Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

You prob got the front and it's rain or whatever last night and this morning. It's due here late day. They say some rain but, fairly good temp drops for couple days and winds. It's Spring in VA! Ya go with the flow. Just hope good weather NEXT weekend for the chicken swap.

 

[Baymule]

I’ve had several Australian Shepherds over the years, none were herding dogs. Only one was high energy, we played ball a lot and she went every where with me. Awesome dogs, love the breed, but for me, just pets. Cattle dogs around here are generally Black Mouth Cur dogs or Catahoula dogs. Occasionally a Texas Blue Lacy, but they are rare, even here in Texas.

The situation with your parents is tough. Your presence seems to agitate your father, your mother isn’t “there” any more and there is nothing you can do. Your brother is in charge and doesn’t need your help. What would you do anyway? I agree that your father probably won’t last long after your mother is gone. I’ve seen it before. From a week to a couple of months, the survivor just gives up. There again, there isn’t any thing you can do. I’m so sorry for the whole situation for your family.

 

[farmerjan]

Windy, was fairly warm earlier but chilling with the increased wind. PT went good, didn't hurt as much today.... who knows why.
Came to the house, changed into my work jeans, loaded the meters and hoses for the farm. Sample bottles ready to go out to car. Spent a little time on the computer getting caught up on bills, scheduled some payments. Ordered a small bouquet of flowers for my mom's birthday... maybe she will be able to see it and it might spark a reaction....she liked the ones I have sent in the past. I am not expecting miracles but I want to remember her birthday.
I am going to get going and do some errands on my way through town.
Seems like the dump type garden/yard cart I have been researching is out of stock at most every place I have been looking. Everyone must have gone shopping for them with the continued stay at home/less time at workplace job. Driving me nuts.
Will be back to serious work at rental getting more stuff out and cleaned up tomorrow.

 

[farmerjan]

Wednesday night. Testing went well, but it is a real intense on my feet in that parlor. Geneva did milk which was great, but she is also fast, so very little sitting time. 200 cows in 2 1/2 hours..... in a double 8 so really pushed it. It never feels like it is rushed though, she is just very efficient. The cows are averaging 82 + lbs a day... so an average of 40 plus for the evening milking.... no slouch...... Got done and "paperwork" (computer) went smooth and after the meters were washing on the pipeline system, I called up north. Talked to my brother for a few minutes, dr was there, so he called me back right after I got home here to the house. Then talked to my father for 15-20 minutes. Sounded like a totally different person, like he used to (normally) .... It will be a surprise when they get the flowers... mom's b'day is the 26th... they will be delivered on Friday I think....

B2 is leaving in the morning to go back to his place since the boat is in the water and he has a charter for this weekend.... if the weather co-operates at all. It is snowing there at my parents in NH... are you getting any snow @Bruce ???? It is colder here, freeze warning now, not even the frost warning in this area. Oh well, that is spring here in the Blue Ridge/Shenandoah valley area....

Samples are in the house, ready to pack. Knees are telling me that they aren't happy.... OH WELL, I will get over it. Sorta.....
Didn't get away as soon as I wanted, but did go by the dry cleaners, and dropped off some stuff... boy is that getting expensive... but, one less thing here at the house/in the car...

Going down the hill in a little bit, and will see about what I can get done in the morning.

 

[Ridgetop]

Glad to hear that your dad is back to normal.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, sad that my father has these swings.... but I will make an effort to call more often. I am not a big "phone talker" and they never hardly ever called me even when things were normal.

Thursday... it was about 30 this morning, I guess, I forgot to look. Still, cold, and crisp for awhile, breezy after that. It is mostly sunny, and very breezy this morning. I put 4-5 boxes into the car on top of the meters and hoses and all. Did get some more stuff in the bag for the dumpsters. Got to take a few boxes down to tape up to get the baking dishes in to bring up. It is chilly so will work inside later.
So, unloaded the boxes into the house. Got the samples packed, need to just strap the boxes together. Sat for a bit, ate a bowl of soup. Going in to do a sink full of dishes and then out to unload the meters out of the car since I probably won't be using them again for the next week or 2. Then I will probably go down the hill and work there some more.

It is pretty out. The redbuds (trees) are in full bloom . The dogwoods are pretty much out in full bloom too. The trees are starting to leaf out.... the maples are looking good, the walnuts barely, oaks barely leafed either. It will be interesting to see how many of the ash trees are dead this year.
Talked to a guy who works for a fence builder.... they are having trouble getting posts for building fences.... The fence guy is one of the best in the area.... been in business for YEARS.... and he said that where he gets his posts they cannot get them fast enough.... 2 tractor trailer loads are already spoken for..... and they aren't going to get delivered for at least 2 weeks... I want to get him to come by and give me an estimate so I know what I am looking at, rough estimate. I am going to see if the TSC has any electric netting.... might as well.... just to get an idea. Not something that will happen in the next 2 weeks....

I posted a long reply on the "when to send to slaughter " thread... hope I don't offend anyone but the post I responded to just ticked me off. I was upset that the poster I responded to was "taking down" others on here for what they said... namely @Ridgetop 's relating what her butcher had said about people bringing in animals to be processed..... No, I don't guess she needs me to defend her... but I am getting really really tired of those that we have to deal with any more.

