Thursday night. Just got home from testing and putting the chickens in the crate.
It has been "a day" for the last couple of days. Wed was a rainy and windy day. It cleared off late afternoon. We got .4 inch total which surprised me. It was cold and raw out. I had to spend quite a bit of time on the phone for work which gets to me... I am just not a phone person for all these pain in the butt calls.
Went down and got the outback, heater fan and cig lighter fixed... said I needed to take it to the guy to do the exhaust system... and that they think a wheel is maybe bent and that is the problem with the shimmy... and that tire needs replacing... and that because it is AWD , you are supposed to replace all 4 at a time due to differences in tire sizes from different companies.... even if the tire is a certain size... different companies will make them a little bit different and if the difference is only 1/4 inch in height, it puts strain on the transmission since with AWD it is engaged in all 4 tires at the same time.. so different sizes even a smidgen... will cause transmission problems... I can't remember them telling me that...
I have been getting 2 new tires to put on the front and putting the fronts on the back to wear down more... I put a snow type tread on the front last time for better traction in the snow.....so now I am going to have to see if I can match the brand of the fronts... even though there is a little difference tread wear, so make sure the tire is the same "size" from the same company, as the fronts that are on it... since I have to replace the one that is getting worn... DS said he would see if I had another set of wheels for it... I thought I did but it might be the forester. AND the forester is also AWD... so having an extra set of wheels for it for the snow treads is not helpful....
Don't need to worry about it if it is 2 wd or 4 wd or FRONT wheel drive... tires can be different manufacturers with a smidgen difference in "size"... as long as they are the "same size tire".... 4wd is more important for them to be the same ....like 16 inch 225/75.... but on the 2wd I have 14 inch... 205/75 on the back and I think the fronts are 195/75 ..... because the front and back axles operate independently....and that was what was available at the time I blew a tire and I replaced both since the other was worn.... but I have a couple of odd ones for it that have good tread.... and I have a separate set of wheels for it with snow tires on them and I think that they are 215/75 because that is what I got at the time and they get taken off every year after the snow so have lasted for years....and it is 2 wd drive....and I do not go long distances with it much anyway...
Give me the old vehicles that didn't have all this BS.... I will probably not buy another AWD because of that. Stick with one drive axle so the tires can be more flexible. I am so used to all the trucks we have and being able to stick tires on them; although most of them are 4 wd and the brands of tires do not make the same difference because we do not run them in 4wd except in very dicey road conditions, and then they are not run fast or far. DS puts heavier load tires on the back axles for the loads on them... and many times does not put as heavy a tread on the front so they steer easier.....
So DS called me on Wed and said are you working Thursday???? PRELUDE to he needs me to do something....
. I said yes, I have to go to crosskeys... he said what time do you have to go and I said I need to leave by 1 p.m. So he says could I go with him in the morning to help the neighbor get in his steers... and then we can bring the heifer that has been over there back ( she got out through the useless HI-Tensile wire at one pasture that is not electrifiable... and they just put her in with their steers.)and that we might need to take a couple of the steers to town for Jimmy. DS was going to be off, but then his boss was going to have to be off and it would be better for him to not take off several hours... So we worked it out that I would take my car up there with all my testing stuff in it...ready to go to work.... and he would come from work, get the truck and trailer and come to the place they were going to load the steers, and then I could follow Jimmy to town with his load and whatever wouldn't fit in his trailer, on our trailer... and then just bring the heifer back.... we have had a few get over on him a couple times and he has always been "don't worry about it we will get them in when we get that group caught up" type of thing... never charging us for them "eating his grass"... so making a trip to town with a few of his was the least we could do.... So DS came to help load the steers which went like clockwork, he took my car back to the barn and I followed Jimmy to town with his load .... unloaded, put the heifer back on the truck... and came back. Left truck and trailer at the barn and he was going to take the heifer to pasture later, and I got my car and came home since I was running earlier than I had originally allowed for.
GOOD THING... I got back to the house... and came in and had to take a phone call... and just as I got off and went out to leave for work a little early.... heard this squawking, and go out and there is that @#%#@ chicken hawk trying to get the buff leghorn rooster... Rooster was trying to get in under the brushy bush and screaming as much as he could... I ran out and went running for them and got within 10 ft before the hawk realized and let him go and flew off to the tree nearby... I was going to grab it...hoping with the brushy stuff that he would be a bit tangled up in it....and had pulled my sweatshirt arms down over my hands and figured I would break its neck if I could get it as I knew it would fight me......The rooster dug his way under the bush as far as he could.... I came in the house to get the gun and remembered that DS took it to clean it back awhile ago and never brought it back....came back out and that hawk sat there in the tree next to the clothesline.... watching me... Finally flew off to another tree. Then left the area and I couldn't see him anymore. I could not get to the rooster as he was buried into the thick brush.... Finally had to leave to go to work and prayed that he would be there when I got home or would manage to get back over to the shelter....
(When I went out there a bit ago when I got home, all 3 were in the shelter like normal... and I put them in the crate.)
I called DS and asked where my gun was and he said what gun and I said the one you took to clean and never brought back... and he said it is at my house... and I said I want it back tomorrow morning.... told him about the hawk.... and I am going to put the .410 barrel on it.... it has the .22 on it right now... He said okay, he would drop it off in the morning.
I did not see the buff hen today..... but when I went out to let them out of the crate it was earlier than usual... because first, I had PT at 7:30 this morning, then I came home and changed out of "clean clothes to work clothes" ; put the meters and hoses into the car, and then went to help with the cattle. Usually I go out to let them out of the crate, around 9-10 in the morning... and the shelter has warmed up a little...the water is thawed if it had a little ice... and the hen is in eating some feed and all....
I am hoping that I see her tomorrow...
Been a LOOOONG DAY......
I am ready to go to bed. Ate a bowl of green beans and some yogurt, and am tired and sore. PT was a little tough this morning, then all the activity and the upset with the dam@#d hawk... then work.....
Have a farm scheduled for Sat morning... nothing to set up as they have weigh jars that I can take the samples right out of... then the 500 cow herd on Tuesday aft. next week. DS is going to help since it is hard for Geneva to do evening milkings; and with the holidays coming up, and her sister is getting married in mid January, she is very very busy.
Talked to the owner sampler farm that I left the bottles for, over 6 weeks ago.... and he has just kept putting it off; I told him that since he put in a system where he has his own electronic meters and his own samplers, he could do it when he wanted and just call me...BUT... he still wants records and it has been nearly 5 months since he has tested and that is going to be A LOT of paperwork to catch up on.... and I explained that he has gone inactive after 4 months... so I have to know ahead of time so that I can call and get a reactivation code.... he had acted like he was going to do it within a couple weeks... I told him that if he wanted he could just do milk samples for BF SCC and protein and keep his own records there... since basically that is what he has been doing for the past 4 months.... I am not going to go in there every 4-5 months and spend 2-3-4 hours catching up and getting his info current.... He last tested in July I think, and then they started to tear apart and redo the parlor..... was supposed to be 2-3 months... Plus, the office sends me e-mails wanting to know the status and why I haven't tested them.....
......
I'm going to get a hot soaking shower and go to bed.....
