Drought - Snakes and Turtles

Its going to be a long HOT summer. We are behind 5" of rain. The meadow around our house looks like it usually does in September/October.

We usually run stocker/yearling steers and heifers through the summer, they are getting shipped off to the feedlot a few months early to help us make the grass last. We'll make it through the summer but the winter will be hard as we usually don't feed too much hay, just graze.

It feels like its been early summer since March when we started having our high 80* days on and off.

We continually pray for rain. When it's Cinch's turn to pray he gets frustrated about it, because he already prayed for rain- but we continue to pray.

Because it is so dry, we've had lots of creatures in the yard lately.

This lovely painted turtle came in last week, these are a rare find, not as common as the box turtles you find everywhere.

And snakes! Lots and lots of snakes. I can easily count 20-30 snakes every week I mow the grass. Today, Cinch and I counted five right by the trampoline. I'm trying to be patient as they keep the mice away and as long as long as the rattlers stay south, I try not to kill them as I mow.