Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

LOVE your friend's cookstove.... her's is vented and the propane stove I put in here is not vented. I have alot of "cracks" in this old house so not worried about any problems from the "non-vented" status.... it is supposed to be 99% efficient burning the propane....

The top has gotten a bit hotter when it stays on for long period of times... like now that it is getting colder outside tonight... so that is good... the thermostat kicks it on and off and it is staying on longer and comes on more often. So, I can live with that.

It is getting COLDER... It is down to 10 already at 9 p.m. Tomorrow is not supposed to get out of the teens. Tomorrow night down to 0 (ZERO).....
Glad the vet appt is postponed to the following wed (29th).. for Nelson's cows. Jason..(son)... said they are going to pull calves off and sell the biggest ones on Friday... DS said there are a bunch that are over 500-600 lbs... and they are eating like no tomorrow... with this cold, it is no wonder... They do not wean and hold for 45 or 60 days like we mostly always do.....
DS said he said something today that their cows need more to eat... they are only feeding 5 rolls a day to over 65 cows plus all the calves.. and these are 4x5 rolls so only weigh about 800 lbs.... should be feeding a roll per 10 cows in this cold... We are feeding one roll per 20 cows a day... and they are 5x5.5 rolls... weighing 1,000-1100 lbs average... we figure about 40-50 lbs hay per animal per day....Jason said that 5 rolls was enough...
He took hay in to the nurse cow pasture and said they had close to 3/4th's roll's worth left between the 2 spots... over 1/2 roll in the hay ring down over the hill... and still some left up top in one spot... the other spot cleaned up pretty good; so only fed 1 roll in there today... which is fine... no sense in wasting it...

I put the jersey out after she ate her grain. There was a sheet of ice on a couple of the troughs that was not terribly thick... cow had chance to drink and I broke the ice on one of the big trough's and took the ice out so the calves went out to drink there. Unfortunately, they will freeze up alot more tonight with the much colder temps. The black tubs did absorb some of the sun today which was good. They will freeze up pretty bad the next 2 days and nights with temps not going to get above freezing...
So far the water trough is still open and running, down the bottom of the hill. Might not be in another day or 2...

I am going to see about getting a couple protein/molasses tubs for the nurse cow pasture for these heifers, and the jersey, to eat on with this cold... keep their body conditions up.

Tomorrow I go meet up with a former tester for a little get together in the morning since she is going to be 15 miles north in town... and then go to the chiropractor appt. . Was going to see about testing the 500 cow herd maybe Wed but not going to... it is going to just be too cold. May very well not test the other farm here that wanted to maybe test Thurs night/Fri morning... we'll see how cold it is Thursday.

I am going to the memorial service on Thursday for the tester friend that passed away. DS said it was no big deal if I didn't go with him to the dr appt.... he knew the tester and said he thought I ought to go. He will take the truck since he has to get the ton of prepaid feed that we have coming. I will have to unload a bunch of it on Friday... several metal cans in the "hay section" of the nurse cow barn and will put a bunch of bags in the red car too.... I think he is going to take some for the calves at the barn too. I have a couple calves in there, they are eating the feed he gets delivered to the barn in the big bin... so he can take some of this feed for them too.

I'm going in to see about a shower... if the water is still running...

 

[fuzzi]

A friend of mine bought a refurbished gas stove...I don't think my floors could handle it but it's a beauty!

 

[Baymule]

Wow! That’s beautiful! I love it!

 

[Ridgetop]

My aunt had a wood stove in the WA house. When we sold the place I kept the wood stove and brught it to California. I want to bring it to Texas eventually when we decide where to put it. If we extend the tack/feed room, I coud put it there and it would not only warm up the place but allow us to boil water for the animal buckets. Or if we put up a workshop we could put it there. Not as pretty as the yellow one, just a basic white enamel stove with oven but the cooktop is in pristine condition.

 

[farmerjan]

A bit cold here...It was 7 yesterday and got up to the mid 20's... had a long day. Did get to visit with the former tester that "retired" about 1 1/2 years ago... then went to the chiropractor and it really helped... he said I needed to get some more adjustments done... several very sore to the touch spots down the spine... said the hand was connected to the spot in the neck he adjusted... it is still numb/tingley... will take a couple times to get it right but he agrees that I need to get back to a more regular maintenance... which I pretty much knew. Got an appt in 2 weeks., and might go for one next week as DS said he has a dr appt with that new specialist in Roanoke so quite near the chiropractor... can save a trip/fuel etc.... Chiropractor said I needed to get a session with the massage therapist too , and get back some of the looser feel to the spine....

This morning it showed it was down to 4... Up to about 16... but I think the sun is on the recorder, right now.

Water was froze here in the house last evening... opened the faucets a bit... couldn't leave them dripping previously, because of lack of good water pressure; (do not need to cause the pump to burn out) all going back to DS not going down to see what the pressure problem has been after multiple requests, for several months.... And not getting the heater I bought last year, hooked up, in a timely manner.... so it could run on low and just keep the crawl space/cellar area above freezing.... Now, if I get past this with no split pipes... will have to wait for the weather to warm up a bit the end of the week... I will get a plumber to determine the lack of water pressure and see exactly what all I need to get the heater put in. I got a screw in light fixture with a plug in the side of it.,...I don't think there are any plugs/receptacles down there but I honestly don't know.... I cannot get in and out the crawl space area to get in there... well, I can get in but cannot climb on my knees to get back out and there is no other way to access that area. I honestly am afraid to get down there and not be able to get back out since it can only be crawled up out the steep slope that is right at the opening in the foundation, and it goes down into the area when wanting/trying to make a cellar under the house... I am thinking there has to be a way to make a couple of graduated steps/flat levels, like so that you can get up a level or 2 and then slither up and out the doorway. Terraced in some way.... The cellar was dug out so that I can stand so it is a steep slope to get out... not a gradual one. Like a "slide" to get in there... I'm done asking DS.

I am hoping the outside faucet that is fed directly from the well before it goes into the house, will work after it warms up some outside. It had water all last winter through the one real sharp cold snap of several days of single digit temps..... mid January, 'cuz I got the calf coats for the little calves when it got so cold... It has always had full pressure on the hoses, even this fall when the house water pressure dropped; so I know the lack of water pressure in the house is connected to the pressure tank in the cellar area... If it warms up enough that I will be able to draw water from the outside faucet, then I will get a couple buckets for the calves at the barn. I brought the water in from the NH rooster and it thawed overnight so will take it back out this morning. Otherwise I will take a couple buckets to the hydrant at the barn and get them water for up at the barn, and the couple calves. And bring a couple more home here for now. Supposed to warm up starting tomorrow... 30's then 40's Friday... nights only down in the 20's...

Time to get outside and see what is what.