Farmerjan's journal - Weather

farmerjan

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Taking a minute, just made a sandwich and took some stuff for the achy knees. Got a small group of boxes unloaded on the deck to come in...through the kitchen since I can't use the front yet....
Gotta go back down the hill because of course in the process of trying to remember everything, I forgot the .22. Got up here and there is a nice fat skunk in the trap. UCK. So I dragged it slowly away from the front of the shelter... and the chickens all came "pouring out" because oh my goodness, the feeder was empty and they were STARVING to death.....!!!
So I had stopped on the way and gotten the 2 buckets full of feed, and threw several handfuls around so I could walk through the poor starving chickens..... filled the feeders and they were beside themselves walking all over my feet to get to the feed. If it wasn't so hilarious it would be ridiculous.
So I pulled over to the deck unloaded the boxes and decided that I was hungry (hadn't eaten any breakfast). Carried one box in on the way, washed some stuff in the sink ...BECAUSE.... I have to cut up 2 shoulders from a deer that gf shot yesterday afternoon. She was hunting on the big farm, as the deer damage to the crops is ridiculous with the numbers we count. She got a doe in the morning down near hers/her families property.... and then the one yesterday afternoon. They were going to give me more but there is no freezer space right now. They eat it...her family.... ds is not the biggest fan of venison.....I really like it especially in a stew.... which is what I am going to cut up these shoulders into just stew meat. It is becoming apparrant that this (they/her) is sticking for now. She had him out with her hunting and he pretty much quit years ago.... but in order to please her he went yesterday morning.... which is why he couldn't take the cattle to the stockyards....so why not just tell me that. OH WELL..... I am going to have to go home and make some space in the one freezer.... I do want some more venison, and there will be that steer.... I need to rearrange the stuff and was planning to do it as I moved one.... take it out and put in freezer chests, then move a freezer and get everything reorganized as I put it back. We all know how easy it is to pull stuff out and then things get shoved in and not as neat as they should be. Moving the freezers was supposed to get them reorganized so that I could find stuff; and to make room for the beef and the next batch of chickens.

So I will get the rest of the stuff into the house, run back down and get the .22 and come up and decide how to move this thing so that I can shoot it and get rid of it. They do release the scent when they die... wonder if I can drag it down to the other end of the property? He is good sized but can lift his tail up so don't want to get sprayed.
Maybe I will get lucky and he is the culprit... makes sense... they will kill and eat then leave the rest for later....and these birds are not smart enough to think that a little animal moving along the edge of the pines where they are stretched out enjoying the sun, is any threat to them and the skunk can easily grab one while it is dozing, at the neck, and kill it. Maybe more than one too....
But the chickens were all in this morning, so that is good. Not totally predator proof.... but enough that the skunk was more interested in the dead chicken in the trap than to go looking for a way into the shelter. Plus, like I said, none of the dead ones have been inside so I think the skunk... and whatever else might be.....was getting them during the day after they were out. We'll see.

So, time to get the rest of the stuff in the house and make a trip down the hill for the gun. Might try to put a few more things in the truck too. Maybe I will bring up some of the dresser drawers this trip. They will be easy to load. It is just a pain to have to go all the way around the other side of the house to unload and carry through 3 doorways. But more here is less there....Plus, I need to get to work on the deer shoulders.... I did bring the vacuum sealer up this morning so I can work on it.
 

Ridgetop

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Hurray the floors are almost finished! :weee

You will feel so much better with them done. Hopefully repairing the tub will keep it going until you can have it replaced. With your knee surgeries coming up I would consider putting in a larger walk in shower downstairs with grab bars, with the option of using the antique tub upstairs in the new bathroom eventually. You won't want to be climbing in and out of a claw foot tub after double knee surgery.

So excited that you are almost out of the rental and into you new place! :yesss: :hugs
 

farmerjan

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Sunday eve. Why is there always a couple odd chickens that decide an hour before it is pitch black, that they have to go out scratching, then run to the farthest away waterer to get a drink????? Sometimes I fully agree with the sentiment that someones brain is smaller than a chickens..... theirs couldn't be much smaller.....
Shot the skunk in the trap and then after it was all done stinking everything up, up ended the trap and dumped skunk and what was left of the dead chicken into a plastic bag that originally the bale of shavings comes in. Will dispose of it tomorrow because I did not want to take the chance of getting any of it in the truck with the meters still in there. Locked the chickens in again and reset the trap. Found another one out dead and the chickens picking at it.... middle of the afternoon. Might have died on it's own and they are very canabalistic.....we'll see if I catch anything else.

