Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

SLEEP WELL . Sleep late

Warm here all day, still 60 at almost 11pm. Lovely sunshine to start, cloudy later. They're saying T-storms tomorrow, heaviest 4-12pm and approx 1.5-2" total. Winds 10-15....sure don't want what TN got. Sorry for those experiencing those tornadoes. Such fright and damage

Calves seem to be doing well and that sure helps! But farmer & ink ....annoying but maybe he just got busy and forgot, sadly...it makes it more for you to do, time & gas. Tell him he owes you! Get some free milk for the calves!! Take some buckets along.

 

[Ridgetop]

I told him that I would swing by (very out of the way on Monday) before going to test Monday aft.... and get the racking list and a copy of the invoice.

No ink?! Can he just email the stuff to you and save you the trip?

 

[Mini Horses]

Can he send the file to you via txt or email, you print at home?

 

[farmerjan]

Morning... it is good even though it is raining out there. Not hard, just a light soft rain... perfect for soaking in.
53 out, the temp had actually gone up a bit and was 56 at midnight after being chillier during the day. It is supposed to drop off today though and then possible snow showers after the rain moves east and the cold comes in from the west and wraps around with the increased wind.
Slept until about 7:30... heading up to feed calves in a few minutes.

I am sure that he could send me the stuff via email or something... but I am going to go by there and pick it up so there are no other "snafu's".... In some ways I will be glad when they do change over and build the robot barn and I no longer go test them. It is just getting to be too much to go in there test after test and there is "always something" ...... they are 10-15 minutes from a huge Walmart... don't give me the too busy BS etc and so on. His wife is showing cattle (beef) this weekend and he has been up there for part of it.. I am so done with excuses... I have several other dairies that are alot futher off the beaten path that manage to have things done and supplies and all that.....

Well, going to go up and get the calves fed, and then chickens let out.

 

[farmerjan]

Been a good morning considering the dreary skies. Fed calves, and put feed in the other side of the barn for the others to come in the creep gate. Came home, let chickens out. The rain had pretty much stopped so not bad. Washed bottles and the rest of the dishes. Got a 2 gal bucket of very warm soapy water and went out and washed out the 6 buckets I had used to collect and carry potatoes to the house. Washed the 2 cooler chests out, first, then washed the buckets.
Checked the rain gauges... we had .9 inch over night and it was a good kind of rain again.

Came in the house and got the ham out of the fridge I had gotten a couple weeks ago on sale, and got it into a roasting pan, and it is in the oven... they are precooked they say, but at 10 min per lb it will take 1 1/2 hours to heat through.. I picked one of the biggest ones there.
Potatoes are peeled and on the stove.
I think I am going to use one of the package mixes I have picked up at one time or another, and make some brownies. I also picked up a marked down Dutch Apple crumb pie on the way home yesterday morning when I stopped to see if I could find the Hot spiced apple cider packages... which I got 2 boxes... so have that for dessert also. It is a good day to stay in and cook like @Mini Horses was saying in the "Coffee" thread. I am going to have to go look and see if there are any turkeys at the marked down price she mentioned when I go through town to go test again tomorrow.. I have lots of chickens in the freezer, but a turkey would be nice.. make good sliced turkey to freeze for sandwiches and .... whatever...

I am concerned about the agriculture in this country... as someone said in another thread, the mess in California with the dairies not being able to expand (might have been @Ridgetop that mentioned it) and things like that, I don't think that people really get it anymore...
I DO NOT PLAN TO BE AT ANOTHER COUNTRY'S MERCY, for my food. Luckily I have lots of contacts that I can draw on for food sources, but I am going to continue to try to be as PRO-active about having PLENTY of things in the cupboards and such to eat. Plus things like the toilet paper shortage... I add a big package to the grocery stops quite often, and have enough for a LONG TIME....
I think that this year we will be in good shape for the cattle, but if things keep up, there is going to be a shortage of beef and if the idiots that are trying to get us to cut back on meat have their way, there will be fewer and fewer cattle around. Yet the climate "EXPERT IDIOTS" will be jumping for joy; and until they start to realize the symbiotic nature of animals and grasses and CO2 and all that... on top of the fertility of the land...there will be no dealing with them.

I have alot of storage space. Would like to have a better pantry situation for storage of the canned food... and a root cellar type storage for the things like these potatoes...

I think a new and bigger freezer might in the works for me since I have 2 that constantly get alot of frost and the replacement gaskets are not available... I have been trying to see if I can find replacements... there are things to do to try to extend the life of them... but when they just get brittle and stay compressed, there is only so much you can do. This is when a chest freezer is actually better because the lid stays down with not having to worry about it not sealing as well.... I may look at a bigger chest freezer and sell one or 2 of the uprights. Just was in the back of my mind when I was looking for some stuff and the one freezer had alot of frost again and will have to be defrosted. The uprights do utilize the space better though.... Just been tossing around some thoughts.

