Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

I cut grass IN my garden, to die off some, to re-till & plant. Same idea. Came in covered in powdery dirt + sweat=mud.. Showered. On the spur of moment, cut my hair. I'm settled in for a few hours....and I'm setting up soaker on tomatoes tonight, too. We think alike. Lima beans got it late yesterday. A little bit done each day.

 

[murphysranch]

cut all of your hair? I trim my bangs and sometimes the front edges. Slightly lower than my chin.

 

[farmerjan]

Sat eve... it got down right HOT today. Hit 97 on the recording thermometer , in the shade of the maple tree that shades the porch after about 9 a.m.....

I didn't wind up doing alot this afternoon. I did take water up to the calves and fed grain. Went to the barn and got the grain, then filled the 2 barrels and went to the nurse cow pasture.

Got the mower and went around the outside of the lower end of the garden where I need it tilled... Pulled some weeds for awhile in the next potato row... But then it was getting dark. Did not want to pull any of the volunteer dill, or any thing else really.
Couldn't find where I wrote the combination down for the one pasture gate... the stupid owner has to change it every year and all I could find is "last year's" combination. It might be in the other car so will go to the barn in the morning, because the car is there.... Oh, I found it written down on the list of cows at that pasture... so I will go check on them in the morning. And then go get the load of mulch hay since I did not go get it this evening.
I still have the bale truck and plan to move more bales in the morning after I do a little garden time early, too. Then I will take it back to the barn and leave it for DS... I have no idea when they are coming back... have not heard a word from him. He sent me back a text when I sent him one, to ask about the calves at the barn... he said Jim was going to be feeding them their grain... yet I have not seen or heard anything from Jim all day and his car is not at DS's and he won't answer my calls or my texts. If I don't hear from him tomorrow I will go feed some grain, since they need to be fed. He could at least call or text me back. Not going to call DS about that... not about to cause any more aggravations.

Ray did not come to do the garden this evening and he won't do it on Sunday... so Monday will be the first time available. He was painting his porch this morning...
Did not even bring the clothes in this evening... not like they are going to get wet or anything. So that is on the list for tomorrow.
And the weed eating... I did do some this evening, but it was just too hot until after 7 when the sun was dropping down behind the trees to the west . So I plan to try to do more of that tomorrow too...
I did soak some of the plants this evening and will do the rest in the morning...

It is late since it stays light til after 9, I get in and next thing you know it is pushing 11 or midnight...UGH.

 

[farmerjan]

Up a little later than I planned. It got down to 71 overnight but is already up to 82 at 7:30 this morning. And partly cloudy out there no less, although I see sun too.

Going to go check waterers at 2 pastures, but not going to deal with the mulch hay on the little truck this morning. I just checked those cows so will go there this evening and get another load then. I want to haul some more hay on the bale truck this morning for awhile. As well as do a little weed eating around the maple tree area. Going to be a slow moving morning with the humidity.

What a way for summer to come barreling in... Up to 20 % chance of some storms this afternoon... HOPE they might just hit us.

 

[Mini Horses]

@murphysranch yep, entire head of hair cut. I wear it short, have been cutting for years. No biggie.

Reports show we are possibly getting rain tonight into Monday morn. Got excited, 60% chance . THEN looked harder...1/8" just a sprinkle!! Was hoping for an inch.

Maaaybe 1/4" Thur.

Grasses are ok but it's time for rain! Next week we'll start crunchy! Don't want that. Don't want to buy hay

Garden is calling but already 92 out.

 

[farmerjan]

71 overnight .....Muggy start and got hot pretty quick. I worked on the section that I have the cantaloupes and butternut squash... got mulch hay on it and weeded down the rows better... The good thing that part is shaded until about 10 or so... as the sun moves around the tall holly tree... then it is all sun the rest of the day. you gotta work with the shady areas when they are there. The front part of the main garden is shaded until the sun comes up over the trees across the road on the east side... about 8-8:30.... then the main garden is in sun all day until the sun goes down to the west and the trees on that side of the property cast their "shadows" , after 6-7 p.m.

So, I went and checked the water at the pasture I didn't have the combination for the gate last night... all is fine. Never saw a cow but did see fresh cow patties.... it was too hot for them to be out in the pasture part...

Then I got fuel in the bale truck and went and moved all the big round bales (5x5+)off the steep hill I raked (sitting nearly sideways in the seat) and brought to the field across the street to be put in the row... I think there were 12 or 14.... Then I started bringing the smaller bales (4x5) he rolled off the lower field and got 6 here and realized that he might not want them in a line with the bigger bales.. so got a total of 8 of the smaller ones at the end of my yard/field and he can move them where he wants. I also moved all the rest of the small bales (10 more) down "together" so that we won't have to drive all over the field... and if by chance we are sooo lucky to get some of this possible line of storms/showers coming through later, we won't be hurting the grass trying to come back and grow...
I just this minute thought about the ones at Deb's... should've moved them too... they were still there when I got that old bale and brought it here for the mulch hay. Well, that can be done tomorrow...

