After the deluge

Every river in the North Country of upstate New York is at or above flood stage, and Lake Champlain is reclaiming low lying areas along its shoreline.  And still the rains come.  Most of the cropland visible from Rte. 87 on a recent drive to the Canadian border from Plattsburgh was either underwater or so saturated it made no difference.  It will be May next week and the long range forecast is for showers through the middle of next week.  Farmers need the heavy soils here in the Champlain valley to begin drying before the middle of May, or many crops will be delayed.  My own gardens which are reasonably well drained are barely workable, and constant rain and cool temperatures will rot most seed before it germinates.  Even the trees are holding back, waiting for a real taste of spring before releasing their tightly held buds.  In farming, as in life, timing is everything.  I hope Mother Nature gets in sync with the season shortly, or the local veg deal will get very interesting.