Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[murphysranch]

And don't cross your feet. Have them firmly planted flat on the floor.

 

[SageHill]

And don't cross your feet. Have them firmly planted flat on the floor.

Woah - didn't know that one!!

 

[canesisters]

When my BP is checked, I can lower it by focusing on a clear blue sky, breathing in and out slowly and relaxing. Works for me.

On the rare occasion that I'm forced to go see a Dr. I always use that 20mins or so that they leave you sitting in the room waiting to slow my pulse & lower my blood pressure.
Otherwise they'd probably have my admitted for stroke watch or something.

 

[farmerjan]

Saturday afternoon. It has been hot and is going to get hotter in the next few days.

63 to start... 90 in the shade and it hit 95 on the recording thermometer in the sun before 10 this morning. Then it dropped to mid 80's when the leaves shaded it... back up to 90 an no sun on it now... Just air temp.

Thursday I got up and got the samples packed from both the owner sampler and the farm I had tested Wed eve... had to go get my meters from the farm that had borrowed them. They texted me at 11 or so that they had them ready on the porch where I leave . I was on my way there already to get them. I mean really... wait to the last minute..??? Like the time they borrowed them and had them a week and never "got around to using them" and I had to go get them, then they borrowed them again a few days later.... sometimes this is just getting too OLD to deal with....
I dropped off the samples for UPS on the way to the farm I was going to Thurs aft. I did not get the laundry off the line before I went though... Ran out of time...

Got set up and we started testing, sky got black... and got a fast HARD storm... then it rained a couple more showers during milking. Luckily did not lose power or have to fire up the generator so not too bad. They are back up at about 201 going through the barn...
By the time I got the computer work done, the meters off the milk lines, and loaded into the car, it was near 7 p.m.. Then went to the owner sampler farm and dropped off his reports, then went to the farm I had tested Wed and dropped off their reports since I did not get there before like I had planned. Oh well, all is done.

Clothes got a good "rain water rinse" but not much wind so not blown off the line... That was fine.

Friday morning met with DS and GF came and we got the neighbors cows and calves in the lot, sorted off the cows and fly sprayed them on their way out of the barnyard... got the calves loaded and took to our barn 2 miles away. It was muddy and we had to take a couple of gates to make a chute out to the trailer since we could not back up as close as usual... I had stopped DS when he was going to go back further... and said if you get the back wheels of the truck back anymore, you will never get out... he came back and looked and said , you're right mom... it's going to be "iffy" where it is no way I can go back further.
But we got lucky, got them to load and he used 4wd LOW range and crept it out without spinning the wheels...
Took them to the barn, ran them through the chute... there was one BIG bull calf from last fall... probably weighed in the 700's... to band... and DS said it had been a long time since we had banded one with a pair of nuts that big. The best thing, it was just going past the last quarter to the new moon... so signs going from the thighs down into the feet... Lowest, slowest blood flow... very best time to do things like castrations/ "cutting" etc on the animals...
We got his animals all blacklegged, flytags, banded bull calves, tetanus some, and then DS took them back to Fred's... GF had to go with him for the 2 miles... they came back to the barn and we got in the 5 little baby calves and cows that calved in the last 2 weeks... banded the 3 bulls, black legged all, even though it is a little young for the calves since they are under 8 weeks... but they are going out to pasture so better to do than not to do. DS is also taking the one heifer and her bigger steer down there to that pasture, she will get one more chance to get bred back... there will be some bigger steers to sell in the future so he shouldn't be an odd one...
Then weaned the 6 bigger heifer calves off the cows that are 5+ months pregnant...we had kept them all in when we kept the ones with their momma's that we sold a week ago... we are keeping these heifers for now... and they needed to be weaned off. They were on the cows that were not bred when they had been exposed to the bull when we bought them...so are older... Should get bangs vacc really... but don't know if they will since we do not have any vet appts anytime soon. All the preg checks are done .....we'll see. DS needs to take them to the pasture at the neighbors... we have 5 in his front pasture and 5 in the back... he said the grass is getting ahead of them... yeah, no joke with the rain.... so wants a couple more... can split them 3 and 3 more so will have 8 and 8... might be too many if it turns dry.... but not going to make an issue. Give them a week to get over being weaned.. 2 are problems, the momma's don't like to give up the calves and the one calf is almost as nutty as the one of mine we sold a week ago.
Moved all the cows across the driveway, up through the fields and out in the back field that is actually behind DS's house... far enough away that the 2 cows and calves can't hear each other and the cows should give it up... They have both gone across the fences when we separated them out 2 weeks ago. Good momma's but ridiculous when weaning time comes.. and the heifers aren't even nursing, the cows udders are totally dried up....