I did go back down the hill earlier to get the .22 and got another half dozen boxes.... Mostly stuff for the vacuum sealer so I can work up the shoulders. Brought up the plastic cutting board sheet, some really sharp knives, and got the vacuum sealer set up. Shoulders are in a plastic bag in the fridge. Tomorrows project. Went by Deb's as I hadn't heard anything, she had a friend out yesterday and they had a "Thanksgiving meal and a birthday cake for the friends' daughter" today. I wasn't sure if she had come out since I hadn't heard. Not that she has to answer to me. But I did want to get the "radiator heaters" to use in the house for a few days. She was busy doing some stuff and told me that she had just said to herself that she needed to call me. So, we visited for a 1/2 hour, I got the heaters to use, and all is good. She said she had a good visit in KS with her brother.... they are sorting out her mom's house (she passed away)..... and the vacation was too short. She did say she had not done anything else on the drawer yet and I said that wasn't any problem. That the floors had gotten sanded and the first coat on them and they were drying slow, so that was one of the reasons I had stopped. Also, if for some reason she hadn't come out, I wanted to feed the horse too. The drawer is not essential, so whenever it gets done I will be thankful.

Floor sander came by but it was not dry enough to work with. I was a little concerned with the putty that he used to fill in the cracks and could we maybe stain it before he put on any more poly. He had some sort of a stain/pigment like stuff, sorta like minwax.... and it stained the putty fill ins real nice. So. Since the putty and finish is still a little tacky, tomorrow they will come back and take some sandpaper and just rough up the putty a little so it will take the stain....it was still not really sandable today. I told him that I was very happy with the way it looked over all except those little spots and he agreed that he wasn't all that thrilled with them since they have dried some. He said, we won't be able to get you done by tuesday like I hoped.... and I said that I was not pushing it.... that I was very appreciative that they came when they said, and that if it took another week to dry properly to do the buffing and all, I was fine with it. So we are good. Got the 2 extra heaters in here, and he put a fan on low to help dry it earlier. So it ought to be good to dry now. Like I said, I am happy and if he gets the "puttied places" where the cracks were kinda deep, pigmented with the color to match, it will be wonderful. They will do another fine sanding before the next coat he said to get any of the slightly raised edges smoothed out.

So I am ready to head down the hill. Have PT in the morning, and have to pick up a prescription. The "knee dr" @ Duke, that I went to several months ago and tried the cortisone injections that did nothing... agrees with the PT that maybe Celebrex might give me a little relief; so called in prescrip for it. So I am going to try it. If it helps at all, it will hopefully get me through a little bit. If no benefit seen, I will just stop taking it. I am so not a prescription pill taker.... but can't do anything for surgery either right now.

Radar showing a line of showers coming through after midnight. Then clouds and clearing but then some wet weather on Wednesday. Cooler, but not too bad, 50's and 60's with 40's at night.
At least we did not get the fog @Mini Horses had. We had that a couple weeks ago.
GF got another deer on ds farm down near them. Said there have been a bunch out eating with the cows. Called to see if I wanted any but he said he figured that I didn't have the room. I said that I am going to take the stuff out of the one freezer and try to see if I can't make some room and get it reorganized.
Did find out that the 2 appts he has for beef are in Jan and Feb.... I said I did not want the Jan appt.... I have one for March (I think).... I may wait for my appt now. Can put my jersey steer there with the other weaned calves to eat silage for a couple months and he will put on some weight and finish..... better than me feeding him any grain since he is not going to get killed coming right off the grazing. There is still plenty of grass where they are... ds rotated them into another field and they are doing good. He has one sold so that needs to be the first one worked up in Jan.... fine with me.
Plus I am going to have to find room for the chickens.... going to do all parts I think this time.... And cook down all the backs and such.... make some small pieces and chunk up left over meat for chicken salad..... Got someone who was interested in some of the chickens, will contact them tomorrow. Sell a few if I can. They have more than doubled their size I think. Probably in the 5-6 lb range now from the 3 lb size they were. They have really grown in the last 2 weeks. Look like fat chickens waddling around..... But he won't be taking any reservations for killing chickens until after the first of the year. It is hog killing season as well as deer season. I think he does some deer for locals there... but does alot of hogs. I knew that going in when I got all these.

