Intense Afternoon~

The day started out calmly enough.  Butch mentioned Farah had been laying down when he arrived to feed her.  I drove out to check her temperature & it was fine.  I groomed her & left her happily munching her hay.

Ominous~

I had plenty to get done this afternoon, but left for the farm about 3.  I planned to do some work on the path going to the new pasture.  As I was leaving town - I heard the warning sirens going off.  Since the sun was shining & there had been mention of thunderstorms in the afternoon forecast, I just thought it was a test.  I came to where I make the turn to head east & heard a horn honking!  It was my husband, in his school bus directly across the road from me.  This was No test!

A flock of birds lands in the big Cottonwood~

I decided to continue out to the farm.  It looked like there were more heavy clouds hanging over town than further east.  When I pulled in by Farah's gate - she came running from the barn & slammed into the gate - then turned & ran back into the barn.  As I made it to the barn, she was inside, covered in flies.  Her legs were almost black with them.  She was in a controlled panic...  I grabbed the fly spray & started spraying & scraping them off her with my hands.  

Relief, fly mask & leggings!

I think they must have all hatched in the same instant!  There had been None this morning, but the weather had warmed into the upper 70's & it had become very muggy.  We'd just gotten the problem under control when the rain hit!  It became a deluge within seconds.  

Covered with fly spray & dumping rain~

The flies disappeared!  I hope they were drowned!  Off came the leggings & fly mask.  The sound of the rain was very loud on the tin roof of the barn.  Soon Farah was outside standing in the rain - washing off about $10. worth of fly spray!  :-)  I convinced her to come back inside with me.  She was extremely unhappy.  Hard rain & lots of loud noise.  But next - came the hail!  The sound on the roof went up to a roar.  In the next instant, she was out the door!

I couldn't believe she was standing out in the deluge.  It was hitting her hard & she would move her rear from side to side as she was plummeted!  I would have put a blanket on her - but had no idea that she would take that punishment over being in the loud barn...

Inside again~

I finally offered cookies.  That, along with the lessening of the hail brought her back in.  Butch arrived to check on us shortly after.  He'd had a bus full of kids when the sirens went off.  The first time in 31-years the warnings sounded when the busses were transporting students. The drivers took the kids to the nearest school shelters to wait for the all clear.

The storm eased, we put the Bronco in 4-wheel drive & drove out.  We weren't so lucky with the truck :-(  It will be tomorrow before we can retrieve it!  Next, below freezing temperatures & snow forecast for Sat. with a high on Sunday of 32!