Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

Sounds like y’all need a month or two off in the winter.

 

[farmerjan]

OH BOY, what a YO-YO messed up day.....

Chickens out bottles in the trays and I get a text. They had a major water problem at the farm, free stall barn soaking wet, cows a mess and had 7 with mastitis flakes and in the buckets this morning... Could I reschedule... OF COURSE... these are legitimate problems.
I text the farm that is only sending a tank sample every week, that I will not be sending in any samples on Wed due to farm cancelling... so won't come get his single tank sample.... I will let him know the next farm to be sending in samples.....
BUT.... I am fast filling up my days.... So, I texted the farm set for Friday... he had originally wanted early this week, but couldn't do Wed or Thurs due to vet check and his having a dentist appt...... but I was already scheduled... and said, hey, farm cancelled due to water problems, would you want today instead of Friday ???.... Sure, that would work for him.... So instead of 150 bottles, I need 200 in trays... AND I need 16 meters and hoses.... Go out and get all that in the car to go.
In the meantime, watched the weather and texted the farm that was scheduled for Thursday, and said how would next Tues aft work instead????.... that worked good for them.... and this way I will have most of the meter brackets already changed for the Monday herd..... save me extra work..
..
So, then called the farm with the single tank sample and said change of plans, I switched another farm and would be sending samples after all, on Wed, so I would come get a tank sample Wed morning after all....
I am going to get milk for the house, anyway right down the road from the farmer I get my milk from.....

So texted the farm with the water problem late this aft.... they got the spring diverted and things were calming down there... I asked if Friday would be too soon as I was all booked for next week, so it would have to be after Christmas otherwise and I still had 2 or 3 farms to fit in that week.... she texted back and said Friday would be great....they were going to finish cleaning the wet out and rebed the cows before this weather comes in.

So, in essence I switched the farm today with the farm Friday and put off the Thurs farm til next Tuesday....

But... it gets even more interesting (funny if you realize there is nothing you can do about it and don't get upset).... the farmer that said today would work, had a previous lunch meeting.... he is also a minister in their Mennonite Church.... and his brother would start milking... okay, that works. They had 6 fresh cows come into the barn today... okay, just more bucket cows.... BUT..... as the machine came off one cow, it hit the curb just wrong... and snapped off the plastic piece that the milking inflation attaches to... OKAY.... just get another one... BUT... can't find one... they have all these parts EXCEPT the one we need... and the farmer hasn't gotten back yet. Now the brother is younger... and he gets real worried about doing things right... and he is in a panic.... and I said, hey, lets get this milk sample and you can use the same machine back on to the cow that it got broken... and get this side finished.... The girl that helps me some, Geneva, works here full-time... she is the calf feeder now.... as well as whatever else needs doing .... and she calls her dad who works full-time on the farmers' father's farm just across the road a mile away.... they trade back and forth and use workers back and forth on the farms... like a co-operative somewhat..... so he comes to look thinking maybe he knew where there was a new "claw" and then goes to the father's farm and gets one of theirs... They are a different brand... but it gives us something to milk with so we don't have to try switching the milker from one cow to the other....
In the meantime, when this got broken, there were 3 fresh cows in the parlor.... on the other side, and poor Tony was getting all worried that he was going to mess up.... and I finally said,,, hey, we will get through this, it could be alot worse.... and he stopped for a second.. and said, yeah, you're right, the barn isn't burning down... and I laughed and said yep, and it isn't full of water like the farm that cancelled on me this morning.....
I know he was worried he would milk a fresh cow in the tank... or not get me the numbers on the cows coming in... or something.... finally the farmer came home.... and was milking, and then he had to leave because there had been an "accident" between a UPS driver... they are using people and their private cars to make deliveries... and the bucket on the skid loader at another farm... the car/UPS driver parked in the middle of the Y in the driveway and the skid loader bucket caught the back quarter panel because the bucket was up just at the wrong angle to see the car..... and because it was on the farm property, one he rents... he had to have the farm insurance deal with it because the car owner's insurance wouldn't handle it since it was on "work property"... and no one ever "parks" in that spot because it is actually the driveway where the trucks and farm equipment all go in and out.... they should have parked over near the house to deliver the package...

Just another day in "Paradise".... .

