Thursday Thirteen

 

1. This drought that we're in has been particularly difficult this summer. Our area remained in severe drought even though some parts of the state has received inches of rain. We've received sprinkles.

The green circle is our area of the state. We're in that little red portion of extreme drought.

2. One of the things we do that helps is pasture rotation, which means moving the cattle from one pasture to another, allowing the grass to grow in areas while the cattle eat down the pasture it's in.

3. Two springs on the farm that have never gone dry in the 40+ years I've been here, now are. These springs feed into Rulman Branch, which feeds into Tinker Creek. No springs, lower creek. Lower creek, less water in the cove that is one of the city's main sources of water.

4. The pond beside the original house (built approximately 1808) is the lowest I've ever seen it. The aforementioned springs led into it.

5. The peaches are small this year compared to other years. Not enough water.

6. The berries - blackberries, wine berries, blueberries - didn't have any water so they were mostly seed.

7. Our garden is producing because we're watering it, but the tomatoes have thick skin, as does the squash. Too much heat, not enough rain.

8. This drought has been up and down the eastern seaboard, especially from the Mid-Atlantic to the southern states like Florida, so many food items are affected. Watermelons are expensive, locally grown items are up in price, some things are hard to find.

9. The deer are testing out some of my flowers they've never bothered in the past. I can see their ribs sometimes.

10. The cattle are still fat because we're feeding hay as well as using pasture rotation. We've also started supplementing their feed with grain.

11. Before a recent cough of rain, the grass in the yard had browned so that it crunched under foot. My husband has only mowed the yard 5 times this year, and that was just to knock the weeds down. He usually has to mow every week.

12. Trees are already losing leaves. Some of them have turned yellow and it's just the first week of August. I've stood at the front door and watched the wind blow leaves off trees that shouldn't be shedding yet.

13. The pine tree that stands out above the rest of the trees in the front of the house has died. I don't know if that was drought or pine beetles, though.

How are things in your part of the world? Too wet? Too dry? On fire? Flooding?

What a weird weather year we're having.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 971st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.