Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Long afternoon and in and done. Going to eat some soup... I have had a tooth that has been very tender around the gum... and impossible to bite down on it... had a twinge last week... thought maybe I ate something that just "stuck" into the gum or something... but then it came back Sunday... taking the tylenol for the shoulder it has been tolerable... but today it started to really hurt.. realized it had been 6 hours since I had taken any tylenol... and so gave in and called dentist to take a look at it...preferably Thurs or Fri since I need to rake hay tomorrow... My dentist is away, his new younger partner is booked up and Monday is of course a holiday... but they can see me tomorrow morning so I will be there at 8:30, for them to graciously work me in... try to figure out what it might be and if nothing else get me through til next week.... I will come home and get on the tractor and rake after that and then go test in the afternoon...
I started on the antibiotics I am supposed to take before the dentist... due to replacements.... because I do not want any possibility of infection..... usually take them an hour or 2 before appt... but took some today and will take more in the morning....

Glad I went to the nursery.... they must have had one helluva week before mothers day weekend... there were so much stuff gone out of there... I did manage to get 2 different yellow peonies... no flowers of course... and a pretty lavender one... treated myself since it was 10% off senior day... I think they had about 50%, or less, of what they had 2 weeks ago. Don't remember it being this "sparse"... the plants are smaller and the one has several shoots... so hoping more than 1 or 2 "eyes" in that pot....
Picked up a couple pepper plants since somehow I forgot to get any....
Went back and spent about an hour to tedd out that one field... It had dried alot and what "greenish" stems I turned up should dry more. I will rake the big field first, it will be dry, then rake this field after it has had a chance to sit out in the sun a little more... and hopefully it ought to bale okay by late Wed aft. DS was there, said he would be around but he was on the phone with her and there was some sort of "problem" because he said did he need to come home and I guess she said no... but by the time I came out from the back with the tedder... he had left... then I see a text to just leave the tractor, he would be back in awhile.... and he would get the rake hooked up for me. He had the big round baler out and getting it greased and all that to get it ready and just left everything right there in the driveway....

Got home and was here about 10 minutes... here comes Sam to plow the garden.... so it is all turned over... and he says he will try to come back tomorrow afternoon to disc it.. thinks that will get it worked up pretty good... It was a little muddy on the end and along the one side where the hose had leaked... so good he didn't come yesterday... I would prefer it get tilled... with the tiller but it belongs to another neighbor, and I think he does not want to borrow it even though he did the ones right by his house there... wonder if I can get the one DS got, hooked up to the tractor, once I am done with the rake... and bring it up from the barn next week ???? Then leave it here... Maybe Sam is right, and it will work up okay with just the disc... at least I can get started in it... and I had him plow a section for where I want to put the asparagus bed... eventually I will get the rose-a-sharon bush out of there and the whole thing can be made bigger...It's kinda a U shape with the rose-a-sharon bush on the inside bottom of the U.... I want the asparagus on the side nearer to the house... and that will get done this winter if I have to pull it out with the truck after the garden is finished for the year... next to that is the patch of day lillies... the standard orange ones that we have everywhere here along the roadsides and such... I want to take them out and make that spot for the irises and ...and "fancy" daylillies I have that are prettier and varied colors... as the irises finish blooming, the daylillies will sorta take over....... and then they will stay green and I could plant other stuff in there.. I just want more than the plain orange ones... I want to move them to the bank along the road so they are "ground cover" anyway...
But... I will be able to get things started in the garden hopefully this weekend...

Of course you know most of the cows I wanted in, came to the barn area, and they and several calves came in.... .... but he wasn't around so I didn't even try to "keep them in"... just fed some grain and let them all feel comfortable milling in and out the gate... I got a text at about 8:30 that he had the tractor hooked to the rake and was ready for me for tomorrow... "good luck and be careful with it"... and "thank you for tedding today".... I texted him back and said that most of the cows I wanted had come in with several calves but that I let them back out, since I didn't know if he would be able to move them.... and that I had to test Wed eve so doubted I would mess with them and he would be baling anyway....

So, I came home after that... and there are DARK clouds to the north and I see lightning flashes... PLEASE just let it stay up there for another 24 hours... there was an outside chance of a pop up storm here.... more chance tomorrow afternoon... Definitely Thursday, into the weekend.

