Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Thanks..... yeah, I get that he wants a family... that has become so blatantly obvious.... Guess he will get his priorities straight one of these days.
Finding a place to rent/lease is next to impossible since it is a "good ole boys" thing around here and he has a lock on everything close. Too much that is too intertwined too.
Yeah, Old body and young mind/ideas still. Finding any part time help is next to impossible too. I have done a little checking and because EVERYONE knows him, makes it difficult for me to do "my own thing"...
It will work out somehow. Maybe I will sell out and buy a trailer and travel.....

Not enough hay left behind to make it worth the work. I am going to get stuff in the car and head out.
Sun is out but radar shows a SERIOUS line of storms... Ought to hit here after 2. I hope to have everything set up in the barn before the rain hits. Good way to spend the wet rainy afternoon,; earning money...

 

[farmerjan]

Wed morning. Yesterday, I left for work etc... what a mess... There was an accident on the interstate @ 4 a.m. tractor trailer with "hazardous cargo" some sort of powder I heard later.... BUT, they had it closed and I did not know about it. Lots of traffic on my road and I tried DS to find out what was going on. No answer or return call or text. I thought maybe an accident and that the interstate was closed between Fairfield 3 miles south and Raphine 2 miles north... NOPE, found out late it was north of there .... Traffic had been diverted to Rt 11 and many were using their GPS's I guess because there was a huge amount of traffic on my road which runs parallel to the interstate and Rt. 11. Traffic was backed up to the next exit/entrance in Greenville.... 8 more miles north.
I was tied up in the traffic before I realized what was going on... DS finally called me after 3 more tries... and I said gee, you could have warned me... and he got all ****ty about what was I doing going out to rt 11 anyway... and he was pretty busy with all the mess and didn't see I had tried him.... I told him I was going to the P.O. to check my mail on my way to work. So then he said oh, well I needed to get off rt. 11 and go the back way to get above Greenville... Even I figured that out....
Got to where I could cut across (rt. 11 is a divided highway for a good way) and hit the back roads... had to back track but then got headed in the right direction.

The skies were getting really threatening... and it finally opened up and POURED down so hard you could barely see. I was running behind so just went on to work. It had rained up there also, let up to just a little light rain and got unloaded and into the barn. They had lost their power up there for a bit. We get ready to milk, power had been restored... and no vacuum.... took over a half an hour to find where it had fried a fuse and then tripped a breaker... BUT.... we finally got milking at 4... and the rest went pretty good.
Got done, and wound up coming home with 2 young chickens... they decided to keep one but these 2 are bigger and picking on their birds... You know that mixing birds doesn't work well... I hope the one they kept will work out but I told them to let me know if not I will take it. The ones I got look like Lt. Brahma's... they will get big... which is fine with me...

So I am getting them situated.... got the samples to pack to send out also.

I checked the rain gauge.... did NOT get any rain here at the house... Cannot believe it... nothing.... all that push with the hay and it went around.....they got nearly 3/4 inch in about 1/2 hour or so other places, with the fast downpours... It moved out fast.
The air cooled off and there is no humidity today. Really nice... sun and comfortable.

Going out to do some stuff. Got a message out to Geneva to see about the 500 cow herd testing... At least it is not stifling so getting things done is much more pleasant.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, mom to the "rescue" .... DS texted me and said the guy got the steers in the trailer this morning... could I go get them? OF COURSE... so I said I would if the truck would start... he has a new starter for it, sitting inside , guess he will get to it eventually.... but anyway. I went up and yes it started, so I got them moved to doug's. Put them in the little lot there, they had shade and water... and let him know and he could move them wherever he wanted when he got off work.

Told him that when he wanted to get the other truck back to the barn I could go up and take him to it. We had left the truck and trailer there for them to get the steers into it the other day.

Got the samples packed and took them to get shipped out. Went to the P.O. and of course, still nothing on the title for the explorer. DS was mowing some hay and said he was going to head to the barn and that he could go get the truck whenever I got there. He also needed a chicken out of the freezer as he has a beef customer to deliver meat to that wanted to try a home grown one. Might be able to sell some. Stopped at the barn, picked him up and took him down to the truck (1 mile away) and dropped him off and then I went to do the cow and calves at the nurse cow field. Then came home.

It was a beautiful day today. Sun, no humidity, light breeze... I did check the other rain gauge and we had about .05 inch of rain when places around got over 1/2 inch in the downpours....
I had to water all the plants since they did not get any natural watering....

