We got enough rain to settle the dust then it was gone again. Looked on radar and looked like we had a pretty good chance of getting some, but guess all we got was the very edge as it went around.
DH is selling 3/4 of his cattle this week, just keeping about 6/7 head. Pastures are in bad shape and getting very little hay this year from the looks of it.
I have tomatoes size of marbles, maybe they will grow if I keep watering. lol. Just knew I wouldn't have to water anything today, but drat, looks like I will have to.
DD and kids were here overnight and going back to Marshfield today. Her husband is looking for a job again, had hired onto a place in Springfield that deals in boats and after several days had to visit the hospital with a bad allergic reaction to the fiberglass, so had to quit that job. Sure hope he can find something soon. They have been having a really hard time of it lately and we can only help so much.
Someone out there do us a really good rain dance!!!
Donna

We got rain!!!! It started about 4 pm and rained off and on three or four times. We ended up with just over an inch. I heard Bolivar got flooding! I am just thrilled. Of course, I had just spread lots of straw mulch (after watering) on the veggie garden. Got most of it covered, except for three rows of corn and it was too wet from the sprinkler for me to be in. I already couldn't see the corn for the weeds, so planned to till it.......now it will be a few days and I may not be able to find the corn for the blasted weeds.

I don't have any tomatoes set on at all! I did see some small banana peppers, and beans are just out of the ground. Have new potatoes. My lawn was just about browned out; this rain will help.

Hope the rest of you get some before it leaves the country again.

Donna, I believe you all must be drier than us, even before this last rain. I don't hear anyone up here talking about selling cattle yet.I am sorry to hear about your SIL's job situation. These are bad times....really bad news for the GM people! I thought war was supposed to help the economy............

Our neighbor who drives everybody nuts wanting his hay cut first, got one field up and then one rained on!

Ceresone, wish I could help with the chicken house. I love that kind of thing and have, over the years, bought myself lots of toys, table saw, reciprocating saw, drill, saber saw and last (a joy!) a power miter saw. I love building things. Of course, I would need a hoist to get up if I had to squat.....my knees are giving me fits these days.

More chances for rain today.....hope it comes your way.

GD

We got about an inch of rain too. Soooo glad to get a break from watering everything.

You all lucky people over west of me, getting a fairly good rain. We didn't even get enough to cover the bottom of the rain gauge. Just knew we were finally going to get a good rain, hearing all the thunder and lo and behold it bypassed us once again, just leaving enough to settle the dust and get the deck wet! Couldn't believe it.
So, guess it will be back to watering again, will wait awhile and see if we might get a little pop up shower.

Found a couple more small 'maters this morning. Pepper plants are really dragging behind, but they almost died when I put them out, but are recovering slowly.
Donna

We got a little over a half inch of rain again early this morning with some noisy thunder. Hope it didn't miss you this time Donna. You must feel like you have a big umbrella over your house.
I did some weeding I had been putting off in my shade garden. It went faster than I thought it would since the ground was soft from the rain. I need to mulch that area BADLY but my mulch pile is on the opposite side of my yard. I COULD fill my little wagon with mulch and pull it slightly uphill about 100 yards over and over again until I'm done (pant pant) but I think it would be easier to just have another load of mulch dumped closer to the shade garden. Think dh would notice?
I picked my first Serviceberries/Juneberries today from some shrubs I planted a couple years ago. They ripened quickly. Glad I got some before the birds found them. Next year I will net them.
There's a chance of rain for the next few days so I think I'll take advantage of the clouds and do some planting and transplanting. I have a couple new hostas to plant and a couple more that I dug and divided earlier this spring that have been sitting in pots. Lots of little seedlings coming up here and there around the yard. I could start a whole new bed! lol

We got another shower just now! I think we have had almost 2 inches now.

I finally got the rest of the garden under straw mulch this morning and pulled a few weeds. I have 4 flats of seed-raised perennials to put out here and there. I always raise too many and can't bear to toss them. May just do a row in the garden. We got some winds with one of the rains and so far, the plants have not straightened up. I may have to cut back some.

I mowed yesterday and brush hogged the west calf lot this morning.

That's about it for me.

Hope everyone gets some rain before this system leaves.

