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farmerjan
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Friday, late afternoon.. It's been a long hot day. But that is good because the little bit of green in the hay that I turned up was drying fast... and it was about 1-2 hours before DS got there to start baling.
DS came by the house, he forgot his phone at her house, so called her with my phone so she could bring it later when she was coming this way. He had me go with him to get his other truck that was left at one of the pastures, as there were tools he needed...dropped it off at the farm, then we went by and checked on the sorghum-sudan grass he had planted..(.on the way to drop me back off at my house)..... and the screw up by the one co-op and the section they never killed with the spray... like he said, that is why he PAYS a PROFESSIONAL to come do what little spraying we have done to kill stuff... in this case it was some grass, lots of weeds of all types.... and he wanted to put sorghum-sudan in there so we will get a decent crop off it for 2nd cutting since the weedy crap grass is not worth cutting...
Anyway, they missed a good sized section and the sorghum-sudan grass will not come up good if at all in that section..competition by the weeds..... so wasted seed planting on top of having weedy crap grass there... the people that own the house and the one next door, were wanting DS to improve the ground some...
This was one place that got split, "old house" and land sold and new house built on split off section... and they are both "part-time" residents.. but want it kept up and improved for future retirement.... Ground is rough around new house, contractors did a LOUSY job with grading etc... and DS and the people have got an agreement for him to do a little grading... as in discing/harrowing the ground to smooth it out, get rid of the ditches and ridges.... and to do some work on the "old house" land also, where it is also roughly graded.... so kill the old crap grass/weeds....plant the sorghum-sudan, get a decent crop out of it... then after frost kills it off, do some work on it to make it smoother.... and reseed it in the spring... probably will do sorghum-sudan grass again next year, then after the ground is leveled off and not so rough, put it back in a grass mixture for hay... It is probably too far to haul corn silage back to the barn... although that is an option... but to make it a decent hayfield overall... they naturally are contiguous so make the hay all in one piece...
So, I watered the birds, filled feeders, when he dropped me off, and then headed for the tractor and rake... Got on it about 10:30... and headed to Fred's hay fields.
Got his lower hayfield raked with no problem... had the usual ledges/rocks to rake around and the ground hog holes... then went up in the upper, bigger field... It went along until about 1/2 way .... and one spring on the rake wheel came off... and another one broke on another wheel... There are 7 big wheels on a side.
Not a big deal, I cannot get it back on by myself.... takes one person to hold the wheel up so it is easier to reattach the spring, and you need a big vice grips to hold the end of the spring and twist it on to the metal bar that holds it... the spring holds the wheel so it will bounce/float on the ground... other wise the weight makes it sit down so "hard" that it drags and digs in...
BUT, no phone to call DS because he still had my phone ...which I told him to keep til he got his back today.. and I couldn't call him if he had given back mine, because he hadn't gotten his back yet... So I figured he would be along soon to start baling and he could help me get the 2 springs "fixed".... So, I parked the tractor under a tree and drank 2 bottles of water and waited.
He finally got there... and I helped hold up the wheels (they are on arms that hold them up to transport or drop down to rake) so he can attach the one spring... then took the other off, and forced the broken end into the bar past the end where the hook was supposed to be, and then reattached it so I could go on and rake. By this time, he had gotten his phone, gave me mine... and he has Colt... so that tells me that is why he is soo late getting there because there is all the drama crap... seems "she" is fighting with her sister again.... I am SOOOO glad that I am not directly in that drama, BS CRAP all the time... but this is why he can be an absolute A**hole all the time...
So, I finished raking... and he was about done baling the "small field"... it is a nice long rectangle so easy to rake and all except watching for the ground hog holes and the couple pieces of ledge/rock..... With the hold up waiting for help to fix the rake... luckily minor with the springs... I was gone for about 6 hours... and it was HOT out there later finishing up the big upper field... BUT... it is raked... he was working on getting it all baled... Turns out the sister was coming to pick up Colt... and DS saw her truck at the gate at the bottome of the hill at the road... so we put Colt up on the tractor with me... he stood on the top step, held on to the fender (hand hold space) and the back of the seat, and I could put my arm in front of him, and hold the fender, so he couldn't fall/slip off and we went down through the gate and DS shut the gate behind me (there are cows in the pasture that you drive through to get to the hay fields)... and went slowly down through the field with the tractor and rake and delivered him to his mom at the bottom of the hill.... I am perfectly civil to her, so we just exchanged hi's and it's hot.... and then I said Colt would have to get in her truck so she could move it since I could not make the swing out the gate where she was parked... which was no big deal... she didn't know.... so we said bye, and she left and I went out the gate, made the big swing for the length of the rake... then backed up so I could shut that gate along the road..
I then went to the field where I got the tractor from, where my car was, and stopped at Wendy's since I was about half sick from the heat and needing to eat... this was after 4.... and then got something in my stomach, and a big glass of lemonade... and finally came on home.
It got cloudy and I went on the computer and the radar showed rain north of here, 10-15 miles... but headed east... so we were lucky to dodge that one, and get this hay done... THEN he was going to bale all the hay for the friend that he cut it for the other day, that they had tedded and were going to rake.... 23 acres worth that DS said was thick and heavy.... So, I am hoping that it does continue east and not hit us today...
The clouds have thickened up here, radar shows some rain just west, but looks like it is also breaking up just as it gets here. Hope that he got Fred's done and is getting Glenn's done now...
The heat kicked my butt today...
I am going in to take a shower early... wash my hair and all the sweat and dirt off, and be clean and cooler for the night. I need to go in and wash dishes too... but I am whooped from the heat. Ought to do that though... need to make a gallon of tea tomorrow too... I'm out...
