Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Y'all are selling, selling, selling . But are any set aside to butcher?

ETA. I see Staunton got t-storms. Any spread your way?

 

[farmerjan]

Well, deciding to go out to the garden must have been the trigger... I turned on the soaker hoses, and wanted to see exactly where the one was split... and got that unhooked and cut the hose, then found another spot in the one "newer one" that also had a small split... so got it marked and pulled them to the end of the rows to bring to the house.
Was going to go to the hay pile and I felt some rain drops, Next thing, it is coming down seriously, and I got back to the house and my shirt was WET.... It proceeded to rain..... and it rained good for at least a half hour or more. I got the one older hose fixed with new ends, then had to go to the carport since the newer style is actually smaller diameter, and the fittings I have don't work... had to get out the new roll with some of the smaller sized fittings they give you as part of the original "kit" ... I wore the raincoat out there since it was really coming down steady. BEAUTIFUL RAIN....
It has let up some and the radar shows it mostly dying down to not much more... but tomorrow afternoon there looks to be a real good soaking rain coming.... big wide band of rain coming out of Ky heading east... I sure hope so. Tonight's rain will get the ground "primed" good so that it will soak in good tomorrow if it does get to be a harder rain... Every drop we got this evening soaked in... and it sounds so weird to actually "hear" the wet road when a car goes by.
I am so thankful for it. It will definitely help the pastures, and should help get the hayfields jump started. I am not sure it will save the newly established hayfield across from me... and don't know if it will save our corn... I sure hope that it does... It will make a big difference in the garden... and I will get the mulch hay down as soon as I can now that the ground is wet, so it will help to hold that moisture.....maybe able to get in it tomorrow for awhile...

Just found this, I forgot to post it last night....

 

[farmerjan]

DS took one to butcher Monday morning... I think he has at least half sold... he didn't tell me...

So, to answer you @Mini Horses ... see above post... It turns out this morning when I checked the rain gauge we had right at 1 inch in the gauge...from Tuesday night. It all soaked right in...
Then, I managed to get an appt at the massage therapist since the shoulder has been really bad... and left early to go down.

Went by and paid off the Explorer I bought from parents estate... had paid 2 yrs of the 4 yrs of the loan.... so it was a chunk of money.... but done... Will be able to get title and all next week as soon as the check clears my other bank.... . No more payments....

I cancelled the appt at the chiropractor tomorrow, because I was supposed to go with DS to the dr appt... OF COURSE..... he didn't answer my text this morning, as I was going to try to see if we could stop on the way back from the dr appt and I could take the extra 1/2 hour at the chiropractor and save a trip.... so I cancelled it. He finally texted me back this evening... and said he didn't need me to go... so I should have just kept the appt anyway..... TICKS me off.... here we go again...
I still need to go for an adjustment... so will call them back in the morning... see what's what.

Massage therapist thinks that I may have some rotator cuff damage, and we talked about the dr that did the replacements on the couple people I know... she thinks that it would be good to get an appt... see what they say... they may send me for an MRI she said... NOT to plan on a replacement... just to get another opinion... and possible PT if it is torn... I had been thinking of a consultation appt anyway... The massage therapy does make it feel better somewhat most times... for a day or so, although the lifting it over the head is still limited...

Anyway, I came back home and you could see it had rained here again... water along the sides of the roads... The sun was out all the way home, but there were more clouds up near the house and all when I got close.
I checked the rain gauges and we had another good rain... .6 inch in the rain gauge from the rains during the time I was gone. Dumped them again in case we get more... but it looks like it is pretty much east of here for now. Thinking that @secuono got some in the more central part of VA... I hope so....

The temps are supposed to drop off in the next day or 2 and stay in the low to mid 80's for the next 10 days or so... from well above average, to a bit below average... But that will help the grass/pastures/hay fields/ corn crop... by not "baking" the ground after these 2 days worth of rain. They are about perfect too, as the first one got to soak in good, and then the rain today could soak in deep since the ground is softened up to be able to handle it.

The tire on the car he fixed is still not as good as it could be after balancing them both. I have a couple more here, so will take one down and see if he is not too terrible busy, and get him to swap out the patched one for one I have here... I know technically you are supposed to replace all 4 at a time due to wear and all that happy horsesh!t... but for now I will see if he can switch out the patched one for one of the extras I kept here for a spare... I think they are the same company, same size and all... and get a few more months out of them. Have 3 "extras here "... so will keep the 2 that are matched tread... and then maybe get 2 new ones late in the fall for the front, and if need be, replace the 2 backs with the 2 matched ones here...

