The black clouds I noticed when I started to carry buckets of water to the barn in preparation for the milking yesterday morning, were not as frightening as the continual thunder. It sounded like a monster train running over a bump in the track not too far away. The thunder rolled again and again for the better part of an hour. Just getting louder.
When I walked back thirty minutes later with buckets of milk I saw this.
We all held our breath, even the cloud. And then it poured, and then it hailed. The camera was so disgusted it would not even take a shot. Of course The Matriarch in her house down the road got Nothing! The town to the North got nothing. Just us. It was not long. A good 10 – 15 minute downpour. I have no rain gauge at the moment. But when it turned to hail I turned to the kitchen and went inside.
The irony is that John who was working about 50 miles to the North was drenched by the same rain storm about 30 minutes previously. Rain then hail. He called me and said the rain is on its way. It just wanted John to know.
The birds played with much splashing merriment in the puddles for the rest of the day. And the water-barrels and drinking troughs are full again.
So we made a vegetable loaf from whatever we could find in the garden. With grated potato, fresh breadcrumbs and an egg to bind it.
Then my big camera completely stopped. Just stopped. I charged, nothing. I attempted to load from the card, nothing. Hopefully not a permanent problem. I have sent it to its room to think about its behaviour and got out the purse camera. 
So from now on, until I can work out what is wrong with the big camera, I will be shooting from the little camera with no options. Not even a focus option. Sigh. But there you are, that is the next challenge I suppose. And it is a good challenge because we should not depend on a ‘good’ camera to make good images. We should depend on Photo Shop!! (laughter!). No. We should depend on our eyes!
The first two shots are with the big old D70 Nikon. The third with the little point and shoot.
Good morning. The pump in the milking parlour is working OK now. Touch wood. I have rearranged the animals again, trying to avoid depleting my fields completely while still fattening the lamb and the steer. Daisy’s milk production is slowly going down as the fresh feed dries up. But there you are. Thankfully we are not pioneers with no freezer.
It certainly is not the worst drought ever felt in the mid west. Evidently in the 80’s it was much much worse. Other areas of the country are in a really bad state this time. Maybe they should cut hay. It is a rain magnet. But hopefully it will be quiet now.
celi
What happened on the farmy on this date a year ago?.. Honey!.
The Kitchen's Garden 
60 responses to “Rain, Hail, The Works!”
Oh bother! Is the hay ruined? Weather is such a cruel thing sometimes.
Not ruined no, it was a short mean shower, it lose some of its nutrition and possibly shelf life, if we had days of rain we would be ruined, hopefully it will dry now.. c
OK, not as bad as it could have been. Still though, Murphy’s Law eh?
Oh no. To it all. But thought your PS comment was funny :-).
Ah well, life without an umbrella!! c
well, you sure predicted this one. cut the hay and the rain arrives. what happens now? will the hay dry out?
if the sun keeps shining every day for the rest of the week, like it is today, we will get it in, so recross those fingers! c
Ah, so it rained in the end. Funny how that happens when you’d least like it to and not when you’re gasping for it. I hope your camera comes to its senses, though I’m sure your eye will spot good pictures regardless.
Things go in threes on days like yesterday but all is well in the end, at least we have our health!! c
Is it sod’s or murphy’s law we are talking about here (Ican neve rremember)? But I do love the sound of thunder, it fills you up and surounds you, nothing quite like it.
Murphy is a Sod that is all I know!! Thunder is pretty magnificent out here on the plains.. morning claire.. c
You are funny, Celi, sending your camera to its room to think. You’ll do fine with the other one.
We will just toddle along like we usually do.. and see what happens next!! morning sharyn c
Ugh…anything but hail…
Just in case you were ever considering it, it’s not really a good idea to put a skylight over the bed when you remodel, no matter how dark the room is…hail overhead when you’re trying to sleep isn’t fun.
Hope you can salvage the hay.
If we get nice dry weather from here on in I think it will be alright, never as good once it has been rained on but maybe that is just beginners UnLuck! c
As Pooh would say, “Oh, bother!” I don’t know much about alfalfa hay but hail sure doesn’t sound good for it. We have mostly mixed grass hay here and it usually doesn’t hurt it much if it gets rained on. They just ted it again. It’s not as good but still usable. I hope sending your camera to its room works better than sending my children to their room!
We made an offer on a farm yesterday. Now the waiting. Have a great day, Celi!
Now the finger biting begins for you.. i do hope they take the offer and you can begin to settle into your move.. c
It’s a little overwhelming to think about moving a whole farm while still trying to keep up with the garden and pack and …… one day at a time! 🙂
Ooooh! I just love a dramatic bruise-coloured sky before a storm – and your bruises are so much bigger than ours! Sorry about your hay though. Will it dry out OK?
Christine
Hopefully Christine! good morning.. c
I’ve just heard on the radio that crops are failing in parts of USA, and even here in Ireland the crops are failng but because of too much rain !! Isn’t it all crazy ?
Every year has its quirks, this year seems a bit extreme.. I wonder what next year will do!? last year we had a perfect weather year.. c
You just had to think about cutting that hay! One of my cameras died so we put it to one side and
(Well, I have no idea what happened there!) a couple of months later, it was working fine again. Never did find out what it was. Try a different battery and card, clean the contacts, talk nicely to it, yell at it. It might work. I’m glad you got some rain though. 🙂
Pretty much my plan too.. i know it is weird but often a wee rest gets these digital gadgets going again..c
Mercury must be in retrograde again. Mechanical and digital items (computers etc ) all seem to fail when Mercurty is sulking. By the way your link received in email notification today just took me to a “page not found” notification. Hoping the rain stays away now till the hay is in. Laura
Oh well mercury really is acting up then! hope i don’t get LOST! c
Hi Celi,
My link also says page not found also………..the thunderstorm must have been just too much!
Life in a rain shadow …….our rain band stops 1km to the west and 1.5km to the east of us……however, when a thunderstorm comes its very lively on this ridge…………..e
Cutting hay seems to be a rain magnet, indeed. Hope the camera stops misbehaving!
It is going to have a break and then hopefully it will work again, i might just need a new card and a new battery.. it is not a young camera!! c
Wouldn’t it be super awesome for us all to put in our orders with mother nature! Oh well…
I am devastated to hear that your big camera is misbehaving! Hope you get it sorted soon – great shot with your point and shoot.
🙂 Mandy
morning Mandy, have pulled it apart (as far as i can go anyway) and am cleaning each bit.. it has a hard life in the barn, dusty .. we will see.. c
You must feel lost without that camera nested in your hand. I hope it comes out of its room with a new and reliable attitude. Seems odd to say that I am sorry about the rain–but I am. Hay okay if it dries out?
reliable would be great!! morning alice.. c