Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[murphysranch]

First my SIL got pneumonia over the Xmas holiday. Then my DD got it this past week. And they are YOUNG!! early 40's and late 30's.

Nothing to fool with, folks.

 

[farmerjan]

In for the night. Went up to do the cow before and she was glad to go in. I wasn't going to leave her in, but didn't want to spend an hour waiting for her to eat every single drop of her grain... and the calves were eating so I put hay in the bunk and left her in. Water in a couple of the troughs, ice was melting and snow melt. I will kick her out tomorrow.

It started out at 22 and went up to 46 on the recording thermometer... 49 in the sun for a little bit. Nicest thing is the wind was very light so really saw some melting today. I let the NH cockerel out but he didn't like the snow. Put the cats back in the house since the one liked to sit right under the bird feeder today, since it was warmer. As soon as I put them back in, the birds came right back and some on the ground eating some seeds that were getting knocked out. Wanted to let the birds eat during the nice weather.... cats can go back out this evening if they want.

It is supposed to drop way down tonight as another cold front comes in... mid teens with tomorrow not getting much above freezing. Colder for Tues and Wed.... then a bit of a warm up and some possible rain over the weekend. If it does, it ought to take care of much of the snow. The temps are forecast to drop down into "frigid" the following week. If so, and the snow is gone, we will be getting the cows out of that other pasture.

Slept wrong and have some numbness in the right ring finger, and that side of the hand... Not up the arm or anything... Had this happen a couple times. This is the hand that suffered through the accident years ago, and had the reconstructive work on to make it functional. So occasionally it will not get a proper signal from the nerves from the spine. Not worried, just drives me nuts to have that finger have the tingly numbness. I am going to call the chiropractor tomorrow... I need to get an adjustment.....the pain in the right leg is still there so the sciatic nerve is still not right.... he will work on the hand too and get it just a little "straightened out" and then it will be fine. Been too long, and I hope that it also will help me to get over this cold thing... Used to be when he kept me in good alignment, I hardly got sick. Seen it time after time... past time to get it realigned. Past time for a good massage to loosen things back up too...

Caught another mouse on the counter... and another got out of the trap... blood on the counter. GRRR... so will keep setting the traps.

The forester battery was dead because the back hatch wasn't shut tight and light was on. DUMB.... so I jumped it... barely had to hook up the cables, but with the cold, there was not quite enough reserve after setting last night.... so when I went up to the cow, let it run so it could charge for awhile.

Got a set of pipe wrenches so going to try to get the old stove unhooked and the new one out of the box and the blower attached and then hooked up. That's my project for this evening.

I just ate some chicken and then going to see what I can do...

Got a farm set up for Thurs aft this week, another for Tuesday next week. Talked to the gen mgr and she is being a jerk about this herd that wants to go back on... supposedly there is some back charges that the company wrote off... 5 years ago... they want it paid up and all this other stuff... I do not want to deal with her any longer... I am thinking that this might be my last year... I have about had my fill... I have 4 farms that need meters to test... so that will be a problem... I am thinking that the rest I can just go "help them", do their work on farm and let them pay me direct... I don't know... I am just aggravated with her... she does nothing to help the farmers and if it wasn't for her "having" to make the decisions on farms to go on test... I would not work through her at all.... I told the farmer that he could possibly go through the Lancaster Assoc that now does all our samples and such... and I could come and do the work for him.... work around it... I don't know all that it would take if he wants to send off samples and all.... I don't know... I did tell him that policy is that a check must accompany all samples sent in now unless the account has been established... so that would prevent him not paying in the future... and that I do not test any herds with a balance due on account now... He was not good about getting the bills paid back 5-10 years ago... but that is not my deal... they extended that amount of leniency to him... I did not test when they said not to... should not have let it go that far.... but we are given a do not test list.... so if they are on it... I don't go test...
Oh well.....

Got to get a couple more set up.... I see another call from a farm that does their own testing... owner sampler, that called today when I was at the barn.....been a couple months... they call me, I don't chase after them. Haven't gotten the 500 cow herd done yet...

Still haven't heard from DS about the funeral for Nelson either... and have to do the vet check for his cows on Wed., the 22nd.

Well, going to try to get this old stove off and the new one hooked up...

 

[fuzzi]

When my fingers go numb it's usually due to something in my neck. Stretches sometimes help.

 

[farmerjan]

When my fingers go numb it's usually due to something in my neck. Stretches sometimes help.

Yeah, from the C-2 fracture back in the wreck in 1989, there are places that if I sleep wrong, just turn wrong, it can cause the right hand some problems. Chiropractor gave me back use of arm in 1991 when all other "conventional medicine" said there was nothing they could do.... and it is nearly always the right side. He said there is only so much he can do now for the range of motion pain and not being able to lift it above my head anymore... so if I sleep wrong, turn wrong, it will sometimes pinch/compress/whatever... in the right hand; he has been able to maneuver my neck and get it straightened out. Same with the right leg... it all has to do with the right side and is in a good part due to that accident in 1989.
I could have been totally paralyzed from the neck down, and he gave me back functional use for the last 30 plus years... I naturally want more... but am thankful for what I have had all these years...