I am hoping that I can get serious in the garden tomorrow... get the mulch down as these rains will get the the weeds jumping out of the ground.
Took a half dozen yellow squash to my massage therapist. Picked over a dozen today... you know how squash does... one day they are 2 inches long... 2 days later they are 8 inches and nearly "too big".... I will see about doing up some to stick in the freezer.

Since I am not going with DS tomorrow... I may see about going down to the Y , and checking that situation/yoga class thing out... Still supposed to be pretty warm tomorrow and then the cooling off as the front comes through, for Friday and after. Massage therapist thinks it will be really helpful to get into that also... I am all for it, if it will help me. Might get me more motivated as lately I have not had much "push" to do things.

I am going to quit early .... maybe will sleep better tonight.

 

[Mini Horses]

R A I N !!!! you got rain.

Always better over couple days to soften & soak. The rains we recently had salvaged some crops that were in need. It's all about plant time, too. But almost 3 wks of dry, plus high heat, was showing. Guy next door has 80 AC of nice corn. Other side looks to be cotton again. The rains brought it on. About an acre at bottom, by woods, the deer have pretty much cleared for him

 

[Baymule]

TAIN!! I’m so glad you got rain! I hope your corn pulls through and makes it. The cooler weather is welcomed too!

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday afternoon. Didn't sleep all that good.... and woke up in a "foul/fowl" (ha ha) mood.

BUT the best thing is. the sun was out a little, partly, and then it clouded over and it has rained a little and stopped and rained a little and stopped. Then had a couple hours of no real rain mid day. Then it started again about 3:30 or so and has sprinkled and then lightly rained a bit off and on for a couple of hours.
I did go out to the garden for a bit, and replanted some wax beans inbetween the ones that came up and put in some more yellow watermelon... but I see that some of them have finally come up too... I think it just took so much water to get the ground wet enough for the seeds to get soaked and swell as they do as they sprout.
The potatoes are starting to really sprout... and I so want to get the rest of the mulch down but it is just a little too wet for me to do it today. I'll need gloves to get some of the newly sprouted spiney pigweed, and just did not want to get too soaked... it's been enough to get your shirt pretty wet today.
I am NOT complaining.... I forgot to look at the rain gauge to see, I don't imagine we got a huge amount and that is okay.... it has all soaked in really good. What a blessing to get this rain and the way we are getting it...

The netting came and a good thing, as I see the SOB deer have been in the garden... deep hoof prints in the dirt, and some beans eaten off across the tops. I will work on that tomorrow and get it up... maybe by not having an "open end" to waltz in there, will discourage them.
The butternut squash plants are really starting to run... and the striped crenshaws... the cantaloupes are recovering from some "eating off" also, but they are looking much more alive.
Did not go to the Y....Maybe tomorrow...

Only went from 70 this morning, sticky/humid out... to 83... and is coming back down now.

Da#@ possum got some of the yellow squash I had left in the "garden basket" yesterday... 2 drug out and pieces in the yard... I mean really???? Trap will get set tonight with some of it...brought the other 4 in to make for supper ....

Time to think about something to go with the squash for supper...

 

[Baymule]

Between the deer and possum, you are lucky they leave you anything.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday morning. COOL 64 this morning... REALLY NICE sleeping last night.

Well, Checked the rain gauges, we had another .4 inch for a total of 2 inches in the last 3 days... All good soaking in, rain...
The drought monitor is compiled on Tuesdays, and published on Thursday mornings. We actually had part of the northwestern part of the state go from severe drought to extreme drought... and the severe drought area had expanded. These rains will help to tone it down a bit, but it is not going to give us a free pass back to normal... The rains are so very welcome and appreciated, but it will take a fair amount more to start to replenish the water table in the ground. Still, it is a great start for this area.... Just the difference in the color of the grass is amazing.

Worked out in the garden for a bit, putting down some mulch until the sun came over the trees. That end of the garden is the first to get the sun, so by 9 it was getting toasty out there. NOTHING like earlier in the week... so I did a little longer out there... I have to get the cart and a few buckets and get the "gravel/rocks" that I have in several piles, picked up so I don't bury them under the mulch. I hope to get the rest done in the next day or 2. Then it will be adding mulch where there are weeds and such.

Deer were in the garden last night... looks like they went across and didn't see a way out so came all along the outside edge to come back out the side that was open. That will be remedied today. I got the fence out there and am going to take the weed eater and get it all scalped down to near dirt and get it up. I didn't see anything eaten, just big hoof prints in the soft dirt and indentations in the hay mulch.

