The peak of summer in Florida brings heat, humidity, some rain here and there, high electric bills, parasitic insects, runny eyes, copious amounts of weeds... Those are some negatives of our summers, but what about the positives? Well, for me personally, "not cold" is enough to keep me happy! But we also get to enjoy long days where it's still daylight at 8:00pm, lots of green forage, no blankets, hydrated hooves, and... well, what do you enjoy about summer?
The barn electricity has been sky high with fans running almost non-stop morning til dark. The water pump is also electric and we're refilling troughs twice a day. During these hottest months the electric bill is about 3 times higher than our average. Impressive!
The black fly population has finally died down. I thought we'd never get a reprieve from the billions of little buzzing buggers but their numbers have dwindled. Donkeys are surprisingly susceptible to insect parasitism, so they absolutely have to wear their fly masks during day light hours. Karma has already had two bouts of eye infections. They also seem to be more sensitive to insect bites as well, but keeping them drenched in fly spray is a challenge as it is a donkey's nature to roll, roll, roll in the dirt. Some of the more sensitive horses are getting steroid sprays and injections to keep them comfortable.
The mosquitoes haven't been bad this year which is definitely something to celebrate! Of course it's not the wettest season yet, so keep your fingers crossed and your DEET handy.
Have you seen the new mower? The "Green Meanie" is an old model John Deere with no brakes and a tiny deck, but it's a beast and can push through the thickest weeds. It takes about twice as long to mow a pasture, but the machine does its job. Our landlord's mower, although a nice piece of equipment, could not cut through the weeds. Our best option last year was to rent a heavy duty, walk-behind brush mower every few weeks. Not only was this costly but the labor was intense. We finally had just enough cash to buy this decade-old, quirky John Deere rider, and we're finding that it was the perfect investment. Buying an ancient piece of equipment has its downsides, but it was vetted and past the test so we're hoping it still has a lot of life left in it. At least a few more summers!
We've also upgraded to a golf cart! My mother helped carry buckets of feed across the farm the last time she visited and she took mercy on me - she let me borrow her golf cart! Although a wonderful gesture, borrowing anything from a parent is complicated, so we'll have to keep impeccable care of it. It's worth it if you ask me!
I hope you're finding time to enjoy the beauty of the Florida summer!
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