Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

@Baymule yeah, they are going to have to work with me or skip that month.... I am not going to set the surgery back a month to accommodate them. Wish I had thought of it ahead of time... but oh well.....

We are done with first cutting hay... and it is getting really dry. The .6 inch we got last Sat night was great, really greened it up, but we are getting real dry real fast with 90's during the day. Have a bit of a chance for some pop up thunder showers again this coming weekend. We need some of what @Mini Horses got... she was right in the path of the bulk of the rain and it went straight west to east along the NC/VA border.... I am glad that someone got some. There has been some rain around here in pockets.... but we need a good day long steady rain.... not likely in the heat of the summer... but we can hope.
If we do not get some significant rain here in the next couple weeks, there will be little or no growth to make 2nd cutting. Bad enough that first cutting is lighter than normal and we made only about 2/3 of what we normally do. It is a little bit worrisome.

Sorghum-sudan will be ready to cut by the end of the week. DS even said he might cut it before he goes and then bale when he gets back... but with a possible 30-40 % chance would hate for it to lay and get wet. It makes good feed if dried right and it does good if wrapped, but that is an added expense and aggravation... so we are trying to not do that. So plans are for him to cut it as soon as he gets back from up north. I will do the bush hogging at the one place that we are required to have cut by the end of July... which will be several 6-8 hour days, when he is gone. He is doing the other place that the guy owns this week so he can move the tractor & bushhog.
The other places will get done after that since none of them are on a time schedule.

Got to go out and fill several buckets with water so I can get started on the meter washing for the calibration next Monday. Takes at least 15 minutes per meter... with 25 that is 6 hours if it goes along like clockwork... and we all know that never happens. I try to do it over like 3 days of a couple hours each day... it is hard on the fingers prying all the parts apart too.... and back breaking to sit and do them and get soaking wet in the process.
Thinking more and more this might be the last year I do it..... I am getting tired of it.

Sunny and warming up. Was 64 and is already up to 79 and it is not even 10 a.m. Humidity is supposed to get up too the next few days.

 

[Baymule]

People have no idea what goes into that gallon of milk they buy at the grocery store. I've learned much from you. I had a pretty good idea, but did not know about milk testing, just some vague idea that milk was tested before it got to the consumer. Then all the jobs where milk is processed into the myriad of products that we all take for granted. I have a container of cottage cheese for lasagna in the refrigerator now....... and butter and sharp cheddar cheese, cream for our coffee and a gallon of milk. Thanks to you, the farmers, their hands, the truck drivers who pick it up, the mechanics who keep those trucks rolling, the oil field workers who pump the oil out of the ground and a whole host of workers who make fuel for those trucks. Thanks for the workers at the milk processing plants, ice cream processors and the list goes on and on. Remove a link in the chain and the chain is broken.

That reality came to the forefront during the Covid based shortages and shut downs last year.

 

[Bruce]

but still have a lot that the children won't part with.

That is fine, they can rent a storage unit to store them in

 

[Ridgetop]

Thanks to you, the farmers, their hands, the truck drivers who pick it up, the mechanics who keep those trucks rolling, the oil field workers who pump the oil out of the ground and a whole host of workers who make fuel for those trucks. Thanks for the workers at the milk processing plants, ice cream processors and the list goes on and on. Remove a link in the chain and the chain is broken.

DO NOT DISRUPT THE CHAIN OF BLUE BELL ICE CREAM TO BAY AND BJ!!

I am glad to hear you starting to really consider retiring from the milk testing. Between the early starts, long travel times, work involved, etc. and then working with the haying, cattle, and your nurse cow operation, you will have plenty to do without testing!

Even after the knee replacements are done, you will not want to over do and will have a lot of therapy to do.

 

[farmerjan]

Just a few minutes as I take a short break.... knees are aching.
Today is nice, mid 80's and part sun... some clouds. We have been getting alot of the haze from the horrendous fires out west....

Got water in several buckets and a tote to get some of the meters into to "soak"... to start washing for calibration on Monday. They are out in the sun so will be nice and warm. Might even try to start some washing later.

Got laundry that needs to go out on the line... It is supposed to be nice again tomorrow, so they will hang all night and I can bring them in tomorrow afternoon.

Talked to my father today. He is home and he sounds like a whole different person. Talked alot about the rehab. and I almost think that he enjoyed it more than he wants to admit. He is a social person and really would be better off in an assisted living place where he could participate in things...
But he sounds positive overall, much more articulate and I was impressed. I did ask about the medications....and he said they have spaced them out over the day... so I think that was a big part of it and he said they have adjusted some also. He just talked so much better....
And he is talking about the exercises and how the PT people there have said how much better he was doing in the 2 1/2 weeks he was there. He even admitted he was feeling better and more mobile... all that sitting around with my mom and not going anywhere was just slowly smothering him.
We were on the phone for over an hour.... and other than him saying he was having trouble coming up with a few words... which happens to all of us, he sounded like he did a couple years ago before the stroke. He says he is doing some exercises... and this new doctor has given him some positive reaction and that he needs to do certain things so that he could go to DMV and see about taking a test... that they are the ones to make a determination... and this I know will go totally against my POA brother's wishes.... and I don't know how able he would be.... BUT .... maybe to go down to the village to the Dunkin Donuts.... or the grocery.... or to the little community center for some activities... I don't know... at least he has some hope that if he works at it, he might be more mobile at least....