We got done milking, I was doing some of the paperwork the farmer hadn't gotten done because I wasn't supposed to be there until FRIDAY.... and then I come up with 2 different calving dates for the SAME COW... in the farmer's paperwork..... I got all the milk weights in, left a note that I put in the cow's calving date as the first date he had written, I was not missing any other calving dates... and when he figured it out, we could fix it..... Meters got washed, loaded in the car, and I finally left there about 6:15.... came home and went out and locked up the chickens and am in the house.

OIY VAY.....
Gotta love my farmers......

Just went on the local area weather forecast... looks like Wed evening about 6-8 p.m. it is coming in as rain... some sleet/freezing stuff before midnight... and freezing stuff into mid day Thursday...
DS will be working Wed night so he will get off at noon.... to go back in at 8... and be off Thursday too... and Thurs night will depend on the temps.....

 

[Baymule]

What a day! You think fast and changed things around and got it done! Way to go!

 

[farmerjan]

Wed Night. It was a cold raw damp feeling day and sprinkles started about 4. Went and got the sample and milk for me from the farm I get it from down the road. I got a call from the farmer I tested about a cow that is there and that I was thinking that I misheard the number since I was missing one. Turns out he put her in and then took her out of the system but didn't do it right.... sooooo..... I spent several phone calls back and forth to Raleigh where our computer center is, and will have to go to the farm on Saturday BEFORE I go do the 250 cow herd... and one of the computer support people gave me her personal cell # so when I get there, she can talk me through getting it straightened out BECAUSE she is leaving to go on vacation to her family's, for the holiday......
And they wonder why I want to retire......

In the meantime DS wanted to know if I got the cows and calves in.... he said he would move them if I did... I said as soon as I got done with the phone calls for work I was going up there.... so I finally dropped the samples off to be picked up, got some feed and went up there... of course none of the small calves came in this evening... but I fed everyone some grain and the calves that have been coming in all along. Put some more hay in the feeders in there... about 1/3 small sq bale just to give them something if they come in...
DS had fed some hay yesterday but it will be gone in a day or two... there are alot of animals in there eating right now.

I asked him about was he off work already and he acted like I was crazy... obviously he did not really read the text I sent last night... he just gives things lip service anymore and does not really pay attention to what I say... he said no, he was working til 3:30.... why would I think he was going to be off... and I said because of the freezing rain/sleet supposed to be coming in and he said nope, they weren't exactly concerned about it. OOKAAY.....
So after I got home from the pasture and got the chickens locked in, he called back and said he had gone and gotten the tractor (no cab so that must've been fun) to use with the silage cart feeder as he is going to open the old bag out in the back and start getting it fed out... there will be some waste from it spoiling where the animals have torn the plastic.... and if I didn't get the cows in, that he was going home to get a little sleep because he had to be back in to work at 10.....
Guess mom wasn't so clueless or stupid after all.
They have already closed at least 10 schools.... my county included since we have a high elevation even though we are a little south of the target area for the most sleet and bad weather.... there are city schools and county schools... all my county is closed as well as the 2 counties directly north and several others....

It was a cold 28 this morning, only got up to 35 and is back to 32 now.... supposed to drop a degree or 2... and my recording thermometer is on the porch so usually is a smidgen warmer....
GLAD that I rearranged the herds and don't have to go anywhere tomorrow....

Friday's herd is south of here so should not be a problem... then Sat I have to leave early enough to go to that herd and get the computer stuff fixed..... then go test. Supposed to have some sun but be cold, 40's...

Been watching some dvd's...the last few nights..... Anyone ever watch the TV series Yellow Rose???? It is a very much "cleaner" version of Dallas and Yellowstone.... Sam Elliot, Cybil Shepard, Chuck Connors (as a bad guy?!).... I enjoyed it. Yep, Texas ranchers.... Lots of horse riding and some good moral plots... No actual sex or nudity... an impassioned kiss was the "raciest" part... boy... that Sam Elliot.....🤤🤤🤤........oo lala...

 

[Baymule]

Yes I watched Yellow Rose. And you are right about Sam Elliot. He was the voice for the beef council commercials, in that unmistakable sexy voice, BEEF, It’s what’s for supper. If they brought that commercial back, I’d go straight to the store and buy a steak. And still have home raised beef in the freezer!

Hope the bad weather doesn’t last long.

