Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Sunday late afternoon. It has been partly cloudy, more clouds than sun really, chilly.... 32 to start but only up to 47 for about an hour.... back down to 36 now and sun is going down. Going to get cold tonight.

I never got a nap yesterday, but the samples are packed to go except the tank sample I have to pick up from the other farm tomorrow; I texted him and said I would be by on Monday for the sample as I was shipping samples Monday afternoon. I puttered in the house, did a bunch of monthly bill paying on line and setting up the payment dates etc. It stayed cloudy and foggy after the rain stopped, but was damp all day.

I let the chickens out and then put them in late. Then left to meet DS to go with them to see Christmas lights. Turns out, no one bothered to tell me, it was a place they were going... it is a camp for underpriviledged children and special needs children... they do a couple "fund raising" programs and this is one. I don't know what the tickets cost, DS GF got them and I guess she got extras... so I was extended an invite... Unfortunately, because I was not told exactly what they were doing, I wasn't dressed as warm as I could have been... and so by the end I was a little chilled. It was nice, had different lights and things like the grinch and his "house"... ornament for each ticket holder to decorate and gingerbread cookie for each to frost and all... some pets to visit in the barn, a "santa's" place to sit on santa's lap for the children to tell what they want... a couple of stops along the winding walks between exhibits with snow machines .... fun things for the kids. Took about 1 1/2 hrs to go through the whole village thing. It was nice enough, not sorry I went...

But when I got home last night I felt the chill and this morning had more congestion again. Today's cold cloudy day hasn't helped. I took a mucinex this morning and have been feeling the drain.
Ate a bowl of hot cream of wheat this morning. Went out and let the chickens out of crate. Had to put some feed into feeders and will have to fill the bucket next time down to the feed bin

Checked the rain gauge and we had another .3 inch. Ground is soggy as with the cold temps it does not get soaked in near as fast.
Hung the jeans out today after it cleared out a bit and hit a few rays of sun. Then I finished running the white clothes through, and went out and hung them later this afternoon. Glad that I soaked them as the socks looked alot whiter. It looks like 3 or 4 loads out there... so glad I went and did the big load of jeans and all yesterday. We are supposed to have more of the partly cloudy day tomorrow and then some rain/showers rest of the week. There was a little breeze today and the long sleeved T-shirts I had hung were feeling close to dry. So I expect them to dry pretty good by tomorrow afternoon. I will bring everything in tomorrow and if they need a little extra drying that's fine.
Found a couple of those white coated racks/shelf things that @Baymule dislikes, that came from my parents... and used 2 in the back, laundry room where there is a corner window, and straddled the sink in there and got more of the spider plants in the plastic totes into the window for some sun. It only gets sun late in the afternoon, but it is better than being in the way in the kitchen on the floor.

Have gotten 2 more mice... and I thought I had pretty much gotten all of them as there was not sign of these... on the counters or in the plant or anything. But they obviously are using the little "pathway" between the plants on the floor, and the cupboard standing there.... this is the 2nd one caught on a sticky trap, this week. WORKS for me......

I also found a few things in a box from my parents that I am going to wash. One is a plastic container that was for a loaf of bread... you know the long "white bread" loaves like "Sunbeam"..... and I think it will work great for lasagna noodles .... we'll see. I like getting that sort of stuff into plastic/glass storage containers from the packages from the store.

I am going in to make some soup maybe, something good and hot.... and sit and watch a movie I think. Have had a bit of a headache today and not feeling like doing a whole lot more. I also did work on the lists of cows at the barn. DS and I were talking about the bulls; need to get the ones we want in with the cows that have fall calves.... and without the list last night, I wasn't sure who was where... so this morning I did some updating of the paperwork... texted him who was where as far as I knew... then after several texts back and forth, got them pretty well all figured out. Still don't have all the heifers on the sheet that he has taken to the nurse cow pasture... he took a few odd ones from the barn and they didn't get "recorded"... I am going to have to sit at the pasture and just write down everyone there.... then check against the lists and make sure I know who is there. Some of them will be ready to go with a bull for breeding in June... some will get sold.

