Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Checked Glen Allen weather for Sat and looks like a good day!! Low to mid 70 morning, no rain now or until after -- parking should be dried out. nice!!

 

[Baymule]

Y’all go have fun!

 

[Ridgetop]

When my mom canned at home it was "stay out of the kitchen" sigh.

My grandmother taught me how to make jam and jelly. She taught me to do the parafin seal then when I started canning after I married I did lids and water bath on fruit and pickles. Lids and water bath is easier and safer.

When I canned I did most of it at night since we did not have AC downstairs. I also didn't like the kids under foot when working with boiling water and syrup. I worked in the grden and got the fruit and vegetables ready to can during the day sometimes, but did the stove part at night.

DD1 did not want to learn to cook because she knew that she would be stuck doing all the cooking for the family while I did remodeling with her dad. (she was right.) I did teach her to make marmalade and cinnamon pickles in 4-H and she won blue ribbons at the fair for them. But she preferred her horse and livestock work. She didn't even want me to teach her how to sew, but went to the project meetings. She won a blue ribbon on her vest and shorts too, but that was it for sewing. Maybe the fact that she had to rip out and reset the zipper 4 times was to blame. DS2 did the cooking project and DS3 did the sewing project and made himself a pair of pajamas. My kids enjoyed themselves trying everything they could.

 

[farmerjan]

Home from all the testing, picking up samples, dropping off reports etc and so on. Tired out. Going to read some stuff and go to bed early. Have computer work to do for the one owner sampler farm I picked up the samples, and the 2 herds to pack to send out tomorrow... Might get to feeling like a human tomorrow to post some stuff...

 

[farmerjan]

Had a decent day. 61 to 83 and mostly sunny all day. Comfortable...

Samples packed, got a few odd computer things fixed for the one herd. Printed all the reports, packed all the samples. Spent time on the phone with the computer center for a few things...

Have been having water pressure problems so wound up going to DS house to take a shower and wash my hair because I am tired of the barely dribble. Felt better to feel clean and hair feels nice.

Had to unload all the meters and hoses since DS has not gotten to the brakes on the Explorer that are making grating noise... Want the back of the car empty in case I wind up spending any money... I need to load the "foldable" wagon so I have it to use... have a box in case of some chicken purchase... If I find any of those Vorwerk ones again this year, I will buy them... wish I had gotten them last year... Oh well.... we'll see.
Plan to leave early to be there before 8 but it will be crazy crowded since they were allowing people in to set up on Wed, so there will be sales way before tomorrow when we get there...

Not going to take any sandwiches, because I am totally out of bread... will splurge on a HD .....

Anyway, this afternoon I took the samples to drop off at UPS and went to the stockyard to meet DS as he was already there... wanted to see how calves/feeders were doing and he had to get some wheat to plant as a cover crop... We were going to a customer appreciation dinner put on by one of the companies that we deal with... do spraying, fertilizer, etc..... and it was VERY GOOD.... brisket, hot dog, mac/cheese, gr beans, baked apples, drinks and ice cream... I am full full. Visited with several farmers I do not see often now... and some of my farmers there... gave the reports to the farmer I had printed them for.... DS knew several of them... I'll bet there were 300 plus there... families were invited... LOTS of people...
Dropped DS back at the stockyard to pick up the truck/trailer... He did NOT buy anything... prices were up quite a bit from last week... Steers in the 5 wts hit 2.80-3.10.... 6 wts in the 2.40-2.75.... 8-9 wts were 2.15-2.25.... That's 1700+ for calves again... last week must have just been an off week. Plus corn is lookinig to be "cheap" this year... less than $4 / bushel... so cheaper feed makes better feeder calf prices.

Going to bring home the cows to be preg checked this weekend... and DS said to get in some at the nurse cow pasture... and he will move them too and it will take some pressure off the pasture and water... and if not preg they can get shipped next Friday... He has some steers, 5 or 6 I think, that were smaller, when he sold the others back in June/July.... and he says they look good and he is going to sell them... and any of the cows that come up open will get sold too.... and the 2 or 3 IDIOT crazy heifers that come in the barn then run right through you to get back out... and are making the rest stupid......

So I will see who I can get in on Monday afternoon after I get home from a farm that "has to test asap...." this is the one that I tested the end of Aug that hadn't tested in 4 years... and is having trouble with their scc on the tank....well, must still be a problem... 3 1/2weeks and they want another test.... I will have to leave here by 4, milk at 5 or so... home by 1, I hope... I will have time to go to the pasture and see who I can get in to get checked on Wed... that'll be good...
We will bangs vacc the holstein heifers, dehorn and all, when he gets the heifers back from WV... the bigger ones will be too old, to bangs vacc..... but the smaller ones will be nearly 1 yr... and they have to be done by 1 yr old... so we can go through and see who we are going to keep and then vacc them all at the same time. Just read recently there was an outbreak of brucellosis (bangs vacc) somewhere... and I do not want to ever have to deal with it and I do not want to have any milk cows that I drink milk from that are not bangs vacc for safety's sake. Plus they are tattooed....
Looking like prices are going to stay up for awhile... longer than I thought... I am not complaining... but that means we will not be keeping many steers through this winter. We'll see how they look when they all come home from pasture later on.
Going to bed so I can get up and get going....

