Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Up, ate a bowl of cereal since I have fresh milk... It got down to 56 and is very cloudy. The radar shows the rain coming in after noon... like 2 or so... But it looks like it will break up some as it gets to the mountains just west of us so don't know if we will get much. I sure hope we get a good rain out of it.
Will go out and bring in the clothes in a bit. They ought to be mostly dry, delicate fabrics and short sleeved shirts that don't take alot to dry... I can always put them around in the house if a little damp.

Will get all the plants moved out of the greenhouse so they can get rain watered. Forecast says it will clear off tomorrow and no rain for a week. Wish I could trade @Baymule some dry days for a day of a good soaking rain since she has had some to spare.

Going in to get dressed and get started. If I get the rolls off the field, I plan to plant some more in the garden, before the rain. DS hasn't texted me back so I will go down and see if the truck is at the barn in a little bit.

 

[murphysranch]

I found a bunny nest in a newly fenced area for our new fruit trees. I stepped on the nest and the squeaking was so loud. Since bunnies are a pest and eat everything, flowers, tree trunks, veggies, etc, I tossed three of them to the Velociraptors and then left one for the puppy to learn with. I know....mean, but there are dozens and more born every day.

 

[farmerjan]

The rabbit numbers are down here with all the coyotes and if I had cats or anything I would have just finished the lawn and not let myself think about them. But since the rabbit has been in and out and not too shy with me, I decided to give them a chance. Now if it was skunks or raccoons or possums....or the DA#$%D groundhogs..... DEAD .... I am not going out of my way to try to save them, just not going to disturb the area for now. They will either be growing and out of the nest shortly, or she will have abandoned them and they will be dead. Up to her since I disturbed what she thought was a fairly safe place.
Might be cussing if they get into the garden down the road....
NOPE I save that for the cotton pickin' MISERABLE DEER.....

Got the bales moved. Plants all out for possible rain watering.... Going out to get the clothes in, we have had a little sun and a light breeze so they ought to have dried off any dew or dampness. Once they are in, garden is next.

 

[Baymule]

We had a couple days of sunshine, today it’s cloudy. Rain forecast starts back up Wednesday. If I had an ounce of gumption, I’d go mow the front field. But my gumption got up and went on vacation.

 

[SageHill]

I found a bunny nest in a newly fenced area for our new fruit trees. I stepped on the nest and the squeaking was so loud. Since bunnies are a pest and eat everything, flowers, tree trunks, veggies, etc, I tossed three of them to the Velociraptors and then left one for the puppy to learn with. I know....mean, but there are dozens and more born every day.

Not mean considering all the damage they do. Even with out coyotes they are thick here.

 

[Ridgetop]

Have to laugh at it as I guess people mow their grass as soon as it grows and inch or so.,...

Probably designed for people in townhomes with pocket size yards.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, we got the rain... all 20 DROPS of it. I watched the radar and it started to break up and went around and over the Blue Ridge Mtns and reformed on the east side and they got some real rain from Charlottesville and east. Sadly, that was it. A couple times it was sunny, then would get real cloudy and looked like we would get some, then it would break up and nothing.

I worked in the garden; it had gotten nice an breezy and sunny for a bit and got the clothes in nice and dry. Then when it clouded over I went out in the garden again. Got another 4 rows of potatoes in. Then when "digging" in the box, found a couple of "bonus" 2 lb bags.... another duplicate of a fingerling I had already planted, and a couple of other ones in a "grab bag" collection of stuff I hadn't ordered... I think with them getting sent out late, they were maybe including varieties that they had surplus of? I checked my order sheet and I had ordered the "grab bag" collection but then it had been crossed off... Not complaining but more potatoes than I had planned on. Oh well, more of different varieties to try, and more to sell....

I saw the rabbit at the nest last evening, and she is in the yard this morning. I will go over and check it out when I go out to let the chickens out, and when I don't see her.

DS got the bales I moved to the one end of the field, into the rows against the edge of the woods and is spreading the poultry litter that just got delivered on this field. I am not sure what he is going to plant in it as the wheat/mix is coming back up, but it is thinner after cutting... have to ask him what his plans are.

Time to go out. Will have to water all the plants on the deck since they didn't get anything yesterday. And I will have to get the hoses together and get water out to the garden and water the tomato plants and pepper plants and the onion plants since there is nothing in the forecast for this week. The tomato plants are getting that dark green color so I know they are starting to put their roots out and grow and do NOT want to have any go backwards now. Once I get them watered will put down more newspaper and mulch as I go to help hold the moisture.
There is literally NO RAIN in the forecast for the next 10 days... we will be making alot of hay by the looks of it...

 

[Mini Horses]

Well, you need to make the hay -- no rain may be a blessing. Then it can rain and rain some more

Easier to water a garden than a hay field or pasture

You are gonna be digging potatoes for weeks! Those rascals can produce a lot!

 

[farmerjan]

In for a break. First off, rabbit babies are gone... and they were not big enough to leave the nest... so she either ate them last night when I saw her there or something got them. It looked like she was eating something last night but I was too far away to really tell. Do they eat their own young? Oh well, doesn't matter. nest is empty and I moved car and will finish mowing that small area I had left. If she wants to have another nest she will have to find another spot.

Put down some newspaper and carried over some mulch hay to weigh it down. Got to take water out there for some of the plants.

Watered everything on the deck thoroughly. Soaked and then soaked again. Need to get the stuff mowed down around the tree so I can get the chain up on the tree limbs then I can hang them as I am hoping/thinking we are done with frost.... They will be protected under the tree limbs and leaves there; and easier to water there.

DS finished spreading the poultry litter across the road and talked to him... he is going to plant sorghum/sudan grass back there, not corn. It will come up fast between the sparse wheat that is regrowing so that is fine. No kill off of the field. He was going down to work on the trusses for the hay barn.... then wants to cut some hay. Also said we need to get the cows in and calves tagged and moved out to pasture... yeah, like a month ago???? We (he) are so far behind on doing the cows...

Going to grab something for some lunch, and go out and at least water the tomatoes. I seem to be missing some hose, think I may have taken it down when we were doing the corn silage last year... but who knows. I have a couple more places to go look.

No peaches on the peach trees from that cold snap that we had after the blossoms opened up.

Going to gas up the walk behind weed eater and see if I can get some of this ridiculously high stuff knocked down so then I can mow it with the mower. Don't have to worry about working around the rabbit. I really hate lawn mowing... wanted to have the calves here to eat it... but need the fence first...

Yep, I will have potatoes coming out my ears... didn't my mother say something about washing behind my ears so there wouldn't be potatoes growing in them???

 

[Ridgetop]

It looked like she was eating something last night but I was too far away to really tell. Do they eat their own young?

No that is an old wives' tale. The baby bunnies that get eaten by the mothers are usually dead and eaten to clean the nest. Sometimes a young other will be too vigorous cleaning up the babies and might accidently nip off a foot. They probably got eaten by something else - raccoon, snake, skunk, etc.

Too bad about no peaches this year. Weather is a problem for farmers and sadly grocery shoppers don't appreciate how a freeze can destroy a whole year's crop. Crop insurance is the only thing keeping farmers from bankruptcy sometimes.

I love the way DS tells you that "WE" have to get on to tagging, vaxing, moving, weaning, etc. after you have been telling him that for weeks! I wonder if that is a testosterone thing. LOL