Rain Delays

When I left the house this morning, the National Weather Service website was predicting a 60 percent chance of rain after 11 a.m., with rainfall totals likely to be less than a tenth of an inch.  It's now 11:24 a.m., and we've already measured close to four tenths of an inch - and it's still raining!  That meteorology is such an inexact science is not a shock to me - I'm used to the weather folks being wrong.  And I'm grateful for Mother Nature's irrigation services on the clover seed I planted last week.  Fortunately, I was smart enough to take my rain gear with me to Elster Ranch this morning, so moving the lambs to a pasture a quarter mile away wasn't quite the soggy job it might have been!  Now, I'm waiting for my rain gear to dry a bit before heading back out into the storm.  While these autumn rains sometimes hamper our efforts to get outside work done (for example, I can't deliver firewood today), they are a welcome and needed break from the hectic pace of our summer work.

There are some tasks that require us to work through the rain.  The lambs at Elster Ranch, for example, were out of grass in the field they'd been in for several weeks.  Moving them required setting up new fence about a quarter mile away.  Taff (my border collie) and I then walked the sheep up to their new pasture.  Taff doesn't mind the rain - it keeps him much cooler while he's working.  I think it has something to do with his Scottish heritage!  As long as I'm prepared with the proper clothing and footwear, I don't mind it either.  I love drying out in front of the woodstove after working in wet weather!

Other work, like loading and hauling firewood, is best left for drier weather.  I was supposed to deliver a cord of oak to a customer later today, but the ground quickly became too wet and slippery for a loaded truck to navigate.  While I don't mind working in the rain, I also don't enjoy getting stuck in the mud.  While today's delay means I'll be busier the rest of this week, it's nice to have an excuse to rest this morning!  Sometimes, Mother Nature reminds us to slow down and live in the moment!