Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Wet day. Had rain earlier, and then cleared off some. I got some of the car cleaned out, got the cooler and a box in back. I quit for a little shower. Will talk to @Mini Horses later and make our more definite plans for tomorrow.

Had another shower inbetween . Then I moved the plants under the table and the planter boxes against the railing near the lilac bush for some protection. There is now a "tornado watch" for our general area... more to the south of this weather area, but still it is a notch up from yesterday. We are in the 2 and 3 chances in a scale of 1-5... so that is more serious and concerning. Looks like we have another real line of storms coming in after 6-7 p.m.

Have some problems with a herd's computer again; and will have to deal with it... probably Sunday since I will be testing that morning at a herd up in that general direction. I will take the specs and get their reports fixed too. The computer center did not get the info uploaded... do I really want to keep dealing with this BS????

Just ate a small NY Strip steak and some sauteed mushrooms. Didn't eat any lunch and that bowl of cereal early this morning, was long gone.
Eyes are itchy again, allergies. PITA....

Going to go out in the building and see if I have any more boxes... I took about everything I had when we went to NH. I don't even know where DS put the strapping tape dispensers I took up there either. Maybe in one of the boxes in the Explorer I haven't gotten out yet.

Shower stopped, going back out to see what I can find in the building.

 

[Baymule]

Hope you are having fun today!

 

[farmerjan]

Just a short post (for me) because I have to go to bed to get up and test in the morning.
Yes, we had a good time even though it was wet. Not a real rain but drizzly some... It had rained probably 1-2 inches the night before, and the ground was wet but not too bad considering. They have also been dry there.
@Mini Horses and I met up about 9 or so, and we walked around and did alot of looking but neither of us saw anything we couldn't live without. Seems like there weren't as many vendors there, probably because of the wet weather? Not a ton of chickens either... quite a few chicks which is to be expected this time of year... only saw a couple of turkeys... sweetgrass variety (old heirloom variety)... some peacocks and pheasants...... a bunch of nigerian and small goats, and only saw one sheep... rabbits and lots of people with plants... most were pretty nice looking... didn't get any of them either since I have some and don't have the garden ready for them yet anyway.
Then we got together at the vehicles and I had brought her some chickens (frozen) and some beef and she had some stuff for me... that was supposed to be done last Sept at the swap and that is when my father passed away and we went north.... I hope she likes the beef....
It rained some on the way home, and I went to the farm to do the reports instead of tomorrow.... then came home; it was cloudy and drizzly here. Chilly too. Then the power went out... some thunder and wind and OOPS.... no electricity. It was out for over 2 hours. Temps have been dropping so I brought the spider plants in again... they got a little rain watered today. It is down to 44 and might get below 40 tonight.
Headed for the shower... got to leave by 4 the latest... got the bottles in the trays so just have to carry them out and go. No set up there... YAY.

 

[Baymule]

Glad y’all had a good day together. It sounds real cool—nice! We are hitting the 90’s already!

 

[Mini Horses]

Let me tell you that I thawed a PKG of ground beef and had THE BEST hamburger ever! No bun, just delicious real beef. . Been a long time since I've had homegrown. DH and I used to keep a few head to use for our freezer and boy, I'm gonna have to go back to non store bought. You can't imagine until you eat it.

In spite of the weather, we had a nice visit. Plus, we both lucked out and got parking close up. When you have a parking lot the size of a big mall, that's a lucky thing.

 

[Baymule]

There really is no comparison to home grown beef. Not only did y’all have a great day together, you got a real treat!

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday... CHILLY morning. Happy Mother's day to all the mother's, grandmother's, surrogate mother's, and everyone who has done the "mothering thing" regardless of sex..... Even though I didn't get any response from my mom the last few years with the alzheimer's, it still is sad she is gone now. Her birthday last month, mother's day this month, my dad's birthday this month and father's day next month. All at once.

The recording thermometer says it got down to 40 but the one on the back deck says 35..... WOW..... it feels downright cold and raw out there. Very glad I brought the spider plants back in and the plants under the table don't look too terrible, no frost. It is only 41 out there now. Cloudy with a few misty sprinkles again.... just plain RAW and cold.
Got up and went to test. Went to the house to do the computer work, and farmer dropped a small bomb... he has been diagnosed with rectal/colon cancer... probably stage 2, going for an MRI this week....just found out end of last week. There is a mass and they are going to start radiation/chemo just as soon as they get the MRI results... then more chemo and then surgery to remove the mass. Seems that surgery first seems to leave some "sleeper cells" that get missed, but they are saying that radiation and chemo pills first tend to kill more of the free floating cells and then the surgeries are more successful..... He's 55. He lost his first wife to cancer... she had a lump in the groin area... they removed it... 5 years cancer free, had a 2nd child... she went a total of 15 years and then was diagnosed again and it was every where.... He remarried a few years ago to a nurse .... she lost her husband to cancer a year or so after he lost his wife... they met at a survivor's group.... then got married a couple years later... What a shock. They seem upbeat... but will know alot more after the MRI.....