DS texted me and said they were on their way home, hoped everything was okay... so I texted him back about the waterers, that I hadn't seen or been able to get ahold of Jim, his car had not been at the house last eve or at 7:30 this morning, and was concerned that the calves were getting fed... I had checked the waterer there at the barn yesterday.... there is TOO much money in the value of those calves for them to not have water and feed.... and he texted me back and said he had talked to Jim on Friday... In the meantime, he must've called him... because I get an almost immediate text from Jim, that he was sorry but his phone wasn't holding a charge and he "just now saw the message"....that he had fed them yesterday and was getting ready to go feed them today... That's all well fine and good. He does not have to answer TO ME for his personal life... and I really don't give a rat's a$$ where he sleeps/stays/whatever... BUT.... those animals are very valuable right now with the prices the way they are... all he had to do is just text me back and say things were fine, he had fed... he was fine. He is diabetic, eats terrible, has been in and out of the hosp. several times... what if he was laying there in a coma or something???? When I went by the house, the window on the back door was up... so the hot air was going in the house so the heat pump was not working efficiently... and the door was not even latched shut.... just ticks me off..... Plus he was going to look at my forester... the parking lights will not go off when you turn off the light switch... I was going out through the field to check cows and when I came through the gate, had a piece of wire... old fence wire, dragging... and I think it must've caught a wire or something underneath the car... I have to unhook the battery cable after I park it so it doesn't run the battery down....don't say you are going to do something and then just don't do it... as bad as my DS about some things.

So, I took bale truck back to doug's farm and got my outback, and came on home. I made a sandwich and drank a couple glasses of tea and some water... put another gallon of tea out to steep in the sun /clouds/HEAT... Then I brought the clothes in off the line. Sky has had some serious looking clouds... but I probably jinxed it by bringing the clothes in.... I am going out to see about washing out the buckets now and will put them upside down on the back of the ranger to dry and then I will stack them.

By then, Ray said he would be by (this afternoon), talked to him when I saw him as I was hauling some of the hay.... so I can show him the section of garden to re-rototill.... and then he can come when it works for him, in the next day or 2.

Radar is showing a good line of rain coming from WV from the humidity and clash of fronts, and we might get lucky this evening/night to actually get some of it. I am hoping we get at least one good downpour out of it... garden might till better if a little wetter.... but all the plants will be so glad if we get some of it. I am going to put the soaker hoses on things in the garden later... the purple beans are up and feeling the lack of water and I haven't watered them or mulched them yet. Cukes on the panel need watering. The other stuff is looking so much better after the soaking they got with the hoses that were leaking.... lot more water in sections than I had planned but at least things there are covered with mulch so holding the moisture now. Need to get some more beans planted after he tills and get in more of the potatoes and be done with them. They will produce so not worried about them being late going in, they will be late digging and that is not bad when it is not so terribly hot out wither.... but want it done and garden mulched... and places for some later crops like more beans to get covered with mulch to keep weeds smothered.

Should have never come in and sat down.... now I won't/don't want to get up to do anything.... well, I'm taking a break for a little bit and then go out, wash the buckets, and see about weed eating around the tree and then soaking the hanging plants. It ought to be cooling off in a bit. It was up to 93 awhile ago...

 

[farmerjan]

Okay, I got motivated.... Went out and washed all the buckets but 2 that were not filled with water and the glaze was pretty hard around the top of the bucket... so one is full of soapy water and the other is in a 20+ gallon tub along with a bunch of lids, soaking. The clean ones are on the back of the ranger upside down to drain.
Went out in the garden and worked on some weeds in the potato rows... and got some mulch down. Got the soaker hose on the tomatoes and all the way down to the cucumber cattle panel... will leave it on for a couple hours and make sure I turn it off before bed. I brought all the "need to be fixed" hoses right to the house so I will see them until I get them fixed.....
Took the weed eater and did some stuff but ran the 2 batteries out and I just decided that was enough. I did get some plants put into one of the big decorative planters....

Ray and his wife Beth, (who I went to the play with) came by, and they came out to the garden and I showed Ray the section. Because it was plowed and disced, it is not like "rock hard"... but like he said it might be too dry to work up very good...so we will see.... I told him I could put a sprinkler in it if need be.....
BUT... there is a line of storms headed this way... from TN all the way up to MD.... not very wide, but pretty much a continuous line... HOPING that they drop some rain here... Looks like they will come through after 11... I did shut all the vehicle windows... and put the mower in the carport....

More storms forecast for Wed aft/eve by the looks of it. I will watch the weather tonight.