Time to head down. Get a little bit done at the house maybe this evening too. Have all those boxes to tape up..... and more papers to go through and clean out... old bills and such that I save in the paid piles.... Have to take some stuff to a farm tomorrow too while I am out.
 

farmerjan

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Sunday eve. Why is there always a couple odd chickens that decide an hour before it is pitch black, that they have to go out scratching, then run to the farthest away waterer to get a drink????? Sometimes I fully agree with the sentiment that someones brain is smaller than a chickens..... theirs couldn't be much smaller.....
Shot the skunk in the trap and then after it was all done stinking everything up, up ended the trap and dumped skunk and what was left of the dead chicken into a plastic bag that originally the bale of shavings comes in. Will dispose of it tomorrow because I did not want to take the chance of getting any of it in the truck with the meters still in there. Locked the chickens in again and reset the trap. Found another one out dead and the chickens picking at it.... middle of the afternoon. Might have died on it's own and they are very canabalistic.....we'll see if I catch anything else.

I did go back down the hill earlier to get the .22 and got another half dozen boxes.... Mostly stuff for the vacuum sealer so I can work up the shoulders. Brought up the plastic cutting board sheet, some really sharp knives, and got the vacuum sealer set up. Shoulders are in a plastic bag in the fridge. Tomorrows project. Went by Deb's as I hadn't heard anything, she had a friend out yesterday and they had a "Thanksgiving meal and a birthday cake for the friends' daughter" today. I wasn't sure if she had come out since I hadn't heard. Not that she has to answer to me. But I did want to get the "radiator heaters" to use in the house for a few days. She was busy doing some stuff and told me that she had just said to herself that she needed to call me. So, we visited for a 1/2 hour, I got the heaters to use, and all is good. She said she had a good visit in KS with her brother.... they are sorting out her mom's house (she passed away)..... and the vacation was too short. She did say she had not done anything else on the drawer yet and I said that wasn't any problem. That the floors had gotten sanded and the first coat on them and they were drying slow, so that was one of the reasons I had stopped. Also, if for some reason she hadn't come out, I wanted to feed the horse too. The drawer is not essential, so whenever it gets done I will be thankful.

Floor sander came by but it was not dry enough to work with. I was a little concerned with the putty that he used to fill in the cracks and could we maybe stain it before he put on any more poly. He had some sort of a stain/pigment like stuff, sorta like minwax.... and it stained the putty fill ins real nice. So. Since the putty and finish is still a little tacky, tomorrow they will come back and take some sandpaper and just rough up the putty a little so it will take the stain....it was still not really sandable today. I told him that I was very happy with the way it looked over all except those little spots and he agreed that he wasn't all that thrilled with them since they have dried some. He said, we won't be able to get you done by tuesday like I hoped.... and I said that I was not pushing it.... that I was very appreciative that they came when they said, and that if it took another week to dry properly to do the buffing and all, I was fine with it. So we are good. Got the 2 extra heaters in here, and he put a fan on low to help dry it earlier. So it ought to be good to dry now. Like I said, I am happy and if he gets the "puttied places" where the cracks were kinda deep, pigmented with the color to match, it will be wonderful. They will do another fine sanding before the next coat he said to get any of the slightly raised edges smoothed out.

So I am ready to head down the hill. Have PT in the morning, and have to pick up a prescription. The "knee dr" @ Duke, that I went to several months ago and tried the cortisone injections that did nothing... agrees with the PT that maybe Celebrex might give me a little relief; so called in prescrip for it. So I am going to try it. If it helps at all, it will hopefully get me through a little bit. If no benefit seen, I will just stop taking it. I am so not a prescription pill taker.... but can't do anything for surgery either right now.

