Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Been a long day and just finished it with DS calling that there were some cows out...neighbor saw 3.... it was nearly dark... of course he is 25 miles away at her place... went up looked everywhere, Jim was up there... we were about to quit, couldn't find anything... DS calls back and says the sherriff called, there were 20 or so behind the motel... I was still there and Jim... so we turned around, I stopped and opened the gate along the road to the pasture we had moved cows out of 2 weeks ago... and see Jim stop in the road just at the bend... he almost hit them heading our way... except for the charolais steer all white, he said he would have hit the black ones... turns out to be all the heifers in the group behind the barn... with the couple of steers in there... I backed up to the open gate.... got a bucket of feed and called them and they all came right in the field... I could see with the car headlights I had angled... LUCKILY... Jim and I had shut the other gates when we were looking before.... so they are now in the "peterbilt" field there... next to the Peterbilt shop right near the interstate... DS and GF were of course on their way... so I called him back told them where they were... that we had gone up and checked and didn't see any more at the motel... figured they were all together in the group.... and said that maybe they got out the fence along the hay barn (that he has not rebuilt properly so is all crappy...) and he said he was worried about the bulls across the fence... they are separated by a 20 ft wide lane all the way down... but there is a shared fence in the woods... maybe he could get them to come up and walk down the driveway to the back to the field next to the field they had been in.... and I said I would not try to walk them down there in the dark with the wind blowing and all like it was.... And that he could deal with them tomorrow in the DAYLIGHT..... and I was going home... HOW STUPID to even consider trying to move them again when they are feeling and acting silly with having been out all over the place... in the dark no less... there is no moon so it is really DARK out there....
If the bulls get in there then we will have to lutalyse the heifers...
For pete's sake... he was not up here looking for them in all this time, or finally getting them in... THANK GOD for bucket trained come to call cattle..... even being silly, they came in for me calling them....... walking in the field with the bucket.....and he's worried about the bulls when at least they are back in and not on the highway getting hit......

More to today but I am going to get a shower and go to bed.... have to pack samples and all tomorrow and get things together for the chiropractor appt and then testing on Friday....

 

[SageHill]

That’s a heck of a day. Thank goodness you had them bucket trained and that you got them all back w/o any of them gf setting hit!! Phew!
Hope all stays good.

 

[Mini Horses]

Glad they stayed together. My goats do get out BUT they want to be in their barn at night. So, when it gets late day they come back there. . Like a chicken to roost! I've come home & found them in the yard -- waiting for me to open a gate. Little schitt's.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday......Some up dates..... the heifers and 2 butcher steers, did get out along the hay barn... they had taken down the fence a few weeks ago, and put up several temp gates and somehow the temp gates were all laying on the ground so naturally the "kids" came out and had to go exploring... down the road... DS and GF got them to follow them, from the peterbilt field, through the "bull lot" where there is no fence as it is being totally rebuilt...and through there, into the lot below the barn where we put cows when we are going to work them through for preg checks and all... everyone is out of there... DS was real worried about the bulls coming from the far field, separated from the peterbiilt lot by that 20 ft wide alley/lane, and tearing up the fence and getting in with the heifers... so he got them to follow him out the gate, up the lane, through the bull lot gate and out the other gate at the end...... with no fence on the one side (there is a bank and lots of trees along there, so not a wide open field with no fence), and into the "barn field" for the night. Farther away from the bulls so no temptation to them. Then he moved them up to the "interstate" field they had been in, prior to moving into the field next to the hay barn.... and they were going to put back up and reinforce the gates near the hay barn. DS has decided to put a shed off the side of the hay barn, for more hay storage... and they had started to get ready for where to put the poles and such... hence taking down the "crappy" fence and putting up the gates as temp fence... Don't know why several of the gates laid over... didn't ask. But at least we know where and why they got out...

I started the fire again yesterday afternoon, late, after I got back from the chiropractor......and got it going good... DS was going by and stopped and helped throw a bunch of the stuff up on it for a little bit, finally left, and I worked on getting it all fed into the coals and ashes until after 10 or so, and it was pretty well all burnt up when I checked on it this morning... I had run water with the hose all around it and soaked the ground, but it was down to 99% coals when I quit last night. There was no wind either... so it burnt nice and no problems. Next... tilling garden and getting it planted. Looks like no more possibilities of frosts... and we will hopefully get a decent rain this weekend so it should be good to work in a few days and get it all planted...
Was 60 to start and hit 71 with mostly clouds today... comfortable out.