Just looked at the recording thermometer... guess ignorance is bliss... it hit 97 on the record... with heat index of 102.... NO WONDER, I got hot.... WOW.....
DS came by the house, he forgot his phone at her house, so called her with my phone so she could bring it later when she was coming this way. He had me go with him to get his other truck that was left at one of the pastures, as there were tools he needed...dropped it off at the farm, then we went by and checked on the sorghum-sudan grass he had planted..(.on the way to drop me back off at my house)..... and the screw up by the one co-op and the section they never killed with the spray... like he said, that is why he PAYS a PROFESSIONAL to come do what little spraying we have done to kill stuff... in this case it was some grass, lots of weeds of all types.... and he wanted to put sorghum-sudan in there so we will get a decent crop off it for 2nd cutting since the weedy crap grass is not worth cutting...
Anyway, they missed a good sized section and the sorghum-sudan grass will not come up good if at all in that section..competition by the weeds..... so wasted seed planting on top of having weedy crap grass there... the people that own the house and the one next door, were wanting DS to improve the ground some...
This was one place that got split, "old house" and land sold and new house built on split off section... and they are both "part-time" residents.. but want it kept up and improved for future retirement.... Ground is rough around new house, contractors did a LOUSY job with grading etc... and DS and the people have got an agreement for him to do a little grading... as in discing/harrowing the ground to smooth it out, get rid of the ditches and ridges.... and to do some work on the "old house" land also, where it is also roughly graded.... so kill the old crap grass/weeds....plant the sorghum-sudan, get a decent crop out of it... then after frost kills it off, do some work on it to make it smoother.... and reseed it in the spring... probably will do sorghum-sudan grass again next year, then after the ground is leveled off and not so rough, put it back in a grass mixture for hay... It is probably too far to haul corn silage back to the barn... although that is an option... but to make it a decent hayfield overall... they naturally are contiguous so make the hay all in one piece...
So, I watered the birds, filled feeders, when he dropped me off, and then headed for the tractor and rake... Got on it about 10:30... and headed to Fred's hay fields.
Got his lower hayfield raked with no problem... had the usual ledges/rocks to rake around and the ground hog holes... then went up in the upper, bigger field... It went along until about 1/2 way .... and one spring on the rake wheel came off... and another one broke on another wheel... There are 7 big wheels on a side.
Not a big deal, I cannot get it back on by myself.... takes one person to hold the wheel up so it is easier to reattach the spring, and you need a big vice grips to hold the end of the spring and twist it on to the metal bar that holds it... the spring holds the wheel so it will bounce/float on the ground... other wise the weight makes it sit down so "hard" that it drags and digs in...
BUT, no phone to call DS because he still had my phone ...which I told him to keep til he got his back today.. and I couldn't call him if he had given back mine, because he hadn't gotten his back yet... So I figured he would be along soon to start baling and he could help me get the 2 springs "fixed".... So, I parked the tractor under a tree and drank 2 bottles of water and waited.
He finally got there... and I helped hold up the wheels (they are on arms that hold them up to transport or drop down to rake) so he can attach the one spring... then took the other off, and forced the broken end into the bar past the end where the hook was supposed to be, and then reattached it so I could go on and rake. By this time, he had gotten his phone, gave me mine... and he has Colt... so that tells me that is why he is soo late getting there because there is all the drama crap... seems "she" is fighting with her sister again.... I am SOOOO glad that I am not directly in that drama, BS CRAP all the time... but this is why he can be an absolute A**hole all the time...
So, I finished raking... and he was about done baling the "small field"... it is a nice long rectangle so easy to rake and all except watching for the ground hog holes and the couple pieces of ledge/rock..... With the hold up waiting for help to fix the rake... luckily minor with the springs... I was gone for about 6 hours... and it was HOT out there later finishing up the big upper field... BUT... it is raked... he was working on getting it all baled... Turns out the sister was coming to pick up Colt... and DS saw her truck at the gate at the bottome of the hill at the road... so we put Colt up on the tractor with me... he stood on the top step, held on to the fender (hand hold space) and the back of the seat, and I could put my arm in front of him, and hold the fender, so he couldn't fall/slip off and we went down through the gate and DS shut the gate behind me (there are cows in the pasture that you drive through to get to the hay fields)... and went slowly down through the field with the tractor and rake and delivered him to his mom at the bottom of the hill.... I am perfectly civil to her, so we just exchanged hi's and it's hot.... and then I said Colt would have to get in her truck so she could move it since I could not make the swing out the gate where she was parked... which was no big deal... she didn't know.... so we said bye, and she left and I went out the gate, made the big swing for the length of the rake... then backed up so I could shut that gate along the road..
I then went to the field where I got the tractor from, where my car was, and stopped at Wendy's since I was about half sick from the heat and needing to eat... this was after 4.... and then got something in my stomach, and a big glass of lemonade... and finally came on home.
It got cloudy and I went on the computer and the radar showed rain north of here, 10-15 miles... but headed east... so we were lucky to dodge that one, and get this hay done... THEN he was going to bale all the hay for the friend that he cut it for the other day, that they had tedded and were going to rake.... 23 acres worth that DS said was thick and heavy.... So, I am hoping that it does continue east and not hit us today...
The clouds have thickened up here, radar shows some rain just west, but looks like it is also breaking up just as it gets here. Hope that he got Fred's done and is getting Glenn's done now...
The heat kicked my butt today...
I am going in to take a shower early... wash my hair and all the sweat and dirt off, and be clean and cooler for the night. I need to go in and wash dishes too... but I am whooped from the heat. Ought to do that though... need to make a gallon of tea tomorrow too... I'm out...
Just looked at the recording thermometer... guess ignorance is bliss... it hit 97 on the record... with heat index of 102.... NO WONDER, I got hot.... WOW.....