Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Monday, late afternoon. It is cloudy and a little damp out... Was down to 57 and only went up to 61 and then it got cloudier and then some sprinkles, light rain here at the house. Didn't have any of it north of here at the funeral for Geneva's mom... but ran into some misty sprinkles and it had had a small shower here at the house as the road was wet. Kinda raw out there... doesn't look like we will be getting much overall though... radar shows it heading east and south some and just fizzling out also...

Got a call last night there were cows out, and DS was just getting home... I went up and there were 2 cows and calves out in the neighbors yard... DS came up with the forester that was at the barn because it has the feed in it... and him and a guy that he works with, that called him about them, got them back in and there is a big tree down on the fence back in the corner behind that house... So got them back in... I went and opened the gate to the "lot" that I had let them in last week when I got those couple other ones in, and then locked them out again 2 days later when they were all down in the other area.... So they could go in last night and eat some grass again...
This morning there was a calf out and I got him in before I left to go to Geneva's mom. There weren't any out a little while ago when I got home... Don't know if DS worked on the fence....
I came out this morning to the explorer gone and the forester here and a text that he borrowed the explorer and would be back around 11:30.... well my purse was in it... and I had to leave by 9:30 or so since I had no idea of where I was going to the church.... So I took the outback, instead of the explorer, and luckily it had over a 1/2 tank of gas.....
After the service, went to another church nearby ( all mennonite ones) that served refreshments and stuff... talked to Geneva and her dad actually sat at the table I was seated at....talked to one of the 2 ministers that presided at the funeral service, he and his wife sat at the table with me... so it was nice. Finally got home at 3 or so, and explorer still not here... I have got to get my purse out of it if he is not going to bring it back anytime soon.

So that was the day. Was thinking of going out to work in the garden but it is just chilly.... might still go out now since the sprinkles let up.

Temps are forecast to be down in the mid 40's a couple nights.. sure hope that I didn't jump the gun with the tomato plants. I do have to go get the small sledge hammer to put the stakes in for the 1/2 panel to finish putting in the "4 pk" of Belgium Giant tomatoes that has 11 actual plants in it...I took it back to doug's barn when I was done with it last year... just need to "remember" to get it .....

Hallway is empty and I just need to run the vacuum a little better... Got to go in and wash some more stuff I took out of a box.. and put away yesterday's dishes.... Don't have any idea of what DS brought home or not, haven't heard a word except that the cows were out, last night, and then when they were in, he was going home to go to bed as he was exhausted last night.... and the text message about the Explorer this morning...

I got my pants legs soaked a bit ago out in the tall grass so probably am not going to go out there this evening. Will just wait and go out to lock in the chickens.
The new trio of RI Reds are coming out with the Brahma hen now...she still goes after the cockerel a little but he just scoots out of her way and she does not persist in the chasing. He will get bigger and she will not be so bossy in the future I think. They are coming up to the house area now when she comes up here... and they are still real friendly. They want to roost on top of the crate so I have to go out in time to coax them into it and not on top of it... but that is really minor.... They run for "cover" if anything is flying out there so that is real good.

P.S. Later DS said he put my purse in the ranger... which I never looked in since I would not be driving that. I Did look in the forester that he traded out for the Explorer since I thought he would put it in there if he saw it...

 

[Mini Horses]

Couple systems moving into your area, it appears. Hoping you get the rain. We will here tonight. My area doesn't really need it....

Darned animals! They must have built in "fence down" radar!!! Acres to roam, miles of fence, ONE bad spot and it's like a magnet.

 

[Baymule]

Couple systems moving into your area, it appears. Hoping you get the rain. We will here tonight. My area doesn't really need it....

Darned animals! They must have built in "fence down" radar!!! Acres to roam, miles of fence, ONE bad spot and it's like a magnet.

My sheep stay where I put them.

 

[SageHill]

My sheep stay where I put them.