I have got to go out and get my calendar... I seem to think I have something scheduled for Monday... but that might be next week....I do have a farm scheduled for Tuesday aft now... they said they are burning up too, have not gotten any of the pop up scattered storms either. Have to set up there... guess I need to take some of the meters out of the car that I don't need... most I will need is 16 at this farm and another 16 at a different farm... only needed the 24 at the farm I did over a week ago. So, ought to get them back in the storage box.

Haven't eaten anything since the late lunch sandwich... don't even know what I want; but stomach is growling so I will have to eat or I will never sleep. I never ate anything this morning and only drank a glass of tea and took some stuff for the aching shoulder.

Need a shower... I got sweaty today.... clothes go in the wash. Like @Baymule , I do alot of laundry this time of year as I hate to put back on sweaty clothes even after they have dried... sometimes I do if I know I am going to just get sweaty again... but mostly I don't like to. Oh well....

please, for some rain.

 

[Baymule]

There’s just something about a sweat soaked dried out salty stiff T-shirt that is just not appealing. Especially if I took a shower. Yep, I get it, I do lots of laundry!

 

[farmerjan]

I cannot wear t-shirts... they make me so uncomfortably hot. I wear button or snap, short sleeve cotton or blend shirts, that are loose for air flow. Plus, I need 2 pockets at farms for the note pad and pens etc when I am milk testing so have a place to stick them when getting the milk samples as I go down the row with bottles for samples. Bottles all go in a "carpenters apron"....

It was 72 overnight. We did not get any of the possible rain showers/storms... Looks like they all broke apart and dissipated as they came across the mountains from WV....

Droughts are not uncommon, and we have had several here in the valley. I was doing a little looking, and one of our local TV stations had a little piece on droughts... Hottest July on record was 1999.... drought that year too. Crops were less than 50 %, many being total losses. Wells drying up... creeks and streams and ponds going dry. Little bit scary.

This makes me want to push DS to sell steers ... now...

He is buying 60 rolls of hay... 5x6 that a friend made. Not cheap, $75 roll... but they will be a good cushion. We have made about 250 so far, but normally have about 50-100 more than that with first cutting. With not looking good for much of a second cutting. 2nd cutting is usually our sq bale hay... cash income .....
We could still get some rain here soon and things would improve greatly. The saddest sight is the field across the road from my house. We cut the rye/wheat off and he had drilled in orchard grass before it had grown up... to use as a "nurse crop"... and after we cut the other off, it had started to show up even though we hadn't had any rain... now it is a sad spindly little b it of faded green that is trying to grow and is not doing well. That will be quite a loss if it dies off... and we need some rain badly to get it to survive. The roots are not very deep since it had just been planted and the idea is for it to start to get established and then when you take off the nurse crop, which protects from any extreme weather, washing of soil if we get alot of rain, loss of topsoil if we got alot of wind, all that sort of thing... it gives the tiny seedlings a chance to get a foothold and then when the nurse crop gets taken off, the other has a "head start" on growing.. but it is totally dependent on rain and we have not gotten any on it except that little bit the first week of June... total of 3/4 inches over that 4 days with wind every day...
Maybe Wed storms forecast will happen.

Hope he is cutting the last small 4-6 acre place today, so we can get it made tomorrow and be done with all the hay in case we do get some rain.
I texted him to see what was what for today... and to tell him I think we need to sell the steers while the prices are still good. Keep the heifers for now. With the extra hay he is buying it will go a lot longer ways to being able to keep the cow numbers where they are too.

Sun hitting the recording thermometer right now... 95. But that will drop in about a half hour as soon as it moves a bit and the maple tree leaves shade the porch. Going to move it over a few feet and it will not get any of the sun. I have been watching to see where the sun hits and when... tried to keep it where the afternoon sun didn't hit it but the morning sun hits it where it is. Don't think the range is far enough to actually put it out hanging from one of the maple tree branches.

Going to go put the soaker on the purple beans. I did remember to turn it off last night.

 

[Mini Horses]

Need to go ask prices for hay cut across the street. He lives 1/2 mile up road. Has small round & sq also. This first cutting was late, so nutritionally not best. If we get rain, he'll do a 2nd cut prob end July. I'd prefer that crop. Last yr he got a 3rd cut.

But he's a real butt head to deal with, NOT a people person. Plus he doesn't "like" small loads or personal pick ups. Wants only 300 bale loads, delivered. I don't always want that many at a time. He grows some type of alfalfa at his house/land, cuts as young stuff but seems it's always "grown for one farm" May be so, just he's strange about it.

Can you tell why I drive 30 miles for another dealer? I'll ask again -- convenience -- but not banking on it. It's a shame, soooo close. Across the street!


Yep...current owner of land is one who doesn't like the goat ditch cleaner crew leases fields plus huge storage to hay man.