Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

HOT today. 68 to start but was muggy/humid. Hit 99 on the recording thermometer. It is still 89 at 6 p,m.

Heading to Deb's for some supper... will catch up the day later. Got to test in the morning... at least it will not be so awfully hot then.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday... 68 to start, up to 91, already... it is very very humid out there... sticky and muggy in the barn at 5 a.m. this morning...

Stayed later at Deb's last evening... she had a jigsaw puzzle she had been working on, and we debated about going out to the fireworks local, since after the 2 rains, they were going to have them as stated a possibility... but wound up just staying in and worked on it together... Her stepdaughter and husband and kids were going to stop by the farm on their way home from TN today/this afternoon, and stay over and go on from here since their car has been running a little hot in all the slower traffic they have hit for the last few days... on top of all the heat.... and this way, God forbid they do have trouble, Monday's are a better day for getting help and service calls etc...
So, I got home and got into bed late, but got up and went to test this morning... It was sticky, muggy, humid and just "close" in the barn even with the fan running... Got sweaty and we were done milking a little after 7 and I left there by 8....
Came by the farm and see the truck and trailer out in the driveway so stopped since I figured DS had cattle out or something that he had to go get. But turns out he was going to take the 4 wheeler over to the farm to check some fences so the cows can get moved to next section...

So, to get back to yesterday... First off... DS calls, could I come to the barn... the cow and 3 calves we kept there from Fred's, were gone... they got a gate off the hinges, twisted around and he didn't know where they were... he wanted to go get the "idiot heifer " that got by him the week before at the pasture so we could move the panels to another place. So, by chance he took a ride down the RR bed towards the back.... figuring they got out in our hay field.. and he saw them up on the little bit of the hill by the hay barn... LUCKILY, it seems they went around the truck and up the roadway, to the hay barn, and the fence is down there for when they drilled the post holes, so the cow and 3 calves went in there... then they went over along the fence to the next lot where we had the few steers for getting killed, and the bigger heifers that were going to get taken up to get bred... DS went up and got that group out... and down the "silo lot where they will go down the alley into the barn... the new ones followed along the fence, and so as soon as DS got the others to go down the alley, I opened the gate and the 4 finally came out and then followed the others down the alley.... WOW, breathe a sigh of relief... but then the stupid bull/steer calf went right over the bunk feeder in with the other smaller weaned calves in the barn, so we wound up putting "Fred's 4" in with them... DS had already made up his mind they were going to the stockyard sale that they have on Saturday's... but they were closed for the holiday weekend... so hoping they will stay put with the group and will come in the barn with our calves after a couple times of feeding in there... They are getting sold on Friday at the closer stockyard sale ...

So, then we went to the pasture where the crazy heifer was, that got by him last week, when he pulled the bigger calves off... she came down into the catch pen with some cows and didn't see DS until he got the panel/gate closed. So we moved her and her mother to the barn... she needs to be weaned, and the cows will all be coming back to the barn in a month so they can calve at the barn "calving pasture"...and this enabled us to get her in the trailer as she charged in right behind the cow.

Then we got the few heifers there, from the group out back, sorted out the 3 he said were big enough to breed... wound up with 4 of them that were plenty big enough.... and took them to the nurse cow pasture with the rest of the heifers that are getting bred. Then came back, and got the "bale truck" and went and got the panels and moved them to the farm where we will be pulling off calves in a day or 2 so we will have the steers at the barn to sell some of ours in 2 weeks.... The pasture is getting short, they are on the group of open cows we put back with the bull to get bred, and most are plenty big/old enough to get weaned to get sold anyway... so want to take a little pressure off the pasture and get them to the barn to get together the group he is taking...
Went from there another couple miles or so up the road, and moved that group of cows from the middle pasture #2, into #1, so they can eat and work on that before we go to bush hogging it ... has to be done by end of July.... it is alot easier to see where you are bush hogging if they have been in there and eaten some of the stuff and trampled down some of the higher older growth and such... #2, and #3 are eaten down decent and you can see the ground, the rocks, and all that much better... The last rains will get it to growing, and it the tall "old stuff" is chopped up it will do even better... act a s a bit of light mulch on the soil, and add organic matter back into the ground as the new grass growth comes on.

