Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

Living in east Texas where snow and ice is a BIG EVENT because we have no Road equipment for it, In weather like yours, I would stay home. But you don’t have that excuse, so off to work you go!

 

[farmerjan]

Sat morning and actually warmer than the last 2 mornings. A BALMY 34 degrees !!!! Some sun but alot of clouds passing over too. There is still ice on the bushes, especially on the "offside" of where the sun hits. It should pretty much melt today if we hit 40 like they say. Then colder tomorrow and the week will be 20's and maybe 40's...
THEN.... the dive to COLD.... and now more of a "possibility" of some snow...... Thursday/Friday on top of the drop to FRIGID temps. 20's for highs and single digits for lows.

Got the samples from last night packed since I need my trays to put the bottles in for the farm this afternoon. Got to get the bottles in the trays and leave early to go to the farm to fix the computer stuff first... then to work.

Went out for supper with the young farmer and the other high school girl last night... she said, do you have to get home early and I said no, and she said, want to go get something to eat... there is a "sports" place... that has really good burgers and some other stuff... I have heard her mention it before... so I said Sure... It was pretty good... the Nachos that we got for "appetizers" to share was HUGE... Very good.... I could've had just that for a meal... They have like 15 "signature" burgers... 1/2 lb size and each has it's own "special" thing... I had one that was a Swiss/Sauteed Onion thing... pretty good. I am spoiled by my own hamburger... but it was decent. There were a few salads that I could have tried too... Might have to take her out to eat one evening in the future. She paid and said it was a "Christmas" present to us... Didn't expect that. It was nice.... didn't get home until 11 p.m. I am about an hour from that farm... and I slept like a log when I got home.

So, about to go out and let the chickens out of the crate and finish getting bottles into the trays and get myself together to leave. Hope we have more sun than clouds today.

 

[Baymule]

Nice Christmas present! Good company and supper too, real nice invitation.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday morning. 31 to start, clouds and some sun trying to come through. Only supposed to maybe hit 40 again today if lucky.
Long day yesterday with the computer "fixing" at the one farm, then the set up and testing at the other farm... I got home last night about 9 after leaving about 11 a.m.... Took about 45 minutes at the farm to do all the computer stuff.... GOD BLESS the computer support girl that allowed me to call her at home and talked me through to whole thing.... sent the farmer a text after I was done and leaving that he should be good to go now to do the update after the samples have processed and he just said Thanks. Guess I should be glad I got that much. Sure don't get any extra pay or anything even like mileage for stuff like this.

Everything went okay at the other farm testing but the "help" he was supposed to have had called in so it was just the farmer and I. It went pretty smooth but it was a long afternoon. Started milking about 1:45 and got done about 7... then had to enter all the milk weights in the computer and then figure out all the missing cows... some sold, some dried off, a few calvings that didn't get entered in... a few eartag ID's that have to be in there..... they need a "state ear tag ID" not just their #... there are hundreds of #245's... so they have to have a special tag that is specific to each cow... It is always this way at this farm.... I left there a little after 8 to come home.
Locked the chickens in the crate and came in and ate a bowl of green beans and took a shower, washed my hair and went to bed.

Going out to let the chickens out in a minute. Gotta eat too, stomach is growling.

Will go up and give the calves some grain later and see who I can get in maybe.... tonight is supposed to be colder, in the 20's.... partly cloudy and cold this week... 40's and 20's... and now they are saying some snow, wintry mix for Thursday....
Need to go out and check on the freezers here and better go check on the one at Deb's... and the water in the tack room and make sure the heater is running on low... just little things to make sure that all are working and running.
Feel sorry for the upper midwest with the snow and horribly cold miserable weather they are getting. But I am rather hoping that Thursday weather stays all snow here... it is alot easier on the animals to deal with the snow than for them to get soaking wet and then the temps drop.
Oh well.... time to get out and get done.

 

[Mini Horses]

But I am rather hoping that Thursday weather stays all snow here... it is alot easier on the animals to deal with the snow than for them to get soaking wet and then the temps drop.

You are so right! Yet, many will just stand out in it. The snow sits there, almost another layer of insulation....that rain can soak in if heavy enough.