Tomorrow morning is PT and then a run to pick up some parts for the John Deere since I will be more than halfway there. Will make a couple of quick stops I didn't get to with the traffic snarl yesterday... go by and check on my glasses....
Then he said that the rest of the orchard grass he mowed will be ready to rake... it is very light and thin so will be dry... Other stuff he mowed today should be ready to rake on Friday.... Weather is perfect for it.
He is going to get the steers he has; in partners with our retired vet at his place in WVa... guess "they" are going on Sat aft and staying overnight..doc and his wife will be out there on Friday, bringing them home Sunday, to docs place for a month and then selling them in Oct... that is what doc wants to do. He has grass at his place here for them and it is going to be dry enough for them to get in and get them out this weekend I guess.

I am tossing around going up to the fair in Woodstock to see the fair and go to the Neal McCoy concert tomorrow afternoon/night. I like Neal McCoy... and I like this fairgrounds.... hate to go alone but really think it would be good for me to just go. See how tomorrow goes.... At least it is mid week so all the exhibits will be there and not leaving to go home. If I can get out of here around 3, that will give me a couple hours to walk around and see stuff before the concert at 7:30. It is only 1 1/2 hours drive home. Just down the road from the farm I picked up 2 months ago...

I am looking forward to the poultry swap on Sept 17th.... I am ready for some more chickens finally..... the 2 that I brought home from the farm last night, are pretty nice young ones... and I think they might be bantam lt. brahma's.... a little on the big size for "show quality" but pretty.

I am hoping that the Va poultry club has their show in Nov that I have not gone to in the last couple of years because of the ankle/covid/knee replacements and all.

 

[Alaskan]

. I like Neal McCoy... and I like this fairgrounds.... hate to go alone but really think it would be good for me to just go. See how tomorrow goes..

Stuff like that... getting myself to go is a huge task... but once there I am glad I went.

And going by yourself means you actually get to LOOK at the things you want to look at!! That is a huge win.

I vote for go....

 

[Baymule]

Mom to the rescue....... LOL LOL

My son got his old Massey tractor out of the shop and brought it here. He went after hay for me and unloaded it, promptly got a flat on the front, it is an old tire and should be replaced. He aired it back up, it went flat again. So now there it sits, useless. And he got a call yesterday and left this morning for Greenville to take a job there. He's gone again.

These boys of ours.......

 

[Mini Horses]

Yeah...these boys of ours ...mine had my bigger trailer at a job. Told him get it back. (I'll need for hay hauling) and gave deadline of Tues Eve. Surprisingly, it was home! . Then, wed, gone! . He hauled some furniture for a friend and it was there, still loaded. They better get it off!!!!! Another thing to deal with . I'm looking at chains and padlocks

Hope to get some things squared away next week, while I'm home 25/7 for a while. Tired of things I own just disappearing without permission.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, these "boys" of ours......

I'm with you on the disappearing equipment @Mini Horses .... I don't have a cooler chest here as he "borrows them" to take meat and stuff then I never see them again... and ask and ask for them to get brought back... 'yeah, I'll bring it back tomorrow' , and we know that tomorrow never comes... Some days it just gets old.....

I went and raked the little bit of orchard grass at the one field yesterday and there were a few spots where it was thick that turned up some green but it should have been mostly dry by the time he got to it to bale.

I decided to go to the fair so I was out of here by about 3 or so. The weather was real nice if a little warm late afternoon. I got to see all the cattle, walked through the dairy barns and the farmer I just tested last week with the jerseys was there with a group and several other fams there that I don't test for. Saw a bunch of the 4-H project steers and stuff, mostly angus/hereford crosses Black white face cattle for steers, some shorthorn and angus and hereford purebreds. There was one farm with a nice group of red angus cattle.

I walked through the sheep and mostly all wooled sheep, for 4-H projects and such. Some purebreds nearly all Hampshires and Suffolks. Saw a few goats but not many. They were doing something in the goat barn and had most aisles closed for the time being. Went through the chicken barn and there were some REAL NICE Cochin bantams. Alot of chickens owned by the same exhibitor, so they are probably a pretty big fancier. They had most of all the real nice cochins. One pair of Bronze turkeys that were in nice feather condition. Some decent rose comb leghorns that you don't see many of. Went through the rabbit barn and there were alot of white New Zealands and another white one that I forget the name. Some listed as "broken New Zealands"... I knew they came in red but didn't know they had a "broken pattern" also. A few Flemish Giants, lots of mini-lops. Some crosses that they were caged as "meat pens"......
Walked through some of the exhibits.... some nice sunflowers.... some real nice big striped crenshaw melons, pumpkins, different vegs.
Some real nice crafts, some paintings that were real good. A few very well "composed" photographs. A few very pretty afghans and "throws" in both knitted and crocheted.
A big huge midway with all sorts of food. Ate a steak and cheese hoagie with peppers and onions as I haven't had one in quite awhile. Wasn't real hungry so didn't even eat a funnel cake or elephant ear which I usually do.

