Farmerjan's journal - Weather

In for a late late lunch break... tuna fish, no bread...some ice tea and some allergy pills. UGH...

Got the walk behind weed eater going and did some of the tall grass to start opening up places that should be getting mowed. The mower can't cut off the real tall stuff, it just lays over when it goes across it and so I have to get it back down to "reasonable" height.
Hence the allergy flare up..... boy, is it ever flared up !!!!
I want to take it out and go around the outside of the garden on the grass so I can put up the electric netting... hoping that the pills will kick in and I can get it done in a little bit.

Spent a little bit of time in the garden... took more paper and some cardboard out and put down and put some hay over it... Needs to get a good soaking.
There are some "green sprouts" in the first row of the red pontiac potatoes I planted, a few days before anything else... see just the beginnings of plants... We desperately need the rain to get things to actually germinate and to grow. The tomatoes are a real dark green but they are not growing... it has been too cold at nights for them to really get going... and although it is obvious their roots are starting to take hold, hence the real green color... they are just sitting there asking why I put them out when it was so cold. It was down to 48 last night...

I did get the tomato plants, given to me, by the farmer's wife, in the garden... Of course... she gave me three... she only wanted to plant the one... and one of the 3 pks still in the thing, had 2 in it so I got 4 plants. Stuck them in where a couple didn't make it and 2 were eaten off.. Deer? Groundhogs? who knows...

It started out sunny, and I actually hung another load of clothes... it has been sorta sunny, high clouds, but "bright" if that makes sense... and it looks like we will not be getting any of the moisture until tomorrow. Southern Va and all along the NC border they ought to be getting a good rain, but it will be a little spottier this far north... most of the western part of the state is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches short for the month... at this time of year that makes a BIG DIFFERENCE.

Today is another perfect hay making day... kinda wish he had cut more but with not being sure of when the rain would come in, didn't want to have any get almost dry and then get rained on and ruined. There is still no humidity in the air... this is more like the spring time weather I remember as a kid when we went to my grandparents "cabin" in Vermont.. crisp chilly, sunny, mornings that would warm up but no oppressive humidity... kinda like those perfect fall days.... It is cool though. I have been wearing a long sleeved T-shirt all day and not been too warm except when running the weed eater as I had to manhandle it some with the rough and uneven ground. Good exercise but pulling the rope is rough on the shoulder. Really want a battery one.... but it works, so for now, that's it.

I am wanting a small tiller like @canesisters got... I have several places I would like to plant some peonies and iris plants... and that looks to be the cat's meow to doing that. I cannot dig normal with a shovel very well... the knees don't work as good to step down on a shovel like they did when they were "real"... weird how sometimes they feel like "alien beings" .... BUT.... they work and I can walk and stand and they don't hurt that way anymore... if only I could kneel on them... I don't have the same balance either... but have learned to compensate for that pretty much I guess.

Nose is still running but eyes are better so time to go out and do a few other things... And bring in the laundry that is dry too... Already closed all the car windows so that I didn't forget them and get a wet seat if I go out to get in them.
 
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Nights this week will be in the 60’s, daytime in the high 80’s. I’m not wearing long sleeves! LOL

You have such a variety of potatoes! It will be fun digging them up and seeing all the different potatoes.
 
In for the night and took a shower and washed my hair to get all the residual pollen out of it. I took the walk behind weed eater around the garden edge 2 swaths.... it is not real wide... but it was tough going the first swath due to the mole hills in the grass and the uneven terrain over all... the 2nd swath was a little smoother but there are moles all through the yard. My allergies started up again so I figured I needed to quit before I was absolutely miserable. I also did more around the back of the carport... and a couple passes on the "trail/path" to and from the chickens... realize that some of this is nearly waist high orchard grass and mixed grass... so it is a real job to do. I will be using that "cute" grass catcher behind the mower and using all that chopped up grass in the garden as I go...unless I get the old riding mower to run and can pull the grass catcher behind it....

After we get some rain ( :fl:fl:fl:fl:fl:fl:fl) and it knocks more pollen out of the air, I will go at it some more with the walk behind...

I never had one before, but the self propelled mower is the ticket for this very sore shoulder... wish the walk behind weed eater was self propelled... It is alot of "muscling it" around.. especially up the little hills around the property.. But the one good thing is that it has real heavy twine loops to cut and it really does a good job... I will be able to go behind it with the hand held to do touch ups and then hope that I can keep it mowed down.... the self propelled mower makes mowing not so tough and I am getting more exercise that way.

It got more damp feeling and the sky was looking promising, but the air is so dry they say it is dissipating as it comes down through the layers so even with it showing rain on the radar, it is not reaching the ground yet.

Clothes were all dry, and are in the house. Equipment in the carport put away...
I planted 2 very short rows of "purple" green beans at the end of the onion plants.. and put sunflower seeds at the ends of several of the different varieties of potatoes to just add something nice to look at. Will have to get the fence up by the time they start to sprout and grow. Have not seen any more hoof prints in the garden and I think it is partly that I have piles of newspapers in the garden and they might not like that... won't keep them out forever... and I know that... but maybe for a little bit they are not liking the differences out there.

I am going to quit early... sure hope I wake up to pitter patter on the roof....
 
Radar shows this weather stuff coming your way -- hope it doesn't break up before it gets to you. We're showing light rain, all day tomorrow AND next 3 days :th they suggest about 2-2.5" over all. Warmer, too. I'd rather just hit it hard 2 days and be done! I'll work Tues & Wed, rather than sit and be miserable about what I can't do 🤣
 
Sunday morning. Down to 53 and only 58 now at 9:30. All clouds and grey out there. I went on the weather forecast and it showed green (rain) off and on but not one drop of it has reached the ground here. We are supposed to have spotty showers today as it moves from east to west in the curve.. but so much of it is showing it will break up as it hits the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mtns. It looks like @Mini Horses will get some serious stuff coming right up the coast from NC... Supposedly we will get it this evening now...

I think I will see if DS has the stuff off the red/white hydrabed truck and go move some round bales today. Be good to get them off the field before we get much of the rain. I never heard a word from him yesterday.

I also have to contact a couple of farms to see about testing... got one set for Wed evening, and got to see what the 500+ cow herd wants to do. Geneva said she could help if it wasn't Wed or Fri, so I am thinking Thursday would be best. She can't get there right at 4 so I will go a little early and set up; and then she can come when she gets done at the other farm up the road. This will be the last time... she is getting married July 1st. I think that she is looking for something to do to get her out of the house since her mom is gone... I saw her at the farm I tested last week where she works full time, and when we talked a little she said that it is different.... and I know that it is tough for her since now there is nothing to have to get home for or all the trips to the dr or then the hospital and such. I don't know how her dad is going to do with both his wife and daughter gone inside of a month of each other...

Just ate some scrambled eggs and bacon, going to head outside and let the chickens out and get things going.
 
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