So, we went to Wendy's, had some lunch... then I finally came home and got the samples packed from Thursday's herd. DS came and was mowing across the road in the wheat/rye/grass.... it is going to get planted back in sorghum-sudan as soon as we get it off...
I went down with the samples and saw where the drive in was playing How to train a dragon and The Last Ride... which I wanted to see that... so came home, called some friends that we kept saying we ought to get together to go to the movies... and it worked out that it was a good night to go last minute... so got a shower and arranged to meet them to go.
DS took my explorer when he was done mowing since I was not going to be there to give him a ride, and went to the farm, loaded the 6 cows/calves and took them to the pasture down near him on his way home to her house.

Movies were good... dragon one kinda funny , it was not the animated version that I understand had come out years ago... but a "real people sized" one... and The Last Ride was good.... BUT... being how it was the drive in.. movie started after 9.... with intermission, 2nd feature started like 11:45... it was after 2 when I got home... and I slept like a log..

This morning, DS came and got the tractor and discbine, went and mowed the field in the subdivision, above where I had raked a week ago... then came here, mowed at my house... hopefully the last time to mow here as the fence SHOULD be up this year with the posts mostly in now...then went and mowed all 5 fields at Deb's farm, and one little field next to his house. He needed to get a ride, because he was going to go to a truck pull this aft/eve with her. So left the mower at his house, I gave him a ride down to the farm, and since he was getting tight for time and had to go to his house and feed his chickens, I said I would feed my 12 heifers, and the other 2 calves still there... and he left to go to his house. I fed the heifers 2 buckets of feed, they have a roll of hay, and then fed and watered the 2 other steers there that are in the "alley" so they can eat grass... the 12 heifers are in "the steers' field"... for now.
Then came home and just ate a sandwich... It is hot out there, and I am not going to try to push it out there right now... I have got to get out and get on my lawn mowing.. it is grown so much with the rain and then the temps getting hotter... going to be brutal with 90's and low 100's the next few days... quite a huge jump from mostly 80's.... humidity supposed to be high so that will make it tough.

The turkeys have been all over where he mowed... they are growing so fast.

I will finally get the clothes off the line later, they are blowing a little with the breeze so ought to smell really good... Got a gallon of tea out to steep in the heat...
There are a few clouds passing through... but it is hotter than we have had in the last few weeks, and muggier, so not very comfortable.

Got my new walk behind BATTERY powered trimmer... I liked the other one, and it did a good job, but my shoulder cannot take the pull to get it started... so I will probably sell it... but wanted something bigger and more substantial, than the small hand held one I have; to do some of the extra thick and high weeds I have not gotten done. Really STINKS that the shoulder is restricting things so much...
Now I can get around the garden on the side near the pine trees and not tear up the mower... and all along places my little hand one does not get done very well... that one is light weight and nice but not up to some of these rougher places. The new battery one is the same "Greenworks" as my mower... same batteries, all 60v...so I can use any of the 8amp, 6 amp, 5 amp, 4 amp ones I have with different things like the riding mower and the push mower...... so all interchangeable... wonderful.... I got the handle and all put together on it... hope to try it out this evening, once it cools down a bit. I am a wimp, but cannot take this much heat coming on so fast... Will post how it does if I can get some stuff done this evening...

Going in to get a big glass of ice cold something...maybe work on some junk mail and stuff to sort through, in the house for a little while yet...

Hope to get out there in about an hour, to try mowing some of the lawn. The breeze has picked up a little so might not be too bad. Then try the trimmer as it gets a little cooler.

 

[farmerjan]

Still 73 at 10:30 at night. Not the worst, but warm compared to the mid 60 nights last week. It might drop down since the skies are clear.

Finally went out and did some mowing.. got a good part of the yard done. Have to move the cars around to get the strips inbetween them done.

I did put the batteries in the walk behind trimmer... WOW.... it has all sorts of power... and is lighter to operate than I thought it would be. AND boy oh boy, does it eat up the tall stuff. I did a little bit along the road there in front of the house and a little bit around a couple of sections of the split rail fence... it has BIG back wheels so very very easy to tilt and move around. It is preset with the heavy "string" pretty low so is close to the ground... the "ball" under it in the front, does not slide on the uneven terrain here very good... but I am talking rough ground there....but it is a cinch to just tilt it back a smidgeon and move it easily.
10 times easier than trying to use the push mower on the bank. Surprisingly it is not awkward or top heavy or anything. Mine takes up to 2 batteries and it is well balanced. I am sure some of that is the big wheels.
SO FAR, I love it. I didn't do alot as I was trying to get the bulk of the mowing with the riding mower done... more tomorrow...

