Bruce
Herd Master
Good points @CntryBoy777. If I haven't yet, I will now suggest a knee scooter. Dad had one and it helped immensely. Also much easier to get around than on crutches.
Farmerjan's journal - Weather
- Thread starter farmerjan
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Mini Horses
Herd Master
Will have to get a "stash" of ice cream closer to surgery, so I can indulge in my "comfort food" when I get home too.
ABSOLUTELY !!
When you look at the seats, some have arms. They work better for you when alone, IMO. Especially since you are getting in & out of a tub. Plus, you can get ones that slide on seat part, so you can sit outside and slide in.... If you have to put it in sideways, may not be able to use one with arms. LOOK at the tub, walls, area, etc. They do make hand rails that fit on sides of tub. Yours may not work, if old clawfoot. You might want to consider a walker for some of these places if scooter won't fit, cane is small but not as able to be supportive -- depending on hand needed. Really a shame you aren't closer, I have most of this stuff right here. LOL Oh, riser seat for the toilet? Keep in mind, you will only have one leg to bear weight. Some of those old ones are low.
But, we have a Habitat store that offers all this stuff, cheap. Try a 2nd hand store. You can bleach it all. Practicing is a great idea from CountryBoy. Give some idea of balance issues.
Shirts with pockets or a fanny pack. Hey, you will want to keep phone, pen & note pad, etc. with you and may want to "clip it to you". You aren't going to be rushing to find things. If you drink a lot of water, coffee, etc...a thermal cup, thermos, etc. for chairside.
Notice this is all inside stuff. We aren't ready for outside yet.
Do you have a date set yet? Will it be there, local or a couple towns over (bigger hospital, etc).?
Baymule
Herd Master
Slider bath seat, good point. Those types also have legs that fit in the tub and legs outside of the tub, for greater stability. Height may be an issue, but the legs are adjustable, just measure and make sure.
Baymule
Herd Master
Don't forget the brownie mix!
Bruce
Herd Master
Hey, you are closer to Jan than the rest of us! Of course I don't know where she lives, might be a good 300 miles.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
She's somewhere in the 4 hr drive time. Lovely area of the State!! Used to be up there for horse shows. Been years.
CntryBoy777
Herd Master
I'm 6'2" tall, so "swing width" was critical and with long arms, reaching is not difficult, but I've been around others that were in the 5'2" range and reach meant alot to....mom had several reach tools handy in a couple of areas, in case it was needed....depending on the brace, splint, or boot the movement of the joint will be limited....some rugs may present a problem....ahh!!....staying on somewhat "level ground" with be less painful...cause your other joints gotta "pick up the slack" for the one to be "sidelined" for a bit....
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farmerjan
Herd Master
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Just a quick post as I should be in bed. Got 1.1 inches of rain on the Tues night/Wed rain that stopped early afternoon. Had some really strong winds come in, the ground is dry on top already, but it did help.
Went up and helped get the cattle in for the neighbor, 17 calves in the 500+ lb. range and one old cow going to town tomorrow. My son will take a load in early, then I will take the second load in as he has to go to work. I tested the herd Wed afternoon, then dropped the stuff off at another farm for them to do their owner sampler test. They should call me to come get the samples and all tomorrow, if they got it done. I have to go right up near there to test a farm on Sat afternoon, so if nothing else, hopefully they will have it done and I can just go by there early on Sat and get the meters, do the computer work for them and just make one trip. But I would like to do it tomorrow because sat is the apple butter festival at the mill where I used to work, and I'd like to go by there for a little bit before going to work. Plus my son wants to move the 9 cows and 1 calf and bull out of the one pasture that is pretty well done for the year on Sat morning. So, we'll see what happens tomorrow.
Slight chance of frost tonight with temps getting down into the 30's but it is breezy so might not settle. Brought the 2 hanging spider plants in anyway. That time of year.... actually it is way later than we usually go to get a frost.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I will make some comments in a day or 2.
Went up and helped get the cattle in for the neighbor, 17 calves in the 500+ lb. range and one old cow going to town tomorrow. My son will take a load in early, then I will take the second load in as he has to go to work. I tested the herd Wed afternoon, then dropped the stuff off at another farm for them to do their owner sampler test. They should call me to come get the samples and all tomorrow, if they got it done. I have to go right up near there to test a farm on Sat afternoon, so if nothing else, hopefully they will have it done and I can just go by there early on Sat and get the meters, do the computer work for them and just make one trip. But I would like to do it tomorrow because sat is the apple butter festival at the mill where I used to work, and I'd like to go by there for a little bit before going to work. Plus my son wants to move the 9 cows and 1 calf and bull out of the one pasture that is pretty well done for the year on Sat morning. So, we'll see what happens tomorrow.
