July's full moon...

"July's full moon is called the Full Buck Moon.  July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon." ~Farmer's Almanac

It's a beautiful full moon.  Aren't they all?  We can attest to all the reasons that the full July Moon is called by so many names -- all of them evident where we live.  Very soon those velvety buck antlers will begin to itch and they'll come in close to where we have trees and start scraping the velvet off their horns and injure the tree bark of the youngest of the trees.  Now is the time to make sure young trees are properly fenced against the deer.  The deer are also becoming bored with their dry prairie feed so they will start moving in to the home place for some more interesting forage -- tree leaves, carrot tops, geranium petals and other such delicious greenery.

On the plains it is definitely thunderstorm season as well.  We've had temperatures climbing into the upper 90's and low 100's and since we've had a good, wet spring and summer, there is a lot of humidity in the air to help fuel evening thunderstorms.  It's an awesome and beautiful thing to watch thunder clouds form in our big skies.

These evening cloud formations didn't amount to anything but a few sprinkles here, but may have developed more intensity and dropped more rain as they traveled eastward.  We have more clouds developing tonight.  I'm hopeful that the clouds are only of the rain variety and not hail.  Many ranchers around us have had terrible hailstorms that destroyed gardens, wheat fields, hay crops, and damaged homes.

We are still busy cutting hay in the hay fields.  For the second time in my life here on the ranch, we are getting a second cutting of alfalfa on our best field.  We live in dry country where there is no irrigation and usually very little rain in mid-summer and so it is rare, very rare, to get a second cutting of alfalfa.  What a gift.  Most often the second cutting is especially rich in protein and vitamin content and sells for a premium price.  We will make some of it into small square bales for the sheep to feed during lambing time.

If he doesn't get rained out, Hubs will be baling by the light of the Full Hay Moon tonight.  Nights are often the best time to bale alfalfa hay because it starts to cool down and dew begins to develop and give the hay just enough moisture so the leaves aren't beat off the stems as it goes through the baler.  When there is too much moisture in baling, you get rot and mold.  It's a fussy, meticulous process which results in excellent hay.

Happy Buck-Thunder-Hay Full Moon!