Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Finnie]

Lowes and Home Depot usually have African violets for about $5. Usually they just have a ton of the same, but once in a while they will get in a few that are different.

Recently I wanted to try wick watering, to see if I can stop losing any to root rot. But I didn’t want to practice on my special violets, so I went to Lowes and looked through what they had. They had a really big one I chose, and then I picked through looking for ones with the reddest backed leaves. (I’ve been trying to look for different foliage now, because if you just go by flower color, you end up with them all looking the same when they are out of bloom.) I came home with 5! The flowers ended up 2 shades of maroon, 2 shades of purple, and 1 I still don’t know yet. Just the normal single type flowers. And I picked up a leaf off the floor that I am trying to root.

Member of the American African Violet Society! How cool! I look through their website sometimes. Their two local clubs in my state are too far away for me to want to go to their meetings.

 

[Finnie]

@Finnie and @farmerjan - you're bad. Dang it, I used to have tons of African Violets, heck I had a membership in the American African Violet Society -- they had a great newsletter. Now I'm feeling that urge again. Ohhhhh nooo. I'll have to check the stores next time I'm down the hill, might be able to get a quick cheap fix

My post failed to put the quote in

 

[Baymule]

@Finnie and @farmerjan - you're bad. Dang it, I used to have tons of African Violets, heck I had a membership in the American African Violet Society -- they had a great newsletter. Now I'm feeling that urge again. Ohhhhh nooo. I'll have to check the stores next time I'm down the hill, might be able to get a quick cheap fix

And so it begins……..

 

[farmerjan]

When I bought from the Violet Barn I got a membership to the Violet Society because I spent whatever the minimum was... like 4 or 6 plants...
Yep, I love to go to Lowes and HD and sometimes Walmart and get some of the ones they get in... sometimes a day or 2 after they come in so that they have flowers, sometimes for just the leaf colors... sometimes will get some "different colors"... I don't have to have fancy names on them... I like the variegated leaves on some. I will look after the holidays and get them on clearance... either not watered or over watered... often for 50% off or the last time for $1.00 each... losing one or 2 doesn't hurt that way. Got some pretty ones and then this loss with what I assume is the fungus fly problem.... But most are coming back with new growth on the crowns... and some new baby plants on the leaves I had put into plastic containers to root. Going to have to take a day and start potting them up soon.

They really filled a void when I got home from the knee replacements and I was hurting .... gave me something to look forward to daily.
Then the spider plant from my parents house in CT before they moved to NH several years ago, got so big and pot bound that when I started splitting it, and then rooting all the baby plants... WOW that exploded. They have done SOOO good. Way too many.... and they root so easily... Gotten into looking for different colors... narrow white center of leaf, wide white center, solid green, and recently green center of leaf with white on the outside edges of the leaves......
Have several wandering jews that are so easy... got a pretty one that is a real multicolored white, green, pink.... one is a dark green and maroon stripe in them. Also got a mini leafed one now that is also more multi-colored; and 2 that are solid green.. one has white hairs on it. They root easy also.

Brought in 2 tall stalks of Iris blooms... these are the "reblooming " ones... beautiful yellow blossoms. This cold did a little damage to them. They won't last long in the house, but they won't last out there either.. Got one more stalk that has smaller buds... don't know if it will survive but it won't open in here as they are not fully formed yet. So, I left them and if it warms up next week like they say... it might make it.

Put chickens in crate just before dark.. Buff hen is still running around out there... haven't seen her inside but then she could go in anytime during the day that I am not out there.
There was ice on the water buckets all day that were not in the sun... It hit 48 but didn't feel like it out there...

Got some boxes to pack up the stuff in the kitchen that was going to go into the bottom cabinets... might work on that in a little bit. Washed all the dishes in the sink, and got everything put away that I had just done.

Now they are saying possible INCH of snow tomorrow...... it was 70, 3 days ago.....

 

[Ridgetop]

DO NOT go shopping on a Sunday around here... too many dumb people out there, don't know what they want, not enough help in the stores... everything took forever...

I try never to shop on the weekends - even grocery shopping. No parking, very crowded, long check out lines, and vegetables and fruit at grocery stores picked over. Heading out to Ross soon to do returns. Today is Senior Discount Day. Not much but pays for the tax.

 

[farmerjan]

Pneumonia weather..... 30 last night... cloudy, cold today hit 35. Started raining around 10 I guess. I went to the dentist for the check up/cleaning. Left there, started to do some of the list of errands I had made. Filled up with gas also since it was 3.25 instead of the 3.29 here near home... Hey, 4 cents is 4 cents.
Went to Sharp shopper and got some groceries since I was near there. Got some of the toll house cookie ice cream sandwiches, 12 for like $6.00.... that's $.50 each... when they are like 1.99 to 2.99 at any of the convenience stores... and a couple 1.75 liter containers of a premium brand of choc ice cream... for 1.99... most of the packages of ice cream are now 1.5 liters now... and the best prices are usually in the 3.49 and up prices.

