Another bright, sunny day, too bad it's not so warm. Since I couldn't do any planting yesterday (way too muddy) I picked thru the scrap pile and devised myself a simple little goat feeder in an attempt to keep the goats from wasting so much hay. Next one I build, I will make a little more space between the feeder and the hay rack but this one is doing what I needed it to do. I finished it up late afternoon, cleaned the goat stall, put it in there just in time to do evening chores. Worked out pretty good.
This morning was nice, chores went off easy. I like it when chores go off easy! I grilled up some pieces of steak I've had marinading in the fridge and the boy scrambled this mornings eggs. Yum, now I need a nap! LOL
The main garden spot is a slop hole. Mid shin deep in mud. I did get a couple tires planted tho, did a bit of mowing since it looks like a jungle out there. I planted some red potatoes, another tire with rutgers tomatoes, one with bell peppers and another with the zuccs. While I was prepping my tires, Lucky goat ate my strawberry plants! Hmmm, that will put him on the BBQ list if he's not careful...
The goat shed and pen are still on hold, there's not much in the savings envelope. That's not surprising tho, it's not like anybody else has any money laying around. At least I'm not the lone ranger.
The flooding down here is going to put a serious hurt on the farming. Hundreds of thousands of acres are under water. The wheat that was growing is flooded and there will not be a planting of corn in some places and possibly no beans either. I can't even begin to speculate what the loss will do to the commodities market let alone the availability of the lost crops in our food chain. While I have the luxury of simply mudding my corn and beans in and feeding myself, large scale farms that make a living on the market do not have that option. For those who don't know, the levee at Cairo Illinois was blown open night before last to save the town at the expense of 130,000 acres of farm land down stream. Plus the 100,000 acres (at least) in southern Illinois already flooded. It's not just a little standing water, it's a couple feet worth of water. The Big Muddy river rose 7' over night on Saturday. There are areas down here that I have never seen water standing in before and they have a few feet of water covering them. It is heart breaking to see. So, say a prayer for a quick dry out down here, we need it!
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The birds point levee was blown here in Missouri and the response has been anything but good from the responses that I have read in different news sites. Losing 130,000 acres of farmland to save a town that is almost completely run down is not setting too good with people, esp. with the price of food going up.There won't be any crops growing there this year. I know at my place since Easter we have seen close to a foot of rain.Hey at least the sun is out! Steak and eggs sounds delicious! Don't worry your not alone with the savings problem. We took some money we got back and taxes and set aside as a emergency savings, it has only been a few months and now we only have a third of it left and the car and dryer are having problems (top that off gas just hit $4 here).How is the cheese making going? Love your blog by the way!
ReplyDeleteHey Coley! Yah, I been trying to keep up on what's going on over by you, the local news here it pitiful tho. The fuel is crazy here too, $4.09 the night before last. No cheese getting made, still medicating the stupid cow :(
ReplyDeleteOne simple comment says it all, "No farms - not food."
ReplyDeleteI hope things dry quickly and go well for you!
I never will understand the reasoning behind this one. Who decided that we didn't need the crops?
ReplyDeleteThe blowing of the levee was bittersweet here. We have been flooded in our home for almost 2 weeks now. When they blew the levee the water was up to our front porch. We were getting very nervous. The night they blew the levee, we felt the vibrations here (we are about an hour or so away). Next thing we heard was running water. An old crack in the basement wall was jarred loose and began leaking. Thank God it stopped but not until we had a foot of water in the basement. The water heater is up on a concrete pad and blocks and amazingly the water did not reach it.
ReplyDeleteToday we can actually see our road and hoping that we can get out for supplies by the weekend. If they hadn't blown the levee... I don't know where the water would be so you can see why I say its bittersweet. Our home is saved but at a terrible cost to others. :(
Hoping things dry out soon,
*hugs*
Debbie K
Hey Becky! Thanks for stopping in! It's hard to say how the decision was made. We'll just have to wait and see how bad the food prices get now.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I'm glad to hear your not under water anymore. At least some good has come from the levee breach :) Last nights light frost was a real slap too, eh? Now we need to dry out!