Bruce's Journal

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Scaring everyone. I posted on Barb's journal but here is a quick run down.

• Made it to So Cal Wed night just fine.
• Hung out at Dad's Thursday.
• Friday DW, my sister and I went to the desert zoo near Palm Springs. Dad was going to the wedding rehearsal down in Escondido. Got home from the zoo, Dad was unexpectedly home. He developed a cold, ZERO Corona virus symptoms but just to be extra careful and come back home. He's self quarantining JUST in case though I'll bet 100% he has nothing more than a cold. Sister, DW and I went out for dinner per our plan. And ... the dining hall at the retirement community had been closed that day to non residents.
• Dad, aunt and uncle bailed on the wedding on Saturday, sister, DW and I went.
• Hung out at Dad's Sunday, scrounged dinner. DW and I still had some leftovers from Friday night anyway.
• Changed my flight from next week to go home with DW this Wed AM since who knows if they will start cancelling flights for lack of warm bodies or other CV fears.
• Drove Dad's car to sisters this morning arriving around 11. Dad called just as we arrived to say that the entire community was closed to all visitors. Kind of a PITA, no?? Dad's place is one of the few single family homes, the closest next residence is 100' away on one side, major ravine runs around his place at the end of the "peninsula". Not like we could infect anyone even if we were sick. So .... he had to get special permission for us to drive back, with sister in her car, to return his car and collect all our stuff.
• Now spending the next 2 days at sister's on the sofa bed ... unless DW's RA can't deal with it, then she'll sleep on the living room couch. Hoping Jet Blue doesn't cancel our Wed flight.

And in other news - DD1's university is throwing everyone out of the dorms on the 22nd, 3 weeks before the end of school, classes will be online (like it is SO easy for teachers to create online content with little notice). She and 3 friends already leased (back in Jan) a 4 bedroom house starting May 1st. Having no US health insurance and her Canadian insurance only good for 1 month in this country, plus fears they will close the border, she and another girl will be staying at an air B&B on PEI for 3 weeks, then 2 weeks at the girl's family's summer place (assuming the well is thawed by mid April).

I’m glad you had, a sort of good, but weird trip...glad you’re com8ng home sooner. My sons college is now online too...he’s furious because he’s pre-med and it’s hands on. Please be safe on your flight!!! Let us know when you ar3 h9me!!

 

[Baymule]

This is a very good time to hunker down at home with wine and brownies. LOL LOL Be sure and let us know when you are back home, safe and sound!

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Are you safe at home yet Bruce ?

 

[Baymule]

Are you safe at home yet Bruce ?

x2

 

[Bruce]

Yep, got home at midnight-ish. DD2 said there was no bread at the store yesterday so I fed my sourdough starter for making some tomorrow and am taking a shot at King Arthur's Whole wheat oatmeal honey bread today. Supposed to be relatively fast, 3 hours total. The sourdough (at least what I've made) has been more like 24 hours start to finish.

No one told the hens about this virus. There are 7 dozen eggs in the refrigerator and they are STILL working! DD2's lift attendant job was shut down after Tuesday and for various reasons she was able to get only 1 dozen eggs delivered last week. The "potential" was actually 6 dozen. One of my regular customers is up for 2 dozen ... as long as only DD2 touches and delivers them JUST in case DW or I were in contact with infected persons. Of course one never knows but I'm pretty sure we did not, even though we were flying.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Happy you got home safely Bruce ....stay healthy !

 

[Baymule]

Maybe you should squirt some hand sanitizer up your hens egg chute, just to be on the safe side for finicky customers. Welcome home!

 

[Bruce]

Don't have any hand sanitizer, that stuff gives me migraines. Not sure how I managed to avoid getting one on the trip. I did see Arcadia drop her egg today. NO question about which hen laid that one. DD2 collected it.

 

[Bruce]

High of 22°F yesterday. Water running down the "track" up into the woods where the 2 trees are hung up. No tractoring up there. Also standing water in the sun at the low spot between the pond and wetland 160' to its north. No tractoring through there either. 10°F this morning at 7 AM. Went out at 9 AM with the tractor when it was up to 15°F to collect the logs I had stored at the NW corner of the field last fall. Firm "enough" crossing the low area.

I cut the logs to 8' lengths then took the saw up the track, some ice in the track but definitely still too wet for the tractor. I was able to cut the tree that was leaning across the track to 16' and the trunk fell into the track. The 2 "branch trunks" dropped at the butt ends, tops still hung up in the trees. Then went to the other leaner, it was one of 3 trunks coming off a single base but while the other 2 had dropped, this one got hung up sitting on the stump. I managed to cut it such that the butt end is off the stump but it didn't drop the top down at all. I guess I'm going to have to get the come-alongs and pull the butt up toward a big tree so the top will fall, not sure how I'm going to get those 2 trees out of the woods since it won't dry for months if ever.

Having finished messing with those trees I went back to the tractor and took the 8' logs up to the pile by the barn in 2 loads. Sure would be nice to have a grapple for that instead of forks but they worked well enough.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

It got up to 26* here yesterday...it’s about 30? Now, not sure? we talked to farmers yesterday about an hour south, they already planting lettuce and peas! What? We have to wait till after Memorial Day, at least! Ugh