April brought 4.51" of much-needed rain--more than we've seen in months.  Most rains have come slow or in amounts such that resulted in little to no run-off. The ground remains rather hard and dry below the surface; the chisel plow has had only about 4" of penetration. A few ponds still show mud rings near the surface.  Our wet-weather branches haven't run since early last Spring. Pastures are green, but forage growth remains slow.  Fescue, orchardgrass, and cheat are heading; clover is blooming. Local farmers remain concerned that hay and fescue seed crops will be less than normal this year. In our general area, a substantial number of trees of various species and ages didn't leaf out this Spring, apparently victims of the extended drought. Windy conditions have prevailed in recent weeks to compound the drying effect, but fire risk is mitigated by green growth.