Got the turkeys herded into the calf hutch... they are looking for a place to roost at night so time to move them into a "pen" for night time safety and will have to put a roost pole in there for them. Need to get the third one finished so I can move them into one for them and the black langshan bantams into the other for them to have peace.

I am going to go to bed shortly. I still ache alot... so not thinking that the antibiotics are working on the "possible kidney/bladder" infection they suggested. And of course they won't work this fast on the possible Lyme either... It can always be worse.

I was so busy with the mowing around the front yard, the chickens, around the perimeter that I had mowed in the front, and then trying the new trimmer I did not get the clothes off the line. Since I need to do that before I can mow down there around the clothesline poles, that will be on the top of the list for tomorrow. Not going to get any rain, so tomorrow will work. Then I can finish up the mowing... and work on some of the multitude of places to get this trimming done... I am sure that I am going to be raking some hay late afternoon... DS has to take apart the stupid line again as it was starting to miss again... and I am going to be on a whole lot more of a hill so don't want it to quit on me while up there. He is looking into a new valve for underneath and see if they have a screen or something that goes up inside... this tractor was built in '75-80 I think.. so close to 50 years old. Runs good except for this crap in the fuel line... and it may need the fuel tank power flushed out or even replaced if we can't get it to stop "shedding all these little flakes and the diesel algae. Some of this might just be gunk from the years of fuel that has accumulated on the sides of the tank and is now "breaking loose" .... who knows... would remind you of lime build up little tiny pieces that get caught up in the gravity flow of the fuel into the fuel line... DS is hoping that maybe we can add a "sediment bowl".... the fuel goes down into this glass bowl on the Farmall H and then the sediment and stuff settles out into the bottom of this bowl, and the clean fuel goes out the line that does not sit on the bottom of this bowl... and into the engine to run it.... and you can see it and then you just turn off the valve, empty this little bowl of junk... put it back and open the valve and off you go... SIMPLE and works like a charm... It's for all these simple gravity flow fuel type engines... The fuel filter is after the valve under the fuel tank... to keep junk out of the engine... but the valve is very small... so the little pieces and the slimy algae string get caught in the little valve... STILL.... better than in the engine....

Time to quit for the night...

 

[farmerjan]

Started at 67 overnight. Not bad. Already up to 75 at 7:30.... going to be hot today. Big bowl of raisin bran type cereal... first time in ages I have eaten cereal.... then go out to do chickens, turkeys etc. I am sure grass is wet with dew. Yesterday the discharge on the riding mower kept getting clogged from the thick wet green grass... so much rain has the grass real green and not as easy to mow.. Another plus for this new walk behind weed eater... not getting clogged up. Lawn mower will be fine in another day or two when the grass dries out a little with the heat...

Time to head outside...

Not to get controversial, but has everyone heard the news about the bombing of the Iranian bunkers where they were enriching the uranium??? President Trump ordered the mission yesterday... Hopefully stopped their capabilities in their tracks...

 

[SageHill]

Heard about that on the way home last night from DS & DDIL. Not sure what to think other than T obviously knows a heck of a lot more than us. And WTH - the criers upset he didn't put it through congress first? Seriously? If there's a big threat send it through congress while the bad guys watch and reorganize to our disadvantage?

 

[fuzzi]

Started at 67 overnight. Not bad. Already up to 75 at 7:30.... going to be hot today. Big bowl of raisin bran type cereal... first time in ages I have eaten cereal.... then go out to do chickens, turkeys etc. I am sure grass is wet with dew. Yesterday the discharge on the riding mower kept getting clogged from the thick wet green grass... so much rain has the grass real green and not as easy to mow.. Another plus for this new walk behind weed eater... not getting clogged up. Lawn mower will be fine in another day or two when the grass dries out a little with the heat...

Time to head outside...

Not to get controversial, but has everyone heard the news about the bombing of the Iranian bunkers where they were enriching the uranium??? President Trump ordered the mission yesterday... Hopefully stopped their capabilities in their tracks...

I'd like to hear more about your walk behind trimmer. I might be interested...

 

[farmerjan]

Been a long day... It hit 94 in the shade... and it is still 77 at 11 pm. Hot sun all day, some light breeze earlier...

DS got the tractor fuel thing cleaned out again... so I went up to rake. Got started, it was going okay. All of a sudden I got to the end of the row, and lifted the wheels of the rake, and started to make the turn, and it wouldn't turn... the grass was a little wet from dew on that end so thought it was slipping on the front tires on the damp hay... so backed up a little... was going to uncouple the brake pedal... it has dual brakes so that you can brake a wheel to help it turn under some circumstances... and I looked out at the front end and realized that the left wheel was trying to turn... and the right wheel was at the opposite angle... I'm like OH SH!T... well, not as bad as it looked... the tie rod end has been getting loose,,, and it popped off the left side... so the left wheel (steering wheel) was turning, but it wasn't attached to the right wheel so it just swung around and stayed there...