So, I am in for the night.

 

[farmerjan]

Oh, one more thing I spent some time doing.... with the way the economy is going, and with the investment groups I subscribe to, reading many of the commentaries by investors with 20-30-40 years experience... I have not been thrilled with the little I have left in the retirement account. I had moved a good percentage into a very safe "stable value fund"... makes 2% interest... but not tied to the stock market.... But some of the contributions out of my paycheck, that I make, were going into some of the more aggressive choices... it is not much money but I make sure I put in the 5% that the company matches since that is free money every 2 weeks.... however, after all that I have been reading and watching and listening to, I took time today and did some serious looking at, and then moving, much of my small amount of retirement funds, into the stable value fund we have. I also reallocated the way the contributions out of my paycheck are invested.

Yes, the gov't has passed the resolution or whatever it is.... to stop the rail strike... and on the surface that might pacify some... BUT.... and think about this... there is nothing to say that workers won't, and can't, take off more sick days, or just call in... and lack of workers will slow down the rails anyway. The fuel/diesel situation is going to affect rail shipping too.... people are retiring out of railroad work like every other sector of our national workforce.....
And there is talk that the next Fed increase will be 1/2 percent instead of 3/4... but that is STILL AN INCREASE.... it still means an increase in costs for everday living....

The one underlying theme I am reading, is the problems with China and Taiwan..... It is believed in many of the money sectors that this is going to happen sooner than later... in fact maybe in the early part of 2023... if China takes Taiwan over... our semi-conductor source is destroyed. Everything we do that requires a "chip" will be affected. It will drop our economy on it's head.... and could very well put us into a war...
The advice I am reading, some of it inbetween the lines... is to watch and invest in energy stocks... more in things like natural gas... because we will become more dependent on US production if things go south in the world.... and the gov't is going to have to cave once the house gets seated in January.... because we need more production.....plain and simple....and we are going to need something to trade with in the future.

Something to think about.....

 

[Thefarmofdreams]

I'm sorry you aren't feeling well! I hope you feel better soon. I live on Theraflu when I feel like that.. .something about hot, tea-like medicine makes it feel more effective. It's probably all in my head, but we ALWAYS have some in the house. Soup is definitely the way to go! We made a big pot of leftover turkey soup this week. And I bought a spare turkey at the store while they're on sale... so there will be more in the not-to-distant future. Wish I could share!

 

[farmerjan]

Monday aft. It has been a "bright cloudy day".. some sun through the clouds and a decent breeze. Down to 27 last night, hit 47 today; breezy and so chilly.. I am going out to bring the clothes in off the line in a few minutes, before it gets colder as the sun goes down. They ought to be mostly dried so that turned out to be good timing on my part to get them washed and dried. I was lucky to hit it right.

Calling for showers and rain the rest of the week... not constant but enough to make it wet, and crummy out.

Went and got the sample from the farm and packed in with the rest.. In the car ready to go drop off as soon as I get the clothes in and then go feed at the nurse cow pasture...
Then spent over an hour and a half on the phone and on the computers, trying to get things moved from the old computer into the new one before the old one just quits. It gets to making all the noises and then locks up... We got most everything done but then it locked up again.... Time to just be done with it. I can do a few of the things myself now that the bulk of the testing stuff is in the newer one. I just want to be able to make a list of all the farms I used to test... just for my own info/records. One farm that didn't test for years and went back on here a few months ago, is a reason to keep the info ....in case....I can go back and get addresses and such without any trouble.
That time on the phone is a real pain... they are good at computer support... but I just don't like being so stuck in here doing that....

Time to go out and get the clothes and go to the pasture....

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday morning. Cloudy, rainy, wet and damp. Same as @Mini Horses is getting... it is traveling from west to east and there are several days of it in intermittent showers type of stuff.
It is foggy here, got down to 36 overnight and only 40 now.