So we came on back, we had stopped at Wendy's since DS was hungry and I realized I had never eaten...a little bit earlier on the way past.... and then I finally came on home about 2-2:30...
On top of all that, we had lost power overnight, and it was off for a few hours... and DS said after getting so sweaty, he wanted to go home and get a shower... so I came home and I guess he went home...
He was going to move the round bales from Deb's which never got done... he had the truck a couple times I thought about doing it...

Then it was time to go to Deb's... I had 4 hard boiled eggs, so offered to make deviled eggs out of them, and took some "sherbet" pops of vanilla with a strawberry sorbet covering, like they were dipped in the strawberry... and we ate a simple dinner...

Then I worked this morning, went by the farm when I saw the truck/trailer... helped DS get in the "heavy bred" cows and 2 bigger heifer calves with them... weaned the 2 heifer calves, and one cow actually had a new calf so got it tagged... and she got left in the barn since she is going out to the pasture with the bull, and 2 other cows that had calved there... and he is going to switch out the bulls... put one in there and pull the other one out since it has been about 45 days since the first ones went in... trying to avoid having any other disasters of cows not getting bred like they should. The 3 cows and calves he is going to take out there, will be exposed... they might not settle since it is "past the cut off" but if they do settle, they will back up a month or so to calving in late May/earlier June... and if they don't settle, they will get put back with the bulls in Nov to get bred for fall calves. They are kinda "betwixt and between" calving seasons now...
There are 5 others that look like they are going to pop, and they will get held over to be with the fall calving cows....

I had thought to try to get in the garden this morning after I got home, but then stopping at the barn and all, I didn't get here until 10 and it was just too hot... Sun is out full on the garden so NO WAY..... Some of the newspapers I put down that I didn't get mulch hay on, have blown so I will have to gather them up and get them fixed back... but not going to do it until later. We are getting some clouds off and on, but not enough to look like any rain...

We got a total of 1.1 inches between Thurs night and Fri night... which after last weeks rain, has really greened things up... So very thankful for it... Possible stray t-storms this aft but not looking like much. More possibility by Wed/Thurs... That would be wonderful.....

Going to pack the samples from Fri and today, to go out on Monday...
Put a gallon of tea out to make sun tea...

Could use a nap, but I want to sleep tonight and get up early to get in the garden in the morning before the sun gets on it, so going to try to resist and do some stuff in here. Should get out the mower since the rains, and get the grass mowed... we'll see. Might just do a little less today and then get back at it since I tested so many in the last week too.

 

[Ridgetop]

You got a lot done that you wanted to do with DS. He is able to concentrate on the farm more with being on disability. Wish he could retire now with full disability or full pension. Congrats on the new calf.

 

[farmerjan]

In for the night. Went out to the garden for a bit, got the papers back down that I had put down wet, and got them covered with some mulch hay so they stay put. But I went and spent some time up at the nurse cow pasture, fed the calves and finally got the 2 holstein bull calves into the barn... they will not come in with the other calves, they are just too timid and won't come when they are called or anything... big switch from the heifer twins who are doing pretty good. Finally, after most of the cows moved off when they realized they were not getting fed, the 2 holsteins finally came up and went in the creep gate and I got them over on the other side of the barn there, and locked them in separate so they could eat. Had a partial sq bale left and fed that as well as grain I had saved for them... They are coming to the house just as soon as I can get them loaded... they just are not doing any good up there... They get pushed around by the bigger calves that are on the beef cows, and just are not getting their share... So, they will come here. Just easier to do them here...

2 were in heat up there, one heifer we just put up there and a cow that has a calf on her, that is nearly impossible to get in the catch pen, so she just has gotten left there...bull was taking care of business...

DS said he went back to the barn and was going to try to get the 2 cows with calves in, after going and checking the fence, and move them with the one with the new calf to the pasture, but they did not come down in the long alley that we opened up for them... so he put the cow with the new calf out with them and they will come down in a day or 2. She is a grain hog and will come anywhere for a bucket.....

