Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Now DS can go from sad to mad without guilt. You'll see some of his work happening soon.

Glad your garden got plowed! I need to get mine done -- it's on my list "to do"

 

[Ridgetop]

This happened before so if she crawls back (again) all repentant he might waiver and take her back. Although it will be hard in the children, he should probably stop doing stuff with them too. Being the uncle/dad figure for them just keeps him in GF's orbit and he can't break loose.

Maybe DS should sign up on a dating website. Find someone that likes to farm, garden, can, has some experience with livestock or at least likes animal work, doesn't mind living somewhat secluded, hunting and fishing optional. If he can sort out some women like that up front, then he can date them and maybe find an honest woman with the same goals that will support him in life. Since he likes kids (GF's and GFS') maybe find someone still young enough to have a baby with him, or that wants a dad for her young children. Very young, no teenagers since they can be horrible on a marriage and often hate the new partner.

His situation breaks my heart. A really nice man with a good heart, good job, good lifestyle, and good mom, and stuck with a b****h.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Match.com worked well for me, my brother, and my best friend. You do have to go through a lot of junk to find one worth investing your time though. At least you can usually figure it out by chatting online, and by the second date at the latest. Farmers Only was a waste of time, but it could be because there weren't enough in my area. Maybe try the friend of a friend approach, get his buddy's wives/girlfriends helping to look, after all, they will likely spend time with this new gal too, it'll be easier if they like her too and have stuff in common.

 

[Bruce]

Plenty of ag contacts when milk testing too. Some of those farmers must know some decent eligible women!

 

[Ridgetop]

DS doesn't have a chance with all the BYH people looking for a GF for him! LOL I still think that something like Match.com would be nice since he will be able to meet nice women and see that he can find someone better than GF.
And no pressure like there would be with dating friends of friends.

I shouldn't say what we are all thinking but I will - too bad that GF only broke her ribs.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday night. Cloudy gloomy day all day... got about 20 sprinkly drops but it stayed mostly just south of us and headed east... bet that @Mini Horses got a good rain out of it by the looks of the radar....

Packed the samples, and dropped them off mid day, went to the bank, and stopped by a couple of the "ready made" barn/storage shed places as on the way home from testing saw one that had some "greenhouses" ... these ready made, drop off at your place ready to use type of storage building companies have branched out into more than just storage buildings and gazebo's.... they have dog pens and chicken coops and now the greenhouses... Prices are about what I expected... 4-6,000.... for 8x12 to 10x16's or so... one place has them with no floors.... to be set on a slab or gravel or something... some have a floor... heavy 8mm polycarbonate sides, fan in ends, shelves; some with a little potting section with potting bench... all sorts of little extras.... sure it is alot of money but no more than a good sized storage building.... plus is all ready to use once they set it where you want it.... can get things done custom.....
Something to use for comparisons.... I will have to do something before this coming winter if I am going to have all these plants and it would be handy to have the hanging plants and then be able to have the chickens in the "floor" area...like the meat type birds that can't fly or anything... like I kept them in the "shelter logic greenhouse" I had here for the last 2 years....
I much prefer the price of the shelter logic one, but the poly/plastic tarp type stuff doesn't last but a couple years in the heat/sun/WIND....
The polycarbonate ones like Harbor Freight has that @Mike CHS mentioned is a light polycarbonate... like 2mm... I am afraid that our wind would tear it apart... The farm I tested has one and she likes it except that the wind really works on it and where the poly sheets fit into the metal frame, they get loose and they leak a bit.... Found one on the internet that is bigger than the "big one" at HF.... heavier pc for about $100 more than HF... it's nearly 1,000... of course have to come up with some coupons and all that for discounts... but they have to be assembled...

So lots to do some comparing... I was not in the mood with the gloomy weather to stay at the house today...

Temps are dropping... it was 44 went up to 58 and is now at 38 at midnight. I was going in to bed and was thirsty and wound up on here... time to call it quits.

