Finally...

Hi Everyone!  It's finally happening......We finally got RAIN!.....

 ....It started last night and has been raining on and off since.

We've had almost 3 1/2" of rain.  YEAH!  And by looking at the radar, there is definitely more to come.  If it had just come last month it could have helped the crops but I don't think it will help much now. 

The ground has huge cracks in it so it won't take long for it to seep down into the soil.  Normally this much rain would mean huge puddles in several areas here at the farm, but it's so dry that there are hardly any puddles.

Today, I finished working on an order for a client.  I have sent her pictures of the finished product and now I'm waiting for her approval of it.  I'll share photos soon. 

I also finished a stand and hopefully I will have that to share with you tomorrow.

Now I'm going to take the dogs for a run in the rain - it's not raining hard right now.  Have a great evening.  And thanks for stopping by.

Around the farm....

Hi Everyone!  I hope you are having a great week.  Today is my day off so I will be busy working out in the shop.  I am going to finish that bench today (I mostly finished it last night but needed to make a stop at the lumber yard) and I have to get working on that coffee table.  I thought I'd share a few things that are happening around the farm.

 The corn was planted a few weeks ago and is growing nicely.

 And we've got grass.  It's just about ready to be cut, raked, and baled into hay.  When the wind is blowing (likes it's been doing a lot lately) the grass looks like ocean waves moving across the pasture.  It really is an interesting sight.

 And in that grass is a lot of little purple flowers...it's actually called red clover.  And the cattle and horses love it.

 The grass is early this year.  It's almost a month ahead of schedule.  After it's cut and baled, we need some more rain so we can get a second cutting off of it.

 And this is the view outside my front door.  This field, directly across the road was planted last week with beans so that's why it still looks bare.  It needs a little rain too.  And do you see that sign...

 They are selling this land.  Oh how I wish I could buy it.  But I don't have that kind of money laying around.  Land around here has been going for upwards of $5,000 an acre.  If I had that kind of money, I'd be opening my own shop...not buying land.

I just hope it's new owner buys it for farm land and not too build on.  I really don't want a neighbor directly across the road.  It would destroy my view! 

I wanted to show you an antler that I found in our pasture a couple of weeks ago.  I had taken the golf cart down in the pasture and came across this.  Too bad it has a broken tip. 

And here's a peek at the back of the bench I should be finishing up today!  YEAH!  I will share it when I'm finished building it.  Now I have to get ready and get out to the shop.  Have a great day!  And as always, thanks for stopping by.

Hay update...

Hi Everyone!  Sorry I've been MIA the last few days, but I've been busy with my nephew.  Monday was my last day to spend time with him as I work the rest of the week and he leaves to go home on Saturday.  He was a big help to me in the workshop and we built a bench.  It's not painted yet, but I'll show you tomorrow what we've been working on.  Tuesday I left work early and went home to move hay bales.  This is my favorite part of putting up hay.  These are the bales that got moved yesterday.  We have 70 big bales.  This picture has 22 of them. 

By the time I got home, Dad had moved 10 of them and moved the other 12.  These bales are from the first group.  We still have to move the rest that were apart of the second group.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hay and water...

Hi Everyone!  Happy Sunday!  My nephew and I are still working on our projects in spite of the rain.  We finally got the last of the hay put up.  The following pictures are of the hay after it has been raked, but before it has been baled.  I just love how it looks.  The different shades of color.  And how dark it the grass is at the bottom which you can't see when the grass is standing (sunlight doesn't get down to it because the grass was so high).  This will all turn green very quickly, especially after the rain we've had the last couple of days.

I'd show you the pictures of it all baled, but it's been raining so I keep forgetting to take my camera out.  Now we'll just have to pick up the bales and move them so they are stored close together.  We got 70 large bales off the hay ground this spring.  That's a big load off my dad's shoulders.  It takes a lot to get the hay done and we didn't even do all the areas that we could of, some places are just too tight to get the equipment into or the grass in that area isn't the greatest or the weather wasn't cooperating.  But at least it's done. 

My nephew Quinton on a hay bale.

Here's my dog Bailey up on one of the hay bales. 

I don't know if you've seen the news of the flooding Missouri river which is affecting the area I live in.  They have evacuated everyone in my county that lives west of I-29 and all the traffic is now going through town and by the farm.  Thank goodness the farm isn't too close to the flooding Missouri river and it's up on a hill overlooking town, so a lot of things would have to go wrong before the waters reached me.  Including the fact that the town would be underwater!  But the Nishnabotna River is starting to rise and it feeds into the Missouri so there is a chance it would overflow it's banks which it did two years in a row a couple of years ago and kept me cut off from town for a few days.  So that is always a possibility.  But we've got a ways to go before that happens.    Have a great rest of the weekend!

On the farm...

Hi Everyone.  Sorry I haven't been around lately.  There has been much activity on the farm lately.  Putting up hay, tilling the garden, and I've managed to work on a few projects.  Last night after work I had to help my dad work on the rake, he sheared a bolt off out in the pasture and we had to do an in between fix just to get it back to the shop so it could be permanently repaired.

We have two more pastures to cut, rake and bale on this go round but we are to have rain tonight and tomorrow.  Normally we cut it all, then rake it all and then bale it all.  Dad decided this year to do it in sections which is turning out to be the smart way to go.  I guess he studied the weather forecast!  I promise that tomorrow I will have an update for you on my kitchen island.  It won't be done, but it's getting closer to being functional.  Have a great evening!  Thanks for stopping by.