Clothes were nice and dry yesterday when I got them in. Of course they are all still semi-folded in the baskets, I will get to them later or tomorrow. Dropped samples off and went and fed at the nurse cow pasture. Was making a list of all the heifers there... there are more there than I had any idea of when you start writing numbers down. Fed grain to the calves in the barn and then fed a bunch in the "outside feeders", not in the catch pen; for all the cows and heifers to come up get a little. Then surprise, DS came in with 2 rolls of hay for them. He was trying to get some extra hay feeding done before we got this rainy stuff as the pastures will be soggy and some places going in and out are slick. Talked to him as he was leaving since he was trying to get done before dark... and he said he wanted me to come get him as he wanted to take the truck and trailer to Deb's barn to park it in there. He needs to take a load of hay across the mountain to the hay customers over there and didn't want the bed of the flat bed trailer to be wet. I think he plans to go on Sat... this rainy wet stuff is supposed to get done on Friday I think. So he called me a little bit later and said he was going to Deb's and then I went and picked him up, took him back to the barn and came back home.

I got to listen to most of the program that @The Old Ram-Australia does on the radio in Australia. NEAT that I could get on computer and pull it up and listen. He gave a "shout out" to his friends in USA and mentioned CA, and TX, and VA, and northwest VT.... I hope that @Bruce and @Baymule and @Ridgetop got to listen to him. Unfortunately DS called for the ride during the interview in the second half of the 1/2 hr program, so I missed a little of it, he was doing with the couple that had settled there in Braidwood about 12 years ago... but I have already written it on the calendar for next month.... You have to listen close to some of the words and phrases when those "Aussies" talk... it was fun. I cannot believe he is the age he said he was on the program... talking about buying an American made log splitter because he was getting too old to be doing it all by hand....he talks and sounds like someone in their 60's....

Yesterday I put all the boxes needed for testing this afternoon, in the car. Got 3 bags of stuff to go to the county dumpster also in there. Going to run a couple of closeby errands today and be ready as DS is going to get off work at 2:30 so he can make a stop at the county office to turn in the land use papers for the different people we rent from so they can get their land use tax rates. It is on the way to the farm to test. There was a new assessment here this year and DS said that his and GF and GF parents and GF sister's assessments all went up... like 30-60,000 on the different places/houses. I haven't seen mine yet... but when the guy came around I just happened to be here and he asked some questions and had to take off a shed that was listed but isn't here, and then asked about the house and what kind of heat...and I told him that there isn't any central heat since it had rusted out in the 8 years the house had been empty, it needed to be replaced and redone.....and he asked about the number of bathrooms and bedrooms and I told him that the upstairs was unlivable due to the ceilings coming down from the water leaks and that I hoped to have them taken all the way down and redone but could not find anyone to do them... so I was living on one floor... Which is all TOTALLY TRUE..... so it will be interesting to see what the reassessment is... It might be at the post office box... I haven't gotten the mail in several days there...

I am going to get going and get things done, so I am ready for DS to get here as soon as he gets off work. Make his stop at the county office for the land use for the landowners..... We have to be at the farm no later than 4 to set up the samplers on their lines.... they are milking over 500 and they start as soon as they can, close to 4:30 or before... because it takes close to 5 hours now. I will get some subway sandwiches for us to eat at like 7 or so whenever we get hungry.... and have drinks and some snacks in the car already that I try to keep for late drives home and such.

 

[CLSranch]

The stock market today is more of a gamble than it used to be. It always comes back up. Some go under but as a whole, it comes back. With Obama and Biden both, I wish I had thousands to gamble with. Throw 5k into dow, or whatever 12 years ago, or last year. I don't have that so I'll just stick to the occasional power ball

I had moved a good percentage into a very safe "stable value fund"... makes 2% interest... but not tied to the stock market.... But some of the contributions out of my paycheck, that I make, were going into some of the more aggressive choices.