Our milder temps than North are still cold for us. I spent yesterday checking those things you mention. Plus bought a float heater for a large tank. Too many head in this field for the smaller heated tubs, so big one has to to stay open. Think he I'm gonna go get a timer for it....so I don't have to be do the job on/off myself.

 

[farmerjan]

Eating a sandwich and then going to get feed from big bin at barn and going to see if I can get anyone in.

It has only hit 36 with partial sun today. Been a bit more sun than clouds at least.

I just put a load in the wash... I will get them out tomorrow and they will have a couple days to dry. Nothing I am desperate for, just thought I would get caught up a little. Dishes all done. boxed a return to send out. I tried 2 pairs of lined jeans and one pair is for people with skinny thighs . I certainly don't fall in that category!!!! The other pair from Lands End fit pretty good... would be better if I lost some weight around the middle... I'm TRYING.... Ordered another pair so I can wear them in the barns testing in the cold. I have a pair of insulated overalls.... but again, I've gained weight and they are very snug... It's not comfortable in the barns... or even out with the animals... when they are tight. The jeans will keep my legs warmer and still allow me to move easier with this extra weight. I have found since the knee replacements that I feel the cold in the legs more...maybe the metal gets colder??? Anyway, this seems to be a good compromise and then maybe I will be able to take off some of the weight as I am feeling more and more mobile. I need to get back to some exercises though.
So been taking care of stuff that gets "put off"...

There has been a rash of stuff being stolen out of barns around here... several friends have gotten hit.... tools, things easy to carry off... I make sure my little storage shed is padlocked because of the DeWalt tools and all. Other stuff is so piled that I doubt they would take the time to try to sort through it in the carport and nothing really worth much. DS was telling me is going to get some game cameras up and he has taken a bunch of stuff out of the sheds/barns.... battery powered grease gun, some other stuff. He is also considering putting gates in at the end of the driveway to doug's barn... it's 2-3 tenths mile from the road back to the barn complex there. A couple of the farmers around here have lost some stuff... It's all been stuff that can be grabbed and gone...
The good thing is there are always so many cars and trucks in and out and parked and traded around that people never know who is where at our houses/barns. One of the reasons I try to go in and out of Deb's at different times since she is not there much. Unfortunately, his barn is right off the road and not much activity in and out of there since he bought doug's farm and uses that place more...keeps hay wagons and such at his barn and some of his tools are there but he is just at doug's more; still has some stuff at his barn. But he's got it closed and I am hoping to maybe get him some game cameras for Christmas now... going to go look tomorrow and get him some and if they are not what he wants he can exchange them. His GF gets so much off Amazon that I cannot compete with her buying things and returning and all that. So If I get him something here local, he can return it himself and gets what he wants if it isn't right. I do not get hurt feelings over something like that for sure....

So, time to head out to get feed and go to the cows.

 

[CLSranch]

I have found since the knee replacements that I feel the cold in the legs more...maybe the metal gets colder???

A great difference. I've noticed when I had metal in my hand it was terrible. I also notice a huge difference in wearing steel or composite toe boots. I no longer wear steel toe boots. The steel toe rubber boot is TERRIBLE. I now wear mucks in cold weather and composite toe work boots.
I do miss the ol' Justin's though. But not wearing 3 different boots.

 

[farmerjan]

Already getting COLD !!!! Down to 24 from a high of only 36 today. It's been cold and getting colder.

DS called earlier and wanted to know if I could help him do some feeding. He has been really worn out and sick.... he got about 3 hours sleep and had to go back in to work Wed night at 10 (after a normal 7-3:30)... didn't get off Thursday with all the ice and mess until 10 and then had to do some feeding and went home to sleep to be back in at 8p.m. .... again worked until 9 a.m. Fri, then had the special imaging of his shoulder at UVA which is an hour away.... something is torn, not the rotator cuff... he can't remember what they said because he wasn't feeling very good....tendon or ligament he thought.... and then went home and went to bed.... said he was so sick all day Sat and into today... and knew he had to get up here to feed some... so I opened gates at snyder's for him to feed hay and then went and got in 3 heifers at another place so he could get them home before we get this crap weather coming... I would have done it but the long trailer doesn't fit very well and you need a 2nd person to watch where the culvert goes under the road because you can't see when you are jacking the trailer around... so he just came with the trailer and in 10 minutes and we got them loaded and then he took them to snyder's with the rest of the heifers.... he was going to feed some more hay... and a friend was coming to help him load the flat bed trailer because he didn't get the hay delivered last weekend (she had some "things planned") and it has got to be delivered this week now.... nope, I'm not "going there".... but now he is sounding and feeling really weak and run down and sick....