DS said the dinosaur thing is on SUNDAY... so we may very well be taking the cattle Saturday... I have to try to get that miserable little witch in at the nurse cow field so she could go too....
That's fine... more money in my pocket...fewer on the feed bill/pasture eating... cows are really "picking" the green grass as fast as it is coming up... warm days makes them want to be grazing. Get these 18-20 or so gone to the sale, will be good...
Then he needs to get the ones spayed and taken to VT, and the ones will go to WVa in about a month.... and it will be time to get the cows with spring calves in and vaccinated, bulls worked, and moved out to pastures.....
One of the pregnant ones from the other day was my longhorns' 1st heifer calf...(pushing 3 yrs old) so she will be staying...( there was neighbor's bull that got in with them at pasture last summer for a couple days, and he put them at the nurse cow field when he brought them home, and none got lute and now is way too late...there are 2 others that I am pretty sure are bred... they are big/old enough so it is okay except don't know what size calves that bull will throw)..... LH's black twin heifer from last year will be going out to WVa but I have a feeling she will not fit in with the rest when she gets a couple more months on her... I will pay the difference of what we might make...and keep her if she doesn't make the group to sell when we bring them back in the fall.... if I like her enough... There are actually about 3 of mine in that group to go out there... not planning to keep any of the rest for replacements at this time... but when they come back we will look them over and might want to retain a couple .... depends on alot of things... if prices are real good, they will all go....

I'd really like it if we take a load on Saturday... there are several in there that are mine... mis matched/odd ones... the 2 hol x steers that were on the nurse cow last year and her heifer that has a stupid idiot attitude... the steers will come right to you for the bucket and she has NEVER been wanting to come up or be around people... don't need her..... nurse cow came up open and got put back with a bull so hopefully she will be bred this time... she was a little thin after those last 3 calves.... with being dried up she has gained some weight back...but she is getting some age on her now... at least 7 yrs old.... I'd have to look.

Past time to hit the sack... Might see frost in the morning... and again Thurs and Fri mornings in the low 30's... then warming up into the upper 60's and 70's on Friday and Sat; and rain Fri eve and Sat morning....

 

[Mini Horses]

Yes, rain here last night. Not sure how much. Seemed a soft rain when I went to barn about 10. Looks like heavy rain over weekends with this big system hitting west coast now.

Greenhouses. What kind of frame is on the "shelter logic" you have? Can you get just the cover? Would it be worth the expense to buy time for it's use? Then you could shop more seriously for thousands, vice being sorry later. Just a thought. A neighbor has a hoop type and has some raised beds inside, on one side. Then plant starting, etc on other. Pretty nice. It isn't polycarb but heavy mml plastic that came from "Growers ??? Solutions" I believe. Professional hoop style anyway. Of course, assembly at site is needed. Sometimes not readily available.

 

[Baymule]

What about putting up a Harbor Freight greenhouse and silicone all the joints as you put it up. That might help seal it and keep the winds from shaking the panels loose and leaking.

 

[farmerjan]

Wed noontime. Had an interesting morning. Neighbor called... was going down road and there are cows out down at doug's farm.... I call DS and no answer as i am scrambling to get my shoes on... Head down there... truck coming the other way flashes lights and with a light rack on roof thought it was DS... nope... another truck stop truck... guy said "are you Bezok's mom? and I said yeah, got a call about the cows...he said I texted him but he didn't answer... I said thanks so much", and kept going.
I had taken the forester... which I KEEP feed in the back... and get down to driveway and there are 4 on the lawn next to Linda's pond... so I pull into driveway... get out and call and they come to the edge of the driveway... and I drive down a little and they finally decide to follow me... so down the driveway they come and another comes up the bank where it was snacking on grass... so I pull in past the 2 sets of gates we use when we bring cows across the driveway from the other fields.... then walk back and there are more out in the driveway area eating the fresh grass... I go down the lane we use to take them to the barn from across the driveway... pour several piles of feed.... and they all pretty much come down the lane. Shut the gates at the driveway, and call them to follow me down the lane to grain piles... Then I go out the gate at the barn end, and come around through the lot to go out around them, and shut the gate they just came in... and here is the other gate to the barn lot OPEN..... well, DUH... no wonder they were out....I shut that gate went around and managed to get the gate by the driveway shut behind them...then there was one more that was still in the driveway but she came right around the gate and into the lane...walked behind them and got them back in the lot and where they can go down into the field where they can go.