Spent some time in Walmart, and found a "sweep" thing for the bottom of the door, for keeping out drafts, that I can maybe use on the side where it does not meet the door frame... the frame is crooked or the door was hung in there crooked. I am not taking things apart for a 1/4 inch out of alignment.... but wanted to find something that I could use to block the air coming in the crack This might work. The door is all aluminum and I am not going to mess it up to try to take something apart, either.
Also got the antibiotic prescription refilled for when I go to the dentist.... I will take them for preventing any bacteria from getting into the blood stream from dental work... NOT going to mess up the joints and it isn't like I am doing it that often so not building up an immunity to them. If the replacement dr's say to take them, I will. One of my farmers got an infection in the replaced hip joint and it was a long painful deal... I'm not for taking pills for any and everything... but this is a small thing to do to prevent a possible problem. There are conflicting reports on how long to do it... with 3 joints... I am going to err on the side of caution on that.

It rained all afternoon. I stopped at the greenhouse/nursery on the way home. They had gotten in some Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus plants... just coming into bloom. Next week they ought to be much better... I have 5 colors now... almost white with a pale pink shading.... a medium pink, a real intense fuschia, a reddish and a more salmon colored one. So, didn't get any; will stop and see what colors they are, when they have opened their blooms more. Nothing new in violets, nothing different in spider plants or wandering jew colors...

Came on home... DS texted me that there was a bad accident on the interstate just below here... I said I was home and staying put but thank you....
Then I went out and put the chickens in the crate and I came in. There is still some non-perishable stuff in the truck. It can wait for tomorrow when it is not raining. Got to load the meters and hoses on the truck tomorrow for the 200 cow herd tomorrow afternoon. And have to put the bottles in the trays to take too. Will do it in the morning, not going out to get the boxes of bottles in the cold and wet.

Glad I got the boxes yesterday.... got a few things in them and will work on it this week.

 

[Baymule]

BJ had to take antibiotics before any dental work. I read where it was advised to not have any dental work 6 months before or 6 months after a joint replacement. I had a loose crown, so beat it to the dentist and got a new one. All healed up with time to spare. Canceled my teeth cleaning that was scheduled a few weeks after surgery and I’ll reset that.

 

[farmerjan]

I put off the scheduled teeth cleaning back to 6 months after I had the knees done. Had the one prior to the knee surgery about 6-7 weeks ahead... BUT ..... I was already on the antibiotic routine from the ankle replacement.

It was a cold day today even though the sun came out... mostly with some clouds..... 31 up to 50 it said but the feels like temp was closer to 40-42 all day. Windy and supposed to get some serious gusts in the 15+ mph range tonight. We wound up with over 1.5 inches of rain. I didn't have it out in the beginning, but put it out as soon as I got home and had .9 in it from that and the couple of buckets were showing over 1.5 inches total so I can believe it.

Got the sample bottles in the trays, meters and hoses in the truck and left for the farm. Testing went decent but they had done an update on their computer and I had all sorts of problems with trying to do the jump drive exchange... I may have to go back tomorrow to redo that... But it got uploaded from my computer here so at least that worked. I have more problems with this herd....

PT at 7:30 a.m..... have a new farm that wants to go on test... and right now they want a tank SCC sample done so I am going to stop and pick up a milk sample on the way home and then talk to Lancaster where we run the samples and see what the protocol is ... have them do it as an independent herd or something. I REALLY REALLY do NOT want anymore farms to test.....
Meeting tomorrow eve about fence laws in Va....

 

[Baymule]

Looks like you just might get another farm to test! No retirement for you!

 

[Ridgetop]

I REALLY REALLY do NOT want anymore farms to test.....

Just as you were considering retirement you get more herds. If you wanted more herds, they would all be selling out!

DH and I take antibiotics before any dental exams/work. Him for his knee replacement and me for mitral valve prolapse (aka floppy heart valve). Now I take them because of knee too.

You really don't want a staph infection in the artificial joint. The infection binds to the artificial joint which means they can't cure it with antibiotics. The joint has to be removed and you can't get a new one until the infection is completely cured. DH was almost 6 months between getting a staph infection that went to the joint, massive antibiotics via PIC line, removal of infected joint, insertion of "spacer", constant blood work to verify status of infection, removal of spacer, and new knee joint. In and out of nursing home and rehab. Not to mention heated discussion between orthopedic surgeon and infectious disease specialist about whether he would lose the leg, would die from the infection, etc. His infection was from a slight puncture in his hand 6 years after knee replacement. The puncture healed right away but the infection travelled tohis artificial knee.