Hope I can get some stuff started in the garden... got TONS of sprouted potatoes to plant this year... going to give some to Sam and Doris... she said they didn't plant any... I will have more than I will know what to do with... but DEFINITELY plan to sell some this fall.... and very reasonably so I can get a return on them. But I didn't order any this year so will use what I have for seed potatoes... At least I have them all in marked boxes still... and will have one row for mixed potluck if I need to.... There are a few that I put together I think.,...

So, I am going in to get a shower and wash my hair... read a little and go to bed so I can get up and get going in the morning... Need to be gone by 7:45...
Oh, I have to get a tray of bottles ready for tomorrow too... 95+ cows... at least no set up... The 250 cow herd just texted me back and wants Sat aft... that'll work since it is supposed to possibly wet with pop up storms... Never ends.....

 

[farmerjan]

Been a totally upside down day... 62 and up to 88 but that is in the shade this afternoon.. I can attest to it being hotter out in the sun. More humid than yesterday, so felt hotter too... Slight breeze but not much.

First off, dentist. Not great... the crown that broke off and got glued back on in Jan after he had to drill a hole and put a post in, is the "tooth" bothering me. Took X-rays.. the root is dying, and has an abscess... it has to come out. Talking about $5,000 for implant... could do a root canal and another crown... $4,000 and no guarantee that would work since the tooth is not great that is left... bridge with tooth over 3500. I can make that decision later on... but the tooth has to come out or the root canal has to be done due to infection (abscess) .... Now, the concern is infection in the blood stream with the joint replacements... which is good that I started on the antibiotics yesterday on my own... got a prescription and dropped it off to get filled... no openings until June 4th for the extraction.... but that should give the antibiotics plenty of time to kill any infection.... I am on a call list if something comes open...

So, I came home and got on the tractor... was in the field before 10, done right at 12... it was HOT out there... hay raked up nicely... and I am so glad I tedded the smaller field a second time yesterday..... Quite a bit of hay overall I think.
Came home, and got the clothes off the line in case it would rain. Closed all vehicle windows...

Put the bottles and all in car, and went back through town, picked up the prescription... Allergies are bothering me some too... had to eat to take another pill as this antibiotic makes me sick if I take it on an empty stomach. Picked up a bag of dry cat food and a couple other things while in Walmart... Come out and have a missed call... My farmer had to take his dad to the hospital, and they were up all night and he knew it was late notice, but he just remembered I was supposed to test... could he possibly cancel.... but if I was on my way, they would manage. I said no, that was fine, I had to come to town to get the prescription for my infected tooth... I understood and he said he would call me first of the week... I would have waited for the prescription earlier if I had known I wasn't going to test, but since I was going to test I didn't see any reason to wait the 45 minutes on it earlier...... but it was not the end of the world. So, I did what I had to do and came on home.

Jaw is sore, and eyes were running... got that all "calmed down" and started to wash a few buckets... and the sky turns dark, some lightning again... then there are a few big drops... OH NO.... then it started to rain big fat plops, and I had to come in... and I just hoped that DS got the hay done...

Talked to him just a little bit ago... and he was finishing up the last roll, just a partial roll, so took it up the hill in the baler to the cows, let it out for them to eat on... these are the ones that are calving late/out of sequence.... and as he came down the hill and out the gate it was starting a bit more so he quick got the baler backed in the shed... and then got SOAKED going back to shut the gates and such. But it is done...

I wondered if Sam would get back to do the garden, and he didn't before the rain shower... Don't think we got alot, will check the rain gauge... but it got everything wet on top... Maybe tomorrow if the sun comes out... but, we have a 30-50% chance of pop up thunderstorms in the afternoons...

Will see if I can get the cows/calves I need in tomorrow evening...depends on the weather/rain....
Need to find something soft to eat since I cannot chew anything on that side of my mouth... oh yeah, I have the custard I made the other day... Maybe some scrambled eggs and then custard for desert.... soreness ought to subside if antibiotics hit the infection but cannot bite down on it right now.......

 

[Ridgetop]

I did manage to get 2 different yellow peonies... no flowers of course... and a pretty lavender one

Do yo think peonies will do well here in northeast Texas? My mother planted them in the Seattle area ad they did well - too wet for roses there.

 

[farmerjan]

Do yo think peonies will do well here in northeast Texas? My mother planted them in the Seattle area ad they did well - too wet for roses there.

