Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Merry Christmas to you! Thanks for @cntryboy update....

 

[farmerjan]

Oh gee, @Mini Horses , you didn't have to get up so early to wish me a Merry Christmas...!!!!


Also to remember our lost members and thoughts and prayers to those on here that are missing a part of their hearts.

It is a breezy day, temps in the low 60's. Partly to mostly cloudy. If the sun was out full we would be making record temps. The forecast is for us to maybe hit the record high for this date, but if the wind keeps up we probably won't get there. Still, temps in the 60's for the rest of the week.
The clouds aren't going to produce much precip though. With all the sprinkly wet damp we had we wound up with less than .1 of an inch in the last 2 weeks. Ground is getting really dry. The spring at the nurse cow pasture (snyders) had the water trough 1/2 full... don't know when the cows drank so hope it is still filling it inbetween them making a trek to drink. I am going to get a couple of the older calves out of there this week. Also got "roscoe", the calf that we put on my nurse cow after I pulled and sold her 3 nurse calves several months ago. She needs a rest and he is getting plenty big to be weaned too. There are a couple of weaned calves in there that can come out too. They would benefit from being at the barn and on silage with the other feeder calves. Might try Sunday or Monday.

Ate bacon and eggs this morning. I hard boiled some of the store eggs I had in the fridge and will make some deviled eggs to take to GF mom's house. Got to be there at 3. Won't need to get anymore store eggs if the hens keep giving me 3-4 a day; even if I start baking a bit more.

Wind is really blowing out there, gusty. I am going out to take water to the chickens.... no chance of any freezing for the next week or 10 days...

Hope everyone has a nice day.

 

[Baymule]

Hope you had a good Christmas. Thanks for letting us know that @cntryboy is doing ok.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday morning. Sunny and temps already in the mid 60's. Going to be a real pretty day.
DS just texted me and we aren't going to move the cows with little calves today (again put off) as he has to go to his father's at noon for "Christmas" and then will stop at 2 other places later in the afternoon on the way home.... he said he will feed them some this morning; (they had a couple rolls of hay so with the warmer temps probably still have some left); but not too much so they will be looking for feed when he goes to call them in tomorrow. Said he has an eye dr appt and should be done by 2-3. We'll see how it goes. One of the ones he brought home from the big farm where they had the bigger calves has calved, so that was good that she went a couple weeks from bringing her home and a new calf. There was another out at the farm that he did not bring home that had calved; she was supposedly open, so I am not at all sure that a few more might still be late bred that were called open.
That will all be solved with the other vet doing the ultrasounds for pregnancy checking from now on.

So, I am going to put the spider plants out on the deck in the sunshine. And I think I will take a bucket of hot soapy water out and wash out some buckets I did not get picked up and they had water and walnut tree leaves and junk in them.... so I can use them for feed or whatever... Clean up a bit in the yard. See how my stamina holds out without trying to overdo it.

Had fresh eggs and bacon again for breakfast. Nice treat. I won't be doing that everyday, but nice to spoil myself a little bit.

Christmas was okay at GF parents house. Got a couple nice pullover shirts from DS and GF and a box of Whitman's sampler candy. Used to be a tradition in the family to get the little box of 4 pieces in our stocking every year as a kid and I kept it up for many years with me and DS. Well, they got impossible to find and I heard they quit making them and couldn't even find the little box of Russell Stovers candy. So I gave up on carrying on that tradition. DS gave me the big box.... not that I need it. But the thought was nice. Also gave me some trail mix and other dried fruits and some stuff from Rural King.... and a gift card at the BP gas station....which was welcome.
I gave them all cards with money and a few little things... a green tractor ornament for the Christmas tree, DS has a red one from several years ago, some fudge .... gave the kids each a card that played a tune and some money and a tootsie roll bank and a candy cane filled with m & m's.... They got tons from their parents and grandparents.

So, time to get finished dressed and do something outside in the nice weather....

2021 almost gone... it sure went fast and it was a not very good year for me personally. The knees are the best thing now that they are getting better.... Hoping that 2022 comes in and is a better year. Hope we get some precip pretty soon too or our next year's grass and hay are in jeopardy.