Then I went to the nurse cow pasture and fed in the pen and FINALLY, the stupid one went in because she thought I had left... I drove the car away from the pen and was down over the hill and was sorta hidden from her sight .... drove the car real quick up and got the gate shut and she was in.... FINALLY DONE.... left 3- 4 others in with her... texted DS and said she was in for him to be able to move later....

So I get back in the house and eat some soup for lunch... and get a call... DS ... are you home: yes; there are supposedly 2 cows out at the corner of Davis Rd... that's the pasture next to me where those others kept getting out and the one has been out and I cannot find out where she was getting out... so I go out with the car (got feed in it and buckets) and go down the road because I don't see anyone... the troublemaker was out in the next door neighbors yard... so opened a gate, got the bucket and got her in and then could not find anyone else out... So I went and closed the gates to the front catch lot with her and her calf and a few others in there. I fixed the couple of gate panels that she had knocked down the last time,,, and her and her calf were right there, so I opened the other gate and got her and the calf into the small catch pen we put them in to catch and load them... Then I fixed the gates so that the rest of the cows were out of the front lot, so she is in there with her calf... I texted DS and told him and he said he would get them moved after work..

So then J was going by his father's house to check on him, on her way home from one of her house cleaning jobs... because his father has fallen several times and then won't answer his med alert thing... so they call DS and he has to go or call his father's neighbor.... and DS was going to pick up her daughter from school... but he is an hour away with the "bucket truck" because they are taking down some trees (VDOT) and didn't think he was going to be back in time... and because the sister ..J... was going to stop and check on his dad, the least he could do is pick up J's daughter... so could I go down there... and then he realized that they might not release her to me... I'm not on the list... so I was going to meet him and the other guy with him, with the state truck, and take him up to get her from school... got there just at the right time....

I took DS back to work so he could get his own truck.. and took the daughter with me to the farm as DS was coming there to get the truck and trailer and she could ride with him til her mom got there to get her... and I took my vehicle after he got there to get the trailer.... and opened gates and helped him get the crazy heifer loaded... and she went after him as he went to close the dividing "cut gate" in the trailer to lock her in the front... then we went and got the cow calf pair loaded at the other place.... and J came by and got her daughter... and then I went and did the gate at the pasture he moved the cow/calf pair to.... and he was going to take the nutty heifer to the barn....and now I am back home... again....

He talked to me a little... and he is not going to let this go with her... he vacillates back and forth... mad, to thinking what did he do wrong... and I finally said that he was not going to get over her in 6 weeks and that he needs to give it time... and that I had tried to give her the benefit of the doubt with her "needing to get her head together"... but if he gets back with her I am done... and he said please don't put me in the position to have to make that kind of choice.... so that told me all I need to know. He is not going to give up on her...... and is not going to even try to move on.... and at this point... I am going to just keep my mouth shut... and go about trying to get my life heading in the direction towards what I want...

I know too he is really feeling the stress with his father's declining health... he's said to me twice lately, that the time is coming with his father not being able to stay there alone... and he is probably going to have to sell his father's chickens as he cannot take care of them anymore.... no, I don't want them... they are O.E. Game bantam show chickens and not my type....DS doesn't want anymore chickens... he barely takes care of his own at this point. 50+ years of breeding this bloodline... but I think he also has some others he was experimenting with, got to see what they are... They would be good purebreds I think... seems to me he said something about buff rocks or wyandottes or something... bantams but that's okay... I will see what there is but I do not care for or want the O.E. Games...
Will be back later....

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses ... trying to get a replacement for the covering... not on their website so going to have to talk to someone in the company... planned to do that today... needless to say that sure didn't happen with all the interruptions. It says to call for more information and questions about other sizes not listed...
I'm going to check out other sites and supply places... yesterday was just a start of looking for something...