Long day again.... but productive. 69 to start, only up to 76... not very warm overall... Part sun and clouds all day and quite breezy but comfortable out overall... It was nice enough that I was out in a short sleeved shirt all day.
Got on the tractor and finished raking at deb's... he did get the tire changed and then had jim take hydraulic fluid up to it. I thought maybe he had finished raking but he hadn't. He did get all the hay I had raked, baled at least.
So finished raking there and then took tractor and rake about a mile to the fields he had cut on Saturday. With the dry air, even with not hot sun, and the very breezy conditions, they were quite dry. These fields are "free"... and one is not very good grass as they built a house and we did not put down any fertilizer this year since we were not sure if we were going to get it again...... but they do not want to mow all that "lawn".... Plus the house next door, where the people used to live, we had never seen or talked to the new owners, so didn't fertilize it, in case we didn't get to mow it. But DS met the lady this weekend and she said they were not going to move out here full time for about 2 or so years, when they retired, so they were very pleased to have it mowed and made for hay... so we will probably do some fertilizer next week. There is less than 20 % chance of any precip for 7-10 days they say, so not going to do any nitrogen until it looks like rain or it will all just "evaporate"...
Anyway, I did the "lower field" with the 2 houses there... and then went up to the house and acreage above it, and raked that. It is quite a hill, and we mow it "along the hill" since it is very long... but you feel like you can slide off the tractor seat on some of it... DS came as I was making the 2nd trip around... and stopped to talk a little... and I said, you know, I haven't checked the fuel... He looked and it was EMPTY..... I had to go get a 5 gal can of fuel to get the field done... and the angle it was sitting at when we stopped to talk... it was the downhill side of the fuel pump and all... so naturally it sucked air into the injectors... so DS had to bleed the injectors for the fuel pump to "pick up the fuel" and pump it into the injectors. I wouldn't have gotten 20 ft up the hill and would have lost power and the engine would have shut off... so it was good it happened that way. He had left one of the trucks there yesterday I guess... so at least I had the truck to go get a can of fuel and he baled the 2 outside rows while I was gone.
Worked out good. Then I got to raking and he was baling behind me because he was going to bale the lower field that I had already raked, with the smaller round baler. The guy we make hay for, has had to buy hay from us the last couple of years on top of what we custom make of his own hay.... and he only wants the 4x5 bales as his smaller tractor cannot handle the bigger 5+ x 5 bales we make to feed out.
So we got the top field raked and baled, I left as he was finishing up the last row and brought tractor and rake to the fields he cut Sunday.... to probably rake tomorrow. He came and picked me up and took me to the car at Deb's where the tractor and rake had been, and he got the smaller baler and pulled it with the truck to the field to use and I then went and got the red car with the feed in it, and went to feed the calves and all. I did not try to get the ones in since with the baling he would not get done in time to get anyone moved.. Then I went and got the green car (outback) and went and picked up my meters at the farm that had borrowed them as one of my farmers called me and he wants to test since it is supposed to get alot hotter the end of the week and next week. So we settled on testing tomorrow night and Wed morning... he tests 2 milkings. I will go to the farm (they are only 5 miles or so away) and set up in the morning like I usually do, then they can run their wash system and all... I will go rake hay during the day, and then will go back to test them Tues eve. They don't start until 4:30 or so in the evening, and 5:30 in the morning... I should be able to rake with no big deal, during mid day... probably 3-4 hours or so I think. With all I did today, it was about 5 1/2 hours on the tractor.
Nice thing was, it was not hot because there were alot of clouds across the sky. In fact, it got dark and we got about 20 drops while doing the upper field.. but it passed. However, it started to rain a real get you wet shower while I was getting the meters and I was praying he got the lower field done. I talked to him a little later and he said he was going way too fast on that uneven ground but got it all done, as it was sprinkling.... The hay was very dry so it wouldn't hurt it with the little drops, but it would have not been good to have it get "wet". The thing of it is, it rained more the 3 miles south where I was getting the meters, at the farm, than it did at the field... LUCKILY....
And I did manage to get the 2nd row of the same variety of potatoes, planted this evening before dark. I HAVE to get the tiller tines put together though.. there is getting to be too much "green" sprouting up ... I want to till down the rows where I am going to put the stuff... and then smother the inbetween walkways.... the ground is already getting dry too...
The netting is going to have to wait til I can get it mowed again... and that is going to take backseat to the hay this week... plus testing. I need to do the 500 cow herd... it is a morning... and we are both too busy right now to do it. Going to take the trap out there and set it with some fruit to see if it is a groundhog though...
I did see quite a few of the butternut squash seeds have sprouted in the row where I put them.... but it was getting too dark to see much by the time I finished the row of potatoes... the tomatoes still look pitiful, but they are all upright and not wilted and turning dark almost black, green. If I could get them watered once I think it would help. Maybe towards the end of the week I can get a soaker hose or 2 out there for them for a little bit... especially if there is no real chance of rain in sight for a week. Plus, I need to get some cardboard down and that roll of hay I want to go get... and get the ground mulched and conserve the moisture. Part of this is there is so much constant wind. We never used to get wind like this. Yes, it is PERFECT HAY MAKING WEATHER, with no humidity, and the constant breeze... but it is hard on the soil and the plants. So getting the soil covered will really help.
Wish
@Baymule could send some of her rain up here... I know she would be happy to have LESS right about now...
Jaw and "empty space" are not as tender... can't hit it with cold liquid... drank some tea earlier and forgot and it was a rude awakening... just wow... so that is overall good.
Time to get a shower and go to bed.
