Farmerjan's journal - Weather

Bruce

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You also want to turn it on so any dust in the ducts can be blown out NOW rather than once the floors are newly done and all your furniture is in the house! In fact, if you have a heating system where you can turn on just the air fan function, you might want to run it for a while to remove any dust from the ductwork that has been sitting unused before the floor man comes.
I'm pretty sure it is a hot water baseboard system, no ducts or fans.
 

farmerjan

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@Bruce ,you have a good memory... it is baseboard hot water, so thankfully no ducts and no dusty ductwork. The fins on the baseboards do get dust and stuff, and the fronts should be taken off at least once a year and just a good vacuuming, but I know people that have not done it since who knows ????? Since I have been taking them all off, and repainting them all, the fins and all around the pipes are getting a good vacuuming anyway.
The painters benches do sound neat... I will have to look into them. Deb might have some too that I could borrow when and if there is much more painting to do. They would have been a godsend if I hadn't had to get up and down the step ladder while cutting in the ceiling with the paint in the 2 rooms.....

Speaking of that. I got all the taping done around the cabinets and the countertops so I could paint the space inbetween, in the kitchen. Got the 2nd coat on the place behind the fridge, and put the first coat on all the rest. Got the ceiling touched up....will have to see if it needs a 2nd coat but the ceiling paint I have is supposed to be one coat coverage. I'll see in the morning. I did not put a 2nd coat on the wall inside the china cabinet because I wanted it to look more like white wash so shading was good.

Seems like things are going much better for Jim since he sold his camper, got his insulin straightened out better, seems to be eating better and has been staying at ds house since he has all but moved to her house. DS has been finding a multitude of things for j to do and he has put on hold going to his sisters for a few weeks. I think there were stipulations about him staying completely away from his "ex" and all that... So he is going to repack the front hubs on my 4x4 ranger, and grease it good.... He got the leafs in the spring on the 2wd truck and it definitely seems to drive much better since it is "squared up" and not tilting like a drunken sailor. We cannot find a leak in the radiator and it seems to be holding the pressure.....so he cleaned/washed off everything under there and told me to drive it and run the heater and see if I had good heat and that maybe it will show a leak underneath after it gets good and warmed up. He asked if I was going to mow the grass again and I said probably not. NOT GOING THERE. But then we got to talking about the boxwoods and I said that they might be put on hold for a bit as the one guy wants more than I want to spend, and the other one has not gotten back to me with a price yet. He said that maybe he could come up and start working on cutting the boxwoods down. I explained that I was not going to dig/pull them up due to the pipe going out under that mess to the septic tank in the yard. So they were going to get cut and then kept cut so the roots died off. I might consider it if I am here when he does it. The patch of boxwoods are pretty self explanatory since there is only one big patch of them and it will take some time to work your way into them. He said that it might be good to get the saplings away from the utility building that is there and fix the holes in the siding down low to keep the snow out this winter and I said that was on the list too....
@Ridgetop the only thing that they are "hiding" from sight is the view out the DR windows. They were kept short and trimmed when the girls were growing up, but let go after they moved out and it was just the parents and then just the mother. There's nothing on the other side of them that I don't want to see. I am going to move the forsythia down along the dirt road side which will help with a little privacy, There are some big white pines there already, and will eventually have more of something planted for more privacy.... but not right on top of the house. but the land on the other side of the dirt road belongs to the people I bought this from, and is winter pasture for our cows (we've rented it for years). No people and no houses, to see looking out that window. It sits right out in the "open" so to speak, but not close to much due to being on the end in a pie shaped lot with them owning on 3 sides more or less. The boxwoods have literally gotten so big that there is less than a 10 ft space between the house and them the length of the house.

Well, it is getting late, I need to get down the hill, get stuff ready so I can get up and go to PT appt at 8:30. Then I will come back and see about a 2nd coat on the under cabinet and behind the stove area. Get the clothes off the line and hang one more load I did today but didn't get hung up. Supposed to be mostly sunny again, then rain and colder coming in for Friday.
They did not come to chop corn today and ds is really bent out of shape . Won't call him back either. So he contacted another guy who is coming in the morning. We will lose a couple of rows because he has a chopper that is pulled behind and to the side of the tractor.... as opposed to the one they were supposed to use that is "self-propelled" and it is all right in front of you so you are chopping as you head into it. This is planted along the fenceline so that will get run over by the tractor on the first lap around.... but it has to get cut before this rain coming. It is drying our fast and one reason we didn't push to get it planted too early, so we could chop after the "rush" was done for everyone else to get theirs done. And now we are going to have to put in 2 bags because it will all be ours with no trading off for the chopping.... we would have gotten it chopped and bagged and they would have still owed us $2-4,000 for whatever tonnage they hauled home. It is worth about $40-$50 a ton and the trucks hold 10-15 ton at least.... the wagons hold about 8 ton.... They were going to get at least half of the silage.... ds wanted one bag full. Well, he called and is going to pick up a 2nd bag in the morning, and we will have 2 bags which is what I thought we were going to do originally. He will have to pay for the chopping and 2 bags (they are like 4-500 each) and all that so instead of getting some money in return, we will be putting out alot more. Granted we will have alot more silage. Not in the plans... so have to go to plan B and C I guess.
Didn't suit the farm for me to take the heifers today, they are also in field work.... maybe tomorrow after PT if they don't need me while chopping....
 

