Spring Showers

     It started yesterday. The white puffy clouds that have been floating overhead for a few days turned dark and did their best to be menacing. Individually they did little but drop a few drops here and there and sleet a bit.

     But, inevitably, they eventually combined into one cohesive front. So today is a rainy one. That doesn't change much, really. The farmers and ranchers still have work to do. They won't be out messing with mud, but what they do has a lot more to it than dirt and it's wet relative.

     Irrigation continues as usual, the artificial rain mingling freely with the natural rain. For the rest of the day many farmers and ranchers will move indoors to fiddle with more indoorsy (it's a word) stuff.

     Animals react in different ways. When it rains you can see more of certain birds, like this Ring-Necked Pheasant. Feathers shed rain pretty well, but if you're hiding in the weeds the rain runs down any stems strait to your skin. Ever had a big drop come off an awning and fall inside your collar? I imagine it's like that. The rain also muffles the approach of any predators, so it helps to be out in the open where you can rely on sight instead. Smaller birds will, for the most part be able to find dry spots, hopefully their nests.

     Cows just hunker up and wait. This is the primary way a cow deals with most circumstances. They're more or less waterproof.
     For the most part, the rain is welcome. So long as the rain remains as gentle as it has been, all the plants from the newly sprouted to the green and growing, appreciates the extra water. While the rain may delay some of the groundwork the farmers were hoping to do, they're more or less used to the short rainy season we get here in Owyhee County.