Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Battling a Drought

I've lost track of how many days have gone by without rain.  Yesterday I looked out to see dots on the pavement and got all excited.  In a second, they were dried up and no more rain.


Watering with the hose, and well water has been exhausting.  The rain barrels are drying up.   I do not have a sprinkler nor an extra hose to do the watering in that way.  I already have about three hoses hooked together.  You can see the fall planted green beans are popping up, but other vegetables are doing terrible - carrots, beets, and cauliflower.  I am sort of worried, but we battle something weather-wise every year.  

I just tell myself "Plot Twist" and move on.  That is some writer's humor, but it works in real life too, ha ha!

You can see the ground is so dry it is cracking.  The grass on our homestead is brown and crumbled, but the Queen Anne's Lace is growing abundantly.  I look at it and convince myself that I do not need to make more jelly.  Hubby went out and mowed it all down, so now I feel less guilty for not making any.  

I wish I had better news, but now I think I have a rat getting in my coop (day and night).  I see one corner in the loft that I could block and hope that's all I need to do.  I can't find my rat traps, so I may need to buy more and set them in the loft in all barns.  

 

6 comments:

Kim said...

Just remember that mulch is a farmers best friend. I even mulch my pots. Straw, compost, wood chips what ever you can come up with and the thicker the better. And it not only reserves moisture it also amends the soil. Good luck with the fall garden.

Susan said...

You have had tough weather last year and this year. I think that farming must be one of the hardest jobs on the planet. It takes sheer grit and willpower to grow your own food and provide a sustainable life for your family. We had a very dry late spring and early summer, but we have had some rain now (and tropical humidity) so my rain barrel is filled again and I can take a deep breath. I will be sending rainy thoughts in your direction -- by the way, I just noticed your weight loss total - congratulations! You go, girl!!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, we put a ton of straw on one tomato patch, but forgot to mulch our raspberry bushes and cherry tree. I'll need to do that ASAP.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, thank you. The weight is coming off very slowly, but still coming off.

Mama Pea said...

We are having our first totally rainy day in I-don't-know-how-long! We've needed it, but I don't think even as much as you have. I'm experimenting with some fall planting (and hoping our first killing frost waits for some of them to mature!) and I've had to water with the hose morning and night up until now so the seeds can germinate.

Hope you get the rat problem under control. They do so much damage. No rats here (I hope) but the mice have been plentiful all summer!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, we have plenty of mice here too. The barn cats do pretty good at killing them, as well as the chickens.