Radar showing a line of showers coming through after midnight. Then clouds and clearing but then some wet weather on Wednesday. Cooler, but not too bad, 50's and 60's with 40's at night.
At least we did not get the fog @Mini Horses had. We had that a couple weeks ago.
GF got another deer on ds farm down near them. Said there have been a bunch out eating with the cows. Called to see if I wanted any but he said he figured that I didn't have the room. I said that I am going to take the stuff out of the one freezer and try to see if I can't make some room and get it reorganized.
Did find out that the 2 appts he has for beef are in Jan and Feb.... I said I did not want the Jan appt.... I have one for March (I think).... I may wait for my appt now. Can put my jersey steer there with the other weaned calves to eat silage for a couple months and he will put on some weight and finish..... better than me feeding him any grain since he is not going to get killed coming right off the grazing. There is still plenty of grass where they are... ds rotated them into another field and they are doing good. He has one sold so that needs to be the first one worked up in Jan.... fine with me.
Plus I am going to have to find room for the chickens.... going to do all parts I think this time.... And cook down all the backs and such.... make some small pieces and chunk up left over meat for chicken salad..... Got someone who was interested in some of the chickens, will contact them tomorrow. Sell a few if I can. They have more than doubled their size I think. Probably in the 5-6 lb range now from the 3 lb size they were. They have really grown in the last 2 weeks. Look like fat chickens waddling around..... But he won't be taking any reservations for killing chickens until after the first of the year. It is hog killing season as well as deer season. I think he does some deer for locals there... but does alot of hogs. I knew that going in when I got all these.

Time to head down. Get a little bit done at the house maybe this evening too. Have all those boxes to tape up..... and more papers to go through and clean out... old bills and such that I save in the paid piles.... Have to take some stuff to a farm tomorrow too while I am out.
 

Ridgetop

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Could you can the meat? No need for freezer space if you put it up packed tight in jars. Lots of work standing on your bad knees, but if you are willing to do the actual canning work, you can get the much larger amount of canned meat. stored in a cool dark place. Maybe your friend can help you with the canning? And you can have her help you put stuff away.
:yesss:
 

farmerjan

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Canning stuff all packed away due to no garden this past year and the anticipated moving. Wouldn't know where to find that stuff right now. It is only the shoulders right now, and I am going to get the one freezer emptied out and reorganized so that there should be some room. Have the vacuum sealer out as the box was convenient to get to.
There will be some hunting for several more weeks as we try to thin the deer herd damage to the fields. Rifle season ends in 6 days, then there is still more bow and blackpowder days. Since we are on private land, we aren't turning them in... don't need tags for owners on their own land.


Floor guy was here early, I stopped to let the chickens out before PT. He did a lt sanding, then put down a second coat. He missed the staining of a couple spots of the putty so I have to make sure I see him before he does the last coat, so that he can sand them a bit to stain it to match. It does look good. Probably be back tomorrow or Wed... all according to how it dries. I do want those spots matched up though. He did stain and match up the one "knot" he made to go in a knothole that was in the floor that they had put a can lid over.... can't tell that it is not the original wood.

Went to PT and really was aching this morning. Then went to pick up the prescription for Celebrex..... I nearly passed out. The CASH price is $430.00 for 60 pills :ep:ep:ep:ep:th:th.... 1 twice a day..... the price with the prescrip ins and all is nearly $90.00...... Knees better get done quick.

Speaking of that, the dr's office in Md is taking appts.... they are not shut down like Va. But there are some extreme rules for visitations and such at the hospitals....and surgeries are still on for now... but..... the office said it is a day to day thing up there. I have an appt for January 28th.... and am on the cancellation call list. Who knows what things will look like by then. But if there are any changes, they said they will call me. Very nice and pleasant on the phone.... My PT said that his mom was on a cancellation list and when they opened up she got a much quicker appt and surgery date than he expected. So one can hope. I would not even be able to schedule an office visit here right now unless it was an emergency. And no elective surgeries here at all.
I did mention that I would be wanting to go into a rehab as I did with the ankle replacement and the "girl" in the office scheduling said that they could help with that..... and that most of the surgeries often did not require overnite stays in the hospital unless there were other health problems. All I know is that my PT was talking about it again this morning how well his mom is doing and that he was impressed with the hospital cleanliness and all that.

So that is about it for now. Going to change into barn clothes and get the feed buckets filled for the chickens. Nothing in the trap this morning. It is quite breezy out there so chilly even with the sun.
 
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