SURPRISE... we put the other ones back on the hill where they were, after taking off the 2 heifer calves, and the cow with the new calf.. and he looks up there and there are 2 more calves up there... so the cows came on to the barn, told their calves to stay put... and when we put them back, the calves came out to the cows. He said that they will just go with the fall calving cows because he is not going to try to get them back in again... the new calf that came down with the cow earlier, is probably 2 weeks old... gets around real good and is "rounded out" like a "not brand new 3 day old baby is"...the other 2 he saw looked very much newer... Plus 2 others that we put back out there were huge and swollen around the vulva and such, so they won't be long... Not exactly where we wanted to calve them, but they will be fine. Plus the other couple he is going to move out in the next day or 2, will get them all off that pasture for about a month until we bring home the ones due to calve. We will get these few back off the hill and get the calves tagged and banded sometime in the process too...

I noticed tonight at the nurse cow pasture that more of the calves born this spring in the last 2 months are starting to go in the creep gate.. partly for the water in the lower tubs, I think... so should have a bunch for DS to work one of these days.

I am going to get a shower and go to bed here shortly. Going to wash my hair, since it is itchy from sweating ..... and tomorrow I got an appt with the massage therapist since my shoulder is REALLY aching... It was tomorrow or Wed and I decided that I was NOT testing anywhere tomorrow... I hope to get in the garden for a little bit in the morning.... the da#@ed spiney weeds in the center part of the couple rows of potatoes, have shot up from the rain so I have GOT to get working on them...NEED GLOVES..... but I think I am going to do more newspaper and hay tomorrow morning for a bit since there are some possibilities of showers/t-storms/rain for the next couple of days... and if we get some, it will settle the newspapers down good on the soil with the hay on top. And that ground is still "clean"... no weeds coming up from the tilling chopping them up so good... so stop the weeds before they get started... then work on the other ones... The volunteer dill plants are really growing good...

Glad I did not take a nap, as I am tired and should sleep real good... will take some thing for the shoulder since I have not taken anything all day... that way it won't wake me up....

Time to quit for the night... Good luck @Mike CHS with taking the sheep and lambs to the sale...

 

[Baymule]

I wish I could send you some rain. I’m supposed to get 5-7” from Beryl. With all the rain we got, when it stopped, it got scorching hot so this rain is welcomed, even if a bit much all at one time.

 

[farmerjan]

It looks like we are going to get some showers/rain off and on all week... 40-60% chances... temps are going to be hot... 90's for us. We don't normally get so much 90's until late July into August... But you deal with what you get.
Another inch or 2 would be nice this week... things have really come back around with this rain this past Thurs/Sat rains we got.

70 was the low, that's warm for us. Sticky, humid out there.

I worked about 1 1/2 hours in the garden this morning... getting newspaper laid down and some hay on top of it all... Then the sun hit that part and I was sweating like I had just jumped in the pond or something. So, I quit. Might be able to get into it later this aft/eve... Got about 1/3 to 1/2 the way down the potato rows that I put in the "newer tilled" section... if we get some of this rain, they ought to start to sprout up quick.

The grass is really coming back so got to get out on the mower and get the grass all around the garden cut off short for the netting... Got kinda lax because nothing was bothering the garden much... well now it is going to be war, because..... Something ate off the tops of all the cucumbers on the 1/2 cattle panel... trap goes out there this evening... probably a ground hog... DA@% sorry S.O.B's.

Have to get some things done here, and on the way to the massage thereapy session, I am going to stop at DMV to see about getting whatever application form I need for the new state issued "Farm Use" tags... so I can bring all the info I need in to get the plates for the 2 trucks...be easier to have the form and see if there is anything they will need so I can do it in a trip... plus I need to put tags back on the forester instead of the farm use I had for just taking feed buckets back and forth to the calves... less reason for some of these "law officers" to have an excuse to stop me... just put regular plates back on it... need a new set of parking/blinker light lenses for it.
Got a couple things to take to the dumpsters too on the way... and samples to drop off at the UPS store on the way too... Figure I am going to leave at around noon... and take my time doing the errands and all...

Sun is hazy but hot out there. Hope we get some of the "possible showers/storms" later.

