Weather Radios: A Must Have for Rural Living

May 8, 2009


weather radio

One of the things I missed most when I moved to the country was the tornado siren.

I know it sounds silly, but there was comfort in knowing that if severe weather was coming I would be warned, especially in the middle of the night.

The spring we stood and watched a deadly tornado destroy trees and homes just to our south made me more determined than ever to protect our family.

We had no warning. None of the TV stations had covered it. None of the radio stations mentioned it. A neighbor called in and reported it as it picked up in intensity and stayed on the ground for miles.

That’s when we got a weather radio. It’s plugged in 24/7 year around. During the spring of the year it goes off frequently, day and night. But what a blessing it is to know that if severe weather is coming my way, I will be warned.

Now that’s peace of mind everyone who lives in the country needs to have!

By Country Gal | Posted in Spring, Weather | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Flowers

May 1, 2009

“See!  The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.  Flowers appear on the earth;  the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.  The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.”

—   Song of Songs 2: 11-13

Honey Bee on a Dandelion

Apple Blossoms

Lilacs

Tulip

Strawberry Blossom

Cherry Blossoms

By Country Gal | Posted in Deep Thoughts, Spring, Wildflowers | Tagged , , , | Comments (4)

Meet the New Neighbors

April 15, 2009

Audubon Canada Goose

There’s a building boom out here in the country! We have new families moving in daily and new homes are being started all over.

This happens every spring – and no, I’m not speaking about humans! I’m taking about the birds!

With the melting of the ice and the arrival of open water, we always welcome our largest and most aggressive new neighbors… Canadian geese.

We watch the massive flocks fly over heading north, but every year a few couples decide to take advantage of the nest boxes we placed in our ponds and filled with hay.

They choose the pond and the nest box they like best and set about to fill that nest with eggs.

And then they claim their territory!

My daily walks have taken on a new aspect as I carefully walk by the ponds, watching for the daddy geese who tend to stand guard.

I’ve learned to start clapping as I approach the ponds to give them fair warning – I’ve heard that a goose bite is something you don’t soon forget! I’ve also learned to watch where I step…if you know what I mean…especially as time goes on.

Every year we try to get a glimpse of the goslings after they hatch, but they are elusive.

Then as soon as they little ones are big enough, they disappear from our pond altogether. One year we watched them walk across the pasture and down the road, just like in the children’s classic “Make Way for Ducklings”.

Where they go, we’ve yet to discover.

But for a few weeks every spring we share our ponds with these impressive water fowl in exchange for a front row  seat for the miracle of  new birth.

It’s a pretty fair exchange I’d say!

By Country Gal | Posted in Critters, Spring | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Eggs

March 31, 2009

Eggs It’s spring in the country – finally!

The south wind is blowing, the laundry is on the clothesline, the birds are singing outside my window, and my refrigerator is full of eggs!

Our chickens go into a molt during the cold dark winter months.  They loose their feathers and stop laying.

And I have to  <gulp>  buy eggs. Colorless, tasteless, store bought eggs.

Then as the days grow warmer and the daylight increases, the chickens slowly start laying again.

The first fresh egg of spring is an Occasion with a capital O! The bright yellow yolk just smiles at you from the skillet!

But as the daylight continues to increase, so does the egg production. One dozen a day, then 2 dozen.

We have eggs for breakfast, lunch and supper.

We pull out all the egg recipes: angel food cake, pudding, egg casseroles, egg-chiladas.

My refrigerator is now full of eggs. We can’t keep up. It’s time to start selling.

We’re not the only ones, all over the countryside you see the hand-printed “Eggs for Sale” signs at the end of the farm lane.

It’s a sign of spring in the countryside and for a little while, we country folks feel very rich!

By Country Gal | Posted in Spring | Tagged , , | Comment (1)

Mud

March 14, 2009

MudIt’s officially here – the fifth season of the year.

For those of us who live in a rural area, we actually get an extra season. It comes right after winter and lasts until spring.

It’s the mud season.

The combination of melting snow and cold wet rains makes our country living messy for a few weeks.

The chickens have muddy feet and muddy feathers which in turn makes their eggs muddy after they are laid.

The gravel roads are a soggy mess we like to call gumbo. They can be slicker than the ice and snow that preceded them.

Oh, and did I mention the ruts that develop on the high spots? So deep they could blow a tire.

Those folk with livestock sure don’t appreciate this extra season. It wreaks havoc with the feeding schedule as they have to deal with muddy lanes and muddy pastures and muddy equipment.

On the way to church Sunday we saw one farmer starting to slide down hill in the mud. He got the truck in 4- wheel drive just in time to avert an accident.

But as messy as it is, and as much of a nuisance, we’re still thankful for it.

It’s this moisture that will make our pastures green and lush in a few weeks. It will fill our ponds and water our livestock.

It means the soil is good and moist. It will be ready to receive seed in a few weeks and produce a bountiful harvest.

“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” – Hosea 6:3

By Country Gal | Posted in Spring | Tagged , , , | Comment (1)