Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

@Baymule most of the fuel oil tanks that people have here in Va for their fuel oil are 275 gal, or more, are like that. Set up on a stand and some are gravity flow but many have the lines out of the top to feed into their oil furnaces in their houses. Also, for what we use on the farm, we have pumps that go into the top that we either use a hand crank or some are run off a battery pump. It is to keep the pump from picking up any "gunk" that settles in the tanks and can foul up the engines that they are going to be running. The fuel tank here at the house I am in, is actually in the "basement" which is a dirt floor cellar under the main part of the house. The idea is that the tanks that sit out, if/when we get some extended cold weather, the fuel oil will sometimes gel and that makes it difficult for the fuel to flow into the house to supply the oil burning furnaces. So, that is probably why this tank was put into the cellar here. It doesn't bother me that it is there.
Up north in Ct., most all fuel oil tanks are buried in the ground so that the fuel oil does not gel. The companies use a non-gelling blend for the winter. But up there there are days and weeks of below freezing temps. Here in Va we will add kerosene to the diesel fuel in our tractors as it does not gel like diesel does and we can make our diesel non-gelling in the colder temps.
We have a hand pump on our tank. It is a pain to crank it and your arm gets tired..... but that's life. It also will work as long as my arm works. Not dependent on electricity.... but the 12 volt/battery ones are nice.

 

[Bruce]

but being able to do my "bi@#hin here really helped.

Bitch away!!! Glad we could help by just being here to listen and commiserate. You sure did have it rough at the nursing home.

So happy you are healing well, soon you'll be walking fine and forgetting about all the pain of the past few years.

 

[Baymule]

We don't have the cold issues, a splash of diesel treatment and a good filter and we are good.

 

[farmerjan]

Hello to all "QUARANTINED" ....... UGH ..... It just gets crazier. I was unable to stream the latest live broadcast of our esrtwhile govenor. But now we are strongly encouraged to follow the national suggestions of no more than 10 people in a gathering. Thank goodness we sold a couple more yesterday. But not near what we needed to ship. It stands to be seen what things will do to our livestock markets the rest of the week, but it is nearly assured that the sale next week will not take place. My son and I will have to talk today now about what we are going to do. Silage will be fed out within 2 weeks. We can up the amount of grain a little bit to mitigate the effect on the weight loss and change over to more hay, but we will also be running out of hay before we hit good grazing.
I don't know..........
The sun is coming out temps up to 55 and supposed to go higher. By Friday we are supposed to be up to the low 70's.....

My peach tree's blossoms are starting to open. I am really worried because the weather is supposed to drop over the weekend with some possible snow flurries. Temps on Saturday night are supposed to get down into the upper 20's. If it does it will kill the blossoms and freeze the fruit buds. But again, you can't do much about it. I mean, it is only the middle of March, we should not even be having this weather in Mid April as our last frost date here is usually MAY 10th... so we are nearly 2 months ahead of where we would normally be. I may try covering the trees with a few tarps I have here if it does seem to get that low. It is not life and death to save the peach crop but I hate to lose it since last year it was just starting to get productive.

Want to talk to my son about where we are at and what we are going to need, and then going to call the feed store where we get all our feed and see what they are saying as far as feed deliveries. We get most of it in bulk, but I haven't filled the chicken feed bin after the last of the meat birds left last year. Wanted my son to get up on top and take a chain and beat around on the inside and clean off any clumps and stuff. Had a water leak and there was some that got moldy and stuck to the sides. So wanted to get it cleaned out good then get another delivery this spring. I am only feeding a few here at the house and still have enough for a couple of weeks although I will get another couple of bags if I go into town. They will also drop off a couple of bags with any bulk feed delivery if I ask, then I only have to go up to the farm to get it. I am keeping it here in a couple of 5 gal buckets with lids, close to the chickens, so I don't have to carry it. But I will hopefully be off the crutches in another week so at least making easier to carry water to them.

 

[farmerjan]

I should have put erstwhile in quotes because it really was a play on words..... respected is not the word most here would attribute to our governor. He is really pushing his limits on the control issues.
I am all for being careful, and we have a case an hour north and another an hour east of here. But the 2 deaths have both been in older people, the first was confirmed in someone with other health issues. But now to limit gatherings to 10 people...... Yes this is going to "flatten the curve" by slowing the spread, and there are segments of the population that do need to take extra precautions..... but this is going to result in this thing hanging around for months at the rate they are going. Some exposure might help to get it out in the open and get people's immune systems ramped up a bit more. I have been watching several different accounts of people that were tested positive, and many have had next to no symptoms, or none at all. One woman was tested after her husband was tested as a "possible positive" , because he had some issues, and she tested positive and went into quarantine and has never had one symptom at all through the whole thing and he never got it with his compromised system.
How many people have had the flu and never had more than a headache for a day or two? Maybe we are getting so that we have no natural immunities to day to day stuff. I have done some research on some of the other "pandemics" like the spanish flu back in 1918, and there were people that had natural immunity to it also and it was from them having strong immune systems overall. I don't know, it will be interesting to see if there are any studies done to see if there are certain parts of populations that have more resistance or milder cases.
I think that the areas where the population is compressed into close quarters, heavily concentrated cities and such, where it can easily be passed from one to another, is just a disaster waiting to happen. All of us that have animals also realize that exposure to different germs and things like just old fashioned dirt, has helped to make all of us probably have stronger immune systems.
There have been studies that children that have pets often have significantly lower incidences of asthma. They build up their immune system over a period of exposure. That makes me think that those that are "germaphobes" , are actually hurting themselves in the long run. Yet I am all for sensible health practices.

