Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

I have double, deep stainless. Heavy weight, no sounds at water fill... At another house I had a tall faucet that also lifted another 6". Couldn't find that when I built here, so just tall and pivot but the sprayer can work for really tall pans. Like mine but it's 20 yr old and no need to replace...No telling what's available now. Still has a great finish on it.

There's a couple possum hanging around that I have to "remove". So I'm with you on trapping. At least I still have 4 traps to use! Wonder how many cats I'll catch in the process? . This one possum comes onto front porch! Tonight there were two! That has to be stopped. So tomorrow I'll set up a couple and see what gets caught.

We had beautiful weather today!!! 75 and winds gone. Beautiful! Worked outside most of the day. Found lots to do. . Reworked a couple fence spots, moved some animals around, got some portable panels moved to storage. Set up for tomorrow's work. Came in a little stiff but glad to have accomplished what I did.

 

[Bruce]

Also, talked to @CntryBoy and he and his wife are doing good. Gabby is 4 yrs old now and he said she is doing a good job of taking care of them. They are still working along on the property... not fenced yet but have good garden space now.

Thanks for the update, glad they are doing well.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday evening. It has been cloudy and dreary all day yesterday and today. There were a few sprinkles earlier but nothing to amount to even getting the road wet. Temps in the upper 40's to 60... supposed to get warmer the next couple of days, and some real accumulating rain to come down. Like maybe even a half inch ???!!!! WOW. We really need some moisture. We are now in what is considered moderate drought..... this is in comparison to what we normally have in the way of total moisture for the year. It was only 3 years ago that I was talking about how it was raining "AGAIN" , and we seemed to never get dry. It will be interesting to see what we end the year for as far as deficit amounts of rainfall.

We worked the cattle finally yesterday. Got the cows all in, and matched cows and calves. GF had been tagging the calves before she had surgery and now is not doing any of course. There were only 2 new ones and it was not hard to get them matched. He moved 7 cow/calf pairs that had heifer calf babies to the pasture next to my house.... and I think there were 6 or 7 with bull calves that went up into the pasture behind the farm there. Still 10 (?) more that were supposed to be pregnant, that have not calved... but I need to get their numbers to see when they were checked and how long the vet said they were... they might not even be due yet.

If anyone calves now, they will not go out with the bulls because they won't come in heat in time to get bred in most cases. They will get held over into the spring calving group that will probably start in mid-Feb.....I have got to call the vets office and see when he is coming to the dairy down this way and see if we can get fit in too. We try to do it when he is coming this way (like he goes right by us to go to a couple different farms) , and then we can split the travel with the other farm too and it saves the vet a separate trip and even though he gets travel, it still saves everyone all around....
There are about 12 at one place that are going to come home, and these 10 or so, and a couple odd ones in the barn, and some at the nurse cow field if I can get them in; plus another group of 12 or 13 at a different pasture.... so probably 30 or so to be done. He can do them in about an hour if we have them all in at the barn in groups.

The ones at a couple of pastures, mostly all have heifer calves on them.... will get the calves weaned off and the cows moved out for spring calving if they are bred. DS is wanting to take some calves to market as the heifer prices are holding pretty steady. If not bred, there will be some serious consideration made as most any that are not bred should probably get sold unless it is a problem with the bull; that did happen one time when a previously very good bull, was shooting blanks and we had to move in 2 bulls to get the cows bred back as fast as possible to not lose any more time than possible. They still were 4 months behind the rest that were due to be calving the next spring....but most managed to settle right away and many we were able to back up a month a year for a couple years to get them back to where they should have been. A few also were getting some age on them so they got culled out eventually.

So, got home and was tired and achy. Took a good hot shower but had trouble going to sleep.

Went this morning and set up meters at the farm to test this afternoon. Came home and did a few exercises but did not want to get too sore. Went to the farm around 4:15 to test and didn't get home until 8..... started milking about 4:45, got done about 7:45 and came straight home. I am going in and get a good hot shower and try to get to sleep because I have to be back at the farm to start at 5:15.... They are milking the most cows they have been for awhile, and it takes longer.