Like everyone else, I want it all... including to go back about 20 or more years and have time stop too... my 50's were pretty decent... 40's even better but I am not overly greedy.... I'd gladly settle for a rejuvenation back 20 years ago

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday night. It was 19 this morning, got up to 36 with a 41 for a few minutes in the sun... but it was windy all day.
Wind has picked up here this evening and very GUSTY.

Did the cow and turned her out, she was not happy but DS had just put a new roll in there plus the other one is not gone, so she can manage. There actually was a little water dripping off the roof but it will have frozen fast. Calves got grain and then I opened up both sides of the barn for them. There was some hay left and I want them to clean it up a bit. They should have been able to get a drink before it froze since she was out. made sure to break up some ice in there and it was floating in the trough.

Funereal is Thursday, so had to text the farm to change it and of course he wants Wed instead of Friday... and of course it is going to be miserable cold. The temps tonight are supposed to get down in the single digits, but the wind chill is supposed to be around + 5 to -5 overnight.
Another farm called and I will call him back in the morning... the one up the road... I can take the meters to him Thurs morning I guess and do his 9 pm and 5 am Friday... I am not doing 5 am and then 1 pm test... I am not going to set up late Thursday to go back twice on Friday. He can like it or lump it.

Cannot get the flexible hose off the stove... going to have to ask DS AGAIN, if he would do it....

Went to the local Cattleman's assoc dinner this evening... DS called me Monday morning to say it was Tues night. He was supposed to meet me and called and said he was running late with feeding and said I should go by myself and he would finish up and be late. He then texted me about an hour later and sid he was just getting done and he would not be coming. I have no doubt he was doing feeding and stuff, but then it was an excuse to not come late. He is not getting going as early in the morning as he used to because of either spending time with her or being on the phone half the night I am pretty sure... Not my concern anymore.

So, I am going to get the bottles in the trays, and then leave early enough tomorrow to go by and drop bottles for the owner sampler farm also. I will not pick them up until at least Friday or when he says he is going to get them done. I honestly am not overly concerned about it. It's been 3 months since he wanted to test, so I am not jumping through hoops for him.
The worst thing is I have to set up meters tomorrow... and it is going to be just flat out cold by 6 or so when they will be done with the wash cycles to pull down. Oh well, part of it...


It's down to20, so I am going in to go to bed. "Turned on the bed" as soon as I got home... ought to be toasty warm. Will have to set the alarm and get up and get going tomorrow... Need to leave by 11 to get everything done and set up to test by 1:30....

 

[Ridgetop]

50's were pretty decent... 40's even better but I am not overly greedy.... I'd gladly settle for a rejuvenation back 20 years ago

Me too!

Cannot get the flexible hose off the stove... going to have to ask DS AGAIN, if he would do it....

Can you spray the connection with white lithium grease? DS1 likes it better than WD-40 for frozen or rusted joints.

 

[Baymule]

Dairy testing is so cold in winter, aren’t the barns open sides? That’s even worse! I’d be so wrapped up in every article of warm clothing I had, that I’d be a blob of dirty laundry.

 

[Mini Horses]

Maybe we could "delete" winter -- it's just so annoying!

 

[farmerjan]

Colder than a witch's tit this morning... 11 and wind was rough for awhile last night. Sun is out, up to about 25 so far.
Sample bottles in rack for farm and for drop off at other farm. Going out to water cockerel and give him some sweet cow feed for the molasses to help with energy.... sugar boost thing... they like it. Got to get trays in car...

DS took the 3 crazy cows and calves to stockyard early along with a couple bulls for another guy that needed to get them semen tested before the monthly "bred cow" sale... which also includes cow/calf pairs and such. Didn't know he was going to take them, today... but whatever... Be glad they are out of the barn and nut case behavior gone so the other weaned calves still in there might calm down more. They ought to do good.

Said he had another calf on the hill , so looks like 3 of the 4 that were due, got bred again 3 weeks later... but at least they have a calf... 2 are nearly a month now, and this one. DS is going to put the cow that he brought home from the pasture with her small new calf the other day, up there with them too. Then she can get bred back in June and no more winter time, cold as he//, calves being born.
My "grey smoke" cow at the nurse cow pasture also had her calf.... a big bull calf... wanted a heifer calf but a a healthy bull calf beats a dead calf... she is the last of the line, so I wanted a calf to replace her. Lost the other one out of that old family last year... freak thing.... Smokey was my first original beef calf I raised as a baby calf... had lots of her daughters over the years and have culled out etc... most had bull calves so not near as much to choose from... but black smoke and grey smoke both were nice enough to keep and sadly have had nearly all bull calves also. One or 2 nut case heifers I sold, and one wouldn't breed....Oh well, if all goes well, maybe she will have a heifer next time... She is probably 8 so has a few years left if all goes normal. Just glad she has a healthy calf... Had it Sun night/Mon morning, so had a good day of warmer temps, to get a start. Grey smoke is a good momma and has quite an udder.

Time to get going...

 

[Ridgetop]

Glad you are not losing calves in this weather. Getting the crazy ones gone is a plus too.