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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

If only they had given him an eye patch.

I had a long chat with Skippy last night. I was feeling a bit bouncy and playful, and I think I scared her. I told her a story about something that had happened here a while back. I think she stopped breathing in laughter at one point. But now she is determine to draw the story up in one of her famous cartoons. So you will just have to wait until it's done to hear or see the story.

 I complained to her a bit about the national media glossing over the drought. They don't seem to either understand or care that it will impact our food supply. I read an article yesterday about it, and a vet was saying that the cattle aren't dying in the heat. At first I was a bit surprised as last year there were many cattle deaths caused by the heat, and this year it is hotter and dryer. Husband put me straight, there isn't any cattle left. Well, there is, just no the same number we have seen in the past. But on to other food crops, corn, wheat, cotton (not food) are miserable failures in the lower plains. Skippy suggested that I write to someone in the media and tell them in my articulate way, what is happening. I just don't see that doing any good, what on earth can the media do? Make it rain? And even if it does rain, it is a bit late now.

However an hour north of us is doing fine. They have been getting rain, they have brought in decent wheat crops. If any of my Northern Kansas readers have corn fields or a pasture they wish to lease, let me know. . .Please. I can pay the lease fees.

Speaking of which, I drove passed our hay guys place. The land is barren. Dirt and inedible weeds is all I saw. Acres of it. This is a horrible turn of events for us. We have 4 months to make things better. That is our cut off.

We have been purposely growing weeds in the garden to feed to the cows. They are in desperate want of greens. It isn't a lot, but it is a least something fresh. We can see the storms gather, we get excited, then watch as they curve north of us.

I gave the rabbits the frozen jugs of water. They seem to be ignoring them. We need to finish the new hutches. I will feel better once they are done. I don't care for these traditional hutches that we are using now. But it has been too hot to work for very long outside. And they are now saying we could see triple digit temps through September. 

I met Good Neighbor at the fence yesterday. He was asking after my garden. Seems I am doing a bit better than him. His hens have stopped laying, and he has decided to sell off all his Boer goats. He is struggling in this drought. He makes his money completely off his land. He had to get a part time gig because of the drought.

Husband went to the Immediate Care yesterday. (It's like an ER but Fancier and cheaper) Friday he got something in his eye. At first he thought it was just a stray eyelash, but by Sunday he was convince he had either scratched it or there was something stuck in it. I took a look and sure enough just above his pupil was a metal sliver. He tried using a magnet to get it out, but it was too deep in.  So yesterday morning I took him in. The physician got about 85% of it out, then told Husband that he wasn't comfortable digging too deeply into his eye. He  called our eye doc, and we were seen within an hour. Took 5 minutes to remove the remainder. Doc says there is a permanent rust ring, but that his brain will adjust so that he doesn't see it in his field of vision. We should have gone to him in the first place, Doc bill was only $39. I am however disappointed that he didn't get an eye patch.

7 comments:

Kimberly @ We Call Her Momma said...

I don't know how many rabbits you have but I thought I'd throw this out...

Can you dig down in an area maybe 3 feet deep and line it with chicken wire? Fill it back in Let the rabbits burrow in it like they do in the wild? The soil might too loose from the removal that it may not be able to sustain a tunnel. If that is so maybe you can bury a wooden/plastic box/doghouse and have a large pipe/drainage tubing leading from the surface to the entrance of the underground compartment.

I don't remember if you've tried a mister system. My hubby made one with PVC and the emitters you get at a hardware store. Lowe's used to sell those fans that had emitters in them. Or how about draping a wet sheet over the front of a fan for cooling air (I read that on a blog...it might have been your other site.)

We regularly get 110 + degrees in the summer. This year we seem to be getting more humidity.

Good luck.

Phelan said...

We are in process of building an Egyptian style in ground hutch. We tried the mister, it didn't help with the bunnies though. That's why we are trying the simple frozen water jugs.

Thanks

sel said...

Go ahead and get him one at the drug store. He might just wear it to amuse you!

Phelan said...

And I should pick up a pirate's hat just to have the full fantasy :D

Lamb said...

Absolutely go with the eye patch...and pirate hat...add in one of those full sleeved lace white shirts...*swoon*
We have had the same high temps here...wish I lived close enough to buy up some of those Boer goats!
I spray down the goats and chickens a couple times a day. Annoys the heck out of the chickens, but they haven't stopped laying! We lost the one to the heat, but other than that, their daily showers seem to be doing the trick!
You just have to try every trick in the book until you find one that works for you with the rabbits.
Have you thought of putting in a massive fall CATTLE garden? Not hay, but pumpkins, cabbage and turnips, all of which were common winter feed for cattle and other livestock in colonial times and in Europe (even today)? Pumpkins (and other squash), cabbage and turnips all keep well over winter in a simple root cellar. Great high caloric and protein value to add to hay feedings to stretch out your hay supplies come winter.

Lamb said...

Absolutely go with the eye patch...and pirate hat...add in one of those full sleeved lace white shirts...*swoon*
We have had the same high temps here...wish I lived close enough to buy up some of those Boer goats!
I spray down the goats and chickens a couple times a day. Annoys the heck out of the chickens, but they haven't stopped laying! We lost the one to the heat, but other than that, their daily showers seem to be doing the trick!
You just have to try every trick in the book until you find one that works for you with the rabbits.
Have you thought of putting in a massive fall CATTLE garden? Not hay, but pumpkins, cabbage and turnips, all of which were common winter feed for cattle and other livestock in colonial times and in Europe (even today)? Pumpkins (and other squash), cabbage and turnips all keep well over winter in a simple root cellar. Great high caloric and protein value to add to hay feedings to stretch out your hay supplies come winter.

Brighthaven Becca said...

Hi there, here in Florida we have to keep our bunny cool as well. We have frozen water jugs. At first, she didn't seem to care for it but she digs it now. :)

Also, when it's really hot they like open bowls of water. She never turns hers over! I have heard that some breeds do well if you wet their ears.

I also freeze some treats to feed her. Frozen apple peels are her delicious treat of choice.

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