Because yesterday, when it was balmy and pleasant, the forecast for the next ten days was for no rain. My heart leapt!
A stretch of ten dry days would make a world of difference in the paddocks, which for the past few months have looked - no joke - like a scrap pile of lumber exploded in a sea of mud. Also, with ten consecutive days of dryness, long-postponed projects requiring time outdoors, like the annual 2-day cleaning out of the workshop, or putting multiple coats of paint on a dozen wooden items that have been gathering dust: such things could be done and joyously crossed off my pre-Winter list. So exciting! I could even draw outdoors every day! I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've sketched outdoors this "summer" without being driven indoors when rain started again.
Just before bed every night, I mark my calendar with tasks for the next day. Last night, I also decided to take a screenshot of the 10-day forecast, because it made me feel so happy and hopeful and energetic.
Guess what. The forecast had changed: the first three days were now Heavy Rain.
This morning I went out at 6 to start the chores while the goats could still move around without standing in rain. Hastening through the morning round, I finished a bit after 8. The rain had started falling around 7, which means I enjoyed - and I really did enjoy it! - the single not-raining hour of this absolute deluge of a day.
When I did evening chores tonight, it appeared the goats had all sheltered early, which is good. But the amount of water that had already fallen - over 3 inches since 7 AM - is making even places that are usually dry, wet. There was no chance at all of shifting any goats between paddocks tonight, and they'll be okay where they are til morning, but then what? My gosh, I don't know how long this can go on. I never could have imagined keeping animals in such conditions. I would never irresponsibly choose to keep animals in these conditions. Yet here I am.
It's disheartening, to say the very least. To bend all one's efforts to keeping animals healthy and happy, day after day, year after year, and then to fail so very badly.
According to the latest forecast, this heavy rain may stop sometime tomorrow afternoon. Maybe it will. Who knows. I am slowly getting it through my noggin that there is just no point in expecting anything but rain.