 

[farmerjan]

Hot and sticky afternoon.. Oppressive heat actually with the humidity. No rain, radar showed just a couple little spots of green so not surprised.
Hit 93, still 76 at nearly 11.

DS called and needed a ride up from the one place he was fertilizing because he wanted to leave the tractor there to put round bales in a line... so I ran down and got him and brought him up to the farm. Then I came home, got a shower, washed my hair since I was too tired last night, and then left. It was later than I planned, but I did stop at the dumpster and toss a couple bags of junk, went to UPS and took all the "packages" of boxes with milk samples in for them. Then left and went own to the massage therapist. It really "hurts so good", as she works some of the knots out of the muscles... and there were just hard "lumps" that she worked out... and it does feel a little better. She explained that my muscles are staying in a "tightened" position, instead of releasing and loosening up after I use them... and that is what is basically causing alot of the pain.. she was showing me in one of her books about the different muscle groups, what they attach to, how they work and affect your movements... it's pretty interesting and pretty involved with what all they do, how they work with the bone structure... and how they will "shorten" as they are put into use and tighten up to do certain things... It all makes sense... but boy, do they "hurt" when she is working to get them to loosen up....

So, anyway, it went well...overall... I usually feel even a bit "more" better the next day.... they are not as tight this evening... but like the chiropractic adjustments, takes time for them to actually readjust to what is being done to them...
I didn't leave there until nearly 6:30... so it was good... by the time I got home it was getting on towards dark so did not do anything out in the garden this eve.

Going in to bed to see if I can fall asleep and get some good relaxed sleep from the more relaxed state of the muscles.
DS asked if I wasn't working could I go with him tomorrow to his Dr appt.... then he has the milogram scheduled for Friday... so I said I could go... so we will leave by 6:30 a.m.

Therefore I am headed to bed and hope to get a good night's sleep. I did sleep good last night after the busy several days and working those couple of mornings. I was tired and that is always good.

Setting alarm to get up to go with him in the morning... might go to Rural King on the way home... haven't been in ages since she has been going with him some of the time...

 

[farmerjan]

LONG day again... It was a low of 72.... and the recording thermometer hit 100 before we got back from the dr office and Rural King and all that...
DS was feeling sick on the way home... usually does after all the manipulations and stuff they do... these are the sports medicine DRs that work with VA TECH athletes... so ought to know what they are doing but honestly, some times I wonder anymore. Someone from Workman's comp comes to every dr appt now... this is getting ridiculous...
Some glitches in what they "originally listed as injured".... it could get really nasty.... DS has talked to a lawyer as there is a question now of if he can really be on "short term disability"... it is getting come complicated and convoluted... he may wind up just turning it over to the lawyer, if they can't get some of this worked out... it could mean him losing his job all together and then having to go back and fight the state.... it is not pretty...

And his former boss, that he did all the extras for over the years, and thought was such a good friend to him.... has put in for retirement, and has NEVER ONCE called DS since this whole thing blew up... He lives 5 miles from here...

I have a headache from the heat I am sure... we took the explorer and the AC is not working again... but there were things DS wanted to get at Rural King and the outback still has all the meters in it. Not too bad on the way down and even after to go to Rural King and such... BUT, it was HOT on the way back and we felt it. I drove since he felt so queasy and wiped out...
It was good to get back here.

Gas went from 3.19 to 3.29 last night... and we saw one station where gas was 3.43 and diesel was 3.39.... anyone remember not too many years ago that diesel was always cheaper than gas????

I'm going to get something cold to drink and try to cool down some more... It is just terribly hot out there with the humidity...

 

[farmerjan]

Have been sitting near the fan most of the afternoon. It is too hot to do much else. At 8 p.m. it is still 85 degrees out.
Needless to say, I haven't done anything out in the garden this afternoon/eve. Might take a walk out there now and see about setting the trap for the groundhog... have a small watermelon I want to chill, and cut some for the "varmint".... but there is going to be little else getting done this evening.
I do need to get the mower out but I am not going to kill myself in this heat. See how tomorrow looks. There is some forecast for some rain... sure would be nice.

 

[Mike CHS]

We have been so dry that I have only cut enough to feed the ram lambs.