Devastation

Last night we had a hail storm that had the biggest hail I'd ever seen. Granted it was not baseball-sized, but it was pretty big! It was about the size of a large grape. Here is a picture:



I had planted a garden full of corn, pumpkins, cucumber, cantaloupe, carrots, broccoli, peas, green beans and peppers. Well, here are a few pictures to show what I have left:

These are supposed to be green beans...



And this is where my corn stood. It was about 6 inches tall...



BUT...as much as it stinks to have this happen, I can easily put things into perspective for myself. I grow a garden for fun, because I like it, and it's enjoyable (well, except for when the blood-sucking mosquitoes are attacking me). This is a hobby for me, and as much as it is devastating that my hours of work and love put into my garden are now for nothing, I think of the rest of my family's farm. They depend on their crops for income, to pay their mortgage, their grocery bill, car bill, etc. Fortunately, there was minimal loss on the wheat fields. As sad as I am about my small little garden, I am thankful that the rest of the crops are ok, because my in-laws and grandparents-in-law depend on those fields for their livelihood.

One thing I still don't understand about farming, and am not sure if I ever will, is how people can put all of their trust in the weather. Their whole income depends on if it rains enough or not. Our farm does dry-land farming, meaning there are no sprinklers. Granted, it would be hard to irrigate 3,200 acres of cropland! The concept seems crazy! There a song by Luke Bryan called "Rain is a Good Thing." It talks about how in the city or suburbs people sometimes complain about the rain because it dampers their plans. The lyrics go: "Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby, feel a little frisky!" While all of this is true (wink wink), rain IS a good thing around here. You NEVER curse the rain or are sad to see it here. Unless you're harvesting the crops in August/September. In that case, rain is NOT a good thing!

Thankfully everyone was safe after the storm and the damage was manageable. Here's a link to the song if you want to listen.