If I Wanted to Live in the Rainforest.....

I Would Have Moved There Years Ago

New Jersey summers are pretty notorious for being hot and humid, at least in Central New Jersey. We are close enough to the coast to be influenced by Atlantic weather fronts, and when the jetstream is in position, we tend to get the tropical air masses from the south. But normally, by this time of year, we are starting to worry about the possibilities of drought. The ground would be hard and dry. Most of our water supply comes from wells and reservoirs particularly dependent upon underground aquifers filled by rainwater.

This year, it simply has not stopped raining. Last night, more rain came through and the forecast calls for more storms this evening. Top that off by high humidity--one of those tropical air masses, I guess, and what you have is "The New Jersey Rainforest." Well, at least my property looks like a rainforest. I cannot keep up with the growing greenery. I trimmed along my interior fences in the spring, cutting back some little trees and vines to no avail. Everything has grown back with a vengeance.

And then there's the mud. My path to the manure pile was rather a challenge this morning, and when I came in my own legs needed a hose off. When my hay guy came today, we talked a bit about what I could do with the paddock. Looks as if gutters are in the future to control the runoff from the barn roof on that side, and my idea of scraping off the topsoil and digging a drainage ditch are pretty sound. Trouble is, it's a lot of work and I'm not sure I can handle it all. Hiring someone is always an option, but I do have to watch my money now that I've retired.

I'll figure something out, but for now, it's too hot and wet to think of much more than planting a few tropical fruit trees and hoping I'll discover the next great rainforest health cure so I too can make a mint selling it. *G*