Benefits from rain

Frost has done its work by now in Jodi Vibert’s garden near Craik, Sask. But before it did, she photographed this volunteer sunflower. It has 61 heads on it, ranging in size from a toonie to a dinner plate. That’s impressive production. We will have to find out what kind of fertilizer Vibert uses in her garden, and what kind of TLC she gives to her plants.
I thought another reader photo might provide you with a smile as well. Vanessa Thrun received plenty of rain on the farm near Luseland, Sask., as did much of the province and indeed the Prairies.
“I have been so tired of trying to keep the kids out of the mud, so one day I gave in. This is what happened,” she wrote.
Eighteen-month-old Emerson, the daughter of Vanessa and her husband Jason, loves puddles and quickly embraced the chance to play in the plentiful mud. So did her twin sisters, 12, and her brother, 4.
As you can see, there is an up side to rain and mud, at least for the younger, not-currently-farming generation. And this enjoyable introduction to the wonders of prairie soil might just lead to careers in agriculture.