Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Auto parts, Toys, clothes, things like that are issues eventually. Not now. Most stores have backstock -- esp groceries for several months. Except that after this hurricane flood disaster, some grocery AND lumber, tools, etc will be short due to needs for those issues.

I know after a couple huge hurricanes, repair items were in short supply. Materials to make more of some things also..... It's a wait and see thing.

I do know the damage to some crops will trickle down from the hurricane. Uprooted pecan groves, fields of grains for oils, flour, etc....loss of more poultry farms for meat & egg, processing plants. Those will show up before long in grocery & restaurants. We who have plenty stocked won't notice as much.

 

[farmerjan]

Saturday morning. NICE out, 58 to start but already up to 65 and the SUN is out full "strength"... We are supposed to have a very warm sunny weekend, but then temps will go from the 80ish range down to the LOW70's or 60's days by mid week. Drier air and nights back down to the 40's. Fall is coming this time for real.

Laundry in the basket and another load in the washer to go out in just a little bit. The grass will dry significantly to get some mowing done today....

Had to get some computer stuff done and issues with trying to set up an online account with my finally received Rural King card... somehow it just would not let me set up to pay online... PITA... but very nice helpful person with the company that handles their card... and got it done.

Got the samples packed and sent off yesterday after the testing. Stopped at the groc store for a few things I forgot the other day... think I finally got all that I was wanting/needing.

I think after it dries off that DS will get some hay mowed late this afternoon. It will take longer to dry with the cooler weather coming on and the heavier dew we will have in the mornings now. Oh well, part of it.

So, good day to get things going....

 

[farmerjan]

Back in for a bit. Got 2 loads of clothes hung and a third soaking to put out tomorrow.. Sun forecast for the next week or so mostly.
Moved all the good crenshaw melons onto the hay mulch and a couple are being gnawed so probably a ground hog.... Trap time again... Got all the butternuts in one area too. Picked up the soaker hoses I had put back out and put several other hoses all in the "winter squash" patch also so I can get out and mow. Need to roll them up to store for winter.
Couple of the real tall sunflowers came over in the rain/wind of the hurricane; got them off the fence and will probably cut the heads off and move in to dry as these are HUGE heads... want to save some seeds and since this bunch got planted late, should be pollinated just with each other when they were in full flower. Something, probably birds are starting to work on them. I would rather they mature more on the stalk... might figure out something to help cover them.... Way too big for the pantyhose trick... heads are 12-18 inches across on several. They are real tall too.
Still alot of green on potato plants in the later section. LOTS of weeds too... Quite a few tomatoes so will have them for awhile. There are a couple of the young yellow squash plants coming along... I may cover them with a "low tunnel" when the temps drop this week... Ground hog must have been working on the green beans, most are stripped... NEXT YEAR.....

Moved a few other things so I can get things cut with the mower... will mow a clean swath around some of the area, and move the electric netting some .... really think I am going to bring that single bull calf home... need something to eat all this grass instead of wasting it by mowing.

Need some lunch and then will go back out.

 

[fuzzi]

Wed eve. Started out clouds and fog... cleared off to mostly sun, then clouded up late and we got some misty stuff then all of a sudden a good quick hard shower... 62 to 77 ...
There was .3 inch in the gauge this morning from the misty/showers yesterday...

Went to the CT scan... the "my chart" thing said it would take 35 minutes... There was all sorts of construction "detours" but found it okay... went in,. they called me in at 8:00, went in and it was a pretty fancy thing... laid on the gurney and it went into the tube but it was very open except for the actual part that the thing goes around... It was uncomfortable to lay with the bad arm down at my side with the palm facing up and the other arm above my head and I figured I could stand it for a half hour... the thing went around... then gurney thing moved...did that twice.... and I figured they were getting it all "sighted in" so to speak... and the girl comes out and says okay, we're done... and I looked at her and I said really... and she said, yes, pretty neat huh? And I said that the info on the "my chart" where I did the pre sign in, said 35 min... and she said, NOPE, all done... I was in there less than 10 MINUTES....
So.... I left and came across and went to Sharp Shopper since I had to go right by it... checking on that iced coffee drink I like.... didn't have that, got a couple things, and went by the hardware store and got the rubber "tips" that go on the end of the cane seat I use... they are 3/4 inch and everyone has 7/8 inch and they fall off.... came on home.

