I'm thankful for sunshine and muddy tennis shoes.
Randy and I scouted some 2017 wheat fields Wednesday afternoon, our shoes squishing into rain-soaked ground. We received 1.80 inches of rain earlier this week. This was in addition to the 3.5 inches of rain that fell the week before.
It was the first moisture we'd gotten since the
January ice storm, so I sure didn't mind a little mud on my tennis shoes!
The rain fell at an opportune time. Randy is showing where the wheat "joint" is. Jointing is the time frame where yield potential for the wheat plant is determined, so it's a benefit if it has adequate moisture and nutrients available to it. We had done what we could about the nutrients. We had the co-op top-dress the wheat fields with fertilizer. Mother Nature supplied the moisture!
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| A different perspective - from the ground up! |
The cooler temperatures also helped slow down wheat growth, also a good thing. But after several days of rain, the sunshine provides some "heat units," also important for growth.
The rains also provided moisture for our alfalfa fields (above) and pastures. We'll be moving cattle to pasture at the beginning of May, so these spring showers will give the grasslands a boost.
Famously, "April showers bring May flowers." But it also brings its share of April blooms.
Spring reminds us to appreciate the little things as they come. One day, the hyacinth was exploding with purple boldness. Only days later, the blooms are shriveled and unremarkable. It would have been all too easy to miss them.
So I will delight in the redbud blooms ...
... and the pear tree blossoms ...
... and the purple tulips against rough rock ...
... and the flowering shrubs - the color of the bloom seemingly leeching into the leaves.
And I'll be thankful for all - muddy tennis shoes included.
I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27
A Time to Think
Flowers grow out of dark moments.
–Sister Mary Corita Kent, artist and educator
A Time to Act
Change your thoughts and change your life.
A Time to Pray
Dear God, help me always to see beyond my fears to the beauty of Your creation.
Devotional from
Guideposts.
Wonderful news re your rain. May the wheat continue to prosper.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the arrival of spring on the farm, something never seen in the tropics.
Yes, the rain arrived at a good time for the wheat. It has certainly made things green in our neck of the woods.
DeleteYour photos of spring blooms are a delight! As is all that rain I would imagine.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynda. Yes, the rain was timely for crops and for the springtime blooms!
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