Tested this afternoon... 200 cow herd... it went good, except the cows did alot more manure in the parlor than normal, so got splattered alot.... and got home a little before dark. Got the samples in the house to pack so don't have to deal with getting them in the rain either... will get them packed over the weekend, to go out Monday. Stopped and they had 2 - 5gal buckets at Dunkin... they are outside to get rained in to dissolve the sugary glaze and stuff...Put some water in them, to get the dissolving, started... Temps are supposed to warm up next week so I will take some time one warmer sunny day and wash a bunch out again.

I did look and there are 6 tiny purple asparagus coming up in the tub... and I see a couple new spears in the other asparagus tub... most are feathered out as they do... but these are straight little spears... so that is great. Also see some tiny green pushing up in the one where I planted the dahlias... but it has been a bit cool for them... this rain ought to help if it also warms up.
Cut some of the irises in the yard and brought them in... if it rains real hard they might get all beat down... so this will be the last of some of them I am sure, but that is okay. I was getting ready to have to water the tomatoes and other plants so rain tonight will be good.
Peonies are blooming and I cut 3 stems to bring in... It looks like the yellow ones did not survive the winter... D@#M.... Tuesday is Senior discount day at the nursery... and I may just go get another one for myself for Mother's day.... The white ones that I have, and the red ones I salvaged from a place that they were going to destroy with the house renovations, are blooming now... the whites have a trace of red splached in them, big double/triple blooms... the reds are who knows what variety... there is another one that looks like it is more of a single petal type... and one near the split rail fence that the previous owners had and the daughter had dug some to move to their house and there is a plant they left and it is coming up... it looks to have red outer petals and a white/lighter colored center but it is not opened up yet.

Of course everything needs mowing again... that will have to wait for this rain to go on through.

Have the calves on once a day bottles now, so that I don't have to try to go up there when I get home from testing... some nights it will be close to dark.... they are eating grain real good and there is a sq bale of hay in the bunk that they have been eating on. Will probably keep them on the milk for several more weeks... they were twins, so smaller to start, so they can use it... and it is kind of whenever I get up there, so not so much of a twice a day schedule...

It is raining.... I know many do not want to see or hear the "R" word for about a month at least... and with what some of you have been going through I DO NOT BLAME YOU ONE BIT.......but I am glad to see it here because we have not been getting what many others have gotten. It is coming down nice and gently, not real hard but just a nice steady rain... Radar shows some harder rain, more yellows on the map and such after midnight into the early morning hours... but the forecast has next to no wind with it...

Boy the wind and such in the Houston TX area and all those electric towers and all down have made the news here too... local station.... I feel for you all, you have gotten hit from every side and taken the brunt of it...

I am going in to get a shower and take a couple tylenol as I ache....didn't take anything today; kinda forgot.. so that is good . But I want to sleep tonight...

Guess that is pretty much caught up....

 

[farmerjan]

Cloudy this morning... Misty out, sun trying to come through for a minute but supposed to be cloudy and showers today. Temps down to 58, now 65...
It looks like we got about 1.3 inches of rain....


Could you tell I am so very glad for it......

I know that so many have had enough rain to float a battleship and all the horrible flooding and damage and devastation to go along with it... But we have needed it here... and it was a perfect rain... slow, soft, soaking rain; it will go a long way with the pastures and hay ground...

It will be an in the house type of day... I took a chicken out of the freezer the other day and will put it in the oven later today.... got to do some vacuuming in the house... Maybe even see about some serious CLEANING OUT ... been neglecting all of that and with just me, no one to have to answer to or worry about keeping things clean like they should be... I am not an "in the house" person... but this is LONG overdue... and I will want to be out in the garden once it gets dry enough now to get worked up , since the brush pile is all burnt.

I will go up to the calves in a bit... Radar shows a break in the showers/rain here for a bit so will let the air dry the surface for a little while.
So glad I filled the buckets in the car yesterday morning when I went to do the calves, so I would not have to do it in the wet. Sometimes I actually do things ahead like I should...

Eyes itching and nose running this morning... obviously not much pollen in the air... sometimes it seems like I get this alot here at the desk... maybe something under the house crawl space coming up into the house??? Seems worse in the living room here than elsewhere... kinda weird...and only in the spring...

Thinking that I will try to get in the couple of cows I want to move out of the nurse cow pasture, tomorrow... with their calves... we will see how it goes.

 

[Mini Horses]

I am THRILLED you got rain! And limbs burned.

