Understanding the Differences in Rain

Today's forecast called for 50% chance of rain, which is, thankfully, slightly better than the 30% the other day (which meant none). However, today's sky has looked promising since my 6:00 AM run.

Streaks of rain in the distance created a really beautiful scene as my running partner and I headed out of town. However, no drops fell on us, other than the beads of sweat that always seem to stream down my face, arms, legs...you get the drift: I'm nasty when I come home.

So the rest of the morning it was cloudy, even becoming darkish rain-is-eminent cloudy, but still nothing. Anna was happy, as she is en route to Cartville with her grandma, and was hoping to get some quality time on a go-kart before it rained.

But it still hasn't.

It's nap time here, and I just stepped out onto the deck, where there is a smattering of raindrops (Josie calls it "glitterish") on the dark finish. Not enough to even make my freshly flat-ironed hair go back to curly.

Not enough to even call it a rain.

Yet, before my grocery bill became dependent upon good, soaking rains, I would have considered today a rainy day. It spit a few drops and has been cloudy. That's considered rainy, right?

Wrong.

Rain, especially during a year such as this, is crazy important. And good soaking rains are especially necessary for not just our crops, but especially our pasture ground. The grass isn't as green and lush and plentiful as it usually is, thus, making grazing a trick and a scheduling nightmare for this lady who likes to get away once in a while. We're feeding hay like it's December, and it's August.

Ugh.

What I have learned in my short time as a farm wife is to never complain about rain...unless it's a wet year, or your harvesting, or your hay is down, or anything else...and to never assume what we have had in a day's time is enough or the right amount.

So, in general conversation, if you ask a farmer about rain, you will get a long complicated answer. And it's not because rain is a complicated thing, it's that rain affects everything on a farm, whether its corn, beans, cattle, grapes, apples, cotton, whatever one grows. It doesn't just affect plans to go to the pool or a ball game, it affects animal's nutrition, crops and their potential and farmers and their moods.

And, oh does it affect one's mood.