Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

@Bruce ....Since I was just up that way again to get the truck loaded with stuff from my parents house, I saw/felt the gas prices there. This truck is gas. It is a V-10... gas hog..... Rides nice.. but still expensive. Sorry that your prices aren't any better there. Ours are about .60 to .80 per gallon cheaper than a month or so ago. It helps.

 

[Bruce]

We are always on the short end of gas prices.

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses did you get any of the rain? Looked like it went more north than directly east of here...

 

[Mini Horses]

Rain -- got a light, short shower last night. Today we have had decent scattereds from about 3.…until? Predicting some every day this week. Ya know how that goes. Glad for what we got and still need an all day, slow soaker. Heavy dew helps put not sufficient for long term. Been a little breeze and some overcast, so has helped tolerate the temps. Hey, it's summer.

 

[farmerjan]

Another cloudy damp day. Not going to complain about the rain we are getting. All the 1st cutting hay is done. This is really helping the ground. Corn is really benefitting. The only thing not good is that they still have not gotten the wheat combined. This has turned out to not be a good decision and I was all for it. But never dreamed that the ones doing the combining would be so far behind; or that the mills would be so full and unable to take any.
This is something that DS said he will not do again... even with the prices being decent. On top of that, the Johnson grass has invaded the wheat field and the guy who wanted the wheat straw says he cannot use the wheat straw if it has johnson grass in it.... so half the wheat straw will be useless for sale to this guy who was going to take it all right out of the field. Turning into a bad deal all around. It will get combined eventually, and we will probably plant back sorghum-sudan grass to try to get at least one cutting... instead of the soybeans that we had been planning to get planted by the first of JULY..... not the first of August....all this rain now is making it very iffy to get it cut in the next week as we have a 30-50% chance everyday for the next 7 days....

Temps are better if it is muggy though. 70's and low 80's.

Did not have a very productive day yesterday. Looked at the trimmers - on wheels - IN THE BOXES. No one had any out, put together, to look at. Not willing to open boxes. Really did not set well with me. HD only had the Legend Force one... not the Southland that @Mike CHS said they got. Lowes only had one Craftsman in the box. The guy at Lowes thought they had one in back that was put together... he went looking and was very nice and very considerate... but mgtmt would not let him open the box there. He did go on his phone and did some searching and said that even TSC has one on their website but not in stores... He said that I ought to search Amazon as there were alot listed on there.
So I did, and found a set of "off market" wheels that can be put on the shaft of a hand held to make it one that is "wheeled"... And there are a couple that are battery/cordless ones instead of being a gas motor.... Considering one of them... I mean I got to thinking, DeWalt has battery chainsaws now... granted smaller but good for small jobs... why not a battery powered trimmer on wheels...????

So, after several stops, went to Sharp Shopper but it was too late to get any of the discount bread. That comes in earlier in the morning and goes out fast. I usually hit it on Thursday mornings but really don't want to make a special trip tomorrow. I did get a pkg of sandwich buns for a few sandwiches this week. Got some other things I wanted too.

DS did stop yesterday morning and got the mower going. Loose connection of wire from spark plug. He didn't realize it ran so rough, and said that I really am going to have to think about another one. Mower deck has way more play in it and shakes and he says feels like it has a bent shaft although he couldn't actually see an obvious problem. It has alot of rough use on it I think... I bought it used.

Stopped at the Kubota place. Got a price and some other prices on some attachments. $27,000 +/-.... I was not shocked as they were in the 20,000 range a couple years ago. 0% financing... got a price on a pull behind mower, like a bush hog but does a little more of a finish type... the backhoe and front loader bucket included and taking off the "belly mower" that would be a royal PITA to put on and take off. So, starting the fact finding process... might be cheaper to rent a mini backhoe for a long weekend this late fall to do the trees... although I still need something with a loader for chip spreading for mulch under the trees once they get moved here. So, just looking at different options. Don't know until you check it out.

Have gotten 5 mice in the kitchen in the last 3 days. Sticky traps and the snap traps.


Going to go pick up DS at the pasture where he is doing a little of the bush hogging so he can have a vehicle there to drive home when he wants; he leaves this afternoon to go to the "VDOT state roadeo" down in Richmond. Not going as a judge even... I am not going like I used to since he is not competing... but several of the guys talked him into going with them....I hope there are no confrontations... he has had several guys call him from other districts to come... there is ALOT of support and outrage over his not competing....

 

[murphysranch]

I've been thinking. Well, I'm always thinking.

IF you think you'll be staying where you are for a long time, then yes, get new cabinets. Enjoy while you can!

 

[farmerjan]

Got back and just made a sandwich. I checked the rain gauge and practically fell over... we got 1.85 inches over the showers yesterday, and then steady heavy rain last night. WOW. I never ever expected that.

The clouds are dark and had a few drops on the way back with DS. Not going to try to mow at the house... going to take the weed eater out to the garden and the pitchfork and see if I can get a little of the roll of mulch hay spread out, close to the hills. I might go over and do some bush hogging where he started. Of course, he didn't get out of work like he thought by 8 this morning; planned to get in to the office, get the crews started, and then be able to take personal time and leave. But things never go like planned.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, getting some rain here... so no weed eating in the garden now.

Oh, I also did buy a couple of lottery tickets last night... and guess what; DID NOT MATCH ONE NUMBER..... oh well... increasing jackpot for Friday's drawing. Might even try it again....

 

[Bruce]

and guess what; DID NOT MATCH ONE NUMBER.

That is the same that I match the very rare times I buy a ticket. I think the last one was a few years ago when the Powerball was around $1B. DW got one too. Neither of us won even $1.

 

[farmerjan]

It's nearly 8:30. I went down to the farm bureau and got feed since I was out of feed for the nurse cow. Since the rain had let up I thought I would go up and feed her and get that done. Then if it rained later, I would already been home.
Came on home and decided to go out to the garden. Put a new battery on the weed eater and went out. Worked on the areas around the vining plants. Got several feet out around the butternut squash weed eated and then got some of the hay from the roll DS brought me spread out and the vines pretty much put back down and laid out so they can start to spread. See lots of small butternuts forming.

Then I did the same in the cucumbers. Lifted the vines and then after getting the grass knocked down, spread some of the hay so that I could put them back down so that they will be able to "run" and I can find them. I did find my first cucumber... see quite a few more at the ends of a whole bunch of flowers.

Then I started on the cantaloupe patch. The weed eater finally quit, and I got the area that is weed eated, covered with the hay from the roll so I could put the vines back down. See about 4-5 fist sized melons already. I hope to go back out there and get the rest of the grass and stuff weed eaten and hay down on it tomorrow. I figured I needed to quit because the knees were getting a little sore and tired. With all the high grass around there, I have to be careful because they are not real stable on the uneven ground and stuff. A little more every time but I sure did not want to wind up on the ground because I caught my foot or twisted a little and PLOP... right on my face or butt.... And then I went down and picked a half dozen more yellow squash. I am going in to make some squash and the last 2 ears of corn I kept out and maybe a hamburger.....

The radar showed a possible shower but it seemed to dissipate... That's okay, we are good for awhile. We are still in line for more rain for several more days. I would love to send some of it down to Texas and the areas where they need it.