Now you can get tilled and suffer planting like I did! I still have seed to sow -- getting same soft misty sprinkles now. I'll say this -- perfect for those transplants!! Your potatoes are breaking ground here and I need to set my sweets up to get slips. Thinking they're going in containers I saw a few bush type green beens sprouting this morn as I walked edges. It's soft ground out there from my till job...soil is

So, have you asked your neighbor to come disc/till?? Y'all have been dry so, should be doable next week... Think you said DS bought a tractor tiller but, you liked having friend do. I would but no one around for that. I have a little walk behind tiller for in season, between row, touch up, etc. plus tractor one works pasture revamps!

Maybe even see about some serious CLEANING OUT ... been neglecting all of that and with just me, no one to have to answer to or worry about keeping things clean like they should be... I am not an "in the house" person... but this is LONG overdue...

My, my, my.... Same here. Gotta force me to do. And I was always such a tidy one! That's over.

Job work starting to slack now, so maybe I'll get in gear & fence, clean barns, work on house. Notice priorities?

 

[Baymule]

Rain! I’m delighted that YOU got rain and I didn’t!

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday morning. 55 overnight, up to mid 60's... Mostly cloudy and supposed to be more clouds than sun with only a stray chance of a shower. We wound up with 1.3 inches rain from the Friday night/Sat event. It was a perfect rain, and soaked in everywhere...
Now for it to dry out a little bit and get the garden prepped and get it planted...

There are at least 6 or 7 little purple asparagus spears up... and the other tub of the regular ones has some small berries forming on the feathery branches. The temps are supposed to be in the upper 70's and low 80's so things ought to really get going... Now, the need to get the garden done and mulched good so I don't have to fight the weeds.

Got a bunch of irises from the farm that came up in a pile of dirt from when they were cleaning the road ditches before DS 's situation came about... the piles dumped there as a designated dump site. No more of that anymore either... Got them dug out as the rhizomes were too deep and the leaves were starting to yellow.. I will get them planted here in a pot for now... and then hope to get them along the bank in front of the house ... when I do that renovation. Going to stop at the neighbors place that has all the different colors tomorrow, and see about maybe buying some if they thin them out.... and go dig some along that one road before they get cut off with the spring/summer roadside mowing.

I hope to get out and do some mowing later this afternoon when we are supposed to see more sun. For now, I am trying to get motivated to work in the house more...
Hoping to get the cows in, at the nurse cow pasture that need to be moved... I fed grain up at the pen last evening, they were out in the field, and when I went out to check them in the car, they all followed me back towards the pen which was perfect... didn't get bowled over by a bunch of unruly pushy cows..... and most all came up to eat... I will have to move the 2 bottle calves into the "hay section" of the barn so I can get all the bigger cows in and hope I can get in most of the calves too... then to match the ones I want moved out of there...
The last heifer had her calf up there... which is great... it is small, but up and lively, and I saw it going on her to nurse so it knows what to do... she is staying off by herself mostly, which is good for a day or two to get it bonded with her. Think it is a bull calf... Glad I am done up there with calving now.

Time to eat something, probably eggs... and then get going. Already let the chickens out and they have been happily out in the garden area scratching around the past few days when they have been out... hoping it is because there are more earthworms moving in there....
Cats have been out in that area in the high grass also and got another of the moles/voles the other day... . So glad they are working on that population because there were so many tunnels in the lawn and in the garden.....

Of interest ;
I got an offer in the mail the other day for a no interest CC.... for 18 months... from my bank that I already have one from... Read all the papers and then went online to check it out....it has the balance transfer offer of no interest on transfers made in the first 30 days, from other cards.... It said that because I am such a good customer, blah blah blah... that even though I already had a card with them, I was eligible for this one... So out of curiosity, I went online and did the application... and got approved for quite a higher credit limit than I have on other ones I have... I have read all the fine print... and I am going to transfer the balance on the no interest balance that is set to expire, on one of my other cards... that I pay monthly on anyway...and take advantage of this "extension" of no interest... instead of paying it off which I planned to do next month... Just keep making monthly payments and keep the money I had earmarked for the payoff, and let it earn interest in my checking that pays over 5% by using my debit card a set # of times every month, with a minimum amount which is no problem doing..... another of the juggle and use their money for my benefit...
If anyone gets something like that, it pays to check it out... You have to be DISCIPLINED to not just rack up debt... but by playing their game... you are keeping your money and using theirs at no cost to you. I have a ledger that I keep with everything I pay monthly and what cards and what their interest rates are, and what have promotional balance offers and such... and make notes when to pay off the promotional things that had no interest until such and such a date... I knew this one was coming up, and I had been paying more than the minimum so the end "balloon payment" was not so terrible... and in the meantime, I was keeping my money in my interest paying checking account longer....
And there is no interest on any other use of it for 18 months also... so if there are any other "bigger" purchases I want to make, I will put them on this one to take advantage of it for a bit...