 

[farmerjan]

Just came in as it will get dark pretty fast. The WONDERFUL thing is the days will start to get longer now...... just a few seconds or minutes... but we are on the upswing for more daylight. Yes, we will get more cold... and probably some real cold cold.... into Feb it seems is the usual time for the frigid weather.....

Hit 70 this early afternoon. Very little breeze. I did not get any of the buckets washed.... I tried to make myself start the walking I want to do to build up my strength.... and the legs are protesting a bit.... but it is mostly just achy muscles and not real pain.....they are telling me they are not used to this... and I will be doing some of the exercises on the right one tonight to try to get it to loosen up so......

Have one problem.... something got into/under the side of the greenhouse and I was missing 3 hens this morning.... No eggs from yesterday either.... But the good thing I found them out behind the shelter scratching around in the dirt etc under the pine trees that are on the property border. I also found the screen window in the front of the greenhouse, in the zippered door, torn and I can guarantee the leghorns probably tore it trying to fly out. They were being chased/attacked by something and I would pretty much guarantee it was a raccoon. So, I got 2 in and then the 3rd would not go... so I propped open the door and then a couple came back out and this evening I went out and got them all to go in. So I finally got them all herded into the crate so I could shut the door and nothing will get them in there. It's one of those big hard plastic type dog crates with just a wire door on the front that swings open and shut and the 2 pieces of metal on springs lock it shut. No coon can figure out to squeeze one up and one down similtaneously to get it open... and there are straw bales holding it tight in the corner so they could go in and lay and it would not move on them. I will have to set a trap but the one I had unfortunately got squashed by the tractor tire when DS came here and made the hay early this summer.... He backed up and didn't see it up against the greenhouse and got 1/2 of it under the back tire.... smoosh....there was alot of high grass and all but I thought it was safe next to the greenhouse but it wasn't. S**T happens. So, until I get a new trap, I will HAVE to make sure they are locked in and safe at night. So, I ws out there walking around earlier to try to get them in the shelter, and carried a 3 gal bucket of water out for the waterer, and then walked out there again this eve and managed to get them herded in and then in the crate. More "flexing" type movement than just walking....

I brought the spider plants in and so that is done for the night. I am going to go in and put away the dishes I did and do some more. I emptied a box of misc kitchen tools and pot lids and washed them all. I have these pull out sliders for the bottom cabinets that I want to see about maybe using... but I cannot get down on the floor and then get up without kneeling and not supposed to do that yet. It is still hard to get up and down like I want to so have to be careful to not do anything I shouldn't do yet..... I think I will rebox some of the stuff and have it marked better so that I can at least find it until I get more of the cabinets organized. I have 2 shelves left to put into my "spice cabinet" , and can get the rest of the things in there organized. Then I am going to bring the other cupboard from the other house in and put it in the DR and that is where I will be able to store all my gallon and 1/2 gal jars and all that I use for the milk; as well as some of my baking pans and such that I use alot. That will get another couple of boxes emptied as I came across a bunch of them from the other house. I do not want to put them in these upper cabinets or I will be constantly up and down on a step ladder because I cannot reach things that are on the 2nd shelf, let alone the top shelf; due to the bottom cabinet sticking out so much wider than the upper cabinets. I will try to put things I use seasonally up in those cabinets. Especially the top shelves.

I also will have to do something this year with the formica and stuff around the sinks... it is lifting more from the water getting under it. So, I am going to have to make some serious decisions about the countertops, and what sink I want in there to get the too small kitty-corner sink taken out. I have looked everytime I go into Lowe's and all, but really want to have the white porcelain old fashioned type of sink with drainboard that I had in my other house.... and I haven't found any like that. I am thinking about having some sort of marble type (hard, molded, water impervious) counter top, around the sink for ease of cleaning and no damage from water... then maybe doing the other part of the counter tops in the butcher block that I have on the one cabinet. I still love the butcher block. I need to have a couple of other opinions and suggestions... like a brain storming.... as to the best way to make this work. The formica is going to "peel" off there when the underlying plyboard stuff gets too wet from the water that gets spilled. It was already raised up some and now with me using it regularly it is getting worse....it is "swelling" from the moisture and there is no way to salvage it and I hate that sink anyway. I need one big enough for my bigger canner and big pots to fit in and be able to wash them without all the water coming out all over.... my 9x13 baking pan, or cookie trays that I found and washed, does not fit in it comfortable and they are not deep enough either. Still tossing around the double sink but think I would like to have it.... if I can find something big enough. There is space there for a big one. I might lose the cabinet between the sink and the stove to get one or lose some of the cabinet on the other side, since the one that is there is in the corner; it is just such an awkward sink. But there are possibilities of going in either direction and just losing some under cabinet space.