Slight chance of frost tonight with temps getting down into the 30's but it is breezy so might not settle. Brought the 2 hanging spider plants in anyway. That time of year.... actually it is way later than we usually go to get a frost.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I will make some comments in a day or 2.
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- #909
farmerjan
Herd Master
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Well, it's been a busy couple of days. Each night has gotten a little colder, 41, 40, 39, 36.... last night. Some places got down to 30 and even heard one at 27.
Frost around but we haven't had any here. It is going to be warmer tonight, we are due to get the remnants of that trop storm Nestor, coming in tonight after midnight ans lasting through mid day Sunday. @Mini Horses will probably be getting alot more due to the proximity to the coast and the storm heading east. We will be on the fringes more, but there is some forecasts saying up to 2 inches. Another inch or so would be welcome.
Hauled the heifers in for the neighbor yesterday. 7 heifers and one cow he was culling. My son had taken 11 steers in early. I didn't get to the sale so don't know what prices were like, want to stop by there on Monday and see in general how things were looking. Don't foresee any great improvement in prices. The weights were a little lighter than his normally are too, 3 weighed only 350 ea and 4 weighed right at 510 ea. The steers were more like 450 and 550/600. I hope they did decent but I don't think they were all that great. Prices the last 2 weeks I have been told were in the $.90 to $1.15 range for heifers, and the $1.15 to $1.40 for steers. At 500 lbs @ 1.15 , a heifer will bring $575, which is about what it costs to feed the cow for the year.... that means break even with nothing in your pocket. A 500 lb steer @ 1.40 is only $700 which is $125-150 over the cost to keep the cow for the year.... it definitely is not a very good fall for paying any bills.
And don't forget, he pays us to work the calves in the spring, and there are 4 of us that get them in, give shots, band, etc., for about 2 hours, and then pays us to haul them to the sale.... Plus we make his hay for him and we get paid for that. He's probably in his late 60's early 70's and just is not able to do it. 
Plus it would never pay him to have all the equipment needed to make the hay when he only makes one cutting then grazes the place. Alot of his cattle check will go to us this year, for our time, labor, equipment and fuel for haying costs... They are not "cheapskates" or anything, and never quibble over the costs because we do our best to accommodate them when they want to do stuff; and our costs have certainly not gotten any cheaper.... it is just facts of life. This is the sort of thing that makes older farmers decide to give it up because they can't do for themselves and have to pay others to do it. As for our own, we just never "pay ourselves" a wage....our labor is free 
.
Moved a group home from pasture this morning, they need to be pregnancy checked. The grass was gone there, it is a pasture we can't do any rotating due to lack of fences. This is the lady that is 96 years old. God bless her.
. If I live that long I hope I am half as sharp mentally as she is. Arthritis in her knees is killing her and she can't get out in her garden anymore, but she is still "keeping on, keeping on". Told me to NEVER give up.... Everyone else is still okay, and we rotated some in a couple of other places and with this little bits of rain, it ought to put some life back into the grass so it isn't so "crispy".
Then I went to work to test a 70 cow herd this afternoon. Got home about 8:30 and made sure the tarp was on the tractor for the rain we are supposed to get.
I'm ready to hit the shower and bed. May get a little extra "time off" in the morning if it is raining. I need to go check one of the cows we just brought home though, she is making an udder and was supposede to be open when she went out there with the bull. One of the other ones wound up having a calf about a month ago, so was very short bred when we checked them. I am wondering if this one was also short bred, of if she was bred, lost the calf; not a good scenario. I will palpate her tomorrow before we move these guys to a temp field, because if she has a big (close to calving size) calf in her, she will go up to where the nurse cows are. She is guernsey/holstein, and will get a second calf at least. So I need to determine her status.
I think a cup of hot cocoa with a little amaretto is in the next half hour plans and then sleep like a baby.... it takes the edge off the knee and ankle aches, and I can fall asleep with no problem.... I'm not a wine drinker, so that is my indulgence. 
