Spring Rain

We had a welcomed rain at the Chicken Ranch. Not a lot, but we’ll take it. This winter has been dry, with little snow or rain. And while we have enjoyed the mild temperatures and easy traverse here, we do worry about what affect the low moisture content will have on this years crops. Wheat, pasture grasses, hay, corn and beans are Midwest farming staples. All not very drought resistant. Although we are not declared a drought area yet, many lakes and streams are at very low levels.

This time of year typically finds creeks and rivers near the Chicken Ranch rain-swollen, if not outright flooded, from melting snow and rains. But, one oft flooded river could easily be crossed on foot at the time of this writing. Drift wood litters the river bed as it stacks upon the sand. Sand bars stick out of the waters, forcing the river to split into little streams. The thirsty waterway crowds the fish in to shallow pools, where the eagles and Sandhill Cranes exploit their vulnerability; they enjoy the fast food experience.

Ducks and geese along the flyway are crowded more than usual. Each species of fowl clutched together in segregated groups like delegates at a political rally. A variety of sizes, colors, and noises greet you along the river banks and eddies. The waterfowl welcome the rain with shaking heads and spreading wings as they lift out of the water to tiptoe across the surface and then light again.

The stream fed lakes await the return of rivulets of water that will raise the water level to its normal state. Dead trees in the lakes have whitened rings on the trunk that bear the usual watermark, a good six feet or more higher than the current ripples. Cracked and dried mud banks grow wider as each week goes by with no significant rainfall. The Old Farmers Almanac calls for a mild, dry spring in our area. Time will tell just how dry.

The trees and bushes however, are bursting with blooms. Each day brings new shades of green, pink, and more. As the 80+ degree temperatures trigger a natural response and the woods and grasses react. Stark and bare trees now wear the promise of shady foliage to come.

The birds of spring are beginning to arrive and stake out homesteads among the branches. Their cheerful chirps and tweets begin early, just before daylight, and continue into the evening.

Flowers grow more confident and every new day show a taller, greener part of their stems, and we await the coming blooms with happy anticipation. Tulips, crocuses, lillys and more are racing to the surface, hoping to be the first to dress in summer clothes.

We have planted the salad beds here at the Chicken Ranch. Hardy Swiss Chard, leaf lettuces, spinach, turnips, and more are seeded in the soil . We hope that any frost that may yet come will be light enough for these cool weather plants to ignore. When we plant its not the cold that we fear but the lack of nourishing rain. As any farmer/gardener does, we plant and gamble. Hope and wait. Time will we see how much mother nature cooperates.

Let it stay seasonably warm. Let the skies be kind and give us sun. But when plant and stream alike look thirstily toward the sky, then we hope the clouds will come, lightning will streak, and thunder will roll as Mother Nature answers the collective call “Let it rain, let it rain”.