The Day of "No Rain"

NPR radio told us that the rain had "left the state."  That's when it started to rain.  Nice.

But, what can you do on a farm when there is 'no rain' going on and getting you wet when you are outside?

Ok, we'll grant you that the rain earlier in the day (Wednesday) was little more than a mist.  But, the fields were pretty wet already - and since we didn't need to pick (much) we stayed out of them.  Our crew did a nice job working through it and we all enjoyed (I think) pointing out how much 'not rain' we were getting.  And, we managed to find numerous important or useful farm tasks that didn't necessarily require that we all be damp and cold for the entire day.

The high tunnel is now largely weed free and parts of it have been tilled for the next planting.  The high tunnel is actually a nice addition in that useful work can be done on days that are less than ideal.  Like all things, it has its plusses and minuses.  But, that's probably something for another post.

The weeds around our hydrocooling/washing/packing station were getting annoying.  So, we moved the stainless steel counter and two intrepid workers set to work.  Got it done before it really started to 'not rain.'  We also attacked giant ragweed that tends to pop up on the north side of the poultry pavilion.  Nice to get that done as well.

Perhaps we overlook the process of organizing, re organizing and cleaning in our buildings.  As the seasons change, the needs on the farm change.  As a result, we have to put some things 'away'  (on the higher shelves, in the storage areas, etc) and bring out other things.  And, over time, stuff just starts to get cluttered and out of order.  So - it was nice to have extra pairs of hands to help put things away.  I've lifted stacks of web flats on my shoulder and climbed a ladder to put them away - but is much easier to have someone hand them to you once you are up where you need to be.  There was much organizing going on today.  The results of this effort will be felt for many weeks to come. 

We got more trays seeded (and you thought the season for this was finished?) and fixed a flat tire.  In short, the list for various and sundry work is fairly long.  So - a day of 'not rain' - especially if that 'not rain' is on the gentle side - is not entirely unwelcome.  However, let's not have too many of these wet unrainy days in a row!