It is a way to lure people in to using a card, and then when they can't pay it off, you get hit with some pretty stiff interest charges, so you have to keep on top of it... but I learned how to play the game and have saved myself some serious interest over the years. Like buying my riding mower... paid half down and got the rest for 12 months no interest... it was a no brainer... and I make the monthly payment which will pay it off at the end of the 12 months... installment load as it is.... but it works... kept that half of the cost, in my checking to earn interest and make an affordable monthly payment on the mower...
Some of them are scams to lure you in, but this is from my own bank; I use 2 different banks, as the one offered a good deal and it is literally right around the corner, convenient to cashing checks, and the other day I ran in and got some stuff faxed and they do it as a courtesy.... whereas the bank I've used for years, has better offers but is 15+ miles away... so I use the one bank branch here local... I can tie the payment right into a direct transfer from the checking to pay the monthly amount, and just make sure that I look down the road to the payoff and have whatever I need as that time gets closer...

I have some money in some stocks, and some pay an average 8% dividend, and so this gives me some wiggle room to pick up more shares when the prices drop. I have bought some at $14 share, and then it dropped some and bought more when they were as low as $9.50 a share... I have some that have not done well, and a few that do not pay dividends.. but as I go along now, I only buy dividend paying stocks with at least a 20 year track record... that "getting older and getting more conservative" thing... and when they hit a target price I set in my mind... I sell them... got a couple that I should have sold off when they were higher... so now hoping they come back up and I can sell them off and not lose any money on them.
Understand that I started small.... $50 at a time... and then used some money from my inheritance from my parents to get a boost... and as I go, get more conservative as it goes along....
Sadly, just saving does not increase your financial status like it used to... and I am a big believer in saving for something and not getting in over your head as I have had financial problems in the past... This is why I learned to play the games, that all the "big guys play", to get a little more out of what I have.

Financial advice for the day.... from a not rich person.... that still shovels manure..... must still be doing something wrong .

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep, interest free is the game!! Do it. I do, too. Every little bit helps. Like my several months of eating food from freezer & pantry. Just not going into the store saves -- impulse buys . Actually, it continues to most of year, with fresh from garden.

I'm in stores a lot, with job, but I go in & leave without buying something I needed quite often. So ingrained to stop buying what I don't need & have at home. Having meal portions in freezer -- from a big cook weekend -- helps to not stop for a quick (expensive) meal.

 

[farmerjan]

In for a sandwich... DS called after I had texted him... a neighbor to where we had the cows "behind my house" , was hauling some cattle up the dirt road earlier and I wanted to know if DS had talked to him.... don"t know if he was moving cattle from the field next to ours, or what, but that is where we were missing that cow so wanted to see if he had talked to them, if they were moving any of those cattle, so they could be looked at closer to see if ours had gotten in there... By the time he called me back it was a couple hours so probably a moot point...
Anyway, he said he was thinking about mowing some hay.... got to get started somewhere... and it is supposed to be in the 80's for the next 3 -4 days... 20-50% chance of rain Thursday aft all according to who/what forecast you look at. I said got to get started sometime.. might be a good time to see if the equipment is going to work right... Means I will be tedding and raking mid week... need to get my work schedule set up, so good to know to work around that if I have to.

While it was cloudy and all, I made a custard and put in to bake. Did a sink of dishes, picked up a few things, and took a couple of the batteries out for the mower... going to take the rest out and start mowing in a bit. Also put a load of clothes in the washer to soak a bit... will get them done and hung tomorrow... Need to get after the mowing a little bit later today... Got to go by and see if the guy is around for the garden tilling... see if he wants to do it now that the brush is all burnt off. I have about 4 piles of small rocks to pick up out of it that I pile up as I plant every year.... and got to get the outside mowed good to get the electric netting up too...
Might be able to wash all the buckets tomorrow as the water ought to be heating good in the sun.

It is clearing off some.... mostly sun this afternoon with more hazy look... but upper 70's so nice... think it hit 78 a bit ago...

So, out the door to see about some mowing. Nuts, got to take the allergy pills and give it about 1/2 hour to work.... forgot to take them earlier... and nose is running...