Hey, saw an article pop up ... from the NYTimes no less, that says that fat-free and low fat dairy MAY NOT be the best way to eat... not a real good endorsement, but at least they are saying that certain experts,,,, one from Calf.... that we are losing important vitamins and other benefits from full "fat dairy" .... including several studies that say people eating dairy actually have less issues with cholesterol and some other things...
REALLY...... but let's cut the dairy production in the country... where are all those "wine and cheese" vineyards that have tastings and all the different things they promote for wine tours, going to get the cheese to go along with their wine if they don't have the dairies??????

 

[Ridgetop]

I picked one of the biggest ones there.

I always buy the largest when they are on sale so you have enough to freeze for future meals. If you have to do all that cooking why do just enough for a small meal?!

Plus things like the toilet paper shortage... I add a big package to the grocery stops quite often, and have enough for a LONG TIME....

I try to keep up a store of toilet paper too. I suppose we could go back to using leaves, but my leaves would probably either be poison ivy or have a big old spider on it!

 

[farmerjan]

Just a last minute note... I have been watching a couple of movies... and looked outside. It rained again this afternoon after a lull of barely misty stuff... It is snowing and has been for a bit... There is nearly 3 inches out there already and still coming down.. Heavy wet snow.... And they said it would only be a half inch on grassy surfaces... the roads are white and VDOT is out... Texted DS and left him a plate of ham and mashed potatoes and a piece of that pie I bought, on the seat of the car in case he needs something to eat since there is nothing much except convenience stores open all night. It is coming down pretty good. No wind so far but the forecast says it will pick up overnight. Rather hope not... it is rather pretty. There is more snow out there already than we had all winter last year....

I'm going to bed.

 

[Mini Horses]

OH, NO! Not the white stuff.... Yeah, looks pretty as it's happening, then we have to go out in it! .

Too warm for my rain to freeze. I'm so thankful!!!
We've gotten almost 2.5" and still some light rains going on. 42 & dropping to 38, some winds so feel like "cold"!! We had tornado warnings but, that didn't happen or last long, 5-8pm. West of 95 needed this rain, we didn't.

My snow last yr was a dusting....once. Perfect!!

 

[farmerjan]

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" all up and down the road....

YEP ....... We've got the white stuff out there.... doesn't look like we got much more after I went to bed last night... and the temps are already a little above freezing... the ground was wet and warm so it won't stay around very long...
And there are schools closed all around us, or on delay opening... but not our county... just saw a school bus go by and checked the lists on the station....nothing listed for us.....the roads look pretty clear out there already.

I was supposed to take the truck down and leave it at the co-op.... but don't want to take it out on the roads since I know there is salt on them... I will get it down there tomorrow... not like it is a set appointment.... no sense in putting more salt underneath it on the frame than it got up north.. although my father used to be pretty good about keeping it washed off underneath, and not taking it out in the bad salty conditions when he first got it. But it has had salt damage and here with the brine they use on the roads it is even more corrosive. It is spitting snow out there still, but it is supposed to taper off and the winds pick up. We could do without that.

New experience for the bottle calves... will go up there in a little bit to see what they think of it... And the chickens will not like it. Covered the crates and all up with the better pieces of the tarps and such on Saturday, so they did not get wet or bothered by the winds. The shelter cover is going up this week if it kills me. Got the nails I wanted, got the pieces of the broken fence posts out there the other day... will get it all put together this week. Since I am supposed to test this afternoon, and again tomorrow afternoon, then looks like that's it for this week, I will have the rest of the week to get the base nailed back together and all that ready for some help to get it up.
So glad that everything is in the car for testing except for the bottles for today's herd. I will put them in the racks when I box up Sat morning's samples... and swing by and go pick up the racking list and all at the sat aft herd on my way to test, this afternoon.

Wonder what the "kittens" are going to think about it???? It ought to be funny to watch...
We are supposed to be clear and in the 40-50 degree range all week so it will be gone in a day or 2...

So, I am going to get going and get things done here. Calves get extra milk today since I will not be getting home until after 8 pm... same tomorrow... then they will be back on 2x a day... although this is helping to make them want to eat more grain since they are getting a little hungry in the evenings. Since they are pushing 6 weeks old now, that is good they have to "find something in the bunk in the barn" ... I won't wean them off until mid January due to the colder weather... and will put them on once a day bottles after Christmas, because the holstein especially will do better with still getting some milk feeding... they were born 11/3, so 8 weeks is right after New Year's day. Much as the milk replacer costs, I do not want them to go backwards with the colder weather either... so 10-12 weeks will be better for them.

Time to get outside to the chickens... calves will be a little later so that it will take them through until tomorrow morning.... get the car cleaned off of snow and the truck also... then pack those samples and next thing you know it will be time to head out to make the "circuitous" trip to test.

Flannel jeans, and all that today!!!!!!

 

[SageHill]

I love when critters see their first snow!!