightful home and grabbed an ax. I looked for a sledgehammer, but the ax was conveniently placed inside the garage door.

With three good whacks from the ax and a hefty push, the lamppost was down and lying in bits and pieces. I gave the long wires that remained a few good cracks with the ax, and the removal was complete. I triumphantly carried the fragments of the lamppost to the trash bin. The Bean stood watching me, giggling at my ingenuity. I told her if I couldn't take it down with finesse, I would take it down with brute force. She made fists and punched the air, yelling, "Tina Smash!" in her best Wreck It Ralph voice. Sigh, she acts a lot like her father.

We then drove the Ranger down the lane and commenced picking up fallen sticks and branches. We gathered four loads of sticks and burned them in our fire pit. Eric passed us on the mower, throwing his version of gang signs and gesturing to us. Overall, it was a productive day. Our yard resembles a mown hay field, but the chickens and geese enjoy grazing on the grass clippings. There are indeed small ruts in the yard, but nothing is to be done about it. Hopefully, the ground will dry, and we will have time to clean the barn before Wednesday's next round of rain.

This week, we will take a break from the studio other than to pack orders and give some much-needed attention to completing outdoor tasks. Today, we plan to clear fallen trees from the fields. A dead tree at the end of the lane also needs to be cut up and turned into firewood. There are so many things to do before our event on May 4th. We are hoping the weather cooperates and we can get everything done. Unfortunately, the flower planting and landscaping will not be done in time. As always, we will roll with the punches and adjust our schedules accordingly.

On this lovely, sunny day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, and keep washing your hands.