Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Thursday afternoon. Called early and cancelled the PT pool today, just didn't feel like doing it. Slept a little more. Knees ache in this weather. I packed up a couple boxes, but didn't try to bring any up here with the rain and wet. I did put some of the 5 gal buckets that were there in the yard, in the car, brought a few odd things up with me that I could load quick without getting soaked. Got it out of the car up here and in the house. Buckets outside. I will try to give them a good washing out when we get a nicer day. Forgot to take the dolly down there so put it in the car as soon as I got the other stuff out so I don't forget it.

Rain and cold, raw feeling.... Some sleet too. Got up here to the house and now it is starting to snow, but it is not alot, comes down for a few minutes and then gets more rainy.... Calling for about 1-3 inches now.
DS worked last night but there wasn't any real weather ..... rain not the sleet icy stuff they had said. He will have to work again tonight and the will have some roads to work on by the looks of it. Roads were just wet before, and traffic is still really running normal speeds on the road now.... but I think that it is going to get nasty later. I probably should go back down the hill but want to just work up here for awhile. Going in to put a bowl of soup in the convection oven. I am getting hungry.

Propane guy called and wants to set up the appt to get it done on Monday 22nd after lunch. That will work for me. PROGRESS.... let's hope that the weather cooperates.

Yes, it is hard to give up the extra "pocket change"? and after years of doing farms it is hard to break the connections. But then I am getting sick of all the recent BS with the gen mgr and the problems with the billings etc. Especially with the lack of getting things recorded.... the farm that I just got paid from the owner; where the farm mgr has his cows on his own test, his is still showing up on the new "do not test" list and they paid over a month ago, by card, over the phone and he has had it confirmed. But he is still on the list. No wonder he is so P. O.ed that he says he's done testing. Besides that fact that he is fed up with the things at the farm on top of it....
I wouldn't mind keeping a half dozen farms... the ones that I don't have to do alot of set up.... but if I give up some I will have to give up all so they can find someone else..... I know that giving up some will not be an option. Then that may depend on who sells out too. The 220 + cow herd that is close, that has to be tested two milkings, is one I really would like to get rid of.... my meters are filthy when I get them back, I hate going in there 2 consecutive milkings, it takes too long, but that is one I would not be able to give up easily since they are so close to me.... Another reason to give up all or none. It is nice to be able to schedule farms on my preferences... but it seems like they haven't been willing to be as flexible lately and I am getting tired of working around their changing their minds.

So maybe the vegs and eggs again, and maybe the milk thing would be an option. But the milk will be demanding... something to think about seriously. It is one thing to milk for the house, and let the cows feed calves too... another to have to milk and deal with the public like @Mini Horses says. The vegs would be able to be done more on my schedule, and if the weather did not cooperate, anything that got old or overmature could go to the animals. And surplus could easily go in the freezer or canned. I did vegetables when I was working at the old flour mill and had the big garden there. Just selling them there at the mill and it was nice.... all the excess sold pretty easy and I could bring home what I wanted.... except when the adult daughter would come and take what she wanted with no thought to the fact that they weren't her parents vegs.... she thought I was doing it for them.... they were welcome to take what they wanted in exchange for me doing all the work in the garden.... but I didn't think I was supposed to supply the daughters whims too.... and she would take LOTS of stuff....

Could do some chickens too, raised here, get them back fresh and then vacuum bag them here so there are none of the "not for sale" slips inside the vacuum bags that the poultry guy puts in because he has to.... I can kill and sell up to 2,000 a year here.... but can't take them to a state inspected facility and get them vacuum packed and then sell them... Such dumb rules. Like the state inspected slaughter facilities that you can't legally sell 10 lbs of ground beef out of your half, but you have to take it to a USDA facility.... and costs more to have the animal processed.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday eve. I got the kitchen floor cleaned and the fridge moved to the other side of the kitchen.... but the electric plug in for the previous owners' elec stove makes it stick out another 3-4 inches.... got to see if it can be removed, disconnected or dropped back down into the area below the floor,,,, something???? But I like the fridge better over there. The wall plug that I wanted to use doesn't have the ground hole... just the 2 prongs for the plug... so I had to plug it into the plug on the other side where there are plugs under the top cabinets. That means the cord up on the counter to that plug under the upper cabinet instead of just along the floor to the plug near the floor. Can the receptacle be taken out and a ground type one put in? I have no idea of anything electric.

