Canesister's 2025 journal - Bushel & Peck Farm

[canesisters]

Morning started out good. Was up feeling pretty human except for pain in hands & wrists so I grabbed the DMSO, did a buncha stuff I can’t remember now, and optimistically went out to help feed. That didn’t last long. I found that instead of using the hay feeders, he’d been packing hay on bottom of the cages so 14 rabbits were covered and standing on layers and layers of sh!t.
It took me an hour to muscle it all off the cage floors and I am disgusted. I killed one for Boone, the next one I kill will be my big doe so I can split up the litter. I guess they are all gonna be dogfood. I can’t do this, and I can’t count on him to. I figured that after I spent 2 days raking under the cages because he let it build up until it hit the floors, and it messed me up for over 2 weeks, that he’d make an effort, but beyond throwing food and filking water he’s pretty useless, be it rabbits, dogs or horses.
I’m not in a good mood anymore.

That's terrible! Why is it soo HARD for us too get a little help now and then!?!? How hard would it have been to USE the feeders. And he could see that it was making a mess.... I'm really sorry.

I would like a little info about your user of DMSO for pain when you have a moment.

 

[peteyfoozer]

I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had posted this on your journal!!!
I just rub a little DMSO on the joints that are painful. It’s very effective at taking down inflammation. Just be cautious not to have any chemicals on your skin (I don’t even use creams or anything) as it does pull everything into the body with it.
I heard it was originally discovered by loggers when they realize they never got arthritis because it’s a product of the wood industry, and have also read its a by product of paper industry. Either way, its pretty good if potent stuff. I used to use it on my jumping horses if they had strained or puffy tendons

 

[fuzzi]

Information on DMSO:
https://rescue.substack.com/p/like-penicillin-miraculous-dmso-could

I have anecdotal evidence for its use, but there are long-term medical studies that back up its usefulness.

 

[canesisters]

I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had posted this on your journal!!!
I just rub a little DMSO on the joints that are painful. It’s very effective at taking down inflammation. Just be cautious not to have any chemicals on your skin (I don’t even use creams or anything) as it does pull everything into the body with it.
I heard it was originally discovered by loggers when they realize they never got arthritis because it’s a product of the wood industry, and have also read its a by product of paper industry. Either way, its pretty good if potent stuff. I used to use it on my jumping horses if they had strained or puffy tendons

I remember using it on my horses' legs way back in my riding days. If I remember right.... there was an instant icky taste on the back of my tongue the moment it got in my fingers. Proof, I guess, that it DOES instantly get into your bloodstream & throughout your body.
I wonder of it'll help my gimpy hip?

 

[Ridgetop]

I used to use it on my jumping horses if they had strained or puffy tendons

It was originally only aviable for horses. I hve an old bottle but never used it since when I got it years ago I was much younger nd in good shape. Do you crush aspirin into it for pain relief? How do you use it?

 

[canesisters]

Power flicked off around 5 last night. I was JUST starting to get ready for work. It was going to be a 'down' night anyway because my crew is down 1 creel guy anyway & the other had already said he was going to be out. I called the mgr. Turns out his power was out too. He called the plant, their power was on but they had run out of supplies, so were down already anyway. He called his mgr & got permission to offer 'company convenience' - which means I can miss the day with no hit against attendance.... but also no pay. I've put in A LOT of effort to get these OT days & wasn't giving that up if I could help it. I asked if I could use Vaca day & keep my hours ( ). He said yes... so I did that & went back to bed.
Stayed toasty warm under the quilts all night. Went out just after sun up, checked on Eva, let the chickens out & started up the generator. I got that moved up to the house & hooked up to the cutoff switch..... nothing.

I called Amy (the neighbor who helped with the Big Barn Cleanup last Jan & who's nephew had gotten the generator for me) to ask if I had maybe forgotten a step. We talked it over & she said she'd call her hubby to see what he said.
In the mean time I stood there in the cold wondering why the big cutoff switch was labeled like it was.

The switch normally 'lives' at the upper ON position ( ON the power company's system) I had switched it to OFF.
... what was the other ON for? I had assumed it was the same as the upper one, just depending how it was hooked up.
But... being who I am - super cautious most of the time; ridiculously reckless to the point of insanity at others - I closed my eyes & jerked it down.
The generator reved up & the porch light came on.
YEAH I didn't blow-up or burn down anything and the power was back on!
I need to get a big fat marker & label that box: "ON SEC" & "ON GENERATOR".
Anyhow; the house is heating up, the phone is charging & the coffee is brewing.
In all honesty... it might have been the terrible caffeine headache that drove me to pulling that switch

According to the SEC site, there are 35 of us out along my road & no crew assigned yet. Hopefully they'll get us back on before the next round of ice & snow hits on Wed.
I called Dad to let him know I had power & that his room is warm & ready if he wants it. He, of course, said he was staying warm in bed & hoped his phone didn't die.
I told him to come up when he gets out of bed. He can charge his phone, get some coffee, I'll fry up a couple eggs. Nope. He's staying under the covers.
Yall wanna guess where I get my stubbornness from?

Going to get a shower in a bit & head out. Need another bag of Rx food for Chaos & to fill a couple jugs of gas in case I need to run the Gen through the night.

 

[canesisters]

Quick question.
Yall know that one of the manythings I love about Eva is that she rarely challenges the fence.
She's finishing the last of her current bale today & I'll drop a new one for her in the morning. That is usually enough to keep her content. But... no power/ no fence.
Should I try to hook enough extension cords together to run to the fence charger in the barn? Roughly 200'. I think I have a 100' one. And the de-icers in her trough & the chicken's water are probably 50' & 25'. I'm sure there are a couple more in the barn.
But I think I've heard that it's dangerous to try to run too many cords? They can heat up??

 

[Mini Horses]

Put her in a stall until power is on.

 

[canesisters]

Power back on around 2pm.
I moved the gen against the house & covered in a piece of metal. May as well keep it close until the next storm passes.

@Baymule watching you build that hoop coop for meat birds has started that 'itch' for me to get some this year. I have a tote full of processing equipment - some of it never used. And the amount of chicken I've gone through this past year is ridiculous. I don't think I could do it on the scale you do.... but maybe a dozen
Could they grow out in the pen with the other chickens or should I have a dedicated temp pen?

 

[Mini Horses]

Dedicated pen. They eat differently, crap a ton & you don't want that in your egg pen.

Here, I buy chicken on sale. Not a fan of dark meat, so a lot of work wasted -- or given to DD who prefers dark meat. Canned up a lot when I bought chen breast at 99-1.59# earlier in yr, plus pieces frozen.

One store had whole birds at 99# last week. Tempted but didn't get there.