Safe for now, so that's good. Yet currently Bidenflation is 4xs higher than the interest. Any savings, CD, or other low interest right now is worth less after saving for a year.

 

[farmerjan]

@CLSranch ; I agree that the current inflation rate is way higher than the return on the stable market fund. However, with the choices we have in investing, I have never had a MINUS ( - ) from it, on any month compared to what else I have invested. This last year the minuses have been BIG ones... and at this age, I am really not interested in losing alot of money at it anymore. I let the SS check keep up with the inflation (pun intended)... and this stable value fund just slowly adds a little every month.
I also do a little investing on the side... just a few thousand dollars from money from my parents estate so "found money".... the stocks have dropped in price a little.... but one that I have very little invested in also pays dividends... not alot.. but averages 6% a year now. I only have a few shares in that one, and get right about 2.00 month....not a huge payout... but consistent... so plan to put a little more into it. Another one I am hoping to put a little money in next year, once I get some things paid off and hopefully the Explorer sold soon.... is averaging 8% dividend payments. It costs quite a bit more per share, but has been very stable...

And if anyone is wondering I will share info on PM from anyone. I am not advising... I wish I had been this much smarter years ago... but some things are a gamble... the one LNG stock was on advice of a friend who knew someone who knew the gas industry... I am hoping it will preform the way other similar ones have in the past..... as if it does, I will be well set in 5-10 years... I have over 500 shares in it..... But there is enough potential there that if it doesn't do what I want, it could get bought out by another group, or I would still be able to sell it and recoup my money with no loss or a little increase. Better than watching the different ones that I have invested through work have quarter after quarter of negative returns. Yes, there have been years of very good returns, 20% a few times on a couple of them... but in 2008 I lost half of what I had in the retirement account, and it took til nearly 2018 to get back to where it had been... and that is when I moved a bunch of it around... 2% return is better than the bottom falling out again. And better than putting it under the mattress, where I won't "lose anything" BUT WON'T GAIN A THING EITHER....and yes it won't keep up with inflation...
I am just too old to ride the ups and downs anymore.... I don't have years to wait for it to come back if it drops like a rock again.... and if this country doesn't get it's SH!T together then there might be more of a Venezuela repeat than anyone realizes. If so, we are in for a totally different life for the foreseeable future. I am trying to "hedge my bets" and be a little better prepared for it.

 

[farmerjan]

Wed morning. Went out to the chickens and they are set. It is warmer than yesterday. The high for the day yesterday 46, was the low for the night. It was actually warmer when we came out of the barn at 10 p.m., from testing, than when we went in at 4.
It is still raining... had some heavy rain here at the house but less at the farm where we were 50 miles north. I didn't have the rain gauge out yesterday so am not sure how much but in the buckets it looks like at least a half inch. I put the gauge back out. The forecast is for more rain the next couple of days. Today it is supposed to pass east and then clear off a little, then cloud up again and more precip. At least it is not miserable cold.

Testing went good, they are up to over 540 cows which is about their max. But it went smooth and we were out of there and home at 10:30.

Just got the boxes of samples out of the car and will pack them here shortly.

Not much new except that yesterdays run off in Georgia was a real blow for the conservative cause. I really think that enough people just don't get what is happening to this country and that if we continue this path of spending, we are going to be in so deep there will be no getting out.
On top of that Russia is talking about nuclear weapons again. How they will only be used for "defense"...???? Like invading the Ukraine was for "defense".....so they say.
I am getting really concerned...

 

[Bruce]

I hope that @Bruce and @Baymule and @Ridgetop got to listen to him.

I'm afraid I did not. Hopefully someone will highlight it just before the next one and I can try to get it.

 

[SageHill]

I really think that enough people just don't get what is happening to this country

You're not alone in that. Many were raised in the "do-over" mentality. don't get something right, you get to do it over and try again. No repercussions for poor decisions. When all is said and done they'll be saying "sorry" - but by then it's too late and no "do-overs".