I was doing some looking on line for the garden/yard carts last evening before I went down the hill.... came across a deal on Home Depot's site... for a 12" battery DeWalt chainsaw, with a hedge trimmer, for a real good price...compared to buying separate pieces..... and with recently getting the cc from there decided that I would "splurge"..... I had been talking about the battery chain saw awhile back. It will be shipped to the store, and I added the polesaw to the purchase for using here. I am also thinking that DS was mentioning getting one of the polesaws from work to do some trimming around the pastures....this might be good for that too. I am wanting to seriously mow these forsythia down to size to move this fall....thinking the hedge trimmer for that.... and some other stuff.... maybe once I get the knees done I will be able to do some of this stuff that I want to do and need to do. Got the 12 month deferred interest so figured if I didn't do it now, I might not. I hope that I will get some use out of them. And it comes with a battery and battery charger, so will have 2 chargers and 3 batteries now. Better to have it and not use it much, than to need it and not have it. Plus the price was right from what I had researched back last year....

Okay, time to strap the sample boxes and unload the car....

 

[farmerjan]

DS stopped by to look at the salvaged plywood I have and said we probably only need one sheet, and he might have one in his barn. He couldn't believe that some one threw this out... it is one full sheet cut in half longways with a full 6 (?) in diameter circle cut out of each piece... there was some cracked and broken pvc pipe there they must've had threaded through these 2 pieces of plywood.... have no idea..... but I managed to snag these 2 pieces...a long with some 2x6's that I got with some other 2x4 pieces all nailed together... Actually we only need another half sheet to cover the area for the 2 freezers in the shed....

Heading down the hill , it is later than I thought.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday noon. I loaded a bunch of odd and ends in the back of the car. Came up and unloaded some then got a call from the dr office in MD where I am going to have the knees replaced. So spent over a 1/2 hour on the phone with them, going over stuff and all. They will be sending a "packet" with all this in it to me. Surgery is scheduled for MONDAY Oct 25th. I will have to do the scan and blood work and another dr visit the end of Sept....have it all scheduled for the 29th in one day... dr visit then the blood stuff then the scan at the Hospital too... The lady in the office was really nice.
So, it is on the calendar.....

Ate a bowl of soup, and ready to go out and finish taking the stuff out of the car. Going to take the truck down the hill, load stuff for the dumpster and recycling center.... newspapers and stuff.... get that done and then load some more stuff to come up here and then get on the cleaning.

It was not as cold as I expected, 30 this morning. Partly sunny, not too windy, cool but not cold. Good day to do more. Supposed to rain Sat aft/eve/Sun morning then clear off and be warmer.

Got a text that they delivered the flowers for my mom's birthday... I will call up there in a little bit and talk to my father in a bit too.

The peach trees are okay. One is leafing out real good, the other 2 had most of the blossoms and with the cold and the move they all are pretty much dying and falling off which is as expected. There are some green leaves coming out. I soaked them again the other day. I will do them again this coming week after it warms up again.
The rose looks sad, leaves are curled and might be dying since there was not alot of roots with the piece I got, but I soaked it again yesterday. The peonies next to it are doing okay, and the frost did not seem to hurt them. So, I am hoping that the rose's roots will catch on and start to grow.

Time to get the car unloaded and go down the hill.

DS said we have had a bunch of calves being born. Expected them to get going in April so that is real good. Like a 2nd wave of babies. He had to pull one out of a cow but it was live and it was up and going after the teat, when he left last night to go home. Think there were 5 or 6 yesterday.

 

[farmerjan]

Back with boxes in the truck that will go in the carport, for the time being. Took a load of stuff to recycling and dumpster. Then loaded this stuff. Landlord came by while I was there and we spoke a few minutes. He asked how it was going, how I was getting along and I told him that I was working on it but had to be careful of the knees. I mentioned that my mom was not doing well at all, and that we had a bad scare on Monday, and that I might have to leave to go north at a minutes notice. He said that was fine.... what that means I have no idea.....
He said that he is having a terrible time with his back but that as long as it doesn't get any worse he is not going to do anything about it. I told him that the knees are getting done in Oct as I want to be able to walk and have a life again. I am not going to let this stop me if it is fixable.

Have not heard from DS today; except that I called the big farm I was going to do next week, since Geneva can't help, and DS had said he could do monday morning.... but they have vet check on Monday so it won't work; so I texted him to let him know that this monday is out. So I told guy at the farm it would probably be the first of the following week but he said he would wait for me to call. So nothing next week to cause me "extra knee stress/pain" except for PT which is either Tues or Wed.... have to check the calendar. Weather is supposed to be nice so that will help.

Sat and ate a late "lunch" to give the knees a break... time now to get out and get the truck unloaded. Then I will probably head down the hill with the truck again for tomorrow morning loading. Rain not supposed to come in til the afternoon... so I can bring up stuff if it holds off or get stuff ready to load in the car later. Have some gardening stuff that can come up ... fence panels and all, that can get wet if it starts earlier.
Few things that will go upstairs in the storage attic for now.... not heavy so I hope to get them up there myself.

DS is going up to get his dog tomorrow I think....

 

[Baymule]

That’s great news on the surgery. Recovery, rehab and therapy. You’ll not believe the difference it will make in your life. Just to be able to live your life without the pain will be a God send.