Have to get the little cabinet moved over the couple of inches to allow for the gas stove to go where the fridge was. It makes the kitchen look a little bigger without the height of the fridge kinda blocking that openess along that wall. Need that pry tool from my son, or I might just go buy one for myself if he doesn't bring it to me soon; so I can get the quarter round and molding out of the way to move that cabinet. And on the wall where the fridge is, it doesn't matter how wide the fridge is because there isn't a "space" for it to fit inbetween...just a cabinet on one side, open wall next to it.

Did a sinkful of dishes/vacuum containers that needed washing and they are in the dish drainer. Knees started to about kill me by the time I had done all that from being basically upright with no real bending them.
Ate a bowl of a corn chowder I picked up at the Sharp Shopper the other day to try. Figured if I liked it I would get more. It was okay, nothing to get excited about.
Been folding the underwear and compression socks that I washed and brought in the other day. Hung the couple of shirts and folded a couple & put in the "yard sale box". They were mediums ... not even sure if I have worn them in 20 + years.... must've been in with some other stuff that just got shoved in a drawer.

Weather not looking too conducive to doing the down jackets & vests for at least another week or 2. So going to shove those baskets against the wall in the utility room out of the way. I have to move a couple of things around in the utility building here and get the plywood cut that I want to use under the freezers that are going to have to go out there. Have that "part of the breakfast bar" that we took out of the kitchen that is in the DR that needs to go out there for now.... give me more room in the DR too.

Making room in the utilty room to put a freezer (or 2) in there so I can move stuff into the cooler chests as soon as DS gets done with them with the beef he has taken to get killed, then move one or two here into the house and the stuff from them back into the clean ones, and then better organized. I have found a new one that is now available... It is a Midea and they have come out with a 21 cu ft size.... Convertible from fridge to freezer..... interesting concept for future use if I do a bunch of chickens and have to have a place to store them as I cut them up into parts too..... get all the freezer stuff moved and then could turn it up to use as a fridge once I get the other freezers moved and organized.
Anyone have any experience with them? Few reviews but all good....
Serious thinking to invest in one for in the house.....going to need another if we start doing more beef as DS said what are we going to do it we sell a half and don't have the other half sold... and I said that we will put it in a freezer til we find someone to sell it to.... have had ALOT of people asking... might start selling quarters...
No interest for 6 months on my Lowes card... which is what I did with the DeWalt combo set of power tools and will be paid off in a month.... have paid off most everything else now and will pay for the tree/boxwood work when it gets done..... seems like a good decision to make at this point. Have no experience with this brand... might be wise to get the 3 yr extended warranty for 100 too....
SO anyone have any opinions?

Okay, going to head down the hill in a little bit. Haven't been outside, so don't know what it is doing now. Have not seen the trucks here on the road lately, either it is not doing much, or it is doing alot and they are busy on the main roads. Better go out and see.

Stay off the roads in the bad weather areas and stay safe. Hope that the cold doesn't cause anyone any real problems, just annoyances.

 

[Baymule]

It rained and stormed last night, then it froze. Ice everywhere. Tree limbs are bowed over. Three loud lightening strikes that shook the house. A pine tree got the top blown out of it at the pipeline gate. At the sheep barn, another pine got the top blown out and my big beautiful cedar got two huge branches blown off.

We were going to go to Odessa this weekend to see the granddaughters, canceled because of weather. There was a 133 car pile up on the interstate in Fort Worth today. Can anybody say STAY HOME?

