A Vacation In The Middle Of It All

The acreage has been through some weather variables over the last several weeks. Hot, unyielding sun and no rain persisted until the lawn went dormant and the crops around us dried to a golden yellow. During that time nature sent us a “derecho” also known as a land hurricane, with some parts of Iowa experiencing over 100 mph winds. We did not feel the brunt of the storm but were left picking up branches scattered over the place, while other areas suffered significant damage to trees and buildings. Over 400,000 people were without power, some for weeks, and 6 million acres of crops were damaged. Once the storm was over the drought continued. Then, despite riots and protests, a derecho, a drought and a pandemic we decided to go on vacation. Shelly had been missing Lake Superior so we packed up the car and drove through Minnesota and over to Wisconsin for a several day stay with our 12 year old Lab Marley. This was our third stay at the same cabin so it was both a getaway and familiar. Marley seemed to love it, and eventually got used to coming over to the side of the car so I could pick her up and place her in the back seat of the vehicle. However, in her defense, she could still jump out of the car, just not in! She had no hesitation swimming into Lake Superior to fetch the stick, and had lots of admirers on the beach for being such a good old lady. Shelly and I enjoyed the time away but were both glad to get back to our little acreage…just in time for a cold front to come through and rain on us for a week. At least the drought is over!