What a mess for them... his son has a year old and his daughter has one a couple months younger....she has 2 or 3 kids, and the daughter just declared herself engaged to the live in girlfriend... I think things are pretty crappy sometimes... but someone always has it worse.

GF's sister is making lunch/dinner for their mother and I am invited. I'm tired, so might take a little nap as I didn't sleep well ...too worried I would oversleep the alarm I think. DS said we could do something different but he is going there with her, so why fight it. I might see about getting the ones in, at the nurse cow field and he said if I did he would get the calves worked. Might be too wet to get the trailer in there today to get any of them moved to doug's barn... it gets pretty slick up there by the barn lot... ought to be able to get the calves in though... we are supposed to warm up a little, 50's and maybe sun late afternoon. I sure hope so. It is just too raw to be outside for long.

Thanks @Mini Horses ... I am so glad you liked the hamburger. I get it fairly lean... I hate cooking all the fat in most hamburger...I often eat it without a bun too... Hope you like the steaks and roasts and all too.

Think I will go lay down for an hour.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday eve. It is back down to 47 after a "high" of 50.... cloudy and chilly all day. I decided to bring in all the veg plants... the bought ones and the ones that are coming back from the beating from the hail. I will save about 40 of maybe 150 that had come up... mostly the peppers that hadn't sprouted until the day after the hail.... couldn't get busted if they weren't up. But, the reason to bring them in is..... there is a patchy frost warning for tonight. After last night, I wouldn't doubt it. They might be alright under the table, but why risk it? The begonias should be okay I hope. They are semi protected under the railing and the lilac bush.

Went to GF sisters' for lunch and it was okay. It is nice of them to include me... but it was alot of starchy stuff and I didn't eat alot... I am not much for cheese on alot of food... it was a cheesey potato dish... and chicken breasts done in a cream cheese sauce... different and not bad but too much cheesey stuff..... rolls and banana pudding and apple pie for desert. I was hoping for another vegetable to offset the starches. But, I ate some and that was fine.
We sat around and talked a bit, then DS got a call that the cows were out next to my house... somehow the gate got opened... and they were all in my yard and into the christmas tree lot... her father went with DS and they got them back in. The thing of it is DS had just opened up the gate to the catch lot so they had all kinds of grass to eat... but you know the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I left to come home about 4. DS said he had a couple hours of feeding to do so I didn't even bother to try to get the calves in at the nurse cow field because it was obvious he wanted to get done and go back home with her. He has made it pretty apparent that he wants a "family" to be part of and likes all the gossip and stuff that goes along with it... her father works for a contractor that the state subs out to so they have lots to talk about... DS was out half the night Friday night in the storm with down trees and such and I was not told anything about it and learned of it today... he used to share all that with me... so, I cannot provide the family he craves or the constant "involvement in things" that he likes to be in the middle of.
Then just a few minutes ago he called and said someone called him and the cows were out again...I went over there and well, there was 1 small calf out that went through the stupid high tensile fence... OH do I hate high tensile wire.... so I got it back in the gate. The cows were coming out of the grass catch lot and headed to the water so maybe it will stay in???? Who knows....

So, I am in for the night I hope. Going to get the samples packed so I can drop them off in the morning when I go to the barn for the preg check. Seems he asked GF to go to the barn to get the cows down the lane and into the barn lot around 10... guess that he doesn't need me??? Not going to made a federal case out of it anymore. She does enough to keep him so pleased, until it doesn't suit her... just rubs me wrong sometimes.
I will be there at 11... vet is coming at 11:30 from the other farm south of here... shouldn't take an hour (or less) to do 20 head.... that will determine if they got caught by the 2 bulls right away, and any that are not preg or too short to tell, will be sold. Hopefully they will all be 60+ days... Tuesday will be 11 weeks...77 days.... anything that is not 35+ days will probably be sold. Vet can tell from about 30 days... and DS has not seen any in heat lately. They were in very good condition when they got stuck back with the bulls so no reason to not be bred.
I would have liked to get the 3-4 from the nurse cow field there, but not going to get bent out of shape... they can get done the next batch. I just really need to get those late fall calves worked and tagged so I know who is on who.....

So let's hope there is no frost, but at least I am prepared for it. It is supposed to be sunny tomorrow and into the upper 50's or 60's... so the plants can go back out in the morning. then 70's the rest of the week and 50's at night.

Hoping for a good preg check...

 

[Baymule]

You are having weird cold weather and I’m having weird hot weather. It is too hot too soon for this time of year.

It was nice of GFs family to invite you. It might not be what you want for your son, but it’s what he has settled for. If she ever dumps him, he’ll be shattered.

 

[Bruce]

Yep, weird. DW is not amused that it will be 80 here Thurs-Sat, hotter than DD1 down in Partlow, VA. Of course she won't be there, they are heading back to Canada on Wed for all the fun graduation things this weekend. Stopping overnight south of Boston at DD1's BFF's then again in Maine to pick up one of her old roommates. We head up Saturday.