Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[SageHill]

Ya know, those people in FL will never be able to afford insurance -- if they can even find an insurer. Very sad.

Hadn’t thought of that! It’s probably just like here in So Cal though the reason is fire and govt.

 

[fuzzi]

Damp morning. 67 to start, there was some rain overnight and we were in a break right . Radar had shown that we would have about a 3-4 hour break or so... Had some misty stuff... and it is just beginning to rain some now. It is coming straight down, not "pouring" but pretty close. We will be getting this for the rest of the day pretty much. A band that is moving through... more and less rains, over the day.

The NC/VA border is getting hammered... there will be alot of flooding. They declared a state of emergency to enable deployment of services and about every school I know of is closed... Smart with the possible road flooding everywhere.

Are there any members here that have had some of the worst of it.... along the area of FL that it came in, through GA, and AL.... and then up through TN and KY and into Indiana and OH...... ?????
Plus there are some members in NC, with it coming up into VA.... It looks like @Mini Horses and @canesisters and @secuono will be getting it today too. I know there are others... I hope everyone gets through this, thankful for the water that we have needed, and not have too much damage or problems from it, but the inconvenience of the soaking wet weather.

Inside work day... going to do something even if it is wrong !!!!

We're eastern NC, got a couple good downpours, no flooding. It also was breezy but I don't see any branches down.

I recognize roads we've traveled when damage videos and photos are posted.

 

[canesisters]

Been keeping in touch with friends & family in Tenn..... it's BAD there.

 

[farmerjan]

Sat morning... Sun was out bright for a bit but now some more clouds... breezy... we will see some of this all day but the breeze will help to dry up the surface some.
68 to start...

We had right at 2 inches in the rain gauge... total. There was a little damage in the area... DS texted me last night and said a gust of wind must've gone through and took a pole down across the road right out in front of the farm field that is next to the road ... the major part of the road frontage we have is along this one field and then it goes back down the old RR track bed as the driveway/road all the way through the farm to the end of the property and through the other places and actually comes out right near me here and originally came across my little place... abandoned years and years and years ago... But overall, we had very little damage here except some washing of ditches and such. Going to go to Deb's place and see how much damage it did to her driveway... it is not built right so water runs down the middle in spots and washes out... instead of having a little bit of a crown in the middle so it runs off to the sides more...

I will go up to the calves in a bit and feed them too. I saw a bunch of cows out grazing some yesterday afternoon so they should be fine and the calves could get in the little barn/shed there if they wanted through the creep gate. Hoping the surface dries out a bit before I go driving in the grass and such up there.

I am going to go out and check out the sunflowers... some may have come down with the few gusts of wind we had... I can see from the house that the butternut squash and the crenshaw vines are all pretty much dead since I can see all the "fruits" all over the garden areas... Time to get them gathered up and off the soggy ground so they can dry and rinds harden for winter storage. But it was soft/soggy yesterday when I went out for just a little bit to check on things, so it will be VERY SOFT in the garden area. Need to see if there are green beans and how the late planted summer squash is doing... and see about picking tomatoes.... this will keep the potato vines green longer too... but may make some of the potatoes have hollow centers, or split, if they still do much more growing. Seems I dug most of them last year in Oct...

Showers forecast for the next 2-3 days as this storm stalled out in the KY, IN, OH areas and will not start to move east and then out to sea as a "normal low" .....

We needed the rain and it will go a long way to building back up our soil moisture... That was over 5 inches for the week.... at least it was spread out over 5 days and not all at once in a day... it is soggy out but it has soaked in quite a bit too...
We were fortunate....

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday... got up to clouds... recording thermometer said 68... for both the low and high... realized that the batteries must be going bad.... DUH... so went out and got the recording thing hanging out there... brought it in and yep... batteries checked low in the "replacement " side... so checked 2 new ones and put them in and it immediately went to 75.... It was warmer earlier and then it got heavier clouds and we have had misty rain then a real good steady rain for about a half an hour and now is just sprinkley out there. Supposed to do this all day then more "rain" tonight and tomorrow. It is down to 69 and will probably stay there abouts the rest of the day.
Went down to barn yesterday... DS wanted to move the cows out to pasture since they aren't going to get sold for the next few weeks... He said he should have taken them Friday... cull cows were $.10-.20 higher... steers were about the same... maybe 10-20 lower... there wasn't much there as he expected there wouldn't be... but he said that the guys must've been needing cows to make up a load as the bidding was competitive... Oh well, he did not want them to stay at the barn for the next couple of weeks, because the next 2 weeks he will be gone on Thur/Fri with a friend to the car show/sales/flea markets and I know he didn't want me to take the steers... I wouldn't have done something to please him... so this way, they are back out on clean grass pasture... The bonus is the one calf we just banded will be fine to cut off the sack and take with these as another steer... and he pretty much matches the ones he has now... Plus, we will work the 2 he bought Thursday at the sale we went to, and then he got 2 more singles on Friday... one steer and one bull that will get worked... he is keeping them in the smaller barn lot and field... giving them feed in the bunk and can keep an eye on them for a week or so... make sure they do okay... then they can go out with the group of heifers and all that he still has there at the barn and let them get out to the grass...

