Day 60 - Wet

Spring had sprung on the farm. I always joked that the day I cleaned up a winter's worth of dog poop on the lawn was the unofficial start of spring. Living on the farm, that timeline had transitioned to when we saw the sandhill cranes who lived in our yard for the first time. Their calls and mannerisms were a sight for sore eyes in need of rejuvenation after a long, cold winter. This spring, we had many exciting things to look forward to. Restoration was underway. Until it continued, we had plenty of other business to attend to. 

Spring brings rain. Sometimes, it brings lots of it. Having a farm in a wetland with agricultural ditches, we knew water would play an important role in the development of our farm. Depending on the time of year, portions of the land were pretty inaccessible because it was so wet. Thawing of the winter snow and torrential spring rains combined to make the spring months one of these times. We found out pretty quickly that it can be tricky to access portions of our big backyard in spring unless knee high boots are involved. But it dries up just as quickly as it soaks in. We don't have any permanently wet features on the farm. The ditches, frozen in winter and spilling over in spring, dry up in summer. However, we have enough water features nearby to encourage the wonderful side of water to be present on the farm. Two neighbors over, a manmade pond invites herons and geese over to swim. We enjoy the sights. The more moist areas of the backyard encourage frogs of various varieties to sing their chorus loud and clear. We enjoy the sounds. The wetter grasses bordering the ditches offer different plants than the drier and more upland areas of the land. We enjoy the diversity. The golf course’s manmade pond at the edge of our property encourages many errant shots. We enjoy finding the golf balls.

Water has and will surely continue to bring opportunities for exploration and joy to our family farm. It will also bring problems. 

We found out the hard way. Or maybe the wet way.