So I offered if he needed me to do anything else but he said once they got the trailer loaded he was going to probably quit.... so he stopped by the house here on his way home to see if I can fix a zipper on a lined flannel hooded overshirt he likes to wear... the zipper is plastic, and the pull just came apart in 2.... and then was talking about what he was going to try to do this week... and I also told him that I was working Mon-Tues-Wed evenings this week.... and Mon and Tues I will be leaving early.... and worrying about this weather coming in because his boss has been on vacation (has to take it or lose it kind of days accumulated) and he will be working 12 hour shifts, PLUS what he will have to do extra... but his boss is not "away" so he will come back in if the weather turns bad....

So he took some of the gatorade stuff I got him at Sharp Shopper that has been in the back of the car... and will get the rest tomorrow I think and take it to his house up the road.... because I am going to need all the space in the back of the car for meters and more hoses, as I need all 24 on Tuesday. I have what I need for tomorrow but I do have to change some brackets for tomorrow. Luckily, I need them changed the same way for Tuesday... then will change back 12 for Wed/Thurs herd....

I am going out to bring in the 2 boxes of potatoes off the porch as they might freeze some tonight and don't want to waste them. Like to keep them out when it is 30 + at night but it is going to get bitter and not wasting all that food.

Hope I can get the clothes hung out tomorrow... temps are supposed to be up in the mid 40's during the day Mon and Tues... the jeans will freeze dry some but ought to get mostly dry.

Caught another mouse... that is 4 in 5 days..... The new sticky traps I got the other day are getting them when the snap traps weren't ..... I have got them all over the place....

Someone hit a BIG coon on the road so I am being very diligent about shutting the chickens in the crate. Still have no idea where the buff hen is roosting at night... not in the tree back there anymore since the leaves are gone. She comes up near the house and I think might be going in the carport or once I thought she was going under some boxes and stuff that is piled on the porch. Oh well.... one of the brahma hens picks on her or she might actually go in with the rooster...
I will have to carry out water tomorrow for them... the waterer has not frozen in the shelter since the sun hits it and it warms up some in the morning.... and the last few days has been hovering at the freezing mark so just warm enough to keep it thawed... but that is going to change. Maybe the hen will start going in more for the water and feed... because there won't be any water anywhere else for her out here.

Got to finish packing the samples so they can go out tomorrow... and get bottles in the tray for the farm tomorrow. I have to run to the bank EARLY in the morning because I forgot to write a check from my checking account at one bank... to deposit in the other bank that I pay my mortgage through.... they are the ones that gave me the mortgage and I got free checking with them and pay the mtg and the explorer payment through the checking account..... they don't offer any great incentives to bank there... but they sure were good to give me the loans so I try to do a little business with them.... and it makes it easier for me to make sure the 2 loans get paid... except like this past week I was so unorganized with changing herds around and all... that I forgot to make sure the money was in the account. GRRRR..... and I meant to do it on Friday on the way home from the farm but we went out to eat and it was late and I just didn't do it.... Oh well.... it will get better.....

Had a call about the explorer,,, guy was going through on his way home to NY and saw it across from the Pilot gas station... seems interested and said he would call me back.... we'll see... sure would like it to get sold...

Past time to get the samples finished and go to bed...

 

[CLSranch]

Already getting COLD !!!! Down to 24 from a high of only 36 today. It's been cold and getting colder.

I believe when it gets REALLY cold later this week, it's a good time to find Lonesome Dove. If you can and after chores of course. You have to do more chores when you don't want to go outside.

 

[Baymule]

So, @farmerjan snd @CLSranch , what y’all are saying is that when this Siberian cold front hits east Texas, I can expect frost on my new metal knee????