The concert was pretty good. Crowd was smaller than I thought it would be. But then I guess my "age" is showing because Neal McCoy is an "older" singer... and not alot of his stuff is played anymore except for "oldies country" stations. He is still a sexy looking guy though.... and very "active" on stage... didn't just just "stand there" and sing.. If anyone remembers his song .... from waaaay back.... "The Wink"..... he is partnering with a singer that they are coming out with a new version called "The Drink".... supposed to be on the radio in a few weeks... fun country song.....

That was when country songs were either about drinking and some one done someone wrong songs... or funny ones like the Bellamy Bros with "Baby's got her blue jeans on"... with music you could do a good 2 step to....

Well, got to go up to rake the hay he cut on Wed afternoon at the other place. Plus he just called and said he cut more yesterday, and it will need to be tedded out as now they are saying there will be some wispy clouds coming in and tomorrow is supposed to be partly cloudy with rain maybe Sat night but most likely starting Sunday; and now the latest forecast is showing possible showers and storms ALL NEXT WEEK.... So somehow he is going to have to find time to get all this done before he goes to WV to get those steers this weekend. And if it is going to be wet, he has got to get them out. Plus I just heard that they are going to start logging over there next week so they HAVE to be OUT before they start logging....
So when I get close to done raking, to call him and he might be able to run up and take the tedder up the hill, like on his "lunch" time, so I can keep going up there with the tedder on the rest of the lots he cut... and not have to run the tractor back down the hill to get the tedder. So, I am going to go out and head down to the farm, get the tractor and rake, put hydraulic fluid in it as the rake is sluggish to lift up... there is a very slow leak in one of the cyclinders that will need to be replaced....so have to put fluid in every so often so that when I hit the lever it will raise and lower when I am going "up hill". When the level of fluid gets low, it is slow to respond when tractor is headed up hill, and responds faster when it is headed downhill.... the angle of the fluid in the reservoir affects how it feeds to the lines and pressure....anyway, every so often I have to put more in it so that the rake will lift fast and all while raking... end of rows etc., so that I don't have clumps and all sorts of a mess for baling....plus our rake goes in and out and I can control it go around some of the rocks and not rake hay over ledges and stuff so it doesn't tear up the baler when he is baling hay....
Rocks and ledges are NOT a farmers friend when making hay....

Anyway, got home around 11 last night after the traffic getting out of the fairgrounds... 2 work/construction zones on the interstate so some congestion and slow down.... got off after the 2nd one to just come down rt 11... tired of all the "one lane closures" .... YES, I get that they do it at night and it is better to have the roads worked on and in decent shape than full of pot holes or unsafe traveling conditions... but there is A LOT of truck traffic and it makes for some long "one lane" travel... so I just got off and came down the "local" roads.
Cooled off nice, temps were 54 this morning... Nearly 80 now and sun so will be a good drying day. Time to head up to the tractor.

 

[Mini Horses]

yeah, I'll bring it back tomorrow' , and we know that tomorrow never comes... Some days it just gets old.....

WAY OLD!! AND they being adults, we have far less disciplining powers. .

Glad you went to the fair and got a chance to escape the day-to-day, for a few hours at least. It helps. I went to help a friend this morning and put off some of my own previously planned things. It's fine, a pleasant diversion after all.

Looking at goals for this coming week and how to best tackle them. Tractor is #1. If we could trade sons for the week, yours could fix my tractor and mine could fix your ceilings and cabinet carpentry!! They both have the knowledge and wouldn't be a problem cause "not my mom". I could tackle world problems if allowed!

 

[murphysranch]

I haven't been to a fair in years and years. I only like the barns and the crafts. No rides or carnival for me. I'm glad you had fun!

 

[Baymule]

A fun day off and evening at the fair! You needed that, you just gotta stop and do something fun for you.