So, I am done outside for the night and will probably put another movie in the player. Got to go get a trap in the morning for the greenhouse/chickens....

 

[Alaskan]

Maybe look at one of those resale building supply places for a proper sink?

Having a solid surface top with an under-mount sink makes cleaning much less work.

When we added on... all lights and fixtures etc. were mail order. It worked well... and that way I could spend ages comparing prices and features before buying.

The one sink that arrived broken was replaced without any trouble.

 

[Baymule]

Yeah, you got to get whatever it is after the chickens. new trap on the way.

What about a commercial sink? It would be stainless steel, but you could get a deep sink with the drainboard. There is a commercial kitchen supply in Tyler, they have used equipment. I bet you could find something in your area like that. Maybe a restaurant salvage? LOL

 

[farmerjan]

There is a new Habitat Restore place just opened up that I want to go into. Also will check some other places. I just keep looking and when I find what I want I will grab it.
@Alaskan .... a friend has the under mount sink and I like it better than the ones that are flush with the counter top. I am leaning towards that type of thing.
I HATE STAINLESS STEEL sinks. I realize that they are supposed to be more sanitary and all that but I really hate them. Always have. These little kittycorner ones are stainless steel. But I may have to go that way if I can't find the size I want. There is a restaurant supply place in a nearby town that I need to go check out....and I have not been to Home Depot to look at sinks. I don't need for it to be the size of the washing machine or anything, but it has to be more than 12x12 or whatever stupid little size these are in here now... and it has got to be more than 6 inches deep ... I mean these are so shallow that I can't even put pots in to soak.....or even a gallon glass jar laid on the side... I have to stand up the jar or the pot and fill them with water rather than soak them in the sink full of water after I wash other stuff...

Tomorrow morning I am going to get up and get going... head to TSC to see about getting a trap to replace this smooshed one. Then check out whatever they have left on sale for after Christmas.... was NOT going out today in the craziness.... maybe go by the Lowes down there as sometimes they carry different stuff in the store than the other one I usually go by on my way to testing. There is also a more local, long established building supply store right up the road... I ought to stop there while I am in the area and see what they have.....never know.
Need to stop and see what we are going to do for the car transmission too....
Quitting for the night.

 

[Alaskan]

Why do you hate stainless sinks?

My kitchen sinks are stainless. They are a good size... but they are a drop in... so that stupid lip that keeps water on the formica counter and ruins it. But... the sinks themselves are fine.

My laundry room sink is also stainless, but an under-mount. It is fantastic.

As I understand it... Most complaints against stainless are for the lower cost ones that are thin, and so not durable, as well as very loud when the water hits them.

I do agree that the enamel ones are pretty, and old fashioned. However, I worry that we would chip an enamel sink.

I also like the looks of those soapstone sinks... but again... I know we would bust them.

 

[Cecilia's-herd]

Why do you hate stainless sinks?

My kitchen sinks are stainless. They are a good size... but they are a drop in... so that stupid lip that keeps water on the formica counter and ruins it. But... the sinks themselves are fine.

My laundry room sink is also stainless, but an under-mount. It is fantastic.

As I understand it... Most complaints against stainless are for the lower cost ones that are thin, and so not durable, as well as very loud when the water hits them.

I do agree that the enamel ones are pretty, and old fashioned. However, I worry that we would chip an enamel sink.

I also like the looks of those soapstone sinks... but again... I know we would bust them.

X2 for this one. And I wouldn’t trust washing a baby in an enamel sink. To many pores