We moved the cows and steer calves back out to the pasture where they were, plus the one open cow and the bull/now steer calf with them. Will have to get them all back in, in a couple weeks, to sell. But no sense in keeping them at the barn, getting muddier from the rain and all, feeding hay, when they can go out and feed themselves on grass.... They will have to be sorted through... but we know who is preg and not... and we can sort out the ones that are preg and just leave them there ; and just take the ones that are open with the steers and bring them back to the barn and make sure there aren't any others to match the steers, and sell them. We still have the big front field to move them into where we make one cutting of hay every year then graze it later... to rotate them into after we pull the ones back out of there... it will take us into Nov and then they will come home for the winter for feeding... and calving in the spring.

Then DS pulled the wheel off the Explorer, rotors are fine and the brakes are not wearing evenly, one just down to the metal on one side.... and the one adjuster thing is froze on the bottom so that is what is causing the problem... he has to get a new part to replace the one that is not working anymore... can't use the torch to heat it and see if he can make it work due to some rubber boot thing... getting the new piece is not the end of the world... so it will be here in a day or 2... he got the new brake pads on the driver's side that the adjuster thing is working right... will get the pads on the passenger side as soon as he gets this new part on...
Then I came on home and went to the nurse cow pasture and fed the calves and checked every one... and then it was starting to sprinkle and I came on home...

So anyway, today was some lt rain then it stopped... DS called to see if I could come to the barn to help as he was pulling the hydraulic hookups on the back of the JD apart... they are leaking really bad and hydraulic fluid is just too expensive for it to be pouring out of the as he uses the tractor... The spring is such that he had to push it down on both sides to get the snap ring off... and needed an extra hand... Of course, the JD guys had gotten him the wrong parts... and so he was taking apart the old one and was going to take it back and show them that the ones they INSISTED were the right ones... going by the numbers..... were NOT the right ones... he was P.O.ed because he is feeding the calving group of cows hay, with this tractor, due to the muddy conditions; and now it is apart and he cannot use it because of the hydraulic hose hookups all taken apart.

Always something... I left after I helped him and went down and picked up my meters and got home and got the hoses I need tomorrow in the car with the meters. Changed the brackets when I put these in the car so I won't have to do it tomorrow. Then it was starting to sprinkle again... I came in, got all the bottles in the trays for tomorrow's farm and that's it. It is sprinkling more so will be a wet night. Looking like showers all night and tomorrow and now into Tuesday. Going to leave early, have a couple errands to do on the way to the farm to test...

 

[Weldman]

Never take heat to brake calipers, not just cause of the pin boot on the guide pins, but cause it will heat the brake fluid up pushing the pistons out, pistons might be phenolic, and there is o-rings on the pistons. Sometimes it's not the guide pins that are the problem, sometimes these newer brake calipers have phenolic pistons instead of the steel ones and they stick, in that case it's best to change calipers in pairs as in if a front one is out the other front one is next.
Best brake pads are from the stealership.

 

[Baymule]

Stealership!

 

[farmerjan]

For all of us "rebel" PRIME people.... aka.... SAD news, Kris Kristofferson passed away yesterday....
Liked him in so many movies....and his country bad boy image.

Heading out to do errands on the way to work. Got to get my car ins paid and have to add the other 2 vehicles .... UGH.

 

[Mini Horses]

That's is sad news about KK.

Insurance....all types will have rate hikes. These weather losses will have to be "shared". We'll all pay more. My vehicle & home went up this year. Almost 20%. . No claims. It's hard to accept but, I can see why it's happening. We are both lucky to be in areas still even insurable.

Health insurance, also. My current policy is Lowering coverage amounts on things like dental, vision, OTC, raising co pays...same premium charged. Darn those are the only things I use! Raise my co pays!! I don't care, I don't use that part.

 

[SageHill]

lucky to be in areas still even insurable.

You guys are! DH had to shop and shop and question heavily why they were dropping us - esp when nothing changed. In the end he got them to cover us thank God. Yeah - it's getting tougher and tougher.