Better ask a true Texan about that... OR stop at a nursery/greenhouse... see what they have in stock... ask them.....I don't know about the type soil or cold/"chilling" requirements they might have...

 

[Baymule]

True Texan sez, don’t know anybody that ever grew them thangs and Ah ain’t never seen one up close and personal. Just pictures.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday eve... 64 and up to 82... clouds and sun mix all day.... looked like rain a couple times but it mostly passed by... Got about 10 sprinkles and it stopped... partly clear out there now...

Went to TSC because I have an opossum that has been around the front porch and all at night... stuff knocked down... and saw it the other night. It gets out of the smaller trap I have set repeatedly for it...and does not trip the real big trap. So, I wanted a trap inbetween the 2 sizes like one I had that got run over with the tractor a couple years ago. They had one, the one little piece on the top wasn't working right to keep the arm in place... I said it needed to get bent with some pliers to maybe be able to make it work right... they didn't have another one, so said they would give me 10% off if I wanted to get it... So, I took it... and came home and used a couple of pairs of pliers to get it straightened out in one part and bent in the right place... It seems to trip properly.... we'll see. But, the reason I am so determined to try to get it trapped... it tore open one of my boxes of sample bottles... empty ones they send me to use, and tore up the styrofoam that the bottles are put in for shipment ... destroyed one end of the box.... REALLY TICKED ME OFF..... I will get it one way or another...

When I was gone, Sam came and disced the garden.... it is not as good as the tiller would do but isn't bad... I am going to ask DS about the tiller that is at the barn....I'd like to go over it again... but I may be able to get started on it this weekend...

So DS was going to get the tractor back that he had taken up to a place awhile back... transmission trouble I think and leaking and wouldn't work in the low range or something... anyway, he said he would be back in awhile, and was I going to try to get in the cows/calves I needed at the barn... I said I would see and let him know.
Went up and fed 2 bottles. Put the calves over in the hay section out of the way of getting hurt... and got a bunch of cows and some calves in... Got all but the 2 calves I needed on 2 of the cows... decided to move 2 others out of there that can go elsewhere to get bred... so he came and got what I had ready to go... and I will see if I can get in the other 2 cows and their calves and he will get them moved too... Said I would try in the next couple of days... So, that is good... and there are fewer there so that I might be able to get the others in a little easier without so many bigger cows to push and shove. Also pulled the heifer off my cow that he took up there a few weeks ago... turns out that heifer that my cow allowed to suck her... had been weaned and was not supposed to be on her. The heifer needs to go with the ones that are going to WV... That cow is one of mine and she is getting some age on her too.... I want her to stay there and there is plenty of grass...
Also took back the cow he brought up here that jumped the fence at the barn to get back with her calf when he weaned it... she needed to be dried off... and the fences at the nurse cow pasture are good... and she could not hear her calf there... she is dried up now so is going back down to the pasture with the other ones that are bred/due to calve in the next month or 2...
So, progress on that front too.... it is up to me to get these other 2 in with their calves... the calves are the problem... neither one seems to want to go in through the creep gate... so have to see if I can get them to come in through the gate with their momma's.... the cows are more than willing to come in for grain...

Locked in the chickens so I could set the traps before I came in....

Mouth/jaw has been sore but not as bad... taking the antibiotics and some tylenol... allergies were not terrible... pills hit them first thing so it was good. The rain yesterday had cleared the air some.

Need to get bottles in trays for Saturday's 250+ cow herd... and put a couple longer hoses in the car too...have been on the phone a couple hours all together about testing and such... going to pick up another herd that I have tested as a relief tester in the past. They can't get anyone else to come test.... and one guy that came twice was a disaster he said... and found out that they are willing to test afternoons... used to test mornings... AND they put in a newer system a few years ago and don't need to take meters or do any set up... so doing mornings would not be so bad now... we'll see... I'm waiting to hear back from my one farm about next week... I will do this other farm on the other day.... but if "my farm" doesn't get back to me by the weekend, I will schedule this farm and then my farm will have to take what I have left open...
The one that is going to go owner sampler, that I will test once, wants to get the information into their computer... and just found out that I am supposed to have to test them once before they can go on the producer program... I am not sure about all that... my boss doesn't seem to know what the he// she is talking about... Tuesday the one I like to deal with will be back to work, so I will call her on Tuesday morning and see if I can get all this into his computer and not have to deal with it on mine to start...

