Feels like October...

[Kay/NC]

...here in beautiful south central Virginia this morning. Mike mentioned it was 61 degrees at seven a.m. Probably only hit eighty yesterday, and a cool breeze was stirring all day long. Perfect weather fir working outdoors, so we bith did, until we dropped. The combination of comfirtable temps and longer sunlight hours was too tempting to lass up.

After a brief dry spell lasting a couple of weeks in late July into August, we had roughly three inches of rain at midweek. There is another chance of storms Monday, and the forecast says " thunderstorms" Tuesday, after ehich we see several sunny, eighty-something days...so, perfect for a cutting of hay.

This charming stretch is great for the grass, and the cows look like they are happy, heading up to calving season starting next month. The paddock they are on right now is some bahia that isn't supposed to persist in our winter climate, but it has been hanging on for over a decade, and going gangbusters this past several weeks.

We actually started the fall garden yesterday, a full week ahead of time. Hay is pushing us again on my place, and I suspect we may have to cut a quarter of this place, too. The barns are near capacity, and after last winter's wild hunt for hay, we feel pretty darned smart, to have several times the bales we thought we needed this time last year.

Iknow weather has made for a mixed bag in ag, across the country. With fall knocking at the door, and giving us a respite from our usual scalding heat and humidity right now, it feels like a pretty good year so far here. How about you?

[ECIN]

Funny you posted this up Kay - Last week we had some pretty days ---- finally !!!! We had NO summer here - we went from spring to monson season and as I said - last week felt like we should be cutting beans = fall

As far as this year - every year is great - just some better than others - thats what makes this party fun - never know what guests will show up sometimes - lol

[Kay/NC]

Ken, it seems we said the "spring to fall woth no summer" thing last year. Certainly have had some scorching weather this year, mostly in July, but at least it rained most of that time, every few days.

I had a true flashback a few days ago, out by the sandbox with Winn. The light, the sounds of birds and bugs, suddenly felt like being at the end of a tobacco field waiting for the first sleigh to be primed for me to haul...so 45 years and more ago.

Sensed it as being like a morning where we'd be reaching mid-stalk. The coldest I have ever been in my life was waiting for the sun to break over those huge hardwood trees. Wrapped a burlap bag out of the truck around my bare feet and legs, huddled on the seat of my 504.

It was what we used to call a "reverie"...transported in time and place, quite vividly. Had another one yesterday afternoon, sitting on the old porch swing Mike had just helped me hang inside the new greenhouse. You know it is nice fir August, when you want to soak up a bit of late afternoon sunlight.

Felt like sitting on my grandmother's back porch, looking out over her flower garden. That had to be before I turned five, which was when she moved from the farm to town. I really missed her when she left.

Funny, but Winn is three, and thus quite old enough to offer us opinions now. Whenever he is asked to run an errand, or if he wants to go to town, he just says, "No, I want to stay here and play with my pup!"

Maybe shade trees and sandboxes are important, too.

[wrightcattle]

that"s pretty unusual here. guess we'll see.

[bruce MN]

We danged to near froze on the 4th of July (low 40s for 2 hrs) in one of the first years of the 1970's here in SW Mn. Froze soybeans coal black by the next evening on Sept 3, 1974. Nothing new under the sun

[Kay/NC]

This all seems to fly in the face of global warming, and points more towards that mini-Ice Age we were warned about back in the seventies.