DS called this morning, and was okay... was taking a load of hay across the mountain to a regular horse customer, then hoped to get back in time to get the steers in and take the last load of them. I didn't know he was going to do it today, but then I have not been in the loop, again...He had mentioned taking them in this week or next then I never heard anything else. I asked if Jim was going to help him with the hay and he said no, and Jim is talking about leaving again... he hasn't worked hardly at all the last 2 weeks... DS didn't ask me to help with the hay... so I didn't offer. I opened the discussion, but I am not going to beg him to go help.

Stopped at the station at the co-op yesterday, but it is closed until Monday, so no getting the tire switched until then at least. I think the guy was not feeling the greatest the other day, and with the other guy out... and that's been extended twice, now until the end of July... for getting banged up doing some cattle work... but nothing that would stop most of us from working after a few days "off" ... there is no one in there to do any work.

So, that's the scoop on this morning... I have to go out and see about getting the netting all positioned out so I can get it up.....might do some of that, now, since the sun keeps going behind some clouds. Might even work on the mulch hay more if the clouds are going to keep covering the direct sun.

 

[farmerjan]

Got a little done but DS called, he was on his way back from taking the hay, so I said I would meet him at the barn. Have had some problems with the internet... mentioned it to the lady when I called because I needed to change my email since my old one was compromised, hacked, something.... they shut it down and there was no way I could access it so all from years is gone... Anyway, the stupid electric co has this new "smart hub" thing to get into your account online... and it sends a message to the email... and my old email is dead... and NO WAY on line to submit a new email... after talking to them, they told me that yes, they had to change it... and then I had to go through all these hoops to get it "set up".... I do NOT pay online with them... because they charge unless it is autopay... and I won't do auto pay since the amount changes so much with the freezers and stuff.... anyway... finally got that straight and they provide the fiber optic internet connection also. I told this lady about how it cuts out and back on without it affecting the "box" .... so she put it in as a "work order" and next thing here is a guy at the house... They must be slow right now.

So the guy checked it and did a bunch of stuff... and says he THINKS that it might be in my "old computer" (my words, not his) because I have an old computer.... Windows 7... and it could have a lot of "junk" cluttering it so the speed is slow... but he also said that there is a good chance that the wi-fi in the computer could be going bad???? Said that I could go to someplace like Walmart.... and get a wi-fi thing to plug in to the usb port and it will be the wi-fi connection and by pass the one in the computer.
I have been thinking about a new computer for awhile... so I can see what he is talking about... and since windows 7 is no longer even supported for updates etc... it might be time... but I am going to check into a wi-fi external connector and see what they cost. I do not want to get a new computer and then have to take it to a dirty smelly farm either... one reason I have been babying this one a little...

So the guy left, and I went to the barn, DS had just gotten there... he had the steers in the barn area in the lot... we went up back to get the one big steer up there that he said won't grade for the one graded sale coming up in like 2 weeks... the other one will go to that sale... and we got them loaded and went to town with them. Turns out the big steer is mine... one we brought back home that didn't fit with a group we sold back in the spring... the other 9 were DS's steers. We cut out the one smaller one off one of my cows that we sold a couple weeks ago, it is weaned there at the barn, and DS thinks there are a couple that it will match at another pasture... So, I said that was fine... it didn't have to go today.

Prices are off some, but not terrible...... we got $3.00 / lb for the ones (5) that weighed right at 490... that size brought 3.25 or so 3 weeks ago... the one red one brought 2.50 @ 600 lbs... he was a nice steer... but red hurt him a little.... there were 2 that went together that weighed 590 ea and brought 2.60 or so... and one other that weighed around 700 that brought around 2.40??? AND my steer was big... DS said he had no thoughts it weighed that much... 895 lbs and brought around 2.15-2.20... I don't have the sheet here... but that still means he brought like 1800 or more...I would say that they were off $.15-40 overall....

Talk is about the drought conditions... many did not get as much rain as we got... some places got 4-6 inches but many more got like 1/2 inch... very spotty hit or miss...... it is looking like more will be selling some more stuff, and prices will come off more on these smaller 4-6 wt calves.

DS said he is glad we sold those calves a couple friday's ago... and that we took those cull cows and bull and couple of odd calves, and the neighbors 4 head, last Saturday... even with the long 3 1/2 hour wait in line that i sat through while he worked and helped out. Come to find out, there were over 2100 head at the sale last Saturday... and there were 1100+ head today at the sale closer to us...
We still got decent prices for the animals we took... This will get another 10 off the grass... and we are down to mostly all heifers... there will be half a dozen steers all together... maybe.... smaller ones that can just run with the heifers.

