Mother Nature is really playing games with the Pacific North West ! I am currently sporting a huge red scab… smack in the middle of my nose. I know it’s huge…GIANT, because I catch Greg looking at it and Mum J couldn’t distract her eyes all the time I was with her. The reason for my eye catching and very disturbing disfigurement …..I’m blaming the same Mother Nature. If the sun hadn’t been shining, I wouldn’t have been working in the garden ( for sure !!!). If I hadn’t been working in the garden, I wouldn’t have got a sun blister on my nose. Clearly, it’s mother Natures fault. We had a whole week of mid Summer temperatures, nothing to inspire M J ( Fox 13 meteorologist) not a green spot on the map not a bit of damp to excite the double Doppler…it was WONDERFUL. On Sunday it all changed, the clouds came rolling in and it rained On Monday we had heavy winds, torrential rain, MJ was ecstatic and the weather map went crazy. As the thunder clouds rolled over the barn we knew we were in trouble, as the winds picked up and the cedar trees began to wave we knew we were in big trouble ! The first sign of just how big came as the barn lights began to flicker then my Country Music on the radio went dead, Jim Reeves silenced ( now doesn’t that sound good Quatre ?). In the kitchen, an incubator full of turkey eggs almost ready to hatch. In the brooder shed, turkey poults accustomed to Summer sunshine were huddling three deep under the heat lamp. PANIC !!! Fluffy, down covered, squeaking little turkeys were scooped up unceremoniously from their spacious pen hastily dropped into a sparse wire cage and transferred into the waiting farm truck, engine running. It was like a well planned (well, maybe not !!) bank heist !. At the last minute our 25 precious turkey eggs quickly cooling in the incubator were whisked out of the barn kitchen and joined their already hatched and very unhappy caged siblings. In my kitchen, cables all over the floor, counters cleared, wood pellets freely scattered and the unmistakeable and not too pleasant aroma of poultry poo. The generator kept our turkeys alive….we had a sandwich for dinner. Who’d be a farmer ? Us I guess !!!
Now we have rain all week….and insult to injury, I still have my big ( HUGE) sun blister on my not insignificant nose. DOH.
We want to extend a welcome to Brian our newest WWOOFER volunteer who arrived here from Georgia yesterday. Brian will be here at the ranch for a month and we hope that he leaves here with very happy memories and a whole lot of experiences. Brian arrived at the barn just as we were bringing Quest and Lady, our big Shire horses home for the night and hit the ground running. Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch is not a place for the fainthearted and for the uninitiated, Quest our big bay gelding is a little (LOT) intimidating. Clearly, the stall door was a safe area and wisely, Brian spent his first evening at the barn, eyes wide and at a very safe distance from teeth and feet. Our newest WWOOFER volunteer has settled in and spent yesterday in the rain. Well, we are in the Pacific NW ! He and Greg got to work fencing, up to his knees in mud, fast running water and jungle like vegetation….and he is still smiling. Brian mucked out the cows and sheep, groomed the horses, picked out their hooves and he hasn’t packed up his car and left for Georgia. We think we will keep him around for a while.
Time to go, take care, keep safe, M
Now we have rain all week….and insult to injury, I still have my big ( HUGE) sun blister on my not insignificant nose. DOH.
We want to extend a welcome to Brian our newest WWOOFER volunteer who arrived here from Georgia yesterday. Brian will be here at the ranch for a month and we hope that he leaves here with very happy memories and a whole lot of experiences. Brian arrived at the barn just as we were bringing Quest and Lady, our big Shire horses home for the night and hit the ground running. Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch is not a place for the fainthearted and for the uninitiated, Quest our big bay gelding is a little (LOT) intimidating. Clearly, the stall door was a safe area and wisely, Brian spent his first evening at the barn, eyes wide and at a very safe distance from teeth and feet. Our newest WWOOFER volunteer has settled in and spent yesterday in the rain. Well, we are in the Pacific NW ! He and Greg got to work fencing, up to his knees in mud, fast running water and jungle like vegetation….and he is still smiling. Brian mucked out the cows and sheep, groomed the horses, picked out their hooves and he hasn’t packed up his car and left for Georgia. We think we will keep him around for a while.
Time to go, take care, keep safe, M
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