Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

WOW ON the gas price... but I will take our 3.15 compared to some of the others.... It probably will go back up for a little bit, with the hurricane causing havoc.

Didn't get as much done as I wanted. Got the spider plant down and split as best I could. Several of the hanging pots have 2-3 main crowns as they were so close together that I just didn't want to split them... I have one more to pot but actually ran out of the indoor potting soil.... so will get some more soil tomorrow and get it done up.

I have to go to test tomorrow so will leave early and stop and get some more soil and drop off another bucket at the farm I get milk from. I am going to get 2 / 2gal buckets on Friday... will put some ice in the cooler chest as there is not enough room in the fridge... I want to make some pudding and/or custard and do some other cooking while the weather is crappy out this weekend... Making a list of anything else that I might want while out.

Stopped at the neighbors of DS when I went and did the chickens. I plan to do them tomorrow on the way, and then late on Friday so they won't need to be done on Saturday when we are supposed to be pretty wet. DS is supposed to be home Sat eve... they are coming part way on Friday, then the rest of the way on Sat. That way he won't have to worry about them on Sat either.
They gave me some green beans and some yellow squash. Just ate some squash for supper... it is soooo good.... going to freeze some. Also freeze some of the green beans. They picked 2/ 5 gallon buckets of green beans this afternoon and had already gotten over 1 bucket from another row on Monday....
We talked a bit and I just took the time to visit...
Then I had to go help the guy that helped with the concrete, who is doing a bunch of stuff for DS... move a wagon of hay to the back side of the barn and inside. It is a tight fit to get it in so it took us awhile to get it in... wagons are hard to back because they have a moveable axle on the front wheels so when you turn things you are working with 2 sets of wheels that turn.... truck and then the wagon. I STINK at backing up wagons... a trailer is fine... but that extra set of moveable axles is just NOT MY THING.....

Talked to him and he is coming next week to look at the ceilings upstairs.... he used to work with the friend that was going to get the lumber for the ceiling... they parted ways.... but this guy is a good worker when he works... sometimes he is not real motivated.... but he needs some work and so is interested in making some money. He also is a pretty good carpenter... so might get him to do some other stuff I want/need doing. I want to get this house going in the direction of finishing it....

Got another load of clothes hung but by the time I got back from helping with the hay wagons, it was getting cool and a little damp. We are supposed to get some sun and clouds tomorrow.. so I expect I will be able to get them in before I go to test.

Had to get a full bucket of feed from the bin to have here for the next week or so to feed so I don't have to deal with that either.
Making a list of all the things I still want to get done. Don't know if the chicken coop is going to get finished now. I got a pair of "tin snips" to cut the tin for the roof and some screws with the rubber grommet to seal them from leaking when it rains; I might move them into the greenhouse/shelter for the crappy weather... Got to do a little work around the bottom and I will have to put them in the crates at night like I used to with the others... but it might be better. And the 2 lt brahmas are calmer so maybe they will rub off on the 2 leghorns...and slow down a little. I will make that decision tomorrow.

No truck at the farm so have not moved any rolls of hay....

Going to get a shower and go to bed early so I can get up and get things done in the morning. Won't get out of the farm and home until after dark....then Friday will be the last get things done list....

So glad to hear @Baymule is home.... YAY

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday morning. It was down to 45 but up to 55.... mostly cloudy and quite breezy. Not looking like much sun today but the breeze is brisk. Clothes ought to be dry enough to be brought in.
Got the bottles in the tray, crossing things off the list. Going out to get the meters in the car and bucket to take to the farm to drop off for the extra milk tomorrow. Then the clothes to bring in..... then to leave. Going to stop and feed at the nurse cow pasture on the way, and then will do them again tomorrow evening. Then will probably skip Saturday if it is too wet and miserable. The calves can go in the barn to get some shelter, the cows can go down along the cedars out of the wind like they normally do.
I have been skipping and feeding them every other day... they are all very accustomed to coming in and the calves on the cow are getting some size and it won't hurt for her to not get so much grain and make all that extra milk now that they are getting some size. They are out grazing all the time and they look pretty fleshy... because there is so much grass here at this pasture.
Gotta get going.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday eve. Turned out the sun came out pretty nice this afternoon, high wispy clouds.. still breezy... but I wasn't going to get home from testing til after dark so it was better I brought the clothes in. They were soooo soft from the strong breezes blowing them... towels and even the jeans felt soft.

Went to the nurse cow pasture to check that cow that is close to calving... still nothing but she was off laying by herself around noon. Her udder is HUGE.... last calf for her. I just hope when I go up there tomorrow, she has calved so it is dried off and up before we get this crappy weather. Hoping against hope I don't have to get her in and get the calf on a teat, but that it will be able to figure it out...

Did the errands on the list on the way to testing... got another bag of potting soil for house plants to get the last spider plant in the pot in the morning, before we get the rain.
Now it is looking like we will have rain by 2-3 p.m. instead of later in the evening. Winds in the 10-25 mph ranges... we will just have to see. I will be moving the chickens into the greenhouse/shelter that i used to keep the meat birds in... even if they have to stay in the crates, they will be protected from the pouring rain... I can put small things of water and feed into the crates and they will survive just fine. Better that than boxes...

Pictures of the devastation by the hurricane in the Fort Meyers general area are pretty bad... and the one marina looks like some "kid's idea" of smash 'em up boats and piers.... just wow....
I feel sorry for the people... no hurricane is good and let's face it, they are an accepted way of life there. But still... just horrible. The thing is that nowadays we build places that nature never intended for permanent structures be put... and no matter the upgrades to the building codes... she will take them down as a reminder that we are NOT the deciding factor... This will do a number on the tourist business there for quite awhile...
Years ago, when I was dating a guy and we were doing alot of 2-step competitions.... we went to the Fort Meyers area to a couple places to dance because his son lived down there... so it was a vacation and dancing trip in one. Pretty area.... nice beaches... alot of places right on the coast. It was too hot for me to want to live there... but, holy cow on the mess there now.

