Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

That's the plan when he gets back. I am not going to drive it again unless it gets fixed. The concrete is poured, he is setting the blocks as he gets them... and I am done with this BS......all we have is the corn to chop when he gets back... and whatever more hay he is going to make... But unless it is an emergency to get a sick or hurt animal... I am not driving it again.

Went to Doc and Deb's ( different deb) and had a nice supper...picnic style; HB & baked beans and potato salad.... another couple was there, he helps to haul cattle out to WV for doc.... had a nice night out. Got back about 15 min ago. Next is bed.

No farms on the schedule for the week, so far. If it is not raining and it is not supposed to be, I may take my truck up and clean out the trailer and put the manure on the garden. Need to clean out around the slide that I had so much trouble getting the door to slide open...this is as much for my benefit as anyone... and I can use the manure. It won't be a perfect job but want to get the greater amount out of it. Don't want to bring the truck and trailer up here... just shovel it into the bed of the truck and then can just make a pile near the hay bales... use what I want when I want and whatever goes into the ground that is fine.

I do plan to get started on that chicken pen.

Don't think we got much rain out of that little downpour, so watering all the plants is on the agenda and also emptying several of the $1 pots of the plants and spent soil. Will just dump it in the garden to get mixed in for next year.

 

[farmerjan]

Monday night. Had a decent day but it was a little COOL.... strong breeze kept the "feel " temps below what the thermometer said. 52 up to 73 but I wore long sleeves out there with the breeze. We had .15 inches in the rain gauge from that short downpour yesterday.

Watered all the hanging plants here. Boy, those little spider plants have really started to come along and some are already putting out the long flower/plantlet stems... Soaked all them as this wind will dry them out fast. I am going to separate out the big old spider plant that came from my parents Conn home. Pot is all cracked on the bottom and it is soooo root bound... That will add a bunch more plants though... Oh well... they are easy care ones. Wandering jews are all looking pretty good too... the 2 that were broken off pieces off the floor are rooted as they are growing... and the fuzzy one looks good.

Washed out half dozen sq plastic totes that came from my parents that they had stored in the garage with papers and stuff... dirty and dusty... I had left them out in the rain and all to get washed off some and they cleaned up pretty good. They will be coming in for storage of stuff.... better than cardboard boxes so the mice can't chew through for the clothes and such....

Put jeans in to soak and ran through twice to make sure the cow manure got washed out. They will go through a rinse and get hung tomorrow. Plan to strip the bed and do the blankets so they can hang out in the breeze and get that nice clean crisp air smell.

Loaded all the hanging pots of dead petunias into the cart to go towards the garden. will collect whatever else needs to get dumped and maybe do that tomorrow. Got my little digging claw to get the rest of the potatoes.... maybe get to that tomorrow....
Did not get up to the trailer today... but it is on the "Roundtuit" list like @SageHill has !!!!! As is the movable chicken pen.

Took a frozen chicken out of the freezer to thaw... plan to cook it wed or thurs.... I will probably stuff it just because I have plenty of bread to use.
Did DS chickens and gave them all full waterers... some will wind up getting dumped but at least they shouldn't run out. He opened the gate to the front 2 "lots" there at his house that the sheep have been kept out of so there is plenty of grass to graze.

Need to get all the "accumulation" off the stairs so I can get up them to the 2 bedrooms that need the ceilings taken down. Would like to get that done before the cold weather... and then get the insulation in and get up either the boards or else sheet rock and paint it if the friend isn't going to get serious about these boards he got me so excited about doing.
This nice cool and crisp weather is getting me motivated... YAY .

DS called to tell me they got there and he was watching this pretty impressive huge ship, like a battleship or something; said it was really neat..... that the Mississippi was pretty impressive to see. They are in Baton Rouge... calling for possible rain there but hoping it will stay more east...Competition is Thursday... practices on Wed... they are going to sight see tomorrow.
He asked how I made out with the steer and I told him about him being skittish to load but got it done, and told him about the accident on the interstate that had all the traffic on RT 11 and the idiot I almost hit, and the truck starter hanging up... didn't make it into an issue but let him know that it was not a good situation for me to have gotten in with all the nuts on the road....
Then he put several of the other guys there on the phone to say hi and I wished them all luck and several of them said that they missed me not being there to cheer them on.... Been going to the state competitions for 10-15 years now....but have never been to the regionals... He will be home late on Friday night/sat morning. Amazing how he was like a different person to talk to down there without her to have to kowtow to....

 

[Mini Horses]

Hope the competition isn't rained out by Ion.

A few days away with friends may give him time to think AND talk it over. Starter might get changed soon. May even redirect some "non functioning' thoughts,....notice I said "may!".

Yep, wrong sister selected.....

 

[farmerjan]

Sun and cool out there. 47 last night. Up to 59 but it is early and sun just over the trees.

Yeah @Mini Horses ... MIGHT ....MAY ... make him think a little better... not going to hold my breath though... still if the truck gets done it would be a definite plus....

Put clothes on final rinse. Going to go out and get the chickens situated. Got a couple of bags to go to the dumpsters. Think I will do that and go to the trailer to get some of it cleaned out and put into the garden before we get the rain. It looks like we will get 1-4 inches... all according to the track it takes... I feel for those in Florida... it looks pretty nasty.

@B&B Happy goats .. I know you are in Fl... anyone else?