 

[farmerjan]

It's a cold morning. 30-32 temps all night and rain. There is ice on all the trees and bushes out there. Nasty and cold. Cars and truck all coated with ice. Glad I have no intention of going anywhere today.
Just saw another state truck go by. This road will freeze alot due to the elevation here. I am sure DS has had an interesting night and is now probably home sleeping for awhile. He may have to go back in tonight. Who knows. The rain is supposed to pass to the east by 3-4 p.m. temps are supposed to "warm up" into the 34-36 range later...
Slept wrong and shoulder is really hurting......

 

[canesisters]

@farmerjan I think I would be a trembling puddle of tears if I had had your last couple of days.

 

[Baymule]

Stay in and off the roads if you can. Icy roads belong to the road warriors. Body shops will fix their stupidity.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yeah...I used to be part owner in a body shop and weather like yours, well we geared up for a lot of extra work!!

 

[farmerjan]

@farmerjan I think I would be a trembling puddle of tears if I had had your last couple of days.

Thanks, but for me days like that happen at least once or twice a month as far as work/computers/farmers doing stuff like that. I AM NOT A COMPUTER PERSON..... that said, I am finding myself trying to fix their screwups more and more... and I spend more time on the phone with our computer support office in Raleigh NC... and sometimes with the other center in Ames Iowa....
The other is nothing new... I do scheduling and then re-scheduling all the time... luckily, not too many times, is it as last minute, as it was this past week. But I am finding that some days I just don't want to keep dealing with this... must be the .... HA HA.

2 pm and still ice on everything although the roads are more wet and it is finally up to 33 so there is a little bit dripping... Still some misty wet coming down too. It is just crappy out there.

Got another mouse and then had one last night that their tail only got stuck on the sticky board... and it made a mess with some of my spider plants and pointsettas... then it got off, as I was trying to get it untangled enough to get it out the door. I am sooooo tired of them.....I have continued to cut down the population but still seems like I cannot get rid of them.....

Got to get 150 sample bottles in trays for tomorrow afternoon and 250+ for Sat.
Still haven't heard from the farm that does the owner sampler test... and I am ready to go get the bottles back because he said they were going to get them done in a week. Still waiting on that "week" that was about 10+ days ago. Been up that way twice too.

It seems I am probably going to lose my "part-time" status as far as my dental insurance goes. Have to have a certain number of work units... and with all the herds that have been skipping; I am on the low side and have until Feb first to get my testing herd work unit #'s back up, or lose it. I have had most all the major work done I have wanted to.. so am weighing the difference in the amount I pay every 2 weeks against the costs of the routine cleanings and such... Sure there would be things like fillings or something, but it just may not be worth it to try to push more of these herds to test. The big herd that sold out last March was the beginning of the slide because they tested nearly every month and it really helped to keep the work units I needed high enough to not worry about it. Maybe just time to let the insurance go and put that money every 2 weeks into my pocket and just pay for the routine cleanings..... Actually, with just that , I would come out a little ahead since it is not that high for routine cleaning that the insurance pays for. I didn't really consider the work unit numbers with the insurance, I just kept it after going from "full-time to part-time" since it was available. If the farm that is 125 miles north sells out which they are hopefully going to be, and have been trying to sell out for 6 months..... it will make it harder to try to keep it. I think I am going to call the dentist office and see if I am due for x-rays...I have an appt in mid-feb...see if I can get it moved up to mid-Jan and get any x-rays or anything that I maybe eligible for and then let it drop.

Always something it seems. All these little things pushing the "retirement" thoughts..... but like @Mini Horses it's a little extra push to get you out and into the "world"; to not "vegetate" at home, and a little extra income to boot, so something to think about.

Supposedly my parents house in NH is sold.... there is still some stuff to be settled because of all the "heirs" not agreeing on the bills to be paid and now it has to go before a court judge.... MORE MONEY to be paid out of the estate..... SOOOO STUPID by these 3 grandchildren.... They will spend nearly as much just in lawyers fees and court time etc... and I am sure the judge will rule to pay these expenses... so they will be paying it twice instead of just paying it and get the estate settled. It won't affect me because the amount that I will be getting was specifically stated in the will; as is what each of us 4 children gets.... it is hurting the ones that are getting the "rest of the estate" split between them.... and they are the principle beneficiaries... DS is so fed up with it, he agreed to the sale and just wants it done...

Anyone getting worried about the way the stock market dropped again after the fed's did another increase in the prime rate? It had dropped over 900 and is now only down about 700????? SOOOOO very glad I moved more investments out of the market in my retirement account and into our stable balance fund.....