GD

Good morning
Guess the umbrella is still up! Tho't sure would get some yesterday, sky dark, black clouds, thunder, wind and blew right around us again, for the umpteenth time.
Had two different customers in my shop yesterday saying how much rain they got the day before, one lives about 5 mi. as the crow flies from us and the other about 25.
I watered stuff all day yesterday at the shop and here at the house before I left.
Can't begin to pull any weeds, it's so dry. Surely all of these little pop up storms can miss us, one must lose it's way and come over us and stay sooner or later.
Donna

donna, i sure hope so, we did get a light shower last night, not enough to amount to anything in rain gauge. there's been lots of thunder and lightening all around us, enough to scare our dog, she hates thunder as much as she loves baby rabbits and baby chickens. hubby let her out about 10 p.m. thursday night, she ran back to the door and sat to be let in--with little feet sticking out of her mouth!! he had her give it to him, a baby rabbit she was bringing to momma!! not hurt in any way, she's even brought me bluebirds, without a ruffled feather, only thing hurt is their dignity.she is the one missing the baby chicks in the dining room, bantams get moved today--i'm sooo ready!!
least without rain, the mowing is cut way down, only thing growing is the dry weather weeds--and thistles. i think the flame thrower kills them better than round-up does, just have to be careful, with it so dry.
think this next week, we're going to have to slow down some, heat and humidity getting to us, and i imagine, everyone.strange, few years back, it didnt bother us.
well, i'd better stop boring people, and find something to do--where its air-conditioned.

well, as a p.s to the last--there's not a blacksnake safe within a 100 miles of me!!!!and, lol--i dont want to hear what good they do!!i just gutted one, in a vain attempt to save one of my top-knotted pullets.i'm beginning to think i should have moved to the remodeled building, and kept them in the house. four weeks old, four weeks of babying-down the drain--sound like i'm upset?? you're right!

It just can't keep missing you guys. We finally got on its right side I guess because we got 1/2 inch again today.
DH had just come in from mowing another small field and I had just finished planting more flowers when the wind got very strong and it got very dark and rained.

Ceresone, sorry about the snake incident. I agree with you about disposing of them now and again! It must be done.

I finished mulching the corn. I have never done that before; don't know how it will work. I told DH I want to get all this planting done and just be down to maintenance! Of course, we have had lots of wind lately, so now I have to rip out and stake some stuff that is not going to raise up. I should have pinched everything like my sis told me!
We can't take the heat either. I don't work out past noon.
Hope you all get rain.

GD

We finally got about 2/10 inch of rain this afternoon. Every little bit is appreciated. Maybe we will luck out and get another one or two in the next several days.

Ceresone, sorry to hear about the snake and your baby.
I would have done the same thing.
Donna

Donna, I live south of Houston and we got 1 inch Tuesday evening and nothing since---helped some but this time of year we need rain weekly as you know.

I am mulching most mornings and will soon be finished. Sure am glad I am not on a tour this year although I did have some people come by Friday morning to look things over. Someone had told them about our place and that I sold plants--I did sell some daylilies and extra perennials at a couple of yard tours but not on a permanent basis. I showed them around, promised some seed of larkspur and the double pink poppies. Amazing what you see in your own garden that needs to be done when looking at it from someone elses eyes.

Will need to water the tomatoes, Cleveland pear and things in pots today. I said I wasn't going to do many pots this year but guess I didn't remember what I said.

Went to the Cabool Garden Tour yesterday morning. Four gardens on tour. One had a really nice water feature and another was mostly vegetables--plants he had raised himself. Very healthy looking. He had plastic milk jugs buried up to the top with a small hole on the side near the bottom--looked like lots of mulch covering them--and that was his watering system. (looked better than my jugs sitting on top of the ground near new plants this year). Everything in his beds were green and nice looking. One other garden was fairly new and small--she had done lots of work following a storm that had taken out a walnut tree and done some damage. She had pictures of before and you could see the work involved. The other garden featured some perennials but mostly roses.

Would have liked to have gone to the Springfield Water Garden Tour today but DH wasn't to interested. I would like to get some ideas for a water feature using the huge rock under my arbor.

Off to check things outside and maybe water some------

Susy

We got another 1-3/8 inches of rains last night and lots of wind. It woke me and I shut the bedroom window even though it was open only at the top and has a roof over it.
It is delightfully cool this morning, 67°. So far all that is damaged is my pole bean teepees are down. We will have to rework those in a bit.