Then after all that, I have the dentist appt in the afternoon for the crown because of the tooth that is deteriorating after probably 30 years or more since I had part of it filled. I have no complaints, for how long the previous filling lasted. Will get it fixed.
Then PT Thursday morning, then set up and testing the big 240 cow herd....24 meters that I will drop off at the farm and let them set up.....for Thurs afternoon; and I have to go back to them on Friday morning which I hate. Then New Years eve.... and I am testing Sat morning.... New years day... but it is no set up.....and they don't start til 5. Since I am such a big party person........ no big deal to work. But I really am hating these mornings.... especially since I can't seem to get to sleep very fast anymore. Maybe I will be tired after a couple days of testing that I will be able to sleep better.

 

[Mike CHS]

Your posts seem to indicate that you are getting back to normal but I guess you don't know what "normal" is now

 

[Mini Horses]

I think there hasn't been "normal" for a few years.....it's just a memory!. But I can read the differences!! She's doing a LOT more and better.

Then after all that, I have the dentist appt in the afternoon for the crown because of the tooth that is deteriorating after probably 30 years or more since I had part of it filled. I have no complaints, for how long the previous filling lasted. Will get it fixed.

This is why I'm getting these crowns on mine. Tooth crumbled, filling didn't. All back jaw teeth, not fun. Have 2 more to do 2022...yay for insurance! Fortunately no pain in damaged ones while I wait to do them.

 

[Baymule]

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

I hate to break the news to you, but babies have been washed in a lot worse than enamel porcelain sinks for millennia and have somehow survived it.

 

[Cecilia's-herd]

I hate to break the news to you, but babies have been washed in a lot worse than enamel porcelain sinks for millennia and have somehow survived it.

It’s a miracle!

 

[farmerjan]

Think of all the plastic baby bath tubs that have been sold over the years and who knows what was absorbed into the skin..... I will take the enamel porcelain sinks......

Got done with this morning's test, went to the farmer's house to do the computer work and talked to his wife and daughter(who is home from Idaho working in the ag industry there).... then got the meters out of the barn as the wash cycles were done. Came home and went out checked the chickens. Going to get the samples packed so that I can drop them off when I leave to go to town... Put some more of the longer hoses in the back of the truck and took out the short ones that I will not use at the farm tomorrow....figured I would do it while it was not raining and warm.... have to put the rest of the meters in for tomorrow. Going in to pack the samples.

Had a sprinkle of rain, and some more light stuff coming in later then maybe some decent rain coming through the weekend. Here's hoping. Warm, only went to 56 last night and won't warm up alot if no sun, but very much above freezing for the next few days. I am going to stick my rain gauge back out to see if we get much in the next few days.

@Mike CHS .... I guess I am getting back to normal... like you said, what is normal???? But as far as getting around more and working. I mostly ran the chute catching the calves the other day so that they could get shots and the bulls banded before we turned them out. The nicest thing is that it doesn't hurt to stand.... that has been the biggest blessing so far. Walking is still a bit stiff, and I am not ready to run and shut a gate in a hurry or anything; and there are still issues with the right knee/ham string/tendons/ligaments and muscles and cramping but it is working its self out some. I need to work on the stretching more... but it is not waking me up like it was....FINALLY....
And being able to cook and make decent food has really helped. I am trying to also eat better and start losing some weight too. I think that will come some more with the spring time weather and getting around outside more. But I am trying to be more careful with my intake of food. Plus getting back to my supplements so that I feel better.

 

[Cecilia's-herd]

See the thought of all the germs on plastic makes me want to vomit. But babies need immune systems too. Being in this hospital has jaded me.

 

[Bruce]

I suspect you could safely bathe a baby in most any vessel, as long as you aren't using water from somewhere like the Ganges River.