Okay, time to get back out there, hang the clothes and get something done.

 

[Mini Horses]

I know that makes your day better -- being able to hear and feel a difference with your dad! It's great and I hope it continues. Is there any type of "senior transport" where he is? We have here...little shuttle buses that provide transport by appointment, state sponsored! You can go to shopping, doctor, rec centers, etc.

 

[Baymule]

That is good news. I’m glad your dad is so much better.

 

[farmerjan]

Back from an unplanned "trip". Got a text that we had a cow out.... so I texted DS and went and got some grain and headed up there to see what was..... DS called and said he was on his way back... had headed up to get a trailer from a buddy to haul the cattle with tomorrow... his is licensed as opposed to ours being run with just "farm use" tags.... legally could not take ours that far and why ask for trouble up in the new england states; he would be more likely to get stopped and in trouble up there... here there are so many and if it looks like a legit farm use tag... like on a cattle trailer, state troopers and even county sheriffs don't much bother you.... they all figure you are just trying to move your cows. Anyway, he hadn't gotten too far so came back. I went up in the field and got her to follow along the fence, as I called the cows inside the fence to follow me.... up into the woods part where the fence is 3 strands of barbed wire as opposed to the other parts of the fence where it is normal woven wire - field fence- he followed her up into the woods from the road... and got her to go across a spot where there is only 1 good strand on the back side of the pond... the pond is fenced off on the pasture side with woven wire.... and I got the gate open from the pasture to the pond area and she came through. We then moved them up and into the next pasture to graze. This place is where the owners were complaining there weren't near enough animals.... well, now that it has gotten hot and dry, they are demolishing the pasture and we had to move them sooner as there is no regrowth here in this field.... . So here we go... the pasture is now burnt up because they were so determined that there was so much grass.... and this farm is called "Burnt Hill" because it is poor ground and not the best thin topsoil, and when it doesn't rain, it burns up......
He left again to go get the trailer for tomorrow.

Oh well.... so I went from there to the stone house to see about getting the roses....and the couple of daylily's.... well, he cut everything off at the ground again. I knew where the daylily's were, so was able to dig them without too much problem... but the roses were cut right off at the ground.... I didn't bother to try to dig them.

I got a few things that were in the garage there that I had forgotten.... some 15 gallon barrels that I used for hauling water, a piece of plywood and odds and ends... there are some big tall bushel baskets but there were some major ant nests... so I pulled them apart so the ants would "disappear" and I will get them in a day or so. He has the bush hog that he keeps in the garage there, on the tractor, so I am hoping he will use it and not park it tomorrow.... I will try to get down there to get them. I had these along the side . Glad I got the plywood out.

So, I came on home and got the 2 small daylily's in the ground and will water them good in the morning. Just stuck them along the carport where I put the other ones... they will get moved next year when I am not hurting and can do some of the planting/moving of the stuff where I want it. There are a bunch along there that I will probably move.

It is getting darker earlier now, can really see the difference. So because of that I did not get the clothes out so that is first thing in the morning.... got to get going on the meters too after the sun is out and warms up the water.

@Mini Horses ; Unfortunately, the area that they retired to has no local "senior transport"....it is too rural. If there was, it would be alot better situation for him. Hoping that now that mom is gone, he will get his butt out of the chair and get outside and move around and do things. The one caregiver took him to get his haircut, and now that they do not have to stay there at the house, because of mom, they can do things like this. He needs to get OUT......I am hoping that he does start to get out and not sit there and vegetate anymore. We'll see.... I am waiting to see what DS says/thinks about his state of mind and ability to function when he sees him.

 

[Ridgetop]

Good news to hear he is improved.
My mother in law had Alzheimers and she and daddy went to an assisted living apartment. They had moved to their retirement dream home that they built, but there were no neighbors. After she died, I asked daddy to come live with us but he said he had friends in the center and wanted to stay there in his apartment. I think the social life was good for him and he certainly enjoyed it. Is there some sort of senior center where yur dad lives that he could go to and play dominoes, cribbage, etc?

 

[farmerjan]

@Ridgetop I am going to look into a senior center with activities.... he said there is one in Averill... not sure how far away that is to him up there. The community center there has some activities but again, don't know exactly what. Hoping DS will have a chance to explore some options while he is there visiting... he is staying for a couple days after he gets the cattle delivered. There was a problem getting the nights covered so DS is going to be there for a few of them. POA brother said that if all goes okay, that after a couple weeks, that they will go back to just day time help at the house.... that is what they used to do... and hopefully father will do okay to not have to have someone there all the time.... and not be so restricted to the ridiculous going to bed at 8 p.m. that POA brother was enforcing..... partly because of mother and them getting her into bed before they left at 8 which I get... but father used to like to stay up later and brother was not "letting him" ..... at this point in his life who the HE// cares; he can stay up as late as he wants.... if he is capable of getting himself into bed once he is "ready".... hoping that they will stop treating him like an invalid if he can get himself more mobile and able to get around better.... but he has to do his part too and become more able to get around.

There has got to be some better alternatives for him now that he is not "tied down" to the house, due to mom's incapacitation of not being able to barely get her out of the bed into the chair....and I get that they could not go and leave her to take him somewhere.... and he probably wouldn't have gone anyway for more than a trip down to the store for a half hour.....but now he can and SHOULD get out of that house.....