Stoneage Ramblings

By John R. Stone

It seems like the lack of precipitation we had last winter is be recouped this spring with plenty of rain. In fact I’m awfully glad that it is coming as rain rather than snow. One doesn’t have to shovel rain.

Rain has also made a lot of things very green. Our lawn is as green and as lush as it has ever been in the 29 years we have lived here.

Put down some fertilizer like I do every spring but this year the combination of fertilizer and rainwater has been amazing. The grass is thick and in some spots so thick one doesn’t feel the ground underneath.

It seems like the seed I put down last year that didn’t take is coming up this year. There were spots I tried to grow grass last year where nothing happened. This year those same spots have lush green grass. And the seed in bare spots this year is popping up just fine.

Now it is only June and last’s week’s predicted rain on Tuesday didn’t really amount to much. So by the time you read this we might have actually gone a whole week without much rain. It will be interesting to see how quickly things change.

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Of course that thick green grass has to be mowed. It seems like it only takes two or three days at the most before it needs to be mowed again. That new grass seed I put in bald spots grows faster than the old grass so in a couple of days the fresh green stuff is a couple of inches taller than the older stuff.

We’re not to the point where a person idles the mower, grabs a drink of water, and heads out to start all over again. But we’re getting close!

So it will be interesting to see how this summer goes. Will we keep getting regular moisture so one does not have to water a lawn? If we don’t will the grass go back to its own thin anemic self?

I guess we’ll find out!

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One place the grass seems to say fresh all summer is Minnewaska Golf Course. Golf courses are watered all summer to keep them looking fresh but I suspect water pump usage is down quite a bit this spring.

The course is as rich and green as I can ever remember seeing it.

This has created one problem, for me at least. The roughs are really rough. Get a ball in the rough and it can be tough getting out or getting any distance on a shot from the rough. The grass is thick and green and tends to grab a golf club.

Of course a person is supposed to play on the fairways where the grass is short to allow good contact with the ball. Not all of us are on the fairways all the time!

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The green grass has lead to a good alfalfa crop but the frequent rainfalls have hampered the harvest. So while I may look at my yard and be thankful for the rain farmers are looking at a good crop they would like to harvest.

Maybe this past week’s missed rainfall (at least here in Glenwood) also missed some more fields where folks can get their alfalfa out of the field.

I would think that the rain we have had will have additional benefits for farmers by getting the ground more saturated and maybe helping build up aquifers. We’ve been pulling a lot of water out of them the past few years so I think it would be nice to put some more water into the ground.

At any rate we’re off to a good start this year moisture-wise. I hope it keeps up and everyone gets as much rain as they need when they need it! That’s not asking too much, is it?