Hot Child In the City, er Country

 

 

 

Sure enough the kids go back to school and the temps go up. That's is when my alter ego Water Woman goes into action. Just as curvy as Wonder Woman (to much so) I come to the rescue of our parched critters. My costume also draws attention like the superhero, shorts and a tank top, but it is not meant for the publics eyes so I keep a shirt with sleeves tied around my waist in case a customer shows up.

Research (my own) has shown that customers will spend more money in the store when the bat wings under my arms are covered and not flapping around distracting them from the roast they were going to purchase for Sunday dinner.

By noon it was nearly 90 and water buckets, pans were  half filled with hot water or empty. I start in the back corner with Wally and his girls. Fill up their pans, yell at them for drinking a few sips and then dumping them to get the ground wet, then push the hose over to the mud hole. It fills while I go to the calves.

We have 8 new ones plus the 7 we had before that. I use the kids red wagon to haul around filled buckets to them. It takes a few trips and by the time I'm done with them I am sweating like the overweight farm princess I am.

So I let the water from the hose run over my arms and legs and I splash more on my face and neck. A hint of a breeze shows up and I am motivated to continue. Our tiny baby broiler chicks are out of milk which is their main liquid during this high growth phase. I trudge back to the barn and get them cold fresh milk from our tank.

They are very happy. I am too cause the raw milk is working great. They should be very yummy in a few more weeks. Done fantasizing about fried chicken in November, I also find them another board to set up for more shade near their cage. I then watered all the rest of our poultry, leaving the hose run to make a little pond for our ducks.

Then onto the larger feeder pigs, 8 of them in the west pasture. I drag the hose over and weaving it carefully through the three hot wires I get it into their water trough, fill it and let it overflow into their mud hole. They hear the fresh water and come running from their shady shed. They slurp and drink and wallow but does anyone say thank you? Of course not.

Working my way north, I refill the dogs water bucket. Ashland DOES say thank you. He always does. You can rely on German Shepherds I have discovered.

Further north and somewhat east I grab a few apples from our over bearing trees and head back north to the horse pen. Apples to Doolin and Ennis, I check their automatic waterer...it's working, wish we could afford about 10 more of them! I give them the apples and on the other side of their pen push the water hose into Mad Maxes water dishes.

The 3 huge hogs in that pen do not move in the shade of their large home. I yell at the and still no response. I spray the hose into their mud hole and they come lumbering out. Fighting to lay in the spot where I am spraying the water, I have to move the hose back and forth across all their backs to keep them happy.

 

Finally they seem cooled off enough. I however have stinking sweat pooling into my eyes, my nose and all those other spots I need not mention. I make my way back to the spigot, turn it off. Then slowly retrace my steps across the farm and turn off any other hoses I may have left on.

Then, I remember my dry secret  garden back over by the horses. So back I go and switching the little toggle between the two hoses I turn on the sprinkler in my secret garden. By now I am very very warm so I stand in the sprinkler nearly giving myself a heart attack as the ice cold water shoots up and around my "solar collection receptacles."  A dripping mess, I feel I can go on.

Back down the length of the farm I turn off the hose leading to Wally's mud hole and the duck's water is cut off as well. Everyone seems to be handling the heat well. Done with my water chores I head inside have a big cold drink and take a long cool shower.

Then I took my clothes off.

Ten minutes later I get out of the shower, dry off and lay down in front of the fan, hoping UPS does not show up needing a signature.