Sure would be nice if some of the rain without all the "baggage" would go west and get some of the Texas and other areas wet for a change.
All we can do is pray that people and animals are safe....

DS said that they might see some of it... he is in Baton Rouge....but it will be a wet drive home for sure. At least there are a bunch of them together....

I am going out to get a couple of boxes that have a bunch of towels and such in them from my parents house. May as well get them washed and hung out while I am doing laundry. I think I will wait to take the bedroom apart and do the blankets next week or whenever we have some more nice weather. I can work in the house during the rain from the remnants of the hurricane.
Been feeling pretty good to have that little extra on the bed during these cooler nights....
But I want to make sure these towels aren't getting moldy... I don't think that box got wet... but no big deal to just do an extra load. Nice breeze to dry them.

I have some "re-blooming" irises putting up flower stalks... if I remember they are a pretty blue/yellow flower. Sure hope they wait to open after this weekend.
I want to get the big spider plant repotted so that it can get well watered in the "hurricane rain".... I will bring the wandering jew plants in but unless it gets too cold, I will leave the spider plants out for now. I can put the hanging pots all on the ground so they don't get blown off the chain I have strung between the branches...That chain idea has worked out great for hanging them out in the summer. But, we'll see how the weather goes. Going to bring all the cactus plants in though.. the wind will tear them apart. Plus it is getting colder and they don't like the cold much.

So, time to get out there in the nice weather today and tomorrow... get some things done. And one of the nicest things is it is warm enough but not sweltering so very comfortable to work steadily out there doing stuff.

 

[farmerjan]

Tell DS you refuse to drive that truck until he changes the starter.....and if he needs it used before then, he can tell GF to do the errand!!

GF does not drive a truck and trailer combo... don't think she knows how or wants to learn.

 

[farmerjan]

Kinda goofed off today... well., did a few errands and stopped at my favorite nursery... then went to Lowe's and got some screws for the metal for that portable chicken house roof... and a piece of molding as I want to make a "sliding door" instead of the one they had on hinges...so got some that is shaped like an L to make the track for it to slide in... can glue and screw it to the 2x2 that the frame is made out of and then just put in the piece to slide.... and I will use a hook and eye to "lock... or something... Tomorrow I am going to attempt this project.
Clothes got hung, towels in the washer and will go out in the morning. Dumped several of the hanging baskets for the spider plant dividing tomorrow; and the bag of soil is ready for filling and repotting this plant.
Wandering jews are all in the house as they are saying mid 40's....

I bought 2 re-blooming irises that are a yellow and white and got them in pots for the winter...at the nursery so paid too much.... I will cover all these up with straw like the peonies last year... to protect from freezing damage and then hopefully next year I will know where I am putting these plants. Also picked up some daffodil bulbs that I will get planted here sometime soon.... a bag of doubles in different colors....got a few others I got to plant too. They don't last that long so planting them "anywhere" along the bank is not a bit deal....

Found a couple of just arrived (in the boxes still), african violets at Lowes while I was there... very pretty.... I can afford 4.50 for a plant or 2.

Drove the explorer and when I went to the bank to make a deposit... I realized that the windows are set so high in the door that even when all the way down, I can't just reach out to put the deposit in the tray thing at the drive in window.... It is like I am sitting "down" low inside the car... GRRR
. It better sell pretty darn soon. I had almost a full tank of gas in it so want to run it down to 1/4 at least... cost too much to leave all that in there too...
Gas is down to 3.15 here local... but most all the rest are at 3.29 and 3.39....

Expect to find a calf tomorrow or very soon at the nurse cow pasture... the jersey, hol/beef cross cow with the huge udder that won't take more calves is ready to pop. Thought I would find a calf today... but she was laid out like a beached whale and nothing... I sure wish she would at least raise a 2nd one with hers... her udder looks extremely big and painful.. but some is her age too... just getting worse with each lactation. That is why I plan for this to be her last one....unless she got all cooperative and took at least 1 or 2 more calves... then I might relent... nah... stick with the plan and ship her after this one with that horrible udder.
Got a list for tomorrow... expect to stay home and do "stuff"....

 

[Baymule]

Sometimes you just need a stay at home day to do little stuff.

 

[farmerjan]

Down to 42 last night... Sun is out and breezy again/still. Looking for mid 60's again today. It is only 55 at 11. Going to go to DS's to do the chickens and all. Then down to barn to see about the trailer. Then back here to the house and the portable coop. I am leaving all the plants that are in, in the house for now, Temps are supposed to moderate with nights back up into the 50's plus with the rain and all coming in, so might move some back out. That kind of rain, that we are supposed to get; not near anything like what Fl is going to see, is real good for the plants with the extra nitrogen charged particles in it...

 

[SageHill]

Found a couple of just arrived (in the boxes still), african violets at Lowes while I was there... very pretty.... I can afford 4.50 for a plant or 2.


Gas is down to 3.15 here local... but most all the rest are at 3.29 and 3.39....

Oh man love African Violets! WTG.
3.29 even 3.39 dream
4.99 here

 

[Mini Horses]

Bought gas at $2.94 yesterday!! Still $3.29-3.39 a lot of places not far. Get it while I can a that. Can for generator, in case.

Worked today but it was tough. Felt so tired. Got a hamburger, that helped -- hadn't had breakfast and up a couple times last night for loud vehicles going by.. Looking for sleep tonight!! Leaving windows closed.