We won’t be above freezing for a week.

 

[Mini Horses]

Bay, that's hugely bad weather for your area! Stay home, yes!!!!!

Been some cold rains much of day here...getting colder at night and next couple days. That vortex thing.....not invited. Guess it's still winter.

 

[Baymule]

I’ll be outside in the morning with my wagon and two 5 gallon buckets, hauling hot water to the animals and busting ice for the horses and steer. Repeat in the evening.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday evening. Came up to the new house a little bit ago. Gravel road at the stone house was still snow covered but the paved roads are all cleared. It was up to 32 at the stone house but getting up here the temps are in the 26-27 range. Roads will freeze again tonight with the water that has melted from the salt and stuff.
Haven't talked to DS as I know he had to work all night and will probably have to go back in tonight.

I did a little at the other house but hadn't backed the car all the way back to the house last night so I wouldn't be stuck. It is a wet snow again, and the ground was not frozen hard, so mud under the snow that is melting a little.

I left late last night to go down to the house and almost turned around and came back. I hadn't been watching the the snow accumulation and it was about 4 inches when I went out. They had plowed the road in front of the house but it had been early and there was quite a bit by the time I went out. Luckily they had plowed the road going down the hill and were plowing it coming back up the hill as I went down so that was good. The dirt road had not been touched but I didn't have any problem getting in. Had another 2 or so inches after I got backed in.

It has warmed up a little as it was melting a little, and the landlord was in and fed with his tractor and the tracks were a little melted when I came out. No problem getting out except that it was muddy/slick in the tracks there near the house.

I had done 2 sinks full of dishes last night, and got 2/3 of the dvd's unpacked and in the tower. Going to go in and do the rest tonight after I do another sinkful of dishes. Got I also moved the radio-cd-cassette player and the 2 speakers moved off the kitchen counter and got my Vita-Mix out of the box and all so I can use it. Thinking smoothies now that I have real milk to use regularly. It was a gift and wound up never getting unpacked when I moved so now I have to learn to use it. One reason to get it unpacked... so I WILL use it.

Really like the fridge over on the other wall. Want to get the stove in so I can actually cook and start to actually live here.

I'm hungry and going in to make something in the convection oven.

A couple of bulbs blew out in the overhead light in the bedroom so have to get some new bulbs. They are smaller sized.... have regular bases but the bulb is littleler.....

Sorry that you are all getting so much cold down in Texas..... we are not getting that cold and we are so many miles further north.

Going to go rustle some grub...

 

[farmerjan]

Haven't gotten much done today, have had a real tough headache all day. Don't get them often, but sometimes. Kills any "push" I might have.

Didn't get too much done last night either. Got on the computer and got caught up on some researching, e-mails, bill paying, and the different cattle forums I try to go on. Think that sometimes the computer work gives me more headaches than anything else.

Temps were 30-36 today so a little melting but cloudy and dreary. Little bits of rainy mist all day. Colder up here at new house, 27 a little bit ago. Supposed to clear out this eve but then another system coming in and the same type stuff Sunday night - Monday..... another system for tues/wed..... we might see actual clearing for NEXT weekend.

Thinking that I am going in and do some rearranging in the utility room to get ready for a freezer so I can start emptying one at the other house, get the stuff up here. Then since I didn't finish the dvd's, want to get that done this evening. I did take the several smaller boxes down and got a couple more packed there. Don't want to try to get the car back to the house in case it gets stuck with the muddy/snowy tracks back to the house. So I will just pack some more so that I can load them one morning the ground is hard and I can get backed up there. I did carry the hand truck in to the house so that I can use it to move them all to the back door.

Have to make some phone calls for testing this week. Not going to call either of the ones with the bill paying problems. They can call me when they get it figured out. Have 5 that need to get done in the next 2 weeks so that's not bad. The others can get worked in.