Ummmm --- saying that just opened up a big ol' can of worms -- you're in trouble now!

 

[farmerjan]

Taking a few minute break as the back is telling me it is not liking all this bending...

Went and got the sledge hammer and got the other 2 t-posts in and the 11 Belgian Giant tomatoes in. Then got the 3 bunches of onion plants, in... 50 to a bunch. They don't all survive but if we would just get the rain they keep saying we are in line for, they would settle in good. I plant in an X down the row; so can get 5 in the space and utilize the row space better.... it's a wide row.... and makes weeding not so bad because I will also do some mulch once they get growing and that keeps the ground more moist and makes it easy to pull the weeds.

Then planted a row of the red potatoes that I had cut a couple weeks ago.... They needed to go in... I think I will go out and try to get another row of something else in... I have a TON of potato sprouts in the boxes of potatoes I didn't get eaten.... I want to get the bought ones in next..... Then will fill in space with the rest until I decide I have had enough... I do want to get some rows of green beans in and a few hills of some summer squash..... I am going to run out of space in the garden I think....by next year I intend to take out the couple of bushes that I don't like there... so it is more squared up.... and might extend it up towards the shelter the chickens are in.... but I mostly want the potatoes to to sell this fall.... and green beans to freeze..... and tomatoes to can and sell....... I will get corn from someone and put that up since it takes so much room and I don't have it.

We were supposed to get some rain today... but it is breaking up and we got 20 sprinkles before... still supposed to be some later... I sure hope we do get it.

Break is over... gonna go out and see if I can do at least one more row of potatoes....

 

[farmerjan]

Glorious light rain... a little thunder in the background.... and soft rain started now.

I went out and got the handle on the new self-propelled BATTERY push mower.... and changed the blade to the other one included since it is for taller grass... supposedly uses the batteries faster but the design is supposed to create more air to throw the taller grass out the side discharge. The grass catcher is so "cute"... it wouldn't last one 10 ft pass here... Have to laugh at it as I guess people mow their grass as soon as it grows and inch or so.,...and brought the charger in the house and plugged it in and put the batteries in to charge.
The blade has a little cut out in it so you can't put it on backwards... NEAT..... Will try it out tomorrow I guess...

Then I went out and decided to get another row of potatoes in. I am planting a bunch of different kinds to be different and to try them. Several kinds are Fingerlings... the one I cut and got planted tonight was Austrian Crescent... yellow flesh... It was starting to sprinkle as I got 1/2 way so finished that row, and quit. Got a pile of newspapers out there and letting them get wet them will put them down and cover with mulch.

Got the chickens in and shut the crates and came in. Sat here with some notebook paper and made my garden "plan" that I do on paper as I plant things... I guess it is more of a blueprint of what is where... I am going to crowd the potatoes a bit or I will not have near enough room for them all.... I won't cut any of the ones that are sprouting that I had here since there are so many.
I cut the new ones with at least 2 eyes in each piece. These are all starting to sprout so easy to see. Might not cut the rest in as many pieces... won't know until I open the packages and see what they look like.

SOOOO, I am in for the night.

 

[Mini Horses]

Hope you got rain for a while!! We did overnight...at least an inch. Had dry weather until I said I was ready to till that garden! . Now every other day! . Have plants I bought on porch....gobs of sprouted potatoes & seed waiting. more Fri thru Sun.

 

[Baymule]

I’m glad you are getting rain. I’m finally getting several days of sunshine! I need the front field to dry up so I can mow it. Then dry up some more so I can get truck and trailer in there and clean up the cut down, cut up dead trees and get that mess out of the way. Then get the big pine cut up and haul it out of there. Maybe even get a line of fence put up. In my dreams……

 

[farmerjan]

Noon, Wednesday. It is hazy, cloudy and some sun. Was 55 and now in low 70's... won't get too warm if the sun doesn't stay out.
Well, we didn't get much rain... barely .3 inch. I sure thought we would get a decent rain out of it. But it moved east too fast.
Wouldn't think so but allergies kicked in BIG TIME this morning. I thought the rain was supposed to knock the pollen out of the air.... Eyes running, itching, throat scratchy..nose running like the water faucet. Just took some pills to see if I can cut it off....

