Mucky and Ducky



 

"It's cool and mucky; now it's ducky! Better pack a sweater." 

 

So begins the Weather segment of the August calendar page in our edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac.   Does anyone read those things? Actually, what I meant was, does anyone read those things and take them seriously?  Is it the OLD FARMER's almanac, or is it the OLD ALMANAC belonging to farmers? Does it not count if I read it and I'm not an old farmer? Do I have to pass it off to the nearest septuagenarian agrarian for oral readings?

 

All that aside, out of curiosity, I opened ours up for the first time today. We were given it as a Christmas stocking stuffer.  Maybe Jeff reads it some (he's not old yet and neither am I), but this was a first time for me.  The weather prediction in the calendar for our region for the month of August has so far been pretty accurate. According to the almanac, temperatures were supposed to be about 4 degrees below average (check!), precipitation about 3 ", or 1" above average (check!), and with daily scattered thunderstorms (check!).  Cool, wet, and humid have ruled the first four days of August.  It's not exactly ideal harvest weather.

 

After coming back from the fair last Sunday, Jeff and I spent some time prepping for harvest.  We greased and readied the combine, washed windows on it and the grain trucks, vacuumed all the vehicles, prepared the auger, and moved to the field.  We were starting on our yellow field peas, north of our house. It's a new combine and header for us this year, so Jeff was anxious to give it a whirl.  We tried it out on the peas that night, so the official First Day of Harvest was Sunday, June 28.



Prepping the Combine



It took until Thursday, August 1 to finish cutting our peas.  And that was only about 250 acres.  Those dang thunderstorms halted harvest for a few days in there, between Sunday and Thursday.  Days when it didn't rain, there was so much dew that cutting couldn't begin until late in the afternoon.  Wednesday and Thursday were big days of low moisture, however, which allowed the pea crop on our farm to cut completely.  Just in time for the next bout of thunderstorms.  Friday and Saturday saw a lot of rain in this country, which is abnormal for this time of year. Perhaps if we had consulted our Farmer's Almanac back in January, we would have known this ahead of time... alas, I don't think any of our plans would have changed! 

 

Everyone is hoping to get back in the field as soon as possible.  If we get some good warm, drying days, it could be by Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll have to remember to pack my sweater! We are ready to be done with the mucky, ducky humidity and get some grains in the bin. If harvest continues to be postponed, I'll have plenty of time to revisit the Old Farmer's Almanac for a little light reading.  Next up, "The Right Way to Kiss," on page 172!

 

Harvey posing for yet another glamour shot.

Abby: "Well, if you guys aren't going to pet me, I'll just rest here in the shade!"

Cutting Peas on the First Day of Harvest, July 28.