2011 All Over Again At Go Away Farm

:-(

No one will argue that 2011 set a high mark in the drought category in the past 20 years in Austin County, Texas. All of South Texas experienced one of the most devastating droughts that year with Houston losing millions of pine and oak trees, and we were relieved when 2012 brought some relief, albeit not enough to catch up. We entered 2013 with very low ponds due to the lack of fall rain last year, and we are suffering now from an extended drought reminiscent of 2011. Not a drop of moisture to speak of in 39 days as of today. Temperatures ranging from high 90's to low 100's without rain is difficult on hay grass and livestock. Today is 104F. No wind. Parched!

On top of the dry and heat we have been plagued with the worst grasshopper infestation in our 20 years of owning the farm. Mikki had to take the gardens up before anything was able to ripen. Billions of the rascals. Being as organic as we can, we have been hesitant to spray anything on them other than dusting with DE (diatomaceous earth) because it does so much damage to the good pests and bees. Don't want that!  We pray for rain and some relief from the grasshoppers... 

Sunflowers... they got higher faster than the grasshoppers could jump:-)

The dogs are worn out. That cool pine floor feels pretty good. 

Nice. Potatoes stripped while we were in Costa Rica in five days. 

Bad photo, but I was attempting to get a silhouette of the grasshoppers on the rosemary. See if you can count them:-) Bet not. 

Cabbage ravaged. 

They are truly pestilences.