Plus DS took another 12 heifers out to WV so there are 26 out there... about 6-8 fewer than last years steer #'s.... and DS said grass looks good... They have gotten some rain out there and it is in pretty decent shape.

We will take about 5-8 of the friendliest heifers to the pasture where those 3 calves kept getting out away from the cows that we sold last Sat... let them utilize the grass... and since they hadn't been there to get out when the fence was down in several places, hopefully they will be glad to have grass and stay put.

There is a bred cow sale next Tuesday... over 100 head they said... most cows due to calve this fall... not far off... I think some prices are going to be off a bit, with the dry conditions... We will go to see... DS is getting those 16 cows from the friend... 14 have new calves on the ground now... he is giving up that pasture this year, his health is not super and he said he just wants to cut back... and the fences there are pretty bad and he does not want to fight the "fixing" anymore either... So with all that have been sold, these will replace some of them... I asked DS if he was buying them, or was I buying some, or were we doing some joint... I am not pushing to buy any of them... but since I have sold so many of my own, wanted to offer so he did not feel like he was shouldering it all himself... I think he is going to buy them all himself....suits me.... I will be checking the 2 that have not calved to make sure they have a calf in them though... if not they will get sold as culls....
I want another milk cow/nurse cow anyway.... so would prefer to put some money into that...

Got all the junk on the truck to go to the dumpsters tomorrow... then will take the cart and go gather up the rocks in and around the edge of the garden, so I can finish the mulch.

DS was going to take the truck and flat bed trailer and go get another load of round bales he committed to ... have 1 neighbor that got 1 load, wants at least 1 more load... got another friend, young guy that used to help us years ago... that wants a load... another friend wants 6 rolls... he hauls 16 at a time... so will let her have 6 and we will keep the other 10 and then DS wants another load also... then another neighbor wants 50 he says... m/l..... so another 3 loads .... so we will see...
He says he is either getting a cold or has bad allergies... alot of congestion and all that in his throat... sounds a little congested too. He also does not want to stay home by himself... so said if he goes and gets that hay, he might be tired enough when he gets home to be able to take some more stuff for the congestion, and get some sleep....

DS called and I ran up and got him from the truck and trailer that he dropped at the neighbor guy who worked for us, so he can unload the hay in the morning.... took DS to the house. He will go up and get the truck and trailer and go get another load in the morning... they are calling for some storms off and on during the day, so he wants to get at least 1 more load... 6 rolls for the friend, and the rest for us........The rain looks like it is coming sooner in the early hours than what they originally said of later afternoon...

His knee is hurting real bad, and he goes back to the dr for it... they said he had to wait to get the appt... and his GP said that was stupid... so, he is trying to not walk on it any more than he has to because it hurts... looks like a torn meniscus... but has to go to an orthopedic dr ......
I can tell him all about how knees hurt... he said that it really hurts some days to just walk on it much... and that it's not much fun... and I said yeah, I know...

So he is going to bed... and so I am I. If it is not raining in the morning, I am going to go out and work some more on the garden... maybe get more or the mulch hay down... I did pull a bunch of the BIG spiney weeds around the edges, and all I have to do it pick up some of the rocks and can lay that hay down. Going to take the weed eater out there with me in the morning if it is not raining... get some of the other stuff "cut down"... and no, I didn't get the fence up since I went with him to town to the sale, so that is definitely HIGH on the priority list for tomorrow ....

 

[farmerjan]

Got up a bit ago, to already raining... not hard, but wet. So, unless it slows down a bit, I will not be out in the garden for awhile. It is just as good for the rain to fall on the dirt that is not yet mulched... and then I will mulch it when it is already wet. There is some of the hay that I pulled off the roll, so it is also getting wet... which will make it lay down on the rows better than when it was so dry and the wind could pick it up. If the rain/drizzle slows down or quits, I may try to go out there to do some. If nothing else, I will try to get the netting up. Looks like we might get a little break nearer to noon time.
So there is no excuse for me to not get started in the house to get some things done. Pick up,put away and all that. Have clothes to fold and just some serious "get things done."

Temps were down to 67, up around 71 and not supposed to change much all day. That is good.

DS said he went out back, last evening to look at some branches he has to cut for the guys with the boom sprayer to be able to get in this week.... and that the sorghum he planted is looking pretty decent after this past weeks rains, and the corn is looking real good. Off and on, showers and light rain today, and it will really grow... and there is supposed to be 30-50% chance of rains all week. This a godsend for us. Pastures will come back, and the hay fields may actually start to grow and we will get a second cutting.

So, time to get my rear in gear and get started in the house.