Need to get the rest of the garden plan filled in, with the names of which variety of tomato is planted where for future comparison, and get some more of the potatoes in since the ground is workable and soft. There is still alot of water on the grass so not going to try to mow yet. I read the whole directions/pamphlet with the mower and it says it won't mow well in the rain and it will stick underneath... just like a regular mower. Don't want to start out wrong with it.

I put out a few newspapers when I let the chickens out, and covered with some hay to hold them in place. They are damp but not real wet. Going to go out and do some more as soon as eyes quit itching so bad. Usually takes half to an hour to really take effect. I would like to try to keep up with it as I get it planted so that there is not alot to play catch-up with. Trying to do better this year with it.

The forecast is for temps to drop into the low 40's tonight, so I will move the stuff back into the greenhouse and close it up for the night. They did get a decent rain watering because it was a nice slow gentle rain even if not near as much as I was hoping for.

Farm contacted me to test tomorrow afternoon. So back to work...got to put meters and hoses in the car, get bottles into the racks. 200 cows....... of course, it is supposed to be nice and sunny.

Going to eat a little then try to go out and do something practical.

 

[farmerjan]

In for the night....9:30. It was a nice day, not too hot, hit 78. Sun and clouds, then mostly sun late. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice ..... BUT.... the forecast is now for a possible SCATTERED FROST .... with temps down in the mid 30's in some places..... . I am hoping we won't get it....

The deer had tracks though the garden which were noticeable since it was wet and the hooves sunk in a little bit. Fence has got to go up real quick.
Got 4 more 20 ft rows of different fingerling potatoes in. Well, 3 more rows and filled in the ends of 2 rows with one variety that had very few eyes so didn't cut any of them... It was 2 lbs of each variety.... I have the paper all filled in so will be able to see what does what... I have grown fingerlings in the past and they are very tasty... many are yellow centers and do good as small boiled whole or cut up a little with skins for potato salad and such. The varieties I am trying are LaRatte - yellow skin, light yellow flesh; French Fingerling - red skin, has pink lines in the light yellow flesh; Austrian Crescent - yellow skin, yellow flesh; Pinto - pink and yellow skin...spotted....yellow flesh... very few eyes for sprouting... and Russian Banana - yellow skin, yellow flesh and long and skinnier... I have grown Russian Banana before and like them. They did not have any of their dark purple ones or the all red fingerlings....
I will try to list the regular ones as I plant but I was most interested in the fingerlings.

Did not try to mow since it stayed wet until late afternoon. I did get the meters and hoses in the car and the boxes of bottles are in the house to be transferred to the trays I take in the farm.

Talked to DS a little today, he said he left me a couple loaves of bread he brought home from VT... They get all the "out of date stuff, and vegetable waste" from one or 2 supermarkets that they feed to the pigs... and so much of it is fine and he says they haven't bought much of any groceries in the last 2 years except things like coffee and sugar and staples... they get bags and cases of things like crackers and potato chips and all sorts of breads and cookies... never know from one week to another... VA will not allow that.... except stale bread from the outlet stores and they put holes in the bags before they let you take it..... veg waste and all is not allowed.... so STUPID and wasteful.... but God forbid anyone were to "salvage" it, like Dave does up north....

So then after locking in the chickens, i came up and moved all the spider plants and stuff back into the 1/2 greenhouse on the deck. Set the heater on for the lowest temp so it will stay warmer than the possible drop. It is supposed to b e chilly again Thursday night so I will leave them in there tomorrow and just open the zippered doors so they don't bake in the sun, and then just shut them again tomorrow night.