I don't know the answer, but I think that they may be going a bit overboard, on some of the restrictions. And I am not totally sure that keeping the schools closed for a long time will help. I guess that we will just have to ride it out.

WVA still has no confirmed cases.... the joke about alcohol being a disinfectant is going around.... you just drink it... as WVa is well known, as is southwest Va which also has no confirmed cases, as the moonshine capitals of this area.
Of course there is also the joke that no one in WVa has been tested either....

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

There are 17 confirmed cases in the next town over. Our dr was on the radio urging people to stay home. We went out to get bananas, oranges, ice cream and rabbit feed. I’ve got so darned many rabbits they are eating 50 lbs in less Than a week. They are supposed to be selling...Easter bunnies. Two are being picked up today Leaves me with about 56-58? And four about to kindle? I hope they all turn up false. They were due a week ago. When we stopped at our feed store, the guy said, if it comes to it, we can call and they put the feed out for people and create a tab. Chris doesn’t want to go to the stores anymore....because he’s worried about me. Oh stuff it!!

 

[Bruce]

WVA still has no confirmed cases.

They do now. I guess that person didn't drink enough

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, heard last night they had their first case. It's in the panhandle area near DC. Of course, an idiot from the idiot town.

 

[farmerjan]

It's Wednesday, was 40 already up to 51. Cloudy and grey skies and supposed to get some rain/showers, maybe even a thunderstorm.
We have plans to go test a 250+ cow herd tomorrow. They milk at 1a.m. and 1 p.m. so I always go to the 1 pm milking. It is a double 12 and there is no way that I could even do them off the crutches just in the boot as they milk pretty fast. Michael goes back to the dr on Friday (was supposed to be last week but he was in court) to see when they are going to release him to go back to work. We figure the first of April..... but with this whole craziness who can even guess.

Supposedly the stockyards are going to have their normal sale on Friday here nearby and the normal Saturday sale north of here. But I am pretty sure our special graded consignment sale is off since the guy at the Monday yard where we went this past Monday, said that he hasn't been able to get any of the buyers to commit to even being able to take any cattle next week. They had a very small run this past Monday and we were able to buy some of the feeders that a friend of ours has been getting for about .25/lb less than he had bought the previous week. He runs about 125+/- for the summer and then sells again in the fall. Gets them at 5-600 lbs and sells at 8-900 lbs with summer gains from grass. This Monday market has has some decent buys and so it has worked out good as Michael has been establishing himself as a buyer and we have sold a few there that have been oddballs and such and gotten enough to make it worth the trip down. The lady that has the little lunchroom there has good food and gives you huge servings.... Always a plus to get a good country meal.

Going to get my tail in gear and go out and feed and water chickens and feed cats and get my stuff for tomorrow loaded on the back of the truck so one thing I don't have to do if it is raining in the morning. We have to leave by 10:30 as it is about an hour and a half and I try to be there by 12 to set up.... They are usually eating lunch and come to the barn by 1230 to help with setting up. Then they start milking about 1-1:15 or so. Done milking by 5 or so, I do the computer work at the house then go back up and load meters and come home. Got to get 300 bottles into the trays I use and make sure I have everything else I need so he can just put it on his truck and we can go. My truck is just too small for him when I have all the sample bottles and stuff so we will take his. Plus, then I will fill it with fuel when we go through town at the Southern States because they have 50 cetane diesel and the trucks all run better on the higher cetane.

 

[farmerjan]

Got the chickens watered and even got the pen moved about 4 ft so they can get some grass. Full wt on the ankle now with the crutches... I cheated a little with the coop moving with only 1 crutch so I could move it some... but I am being very careful. Fed the cats and then came in and I am going to go in and empty the dish drainer and the one side of the double sink. I can't just stand for a very long time without the "good knee" starting to hurt. has taken a beating with all the weight bearing but hopefully that will get better now. I hit a button and made that italics, oops. Temps have held at 51 and now are up to 53. Cloudy and dreary out there and due for some rain this eve and tomorrow. Then 70's tomorrow????? Near 80 on Friday??????
Called the lab that runs the samples and all is business as normal. It is an agriculture related business so it is considered essential, so "exempt" from the "stay home" restrictions. So we will go test. Got a couple more to call as we may as well get them done since I have some help for a few more days. As soon as ds knows when he is going back to work, it will determine how many more I can get done. Have another 230 cow herd right here close that needs to be done, Michael would go help this week, but there are a couple of girls that work there that know too many of the local people and if he goes to help they would be blabbing it all over, and I do not want to jeopardize his state job. Most all the other farms would never say anything, and are too far away to talk to anyone anyway, and all realize that he is just helping me temporarily, but these ones at this farm are busy bodies that have to post everything on FB and all that crap. So once he gets the okay to go back to work, he feels okay about going with me even if it is a week early, since he can get around that with having the release. Next week might be a busy week....
Foot is getting somewhat numb/tingley from the boot and being on it so might just see about getting that jigsaw puzzle set up and quit for awhile.
Got to think about something for supper too, I ate some cereal early, and had some yogurt for lunch, but now I am getting hungry.