Good Morning! We finally received an inch of rain!!!!! I don't know if it will be enough to save the tomatoes. The high heat and lack of rain has caused blossom end rot to be a major issue. When this has occurred before, it has always been just a plant here and there and easily solved with the addition of land plaster. This year, however, it is every plant and nothing seems to make any difference. I don't think that we have been able to harvest more that 2 or 3 tomatoes this year. This will put a real dent in my pantry, not to mention my summer enjoyment, as tomatoes are one of my most favorite summertime offerings. I can tomatoes and use them for tomato sauce and salsa. This year I was planning on attempting to can spaghetti sauce, but, unless I can solve this problem, there will be no tomatoes. What a disappointment!!!
I love my country life. I really do. And I try to remember that when my day has chaotic events pop up like weeds. We had put Maggie and her new heifer calf into the pasture with the horse. Fortunately the horse accepted her quickly. Unfortunately the horse accepted her as her own foal and wouldn't let Maggie get near her. So they had gone back in the pen and we had put our two Angus calves out with the horse. One of these, the steer, is blind and we had kept a close eye to make sure that everything was all right with the three animals.
I had been doing laundry and was hanging out the third load when the skies grew dark and thunder was heard. The girls and I quickly took down the laundry and carried it inside. Then we put the tarps on the rabbit pens down, checked the stock, and headed inside. A few minutes later, while sitting in the den, I noticed cars on the highway were slowing down and stopping. Always alert to what changes in traffic may mean, I had just gotten up when Michaela yells that there is a cow on the road. The two older girls and I headed out at a run. Sure enough, the blind steer had somehow busted the fence and gotten out. Ever tried to round up a spooked blind steer on a highway in a thunderstorm? Normally Li'l Bit will follow me anywhere and everywhere, but not today. Up and down the highway we went, between eastbound traffic that had stopped and westbound traffic that had stopped. I was finally able to get a halter on him. Sort of. The only halter we could find was the one I use for goats and very small calves. It didn't really fit a 5-month-old steer. (Oh, yeah. Our two larger halters are currently holding pallets tied to fencing where the goats had broken through.) Finally, I get the 300+ pound steer drug back into the pen and the fence repaired, while every bit of that inch of rain fell, the lightning sparked, and the thunder crashed. Completely soaked, I ran back into the house. Just another day on the farm.
Looking back I realize that I crossed several things off my "Bucket List" yesterday. It's just that, as so often is the case with things I accomplish in a day, I had to add them to my list so that I could cross them off.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
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