Made some breaded popcorn shrimp in the convection oven before to eat. Might heat some green beans to make it a little more of a "balanced" meal....

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday. 1:30 p.m. Got up here about half hour ago and had to take shovel and use it like an edger to break ice on the walk and steps. It was slicker than anything last night when I left. It has melted a little on top, so like a skating rink... walked in the snow on the lawn and it has a real crunchy crust. Did get the ice off the steps, but the forecast is for more of the same for the next 24-48 hours.... It was 38 at the other house and barely 34 here. The trees and shrubs here have an ice coating, very pretty and shiny... and TREACHEROUS.....

It was very foggy this morning with the temps just above freezing and the snow/ice on the ground. 28 up to 38 at the other house.... still fog here everywhere and doubt it will clear off with another bunch of rain/ice coming in for the next couple days. Probably won't get to 35 here with the elevation. Makes a big difference here.

Got alot of the dvd's sorted but quit early and went down to try to sleep off the stupid headache. Didn't have it this morning. Sometimes I think I sleep wrong on my neck, maybe trying to find a comfortable position for the knees too?
So I am going in to finish the dvd's after I do another sink of stuff that needs washing. Got a few things rearranged in the utility room but want to finish that today too.

I guess I am going to see if I can get the car backed up close to the door off the porch at the other house and bring up another bunch of boxes. I am finding some food stuff that is so far out of date that it is going to get tossed...
Next is the cupboard with some of the pots/pans/baking dishes and such. I have not done anything about shelves in the lower cabinets here, so it is time I get serious about that too. More and more I am realizing I really don't like carpentry.

But first things first, going to find something to eat for a late lunch here while I am washing some of the kerosene lamps and chimneys and get them on the mantle and out of the way. Have another bunch of vacuum canisters that need washing too. This sink is small so can;'t do alot at a time which is a pain....
Ground is still white up here, but showing more rocks/dirt/grass down at the other house.

I don't know if VDOT will work again tonight. They were out last night salting the roads when I went down the hill. Probably will work if this misty crap keeps up as it will freeze on the roads and tomorrow being Monday, work week for some although it is "Presidents day"....

OH by the way HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to everyone. Hope that you have a nice day with whomever your valentine is .....

 

[farmerjan]

Got the stuff in the utility room moved around to get a freezer in there. Got all the laundry in the respective carry tubs to go to the laundromat; big machines for the down jackets and will do a few more big machines worth; jeans and quilted shirts and such, while I am there for simplicity of getting it done.... maybe end of the week?
Ate some more shrimp and some green beans. Spent a little time on here looking up info on the impeachment acquittal....
. Going in to the LR to work on finishing up the dvd's and getting things in there situated for moving the corner hutch, desk, couch, and all the rest sometime when it gets firm enough to get up to the house with a car and/or truck. Boxed up some of the vacuum canisters for now, clean, so that I can wash some more stuff. Making a list of things I need to get next time I am out near stores....

Anyone see where they are having record snow and cold in Germany....the "home of the largest solar and wind power" generating... used as an example of how good it all works..... and they are having to rely on "FOSSIL FUELS" for heating because the solar panels are not collecting and the windmills have been unable to catch enough wind to operate.... that there are massive numbers of people that are having to do without electricity and heat and the same in Russia.....

More and more people really getting bent out of shape over the shut down of the leases..... and the pipeline shut down and the jobs that are lost NOW.... with no new ones on the horizon..... no plan to help this be a transition to a new type of electric generation....
And the record cold in TX may lead to rolling black outs as they try to conserve electricity in areas where it is not been interrupted due to the snow/ice.... because of the huge increase in demand......and they cannot keep up with it with the decrease of generating plants due to some closures?????

 

[Ridgetop]

Happy Days for Biden and AOC! They will put a spin on everything and ignore the bad news of people freezing to death without power. I'm glad we are bringing firewood with us to Yelm.