Bruce

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The fins on the baseboards do get dust and stuff, and the fronts should be taken off at least once a year and just a good vacuuming, but I know people that have not done it since who knows ?????
I was not real fond of that chore when we had baseboard hot water heat. If it isn't done the furnace/pump will run a lot more and a lot less heat will get into the rooms.
 

farmerjan

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Couple of quick comments as I have to get going and do a couple of errands on the way to work.
Got the corn chopped and bagged yesterday. The guys didn't get there til 2, started at 2:30 and last load was chopped at 11:30 p.m. LONG DAY. I stayed on the tractor with the bagger, although not an essential thing if my son had been there to do all the unloading but he was hauling a wagon back and forth and the guy helping with the backing up of the wagons and all that is not real experienced. I could have done both jobs but cannot get on and off the tractor between loads due to the knees.... The corn was getting dry... it would not have been worth a tinkers dam in another day or 2. It should have been done Monday or Tuesday at the latest...late last week would have been better but we could not get the bagger so we did all that hay right up until Friday eve.
Did a 150 ft bag and a 200 ft bag.... about 25-30 ft of each bag is "wasted" with getting it tied off at the beginning and at the end to seal it... we had only planned on the one bag so have over twice the silage than what we figured. But, if it doesn't get spoiled, with the coons and such tearing the bags open, it will keep for a couple years.... so is like insurance.
Still, instead of trading off about half of the silage towards chopping costs and cash to boot, we will be paying out several thousand $ in chopping costs.
I did get a half hour+ break or so, when we got the first bag filled, and they had to move it and set up the bagger for the second bag, I ran home, got all the laundry off the line and went by Wendy's and got "meals " for everyone so that they could keep going. They were chopping the last loads when ds said that they would just pile it and cover it because the bag was right at the edge of the drive area.... well, turns out there were only 2 more truck loads, and they put the one in the bag, and the other is on the truck and he is going to just go around and feed it to different pastures. They will waste some but they can pick through it and will eat some of it for the corn in it if nothing else. It wouldn't pack well on the ground and some would spoil so at least this won't spoil but might just go back into the ground for organic matter if they don't eat it.
There is probably in the neighbor hood of 250 tons or more. I will have to ask him. It was drier than we wanted and would have been useless except for shelling if it had gone another day or 2 because it was drying out so fast. But there seemed to be a decent amount of moisture so hopefully will ensile well.

Came by the new house, got my sample bottles for this afternoon, and heading out in 5 minutes. NO SANDER yet.... oh please don't let this be a continuing problem......
Supposed to be in 50's today, possible showers but it looks like a band is east of us and another is west of the mountains and we might not get much out of it. Partly sunny right now but chilly.... down to the mid 30's possible tonight. Then gradually warming back up to the 60's & maybe even the low 70's for our Indian summer weather.
Gotta go, will try to catch up a little better tonight if I am not too whipped from testing.
 
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Ridgetop

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I did get a half hour+ break or so, when we got the first bag filled, and they had to move it and set up the bagger for the second bag, I ran home, got all the laundry off the line and went by Wendy's and got "meals " for everyone so that they could keep going.
OMG! That is not a "break"! LOL You do tooooo much! I am amazed at all you do with those bad knees. Once you get them fixed you will be H*&^*% on wheels!

The extra silage will be like money in the bank and maybe you can sell some of it to the people that didn't show up originally to chop it. Or use it for more cows although I think you have everything down to a science with your cowsand their numbers. But never hurts to have extra feed to fall back on during bad weather times.

I understand about the boxwoods now - they really cut off light to the house if they are that close. Also since you graze some of your cows in that field it would be nice to be able to keep rack of then by looking out the windows with a binoculars. That is how I check my ewes every morning and during the day if they are ready to lamb. Much easier than walking out to the corral. Instead of keeping them confined in the barn jugs, the ones that are ready to lamb can be kept in the smaller corral on the field while the others all come into the large corral at night and go out in the am. You will like being able to see your cows from the windows and the field will be a pretty view.
\
Glad the haying and corn chores are just about done for this year. You can rest your knees a bit while finishing up your move. :hugs
 

farmerjan

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Just got here from the farm about 1/2 hr ago. I want to go to the other house and eat and get in the shower. Hair needs washing but didn't want to do it last night at that hour, then go into a barn and get splattered with cow sht... so tonight I am going to wash it and have it clean for a day or 2!!!!