Got a checklist for tomorrow... see how much I can get done before it decides to rain.

I did go by the barn this evening and checked and the bale truck still isn't there... so not going to get the bales of hay moved before the rain by the looks of it. I could have gotten them all done by yesterday if the truck had been brought back....

I only tested 6 farms this month... several wanted to wait until they got chopping done and all that... next month every farm I test is on the "possible" list...( 13) any wonder why I sometimes want to quit???? I like to try to test 8-10 a month to keep them spread out a little better..... With the personal property taxes on the car and the yearly car insurance payment that had to be made by the 30th... I sure could have used a little extra this month.... instead of them all wanting to wait and then next month I will do 3 and 4 a week....Got to get the 500 cow herd done... they will have to be an evening, since we did 2 mornings in a row... which is technically the "sept test".... due to the Aug test was a little late due to having to work with their schedule and with Geneva's....doesn't look like it suits DS to help out lately.

Guess I need to get some more exercising and get these knees up to more stamina so I can do that farm by myself..... the double 16 will be a challenge no matter how I slice it... but it might come to that because she will be getting married July 1st... so I doubt she will be able to help in may or june either.....and there is no one else to get to help.

Also got some sad news... we lost another tester in NC.... he was only 62... no cause listed... I never would have expected that. He did alot of the bigger farms down there and his daughter had started going with him a several years back....many of his farms were 500 cows and up..... but I thought he was in good shape.....goes to show you.... I think it was sudden, maybe a heart attack???? But another one of us gone....

Time for me to hit the sack so I can get things done in the morning....

 

[Bruce]

Went to MA Tuesday, gas in Northampton was $3.339, still $3.799 here.

 

[SageHill]

All you guys "back east" --- I was in town yesterday and gas was --- sit down for this (then offer up a sigh of relief it's not you) 6.29 and one place even 6.99. Thank God the reservation is closer than town here they were 5.19 and that seemed like a deal!

 

[Alaskan]

All you guys "back east" --- I was in town yesterday and gas was --- sit down for this (then offer up a sigh of relief it's not you) 6.29 and one place even 6.99. Thank God the reservation is closer than town here they were 5.19 and that seemed like a deal!

What state are you in?

Up here we circle around $5.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday... early afternoon. Got up and got some of the stuff done.

Chickens moved into the greenhouse/shelter and I did a little reinforcing to keep them in the shelter and not trying to get out. Hopefully things will be okay for them. Got the 4 together. The Brahma's are not "fighting minded" so I am hoping for co-operation. I will go out and check on them in a little bit. Filled the 5 gallon waterer and the feeder in there.

Spider plant planted. I haven't taken them down off the chain they are hanging on and put on the ground... but am considering it. Haven't had enough wind yet to make me too concerned.
All the plants in the planters I haven't gotten the holes into the bottom yet, are laid on their side so they don't get drowned. My coleus plants are really pretty and the begonias are still flowering pretty good. Dumped some more of the pots of petunias in the garden.

Went to the nurse cow pasture and the cow I was watching has a new heifer calf. It seems quite alert and when I finally found them after 2 trips around the pasture... suddenly there they were so she had to be down in the patch of trees near there and I hadn't seen her yet... calf went right to the udder and teat when I drove up so I am hoping she got a feeding of colostrum. She acts good. The cow is a good mother, even if she refused to take any extra calves last time... I won't even try this time since the udder is so bad... let her feed this calf and this will be it. She took a long time to get bred back the last time. She has been a good cow and I think has had all but maybe 1, heifer calves.... I have 1 or 2 that have had calves for me already... but her udder has completely fallen apart.
Fed the calves and the nurse cow. They can get in the barn out of the rain if they want. I have seen one of the 2 newer calves there that are about a month old, going in the creep gate so they are learning.

Went to DS's and did the chickens and made sure the water trough for the sheep is 3/4th full.... Chickens got extra feed and water... I "re-watered" them after I got done, and they had eaten and drank some... this way they will be fine tomorrow. If it is miserable out, I can stay in except for what I have to do here with my chickens.

Going in to pack the samples, go drop them off... got the cooler chest in the car to get the milk, stop at the P.O. and drop off some mail to go out... then coming home to hunker down for the night....I want a good hot bowl of soup tonight and maybe a nice grilled cheese sandwich.... Tomorrow, I am going to stuff the chicken and then put in the oven to bake. I am going to do some custard with the eggs I got from @Mini Horses at the poultry swap and hard boil some for egg salad sandwiches. The idea of the stove/oven heating the house tomorrow with the crappy weather is a nice thought.

Going to go get the things done and come in and stay put. I don't think we are going to get near what they have been forecasting with the doom and gloom.... I think we are going to get a fair amount of rain.... hopefully there won't be too much flooding...

I am as prepared as I can be. We are fortunate here to not even be facing the winds and such that @Mini Horses will see near the coast.

 

[Mini Horses]

I cooked today...eat and heat! Hard boiled eggs, too. These girls are producing!!!!

At least the street flooding and winds along coast are 50-60 miles from me. If rains got really heavy, local river will rIse in couple days but no threat to me. Right now, I'm good.

Woohoo, a heifer calf!!

 

[SageHill]

What state are you in?

Up here we circle around $5.

California - love the weather, and the land.

 

[murphysranch]

It went up to $5.09 at the cheap gas station here.