Farmerjan's journal - Weather

farmerjan

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Tuesday, down to 39 this morning up to 78 today. Very slight breeze earlier so got warmer quicker.... but it was chilly in the barn at 5:30. Done milking at 9, computer work then home to change for PT in the pool.... It feels great to not have the gravity on the joints but it doesn't last like when they guys do the ligament and tendon "torture" when they work them.... like grinding their thumbs into some very tender spots... but the effects last all day and more.
Anyway, left there and came back, called DS and found out the "plan" for the day. I got on the tractor with the big wheel rake and headed to his barn property after eating some lunch. Since they are not done with all the "construction stuff" at the tower, the silt/erosion fencing is in place and it is a royal pain to work around all the corners.... but I got it all raked after about 3+ hours.... orchard grass looks real good.
Then I went up to the subdivision and raked the 3 fields that he had mowed. It was after 6 when I got off the tractor.

Along the way had an interesting happening. There are very large stiff springs that are attached to each of the "wheels" that have the teeth to rake the hay. This rake has 7 wheels on a side.... when you lift up the wheels, like for transport.... they are controlled by a long "pipe" that the hydraulic cylinder causes to move.... to lift or lower...and the spring holds it up also... Anyway, each wheel has a stiff spring that helps to control it when it is rolling along the ground... keeping it somewhat stable and allowing it to "bounce a little" along the contour of the ground also. Anyway, the spring holds it in place when it is up. We are talking REALLY STIFF... like you use a crowbar to get it on the rake and the supporting bar on the pipe... One end of the spring just snapped off... and the wheel immediately dropped... on the road as I was coming up to rake the first place.... I managed to get it picked up (pivots up and down on like an axle that holds it in place like any other wheel) .... and then loop the short chain that also helps to keep it from bouncing all over, around the bar that the spring was attached to.... First I looked for and found an old bolt and a nut to fit (MIRACLE OF ALL MIRACLES) in the little tool box on the tractor... and after getting the wheel up, held it against the frame and got the bolt through the chain, into the other link after looping it around the bar, and thread the rusty nut on the rusty bolt ONE HANDED.... Remember, this happened on the road... no one in sight or calling distance and too far to walk back to the farm where my truck was...Honestly don't know how I managed it... except that using the hip to help brace the wheel up right and all that.... Then got a pair of rusty pliers out and managed to get it to turn the nut to get it on further. The weight of the wheel against the chain and the bolt head helped as I only had the one set of locking pliers....
Figured that if it came off, then at least I could still rake... but it stayed on so that wheel didn't drop when I let the other ones down to rake...
So I did the 10 acres of og... and about 8-10 acres in the 3 lots in the subdivision... but there weren't all the obstacles so it went faster... Since I cannot rake tomorrow with going to the farm to test... DS said he would try to get it fixed. Also, have a wheel that all the teeth attach to, that is breaking.... it is probably one of the original wheels... and it is cracking and splitting at least 1/3 of the way around so the teeth will catch and hang up when it wobbles a little. He said that he can get that replaced. We have replaced 2 so far in this rake; after having it 5-6 years, and doug having it for at least 10 before that, we can't complain. They are 175 a wheel, but they come with all the teeth on them and the teeth cost about that if you buy them separately... well worth it.
There are only 5 more rows that are mowed because something cracked on the discbine, and cannot be used. It is part of the piece that they were supposed to replace all the cutter housings when he tore it up and they didn't replace them all.... so don't know where this is going but it is their fault.... after nearly 8,000 worth of work and parts.... they didn't replace the 3 housings because they " looked okay" DS is mad and he has every right to be mad. He said that he wanted all the housings replaced... and if he had to kick in for the 3 that was fine.... so now they are going to have to make good someway on not doing it in the interest of saving a little time and money....

ALWAYS SOMETHING.....

Nothing done at house today, or tomorrow... maybe Thursday I will be able to get back to painting some more of the baseboard heater panels....

I am really whipped, so am going to get a hot shower, wash my hair as it is dirty/dusty and go to bed. Didn't get the samples packed today since I was on the tractor so long... so they are first thing, and getting bottles ready for the farm tomorrow....Don't like to hold them over, but one day won't hurt and it is plenty cool for them here too... Have a farm scheduled for Saturday afternoon... where I get the "left behind" cornish chicks.... but didn't say anything about the houses going out or anything.

Have to get the easy calving bull caught up and taken to the neighbors, the jersey didn't settle to the AI and they want to try to get their other 2 "lowline angus" heifers bred... this bull throws small calves, we use him on all our first calf heifers... and I said I would be glad tom let them use him for breeding.... needs to be out of the pasture where he is anyway.... those heifers will start calving here in another month, all cked preg....