Frost around but we haven't had any here. It is going to be warmer tonight, we are due to get the remnants of that trop storm Nestor, coming in tonight after midnight ans lasting through mid day Sunday. @Mini Horses will probably be getting alot more due to the proximity to the coast and the storm heading east. We will be on the fringes more, but there is some forecasts saying up to 2 inches. Another inch or so would be welcome. Hauled the heifers in for the neighbor yesterday. 7 heifers and one cow he was culling. My son had taken 11 steers in early. I didn't get to the sale so don't know what prices were like, want to stop by there on Monday and see in general how things were looking. Don't foresee any great improvement in prices. The weights were a little lighter than his normally are too, 3 weighed only 350 ea and 4 weighed right at 510 ea. The steers were more like 450 and 550/600. I hope they did decent but I don't think they were all that great. Prices the last 2 weeks I have been told were in the $.90 to $1.15 range for heifers, and the $1.15 to $1.40 for steers. At 500 lbs @ 1.15 , a heifer will bring $575, which is about what it costs to feed the cow for the year.... that means break even with nothing in your pocket. A 500 lb steer @ 1.40 is only $700 which is $125-150 over the cost to keep the cow for the year.... it definitely is not a very good fall for paying any bills.
And don't forget, he pays us to work the calves in the spring, and there are 4 of us that get them in, give shots, band, etc., for about 2 hours, and then pays us to haul them to the sale.... Plus we make his hay for him and we get paid for that. He's probably in his late 60's early 70's and just is not able to do it. Plus it would never pay him to have all the equipment needed to make the hay when he only makes one cutting then grazes the place. Alot of his cattle check will go to us this year, for our time, labor, equipment and fuel for haying costs... They are not "cheapskates" or anything, and never quibble over the costs because we do our best to accommodate them when they want to do stuff; and our costs have certainly not gotten any cheaper.... it is just facts of life. This is the sort of thing that makes older farmers decide to give it up because they can't do for themselves and have to pay others to do it. As for our own, we just never "pay ourselves" a wage....our labor is free .Moved a group home from pasture this morning, they need to be pregnancy checked. The grass was gone there, it is a pasture we can't do any rotating due to lack of fences. This is the lady that is 96 years old. God bless her.
. If I live that long I hope I am half as sharp mentally as she is. Arthritis in her knees is killing her and she can't get out in her garden anymore, but she is still "keeping on, keeping on". Told me to NEVER give up.... Everyone else is still okay, and we rotated some in a couple of other places and with this little bits of rain, it ought to put some life back into the grass so it isn't so "crispy". Then I went to work to test a 70 cow herd this afternoon. Got home about 8:30 and made sure the tarp was on the tractor for the rain we are supposed to get.
I'm ready to hit the shower and bed. May get a little extra "time off" in the morning if it is raining. I need to go check one of the cows we just brought home though, she is making an udder and was supposede to be open when she went out there with the bull. One of the other ones wound up having a calf about a month ago, so was very short bred when we checked them. I am wondering if this one was also short bred, of if she was bred, lost the calf; not a good scenario. I will palpate her tomorrow before we move these guys to a temp field, because if she has a big (close to calving size) calf in her, she will go up to where the nurse cows are. She is guernsey/holstein, and will get a second calf at least. So I need to determine her status.
I think a cup of hot cocoa with a little amaretto
is in the next half hour plans and then sleep like a baby.... it takes the edge off the knee and ankle aches, and I can fall asleep with no problem.... I'm not a wine drinker, so that is my indulgence. Mini Horses
Herd Master
I think a cup of hot cocoa with a little amaretto
I like that drink, also. Sometimes Crème de Cocoa, or Frangelica...whatever is there. Or some coffee with Kahlua....less caffeine in the cocoa. Fortunately for me, I'm just looking to take the "edge" off of the list my mind is tossing around up there...not pain. For you, it's both, 'cause I KNOW you have a lot on your list!!
At this point in life, it's not an indulgence but an enjoyment. Hope your cow was just short bred, not a loss. New babes are so adorable. So, do you have another calf you want to graft to her? She sure will produce enough for several calves and you, too, with that cross. I know you had one FF heifer whom you felt might not be producing enough -- young calf at waterer. Isn't it hard to get the CALF to go to another cow? Or are they just that opportunistic -- any teat for a meal?