 

[Ridgetop]

Hope you hd a good time at the poultry show.

What kind/brand of zero turn battery lawn mower did you buy? I am thinking about getting one for DH so he can mow the front and back lawns instead of continuing to pay this gardener. I am holding a grudge over the $150 worth of plants that he mowed off - particularly since the plumbago and lantana were blooming! Who doesn't notice 18-24" tall plants with blue or yellow or orange flowers on them? I suppose he would have tried to mow down the metal sunflowers I hadn't stuck in the flower beds yet too! This is not the orginal gardner I used for the fruit trees. Jeremy sold his lawn care machines to this new guy, Eric, that used to work for him to help him set up a business for himself. Eric doesn't seem to come every week like Jeremy did but am payong him the same amount. I think it would be better to buy a mower. The tractor mower is too large for the lawns since there are lots of trees to go around.

I am going to bring my 36" wide x 30" tall metal garden panels with me to guard the flowers I plant. They are movable, pin together, and look like wrought iron. Since there are no dogs here anymore, the panels are not necessary in CA. I can use them in the front and back yards in Texas. DS2 cn teach his new Boxer pups to dig on the field. LOL

 

[farmerjan]

@Ridgetop ......I got a Greenworks mower. I went with the 60 v systems, as the batteries are all interchangeable within the 60 volt... just different amps so different sizes... I got the 6 battery mower ... they also make a 4 battery mower.... obviously the run time is less with only 4 batteries.... They make a zero turn and a conventional "tractor seat" type... which I got due to getting on and off is easier than my sitting down in the seat... and I am just more used to it...
They also make an 80 volt system but there are fewer other interchangeable items to use. I have the 60 v self propelled walk behind lawn mower for smaller areas, They have the small tiller and I am probably going to get the weed eater... there are chain saws, hedge trimmers, a long pole pruning type saw that DS used for the first time and he liked it....
They also have a 24 v system that has smaller tools but not the riding mowers...
I think the 60 v system is the most versatile system. The batteries are different sizes, 8 amp is the largest, then the walk behind has 4 amp and the smaller implements use like a 2 amp... but at 60 volt they all use the same charger and you can use them in any implement ... the 8 amp are the longest batter so don't fit lengthwise easily... the cover of the self propelled walk behind mower does not fit down all the way on the 8 amp battery, but it doesn't affect the actual use... just wouldn't want to leave them in it with the cover not shut...
TSC has some of their stuff...

I paid half and got 18 mo free financing on the balance through their offer when I ordered it...may as well use their money... it did not change the overall price... I pay about $190 a month for the balance and no interest...
It cost around 3,500-4,000 new... they have lots of incentives on their website and can get some good "package/combination deals". Getting "end of season" also... although I know you will mow longer in TX than we do here...
SO FAR I am VERY HAPPY with it...

 

[farmerjan]

As mentioned on @canesisters thread... we met and had a really good time yesterday... It got real sunny and a little warm by noontime... we didn't see every single row but most of it and a good visit/meet. Looking forward to spring.
I think I was the only one who spent money... Got 2 more blueberry bushes... got 3 in the spring... These were cheaper... same guy as spring... We'll see how they do come spring...
Splurged on a brown and white cow.... Like the Breyer type ones but bigger... Have never seen a brown/white molded one and it is large... but I just decided I wanted it. Also got a 5 gallon large jar... It originally had dill pickles in it... has a carry bale handle... My old butter churn motor is tall and uses a 5 gallon jug like this... mine was more round but they were a universal sized lid, and one motor and impeller I have does not have a jar... The guy wanted $40, I said I would give him $30... he said $35 and I said I would think about it... This was when we first started walking around... So we did all the other stuff and on the way back he still had it... so I had @Mini Horses go talk to him and see if he would go 30... and @canesisters and I walked ahead a little... Here she comes back... had offered him $25 and he took it... so she saved me another $5... BARGAIN LADY EXTRAORDINAIRE....