I'm ready to be done for the night.

 

[farmerjan]

Comfortable 64 this morning... light rain and showers last night and looks to stick around through at least noontime.
Nothing in traps and not sprung... don't think it visited... I would be very glad to see it killed on the road by a car... but that seldom happens...

Ate some breakfast so now I can take the antibiotic, and go out and put the hoses in the car for the herd tomorrow so I don't forget... meters already in there. Need to get the bottles in the racks. Plenty to do in the house today so I will try to get to it. Supposed to be rainy/showers for the next couple of days.... Glad I got the lawns mowed, so the grass can grow with the rain now .

But the garden is plowed and disced, so I can get in it as soon as it is dry enough so it all doesn't stick to my feet.... Then I will get a bale of old hay at a place that never gets sprayed and bring it here to use along with the feed bags and paper and stuff I have saved up for mulching.

And with the rain at least I do not have to water the plants either... so there is that plus...

Time to get out and get things accomplished . Will have to go get a sq bale of hay for the calves as all the cows in there last night pretty well finished up what was left in the bunk. Good thing is the cows cleaned the bunk out from all the little bits of waste there is from the calves. I have buckets in the bed of the ranger so they could get turned upside down and "dry" from being washed out... since I don't have any concrete, I did not want to put them back on the lawn and get dirty... the back of the truck makes a perfect spot to put them to dry... but I forgot to get them stacked and put away so they are wet again. DUMB..... oh well, could be worse.. I will maybe get the rest finished washed later today if it does let up this afternoon... they aren't hurting anything on the truck except I will have to move them to get a couple bales of hay for the calves.
Need to fill up the buckets in the back of the forester to feed the calves and such this afternoon too... I used what I had in there getting everyone in last night. Hope the rain lets up so I don't get soaked filling them later.

Everyone be careful with all the holiday weekend traffic out there...

 

[Mini Horses]

I got those light rains last night. Just a good dust buster thing. Worked in about an hr on tractor to re-till big area in a pasture...just a top tickle. Clouds rolled in and rain starts as I finish last pass. Put equipment in the carport shed down there, walked back -- got wet!! . Pretty much inside rest of day.

It's perfect here. Soaks in and really well, with the on/off rains. Hope DS can put that tiller on a tractor for you. It's such a great thing!!! Of course, you won't be planting much with farm jobs all week -- unless they're morning milks. . Then you could do a little in evenings IF ground is ready. We just never seem to see things coordinated, do we? .

 

[farmerjan]

Saturday morning... down to 60 but already up to 77.... going to be very warm.

Sun out, but there is a good chance of some pop up type thunderstorms this afternoon. I am going to be stuck in a barn testing so it won't matter. Except I would prefer to be out here in the late afternoon in the garden.

Well, I guess I got lucky. I went down the road in the opposite direction of going to the barns/nurse cow pasture and all... and there was a dead possum on the road right across from the driveway to the christmas tree farm next door. Couldn't see it from the house.... and it is very light colored like the one I saw the other night. Nothing in the traps and nothing on the porch has been bothered the last 2 nights. Pretty sure it was the one I saw. One more gone... and I am not at all unhappy about that.

Didn't get but a sprinkle yesterday all afternoon although we had a few passes of clouds then it would clear out and was sunny the rest of the day. Was supposed to have a massage therapy appt and it got cancelled at the last minute so I was out of sorts a bit... then spent time texting back and forth with a farmer and finally got them to settle on a test but they want to do a morning.. Next Tuesday... but I finally agreed to the morning... It means getting up at 3:30 to leave by 4 as it is an hour south... they try to start milking by 5:30 but it is usually 6.... it is where I have gotten some of the bull calves from so trying to keep the peace. Although it has not turned out to be all that I had hoped. But they are going to start the next group to calve about June 15th... and then she said she has 40 to calve in a 45 day period starting in Aug.... we'll see how things are going price wise too... I've done well enough that the set of heifer twins and this last set of bull twins are "free" so just will have feed in them now.... that's a plus. Thought there would be more but that's life.

Got to get things done so I can leave for work.

 

[Ridgetop]

Bottle calves are a lot of work, but when you get them they will pay off as you know. You just have to wait for the next calving season and then probably will be inundated with calves! You know how it works, just when you are heavily into garden work, haying, etc., you will have a bunch of them show up. LOL