It may not be the hottest on record or even the driest but by the looks of it, it's just as bad.
I have lost some chicks in some of these cracks and a goat got stuck in one. We try and not go out at night now due to the fact we might break a leg or worse yet, fall into one of our cracks and not make it back never to be seen again. It's dry to say the least. The other problem with these cracks are when it does start raining, they turn into sink holes. I have one in the pasture from last year that is big enough to drive a truck in.
I am out of water in my storage tanks, the well is running low and pumps air if ran for any period of time. We my friends, are in trouble here.
With over 100 degree weather for a while now and no rain or water, the gardens have all but dried up, the animals are suffering and we are not able to do anything much outside. I have already had some rabbits die due to heat stroke even though they are in the shade and have frozen water bottles in their cage.
Years past I have always welcomed September for it's rain and cooler temps but so far this year it has proved me wrong.
This weekend plans are to keep everything alive. Just as it has been for the last two months. We do have a couple of gatherings to attend but other than that, no projects, no interesting things to write about, just survival.
Keep cool,
MDR
Saying a little prayer that you all get some gentle rain. ♥
ReplyDeleteThanks LindaG, non in the extended forecast as of now. We will make it.
DeleteI would send you some rain but we haven't seen any either in two months. From the weather maps, it looks like those between you and I are hogging all the rain this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ed,
DeleteWe have had it all around us several times. It's sickening to watch it split. You hear the thunder and see the lightning but nothing is falling.
We're slso short of rain, and living in a winter rainfall area, it does not bode well for the coming season.
ReplyDeleteBut - our ground doesn't crack like yours... :-@
It's our dirt here Dani, it has such a high PI that when it rains it swells in mounds and when it's dry it cracks into voids. Worst dirt I have ever seen.
DeleteI wish we could send some rain your way MDR! I have the opposite problem at The Compound. My chickens need an area that stays dry for longer than a couple hours. Respiratory issues are plaguing me. Maybe you should invent shoes, similar to snow shoes, that would allow you to walk around your yard without sinking in the cracks? They look awful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Izzy,
DeleteI guess I could strap tennis rackets to our shoes. That might help.
Yup, I could take some of that off your hands.
Joe was walking through the room when I said "Listen to this!" I read your comment and he went into "Joe mode", and started pacing while saying "Oh my God. That poor man - those poor animals!" (We get like that when we realize how helpless we are, when we want to step up and make it all go away for you)
ReplyDeleteJoe is a prayer powerhouse, so for whatever that means for you, he takes prayer seriously.
Me? I'd rather be a rainmaker, waving chicken feathers on your land. I am SO sad for the condition you're in.
Thanks LJ and Joe,
DeleteBe assured the animals are getting water. No relief from the heat much but at least they are getting fresh water twice a day.
I have prepped for this more than anything and it goes to show that even though we prep, conditions determine how long we can live on them.
For two years I have been able to save enough water in the storage to get me through. This year without the rain adding to the storage I watched the levels slowly drop. We started rationing the stored water early on just to have enough, in the end it was still not enough.
Now I am on the lookout for more tanks. I need another 6000 gallons of storage to make it though.
Weather is just hard to figure out. The Southeast has had more then enough. The the Southwest is getting rain. We had too much through June here in MN, its been dry for 2 months and the heat last week dried out crops too early.
ReplyDeleteEveryone who knows you will pray for rain. Hang in there.
I don't have a choice but to hang in there Rob. I know we will make it through it but I just needed to bitch about it a little.
DeleteI wish I could have sent some of the rain we got last nite/this morning your way. My chicken coup is a big muddy mess.
ReplyDeleteI remember those days J&M. There was a time I complained about too much rain here as well. I don't think I will do that again.
DeleteI wish our worrying could be of some help. We've discussed you and yours off and on all day. So I came back just out of a need to make contact and see if there's anything we can do to help. I know there's not. But I can't help but say pointless things when I'm worrying.
ReplyDeleteNo need to keep worrying LJ, Either we will make it not. Relief will get here soon, maybe in a month or so. Until then we will do our best to keep everything comfortable.
DeleteThank you for your thoughts
WOW. We had some cracks last summer during the drough. We are getting a little rain now and then, more than last year, but still not enough. I would like to at least get one more cutting of hay, but that will require rain...
ReplyDeleteHay! What's that? The only hay we can get around here comes from out of the county or out of state. The only thing we have around here is wheat straw.
DeleteMDR --- we had rain skirting us for the past few weeks and it was getting desperate. The creek running through our land is bone dry. Then, the past two days, we got some rain and I wanted to go outside and have a celebration. We are here in Texas as well. For the past few weeks, we would literally drive through rain within two miles of us or it would show rain on the radar nearby, but it wouldn't touch us. We have so much land that the water hoses are not a possibility for watering, as it had been in the city. Hang in there and keep us in the loop. Have you also checked for fault lines that could be running in the area --- we just had another report in the Houston area about fault lines in Texas that are impacting some of our neighborhoods. One house was $500,000 and now has an appraised value of $30,000 because of a fault line. Seems as if the heat makes them more visible. But, the cracks in the earth from the heat itself are a huge issue...we have had a few out here and they can indeed be dangerous; I'll remember the part about chicks and animal legs, even for the dogs that might be running. If I were there, I'd do a rain dance for your land.
ReplyDeleteLana
Lana,
DeleteThanks for the comment. No I have never checked for fault lines, I never really thought of it.
Same here on the rain, the town to the south of us had a huge storm blowing down trees and causing major damage last week, we didn't get a drop.
We had rain here in N AL for six straight weeks, every day. Crops were ruined I would have given most of the rain to you! Now, with a week of dry weather, things are drying out a bit. If we could spread it around....
ReplyDeleteThose cracks look dangerous. Poor chicks. I hate to hear your animals are stressed from the heat. Be careful.
Thanks PP, the end is near, maybe a month from now but it's coming. I just wished it was a little more even.
DeleteThat's terrible! I hope you get lots of rain soon :(.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elise, It will get here eventually.
DeleteSorry about your chicks, buns, and goats :(
ReplyDeleteWe are having the same weather. It sucks!!!! I've had fans running in two coops, a fan aimed at my broody silkie, frozen water bottles for the buns (I don't know if they are smart enough to lay next to them), and I turn on a mister from noon-five every day for the chickens. I'm ready for fall ☺
Thanks Kelly
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