I was recently talking to my mom about how my grandfather was often praying for rain. I heard him say many times, "We could really use some rain today." As a child, rainy days meant we couldn't play outside, so I had a hard time understanding why he wanted it to rain. Now that I have a garden, I find myself checking the weather app on my phone nearly every day. The month of June was very dry here in Parma, Michigan. The weather report often called for rain, but it was rarely accurate, as the rain missed our area. Our area had well below the average rainfall for the entire month. The days were really hot and with little to no rain, the grass was yellow, dry and crunchy under foot. I had to water the garden daily and sometimes twice a day in hopes of a good harvest at the end of the summer.
The weather turned the corner after the first week of July, and the much-needed rain finally arrived! Our grass is now green and growing fast, the garden is struggling a bit, but overall, seems to be doing ok. I am still hopeful of a large harvest of tomatoes, which are just now starting to turn red. I really need a large crop as I am out of canned tomatoes, and I have had to buy them for the last couple of months. Zucchinis have been plentiful, and I love trying new recipes to use the zucchini. I made my first ever batch of pickles this year which turned out amazing, and the cucumbers have been perfect. Overall, I am feeling blessed with the garden this year.
While the weather where I live changed dramatically from June to July, many other parts of the country has not been so lucky. Most areas have had record high temperatures combined with minimal rainfall, which has been devasting to livestock and agriculture. This devastation will impact the rest of the country, as food will be in short supply resulting in higher prices. Smaller crop yields mean a smaller payday for farmers.
Please, take a moment:
Pray for the farmers
Shop at farm markets
Slow down for the farm vehicles and be patient
Thank the farmers when you can
Support your local farms
Pray for rain
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