Gotta quit, I am really "failing fast"....
 

farmerjan

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All the stuff in the tool box is from when doug owned this tractor... and realize that these tool boxes are not waterproof and it sat out nearly the whole time doug owned it and since we have owned it, as there are not enough sheds to house all the equipment inside.... like they should be.... it is for just having emergency stuff.... sits on the fender of the tractor...about 3x8" x 3 inches deep.... a catchall type thing... But it sure saved my butt today... I need to put a few more bolts and nuts in it and get some oil on the pliers....
 

farmerjan

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@thistlebloom ... yeah when do you actually have a bolt and a nut that fits????? In the same place at the same time???? :lol:
Not bragging, but I was proud of myself and amazed that it worked no less!!!!!! And worked good enough to get all the raking done with just a little extra overlap since that wheel wasn't down to rake on that side. Luckily it was a front wheel, so not as wide a "reach" to pick up hay on that side.... I just adjusted where/how I positioned the rake to compensate. Did a pretty good job if I do say so myself....

@Bruce , it's not that I want them out of sight.... they are impeding the line of sight coming out of the driveway onto a very busy road that everyone drives quite fast on. I don't like sticking the nose of the vehicle out and it isn't smart to back out. If they get moved to the other side of the property, along the dirt road, they will be out of the way for seeing to get out of the driveway, and they will be more of a natural "barrier" as far as blocking people ogling everything going on at the house...and they will be pretty in the spring. It is just that they have gotten quite big and are a hazard because you can't see up the road with them where they are. You can not believe the people that are taking notice of the activity.... I am going to buy about 4 of the 4x8 "privacy panels... like stockade fencing, they come in 4x8 and 6x8...that Lowe's has... and see how they will work for a fence along there as far as line of sight for traffic goes... won't know until I put a couple up (stick 'em up temporarily, like with T-posts) and then see if they will impede the sight line up and down the road.... If not then that is what I think I will do so that the chickens will pretty much stay in.... people can't see everything I am doing.... and I won't cause any accidents by people who can't see me coming or going in and out the driveway. I might not like them. There is 2 rail, split rail fence along the paved road.... BUT that sure isn't going to keep the chickens in.... Granted, some chickens will fly and can go over the 4x8 panels....and I might use them for screening with a chicken proof type fence.... 2x4 horse type no-climb fence.... maybe next year. But I am thinking to use all the time he has the backhoe/digger here. Want to pick out the places for the peach trees so he can dig the holes too.... may as well do all I can on the same trip.... it won't hurt the forsythia if they are along the road and the state "trims them" yearly as they cut the roadsides.... they can get out of hand.... as they have done where they are now....gotten big and bushy....not wanting to kill them exactly.... although with their size they are what many people would take out as they are sort of out of hand....

There are a couple of trees in the garden area.... a dogwood and a rose a sharon bush and a tree that is a "crepe myrtle" I think. Would like to move them and make the garden back where it was... but will have to wait for the boxwoods to be gone. Then I can sorta think about what I want where.... the rose a sharon might go down along the dirt road too... they make a decent hedge type shrub.... still could see it. There is a big clump of rose a sharon in the front yard near the ivy tree.... and another bush that I don't know what it is but will wait for next year for it to bloom(?) and then decide. Not wanting to kill much off ---EXCEPT THE BOXWOODS----and the sapling walnuts that are taking over they yard. Have 2 huge ones that have tons of nuts so don't need all the volunteers coming up.

If I get the scrub stuff cleaned out around the trees, and mulched, it will open up the yard more too....
 

Senile_Texas_Aggie

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Along the way had an interesting happening...

Miss Farmerjan,

Here is exactly why I thought of you when I could not get the snap ring off the PTO yoke on my mower. I knew you would have figured it out. I so much wish you had your own YouTube channel! If "WT Farm Girl" and "This Farm Wife" can have one, then so can you! I'd be a devoted fan.

Senile Texas Aggie
 

farmerjan

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@Senile_Texas_Aggie ... there aren't enough hours in the day to do a video or a youtube thing... when things go wrong like that, my concern is to get it fixed enough to get the he// off the road... besides, there would be so much "editing" of the language, that there wouldn't be anything left.....!!!!!
 

thistlebloom

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Jan, your plan for the forsythias sounds good. When they get huge and overgrown like that they can be pruned hard. "Rejuvenatative" pruning, cut right down to the ground. You will miss one year of blooms but they will send up new canes and grow well. This is exactly the right time of year to do it too.
If you can get someone to lop off the canes to about 6" before they get dug up, they would also be easier to transplant. Then just make sure they are well watered so the roots can get established in the new spot.
 
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