I had put clothes in the wash yesterday to soak them, white socks and such... and so finished running them through and was thinking about hanging them but forecast was saying possible showers later... I didn't get them out and I am glad now.

DS called and they finally got home...neighbor went with him to drive... he had a talk with the Doc that is still the "head of his treatment protocol".... and then the workman's comp lady was there and doc wrote a letter that said he still needs to be off work... pending some further tests and treatments they are trying... this is the next step to when he probably goes off on long term disability... or early retirement... whatever he/his doctors think... He has had some really bad headaches again the last few days... They went to Rural King and stopped at the lawyer's also...
He said he was going to open the gate to the "alley" and see if the cows would come down out of the field... then he was going to get them across the driveway into the barn and we would work the calves and sort them out and then he would let the still pregnant ones back up in the "calving field" and put the ones with calves up the alley and into the other field... less to feed in the calving field... and calves will be out on green grass in the other pasture...
Called me a little later, he had them all in the alley that he wanted... had cut out some that had not calved yet... so I helped him sort a few others, then we took the rest to the barn. Cut out more cows that hadn't calved and got them all run back out across the driveway into the alley for the time being so they could eat a little of the grass; then got the calves all sorted out from the cows and then he banded the little bull calves and we gave all them blackleg shots. Went and got the cows back into the calving field, then he got the cows and calves and brought them across and ran them up the alley and out on grass... Then we got in the 4 calves he had bought... banded 2 and gave shots... but one other that was a "bull" may be a monorchid... he did not like what he was feeling... and the one that was supposed to be a steer felt like he might have a nut still up inside... We gave them all tetanus shots and blackleg... and will have the vet look at these 2 the next time we have a preg check... then at least if they have to get cut, they have had a first tetanus, and can get a 2nd booster shot and it will help to prevent any possibility of them coming down with it and dying...

So he then went and took 3 rolls up to the cows in the calving field, for him being gone the next 2 days.... with 12 less cows in there they won't go through near as much... he was feeding a roll a day and they were cleaning it up but there were over 40 in there.. I think there is still about 30 in there but could not get a good count ... still 12 out will really slow down the hay consumption...

I got home about 6:30-near 7. He was going to go and get some sleep as they are leaving real early to go to the "car show/flea market" thing.
Tomorrow, I will feed the grain at the barn... and take the meters to the farm to get set up and then go back later to test. Maybe hang these clothes if the weather forecast has finally changed... And maybe it might start to dry out enough to try mowing some of the grass in the front that is getting taller and your feet get really wet going out there. But the rain we have had has been really good ... the hay across the road that he got seeded, is coming up really good... I feel so bad for the ones south of here with the horrendous devastation... we were very fortunate to get what we have gotten in the manner it has come down. The ground was so terribly dry and now is very saturated... and it is percolating down into the lower layers which is a blessing.

Time to quit for the night.

Sorry about your DS VA issues.

My dh is on disability, and they're supposed to audit how I have spent the payments. I read that they can take it back if you don't spend enough!

 

[farmerjan]

Ran the mower until the batteries ran out. The grass is high, had to go slower, so it works harder and uses the batteries up faster. But they are on charge and will be ready for tomorrow to do a little more. Got the 2 extras for the push mower charged up too... going to use that around the house some. Plus I am going to get the cart and pick up some of the branches and stuff and put on the pile and see about burning it. It is a small pile but want to get it cleaned up... maybe ought to wait and put it in the garden this winter and do it though... still got to pick up the branches off the lawn from the last storm.....and going to make a compost pile in the garden and start putting stuff in it.

The grey birches have about lost all their leaves, so I want to let the grass dry a day or 2 and then sweep them and the leaves all up for using in the chicken coop when I get the Buff Leghorns in Nov... alot of general yard cleanup needs to be done... It will be a few weeks before the maple tree in the front yard turns colors and they start to fall.

Need to take the weed eater all around the back of the house and get it tidied up some too...got lots of projects to do and the little cooler weather makes it alot better.

 

[Baymule]

The leaves from the maple will make great chicken coop mulch. I used to make my husband stop for bagged leaves on the curb, and filled the coop with them. Chickens loved the leaves. They scratched them to bits, pooped all over them and made beautiful black crumbly compost for the garden.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, I always used to use leaves in CT before I moved south, and then used them here mixed with the shavings... They don't "put them out in bags here", and the ones from around in the town I don't like the "junk" that gets mixed in them... plus chemicals on the fancy lawns... But can utilize the ones from my trees.