220 cows through the parlor this afternoon and it went pretty smoothly. They fired/let go the one guy who was a joke/jerk in my opinion... glad to not have to work with him any more. The one now had just started last time, he is not the greatest milker, could not do it if left alone because he can't seem to tell which cows are 3 quartered etc., but he will do as told with the cows (like don't put the milker on the right front or whatever) is quiet, and is good about keeping the cows moved up into the catch/holding pen to come in the dairy. So a definite improvement overall. Naturally I 'm looking forward to going home to a hot shower for the knees.


Got my little pedal machine up here at the house. It is electric, and has a timer and stuff on it, tells how many calories all that. Have had it for several years, but hadn't used it when the ankle hurt so much. I am really aching from using it as I didn't realize how out of shape the muscles on the knees/legs had gotten. Luckily it has a timer, so I am setting it for just 3 minutes at a time, to get things limbered up. If I do that a couple times a day, with sitting in the chair for no real weight bearing on the knees, then I ought to be able to build up a little stamina and strength... Can up it 3 min increments up to 15 minutes. I think it will be good for me and I am determined to make myself do it while at the house here. Maybe while sitting on the computer since it is motorized, I will not "forget" to keep pedaling. You can override it and stop it but otherwise, it just keeps going. It will do so much then change mode and go backwards too when in the auto mode... goes a little faster and slower too when on auto....Maybe this will help with the ache since I am definitely not getting the exercise that I should be getting.

Sad to say, no sanding progress..... I want to cry:hit:th:barnie Let's hope that he gets here in the next few days.

We did get a "20 drops" shower this afternoon while we were milking/testing. Then it continued to get cooler and is downright chilly this eve. Saying mid 30's.... might get a frost. I brought my 2 big baskets of spider plants in yesterday and they will mostly stay in except for nicer warm days on occasion. Need to figure out where to hang them. Got the "exotic" daffodils planted, all the irises are in. Still haven't gotten all the daylillies in but it is supposed to warm up a bit again so really want to get them in this coming week. Seems I never remember them until I am on my way out of here. They are in plastic groc bags with dirt and all look fine so it is just a matter of getting them in the ground.

I expect we will get back into the hay this coming week as it is supposed to warm up a bit with no precip for at least 5 days by the looks of it and then less than 20% for several days after that. I am ready to be done with hay for the year. Luckily it was not cold last night like it has gotten tonight or I would have been miserable on the tractor.... no cab or anything which is fine except in the cold weather.

Got all the tape off the edges of the cabinets and all, and it looks so much better without that "busy" pattern of the formica on the wall space between the top and bottom cabinets and behind the fridge and where the stove is going to go.
I laid all the clothes off the line - t-shirts and jeans and snap front shirts - on the "handle part" top of the ladder and on the back of a chair so I could get back last night. They have got to be folded and all tomorrow, and put in the plastic snap top totes. Guess it wouldn't have been the end of the world if he had started sanding, but this way I can get them put away clean for n ow. Should do it tonight, but even with short breaks to sit for a minute or so between groups of cows, I ache and just sitting here for a few on the computer is all I want to do.

Time to go get the shower, eat some soup or something warm, and sink into bed. Tomorrow is another day.
 

Baymule

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With all that you do, when you get those knees fixed, you will be unstoppable. My husband is on his 3rd joint replacement, the relief from pain and the ability to live a much better life is indescribable. It has vastly improved his life. Getting your knees done will change your life.
 

farmerjan

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Okay, it is sunny but chilly... was 36 at the old house this morning....warming up some but still very cool. Going to continue to get warmer as the week goes on.

DS was cutting more hay this morning. Finishing up the rest of that orchard grass field then cutting the other 3 mixed grass fields right there next to it. Supposed to be decent for another week.... so will be cutting more tomorrow and maybe monday. I will be doing a fair amount of tedding and raking this week. Got at least 2 farms to test so will try to get one on Monday and the other sometime. Haven't talked to either of them yet but just sent a text to the one I want to do Monday.

Deb isn't coming out to her farm this weekend but is hoping to come out towards the end of next week and stay for a week.... she can do some stuff for work "telecommuting" so I think is hoping to do that. So the drawer front and all will wait. Maybe he will get here to do the floors in the meantime. I sent a text so hope that he will let me know. Got to go check on some cattle at pasture and put out some mineral. Going to get the milk samples from yesterday packed and fold all the clothes and pack some in the plastic totes this evening at the new house.
Want to see if I can snag any boxes from the cardboard "dumpster" for packing some more stuff... like out of the kitchen cabinets. There is alot of stuff to still go through. I just have a hard time doing it some nights.
Did my cycle thing... it is going to take a little time to get over the 3 minute time set... it is constant cycling for the 3 minutes and it is tiring for these achy knees. I think that it is good for the ankle too.... but one small 3 minute time... at a time!!!!!
 

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