Susy, I think it was you who sent me some Feverfew seeds on a trade last year. I love it! I don't know how I have missed raising this plant. I just have one (tried the winter-sowing and it didn't work well for me) but it is very pretty. I hope it does self sow!

Blooming now: Asiatics, hollyhocks, salvias, snaps, a rose here and there, daylilies just starting, melampodiums, petunias, clematis, hydrangea Annabelle, gaillardias, lavender, LA hybrid lilies, asclepias, and a stokesia almost open. The wind has knocked lots of things over. I did a really heavy pruning job yesterday and may just cut down most hollyhocks. I must remember next year to stake them very early in the season.

I picked enough cherries yesterday for a pie. I think I will let the birds have the rest. I still have some in the freezer from last year.

Too wet to do much outside today.....I left out my gardening boots and shoes and two large boxes of old seeds. Too lazy to go back out last night (and I forgot!) I may just toss the seeds on bare ground and see what happens.

Hope noone got any severe weather last night, just rain. I think today ends this system for us, at least.

GD

Glenda, if you need more feverfew seeds let me know. When the blooms look dried up, pull them off and scatter where you want more. The ones that you don't deadhead will probably self-seed back in places for you. I bought the seeds from Johnny's Select Seed and I think they are called Tetra Double White.

Weeded and mulched until about one today with time out for a quick cheese sandwich. Need to go to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and take a photo of myself out to Family Services. Their theme for Relay for Life is flowers and they want survivors photos to use on the display Friday night over at the football field---I finally found an older pic---I usually try to make myself invisable when a camera is around. I plan to do the survivor lap with the others and then continue walking for awhile. DH and I have been going to the track about 8 p.m. and walking---getting myself in shape.

Susy

Ok, now did you all get some rain? I don't know what counties you are in, but sure looked like Texas Co. was in the storm area last night. We were spared any severe stuff, but got another 3/8 inch of rain. I think it is supposed to be over for a while now.

I weeded some and found some iris rotting. I should move them to drier ground. They are in a good drainage area, but surrounding jungle growth of other perennials is keeping the sun from their rhizomes. I also found some signs of rotting stems when I dug potatoes for dinner yesterday. It is still better than too dry I think.

We aren't getting much done because of the wet ground. I told DH he should pull some old steel posts today. That should be an easy job.

Hope none of you got severe winds or flooding. That sounded like a possibility for some areas.

Nothing new blooming here yet. Still more daylilies to open. I got all my old seeds wet....think I will just dump them on the ground today and see what happens.

Our hummer numbers have increased to at least (5) and my female oriole showed up again. We put up a bird bath this year and are having fun watching the antics!

The garden is looking good, some disease on the tomatoes (always!). I need to elminate the lettuce, radishes and broccoli when the ground dries some. We redid the pole bean teepees and used (4) steel posts, so they should be ok. I am beginning to wonder if they really are Ky. Wonders, still no signs of vining.

We polished off the first cherry pie of the season so I told DH, that was it on desserts! Back to the heart-healthy eating and less calories (wonder how long I can last at that)

Have a nice, sunny day.

GD

Yes, we got wind and rain last night. Rain gauge shows 3/10 inch, but probably got more the way it was blowing.

DH took a walk thru the pastures yesterday afternoon to see how the remaining cattle were doing and said that the ponds are really low, so hope that rain helped some and we get some more soon.

I must be off to town, DD may be coming over later.
Donna

We got 3/4 inch of rain last night and not too much wind--lots of lightning. Our part of Texas County must have been kind of on the edge because I heard some other parts of the county had some damage.

DH and I went to the track early this morning to walk--nice and cool but I prefer evening--I am not a morning person. Stopped by McDonald's and had a sausage McMuffin before we came home. DH loaded my trailer with mulch and I weeded and mulched some more today; maybe burned up the McMuffin calories. Doing laundry this afternoon and need to clean off my desk.

Daylilies are beginning to put on their show now and the companion plants are looking good. As I was working outside I made a list of things to move in the fall and next spring. Some hostas have grown so much they are covering up their neighbors. I guess a garden is never finished--always something to add, remove, etc.

Susy