Sun and some passing clouds out there. Was a cool 54 this morning... getting cooler nights for the next 4-5 days then leveling out a bit more.

Heading out to get the mower and cart hooked up and see about getting some of the small branches picked up and more stuff. Takes a long time for the dew to dry off the grass in the morning now. Had some fog this morning but not as bad here... one of the advantages of living on the ridge here.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, have been a little helter skelter today but got some things done and more "partially.... started" !!!! Used the batteries up on the push mower and did a bunch of stuff... more to do... but I got side tracked with the riding mower and got the cart hooked up... got some branches loaded and more ready to pick up. Moved the cars around some so I could do a little mowing around where they were before.

Washed out a cooler chest so it can dry out and then get put away. Got a couple of buckets washed out too... The big cooler chest needs a good washing to put it away too.
Put more soapy water in a couple more buckets that need to get washed out. Got to get ready for potato digging here soon.

Going to get a piece of cardboard to put on the bottom of the one "wagon" I have that is all metal, to protect the butternut and crenshaw squashes and get them loaded up tomorrow. Wanted them to "cure" a little in the garden after getting them all up out of the grass and all...then will move them out of the sun and figure out storage... but they will off the ground and will have air getting around them too as the skins cure harder.

Just puttering type things outside that take some time... not killing myself to do them but working on things. Got a couple feed bags of stuff to go to the dumpster... and got more cardboard and crappy stuff to go out in the garden into a compost pile. Debating whether to actually make a "bin" or just dump in the garden for the chickens to scratch around and "compost" for me. Probably just let the chickens do it.

Walked around looking at where the perimeter fence is going and where I want the gates...

Forgot to let the clothes finish washing and run through the rins
e... left the lid up... so will get them finished and hung tomorrow. Then bring in the other ones..... They were dry, but will get damp from the dew so will have to wait for the afternoon to actually take them off the line. Time to do all the blankets and such that I want to "smell nice, like outdoors" and get hung out to get that "clean smell"...

Just ate a hamburger, and going to watch a movie and work on some more of the papers and stuff that have gotten piled up.

DS mowed some he said... have not seen him since when he left to go to PA with that friend of his... doesn't sound like he is too "happy" today... but he may have a headache again for all I know. Said in his text back, when I asked if he mowed or did he need a ride or something anywhere... that he mowed some at Deb's and would be doing a bunch tomorrow... He was missing seeing the kids and the sister couldn't give him the courtesy of a text back for several days... then sent a long chatty text like they were best friends... yet could not give him a day/time when he could get her 2.....the whole family is selfish self centered, with no thoughts further than themselves... what suits them and to he// with anyone else unless it suits them.... yet still say that she wants him to stay in the kids lives.....


The forecast is for clear and sunny for at least the next 10 days... 70 and 40 for lows... maybe a little cooler. Will get something rigged up for the summer squash plants to protect from the night time chills... Got to think about getting the spider plants and all back in the house here soon too...

 

[farmerjan]

Up to a warmer 60 this morning... expected it to be cooler since it was in the mid 50's the last 2 nights. Sun is up and field across the road looks good. The Orchard grass he drilled in after cutting off the wheat/rye/og mix from the drought conditions this summer, is really coming up good. Ought to be a really nice field next year.

Going to work on a few things here in the house, while waiting for the grass to dry off. It was not as wet as I thought, but still too wet to mow without getting all gummed up under the mower deck. I need to get the meters out of the car since I will not be using them for a few days.. and won't need 24 again for 6-8 weeks at least. And get the hoses back in the "totes" , so I can find the sizes I need when I do need meters again.
I had stopped my automatic box shipments, for 2 weeks, because I had way more than I needed... then had a couple of bigger farms test, that I wasn't expecting... and have used ALL the boxes of bottles I had here... so I called and left a message to please make sure they send boxes of bottles to me this week. Back on the automatic shipments..... Feast or Famine, all the time....

Clothes ready to go out on the line. Going to eat something and get my day going...

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm also using my morning "grass dry time" to do a little in the house -- the dreaded work . At least it's something done, less annoying. Yesterday I scrubbed the microwave, and cleared a cabinet, cleaned it & re organized. Love results, hate the job. Maybe by end of week they'll all get done