Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Sunday nearly noon. Left at 4 a.m. and tested this morning, went to the farmers house to do the computer work and they asked me to stay for breakfast.... that was nice. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Saved me from having to stop and get something or coming home for cereal. So, stopped at the farm and the calf is laying alongside the cow. I was not so worried about it out in the rain except for the first time out all night in the rain when it has been inside the barn for being able to put it on the cow. I prefer to put them out when they have a day or 2 of nice weather to get them acclimated. But they both were just laying there in the sun that we had this morning after the rain last night. I didn't make them get up. I just don't want him to get sick from the exposure even though it was not real cold, til he gets "hardened off".......

Then I went down and dropped off the meters and hoses at the farm I am testing this afternoon. Hopefully they will get them carried in the barn and all. It is up and down stairs. and a real pain to carry everything and I honestly have gotten to hate it. This is the farm that has put in an application for a "solar farm" and wanting to put 20+ acres of real good crop ground into solar panels right in front of the elementary school. This is the farm that I have heard rumors that they are going to sell out this fall.... but the farmer said on the phone that they want to get the testing done and the hoof trimmer is coming Wednesday, so that he can get to planting corn in a couple weeks.
Forgot to stop and get the milk this morning on the way home... guess I will run up and get it, so I can get it in the fridge. DUMB.....

Brought the samples in the house, packing them to go out tomorrow. I am going down the hill in a few minutes and leave the cooler chests and bring up some boxes that are already packed. Need to get them unloaded in case we get a shower this afternoon or evening.

The sun is out, has been decent, but it comes and goes and they are saying possibly more showers this afternoon.

Will put the sample bottles for this afternoon in the car. need to see if there is anything I need out of it for tomorrow, so I can leave it tonight. I won't work in the house tonight since I have to get up early again tomorrow morning.

 

[farmerjan]

Had to do some computer work for the farmer I get the milk from as he has someone interested in a couple of the heifers he kept when he sold out. He needed records so I had to pull them up for him. I did that, went and got the milk from him that I forgot earlier. Stopped and stuck the 2 gal bucket in the fridge and will mix it good tomorrow, and pour into the glass jars I keep it in, in the fridge.
By then, it was time to go to the farm to test. Didn't get down the hill at all. They had gotten all the meters set up, and was ready to start milking shortly after I got there.
Milking went smoothly, but I hurt tonight. Lot of walking back and forth... not much sit down at all except for a minute or 2 when I wrote numbers on the top of the bottles for each cow to take the samples. If I wasn't aching it would really have been a good milking since there weren't any real hangups/slow cows/ problems.... He did come get me from the co-op where I dropped off the car and brought me to the house so that was great. I will drive the truck down to the stone house and back to the farm in the morning.
Texted DS and he texted back that they had done the cows with the calves so I didn't have to go there this evening.

So, I am headed down the hill for a shower and get off these knees. Back at it in the morning.

 

[Mini Horses]

Great that DS got the cows done -- saved a little for you. It all helps!

Next Spring, you'll be wondering why you used to think the chores were harder. Those new knees will be such a blessing.....

 

[Bruce]

I have 2, upright freezers. Easier to find stuff than standing on my head in a chest freezer, trying to find something. LOL

I need one of those, the "problem" is I really don't need a big one and can't find anything in the 7 cu ft size.

 

[Baymule]

I love my upright freezers. I put plastic tubs on the shelves, it makes it much easier to organize things like bags of okra, peas, cream corn, hamburger, pan sausage, things that do not stack and have a tendency to fall out when I open the door. LOL

 

[Mini Horses]

I prefer upright for better organization but, mine is a medium chest. A gift from mom years ago! Size is great but there's that pile on factor. I have some basket type holders. I also use some heavy bags to put the little bags of veg's into, once frozen. Those things help me lift a group at a time. Small uprights are hard to find, IMO. Sure like the shelves better.

 

[Bruce]

I tried to find another hanging basket for my 5 cu ft freezer, maybe even 2 but no go. The best I can do is have 4 stacked baskets on the left side, stuff between them and the compressor compartment and some on top of that compartment. Not real efficient.

 

[farmerjan]

I need one of those, the "problem" is I really don't need a big one and can't find anything in the 7 cu ft size.

Try Walmart, Lowes, other places. There are 7 cu foot size freezers all over the place around here...

 

[Ridgetop]

I used to have an upright. I liked it for freezing prepared meals I made that I froze flat in freezer bags or in foil pans. Anything like meat or roasts would fall out on my foot! For lumpy packages I prefer my chest freezers. Just have to rearrange them every few months to find forgotten foods. Right now everything is full. I need to clean out the refrigerator freezers since those freezers are where a lot of the forgotten leftovers end up. Just found some old liver and other innards when rearranging the chest freezers to find space for the food DS2 brought home. It was old and went to the dogs, along with some chicken that DH bought and brought home. It smelled bad when DS2 was packaging it and DH refused to return it to the market.

Broccoli crowns were on sale so I took some of the chicken that DS2 brought home and made 2 meals of Chicken Divan. So easy for such a fancy name. Broccoli, chicken, rice in curry sauce topped with cheese. Love having home made meals so I don't have to do everything from scratch every day. I had to cook for 6 people since I was 15 and after 55 years of cooking everyday for a family, I am sort of burned out on preparing meals daily. I like to do a huge amount of meal preparation over a few days then be able to pull meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, enchiladas, pork in green chili sauce, etc. out of the freezer, thaw it and have dinner on the table in half an hour. I have boxes of jam and jelly in the laundry room. I forgot that the reason I used to make so much of that stuff was when i had hungry children eating PB an J all the time! I'll have to ask my grandchildren if they are running out of jam and jelly yet. I need to remember to take some to Nipomo to DS3's family when we go again. I like to freeze fruit and tomatoes in the summer then process them in winter when I feel more like standing over a hot stove!

With 4-5 adults to feed daily, and 2-3 grandchildren on occasion, food gets rotated fairly rapidly.

 

[Bruce]

Try Walmart, Lowes, other places. There are 7 cu foot size freezers all over the place around here...

Vertical? What brands? I saw on HD's website that they had one but out of stock. Now it says they don't carry it anymore.