So on the way home, got a call from DS.... water leak at a pasture, disaster as it had drained the 2,000 gallon tank, cows were out of water... see once it drains the reservoir tank... no water in their house. They had some new water lines put in last year to some frost proof spigots... for all this stupid rotational grazing on the switch grass they are so in love with.... and NEVER "thought about" putting in any shut offs to any of the lines... so instead of being able to shut off the line that was leaking... the cows had just been moved to the other field....they had to shut off all the water to all the pastures... So he had to go get them all in and get them moved...
These were going to get moved on Monday to the barn for preg checks on Wed....... BUT.... he had plans to "do something" for my birthday... turns out he had gotten tickets to go to the PBR event at the John Paul Jones arena an hour away.... and he was in the middle of no-till drilling a field with orchard grass seed....so having to move cattle was a VERY VERY big inconvenience... He had gotten them in and was going to get the first load... I was 1 1/2 hours away when he first called....... I got there, as he got back to get the 2nd load... it is a pain to deal with the gates and stuff getting in to load there... so helped him load out and then helped with the 3rd load so he could get them back and unloaded and I shut gates and all that.....
He did not have time to go back to finish the planting... luckily had gotten all the seed in the drill.... and the extra bags inside the truck on the seat... BECAUSE... we wound up getting rain last evening.

We went to the PBR show, and it had started to sprinkle a little as we were in line... it really rained during the event... came out to wet roads and alot of branches, leaves down closer to home...

We wound up getting 1/2 inch total in the rain gauge this morning....

So, it is too wet for him to plant because the soil will stick to the coulters and such and will not feed down the tubes on the planter... he is not happy, because it would have been perfect for the rain to have settled the soil in around the newly planted field... and if they had put in shut offs on the water lines like any sensible person would have done... he could have turned off the water to the leaking faucet and the cows would have been able to have water in the field he had just moved them into the other day... Only saving grace is he had just set up the panels for the catch pen, so he managed to get them in... but it was miserable hot out there ... 90 degrees, no shade in the pen... and they had been out of water for at least most of the day when the owners ran out of water in the house... he had checked their water trough when he moved them in there the other day and all was fine....

And I just texted him and told him we got the 1/2 inch... and he said that he was not going to try to plant today anyway.... he had a kidney stone attack this morning early and wound up taking himself to the ER... they gave him some pain meds and something to try to help him pass it... he has to make an appt with a urologist... he has had kidney stones before....

It's cloudy and possibility of some more showers... not a very good day. He is going to have to go feed some hay to those cows at the barn later I think... I will talk to him so I can go open and shut gates if he needs me too so the cows don't come out... wasn't planning on them being there this soon...

ALWAYS SOMETHING......

 

[fuzzi]

Hope you hd a good time at the poultry show.

What kind/brand of zero turn battery lawn mower did you buy? I am thinking about getting one for DH so he can mow the front and back lawns instead of continuing to pay this gardener. I am holding a grudge over the $150 worth of plants that he mowed off - particularly since the plumbago and lantana were blooming! Who doesn't notice 18-24" tall plants with blue or yellow or orange flowers on them? I suppose he would have tried to mow down the metal sunflowers I hadn't stuck in the flower beds yet too! This is not the orginal gardner I used for the fruit trees. Jeremy sold his lawn care machines to this new guy, Eric, that used to work for him to help him set up a business for himself. Eric doesn't seem to come every week like Jeremy did but am payong him the same amount. I think it would be better to buy a mower. The tractor mower is too large for the lawns since there are lots of trees to go around.

I am going to bring my 36" wide x 30" tall metal garden panels with me to guard the flowers I plant. They are movable, pin together, and look like wrought iron. Since there are no dogs here anymore, the panels are not necessary in CA. I can use them in the front and back yards in Texas. DS2 cn teach his new Boxer pups to dig on the field. LOL

I hired a man with a chainsaw to clear an overgrown garden of saplings. I specifically said "Do not go beyond these green stakes" (t posts). Yep, he did, and cut down my blueberry bushes. Then he sulked when I paid him because I also asked him why he couldn't follow simple instructions? I'd never hire him again.

 

[farmerjan]

Went down and helped DS with opening some gates so he could feed hay... he is hurting but not like it was... but the cows we just had to move yesterday are not happy being there and not out to green pasture... So, they would have tried to come out the gate...
He did go across the road and did some of the seeding ... don't know if he finished.
I went up to nurse cow pasture and of course, all the bigger calves came in... and DS not in any shape to be moving them to the barn, and banding the bigger calves. Tomorrow I will try to get in some of the heifers that were there being bred, so they can go through the vet check on Wed. Then they could go out to pasture with the others that are bred for a couple more months... Water trough at the nurse cow pasture was full, so the rain really helped.
Brought the boxes of bottle in to put in the racks for tomorrow morning... Have to leave by about 3:45 or so to be out there by 5.... I will put bottles in racks/trays for Tuesday also.

68 up to 80 and mostly sun all day. Nice, not humid so comfortable. Weather forecast is calling for chances of rain every day for the next 7 days... like 40-60% chances...
The grass was wet for a good part of the day so I did not do any mowing. I am tired this evening, so not going to even start. Maybe if I get some of the cows in tomorrow, I could do some mowing if it doesn't rain... Guess it will get done when it gets done. Would be nice to get the front done so the grass is short if it is rainy and wet out there.