Called DS... said, I hate to tell you... but this is what happened... He said, well, I will be there in a little while... and I said that was fine... I was in mostly shade so once it got up above the trees, I could get off the tractor and move over back into the shade. He finally got there, he had gone and gotten the big John Deere tractor... So we managed to turn the wheel so the tie rod would line up, and he hit it with the hammer to pop it back on... and said to see if I could drive it slowly up the hill and around to the flat area... and luckily, managed to do that. So we jacked up the rake, unhooked the 4600 Ford, and he hooked up the JD so I could continue to rake. But there was a lost time of over 1 1/2 hours.

Anyway, he left... he had left a truck there when he came to mow since the tractor was already there the other day.... and I continued to rake and got it done... Left there and came up the road about 3 miles, to the field across from my house that has the wheat/rye/grass mix and started raking it. Got 4 rows done, and was coming down the 5th row, and realized that the rake was opening wider when I had just readjusted it... This is all hydraulics... it raises the wheels up and down, and and open and close the V shape to take in 2 rows or 3 when it is light... the pressure in the hydaulic line holds the cylinders in place. Well I was almost at the end of the row, and hit the lever to "close" it a bit... and I see fluid spew out like a high pressure sprinkler system. Well... I picked the rake up and it didn't do it so I knew it was only related to the one hose...pulled out to the edge of the field; got out to make sure that hose hadn't come out of the hydraulic coupling on the tractor... once in a while they will pop out if you don't get them in right... Had to call DS AGAIN.... told him that I had checked and there wasn't any hose that had come loose... so he said to come get him at the field he was mowing in. Got him, and dropped him at his truck just up the road where he had left it when he got in the trator to mow... I was right across from my house so just went and got another car and went and got him. Came back... and it had blown a hose... it is an older hose on the rake. So he called down to TSC and they actually had some hoses, so we measured the length... 22 FT.... and they only had 1/2 inch line... the ends on the tractor fittings are 3/8... so had to get some reducers along with the hoses. He went back to mowing and I went to TSC... got the stuff, but one fitting was wrong... MY Fault... but I had gotten an extra of another one because I didn't know if he wanted one with a swivel... and got 2 hoses... 10 ft and 12 ft and a coupler for the middle... Got back, he came up and then realized that I didn't get the right one... 2 different type threads on the fittings... so took him to the barn and he found something to make it work. So... finally got it put back together... and he went back to mowing and I went back to raking.
Finally got the field done.... and he had finished mowing and went back to the barn to get the baler.... SO, he comes with the baler to start on the field across from me since it was over mature when it stopped raining to be able to cut it; so was quite dry when he mowed it... and he gets about 20 bales baled, and the tire on the baler goes flat... He JUST had them fix it a week ago... so that was the end of that. He came across the road to the house, I was out with the weed trimmer, and asked if I would take him to get the truck so he could go get a jack and take the wheel off and take it down and leave at the co-op for them to fix it AGAIN....

So, tomorrow morning he is going to see if he has the tie rod ends... he can't remember if he got a set and put them on the 6600 Ford...or still has them there... it was getting sloppy also... which are the same... because this JD is way too big to rake the little fields at Deb's and the small 2-3 acre pieces there around his house that are cut. I said that I guess I would be as well off to use the old Farmall H and the side delivery rake in those little fields... although it rakes 1 windrow, where as the wheel rake puts 2 together at the same time... I don't really want to use the Deutz tractor as it is more bulky and does not do good in these small cut up fields. Plus, I need a step stool to get up on the first step... it is way up off the ground... and I just don't like to rake with it. It is good on the bush hog but like the song about a trucker "give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around".... well you don't need 40 acres, but it does not maneuver well in tight places.

He cut an awful lot more today than he said he was going to cut... It will be a long day tomorrow and again on Tuesday. In the morning, I will be raking Deb's, my house (1+ acre hopefully cut for the last time... get the fence up and no more cutting it), and the 1 1/2 acres right by his house that he cut yesterday...then maybe starting Mon eve, on some....then Tuesday.... there are the several small fields he cut today... 1-3 acres each section...2 next to his house on one side, 2 more at the other neighbor's... in front and behind their house... then snyder's (nurse cow) pasture that 1 acre or so that is electric fenced off... 2 separate lots in "doug's" subdivision across from his house that are like 3 acres each... then 2 other pieces in that subdivision that are around 3-4 acres in one and 11 acres in the other one... all these little cut up places to go rake... PITA....
Next, we have to do Fred's place that we do custom. for him (the guy we just worked his calves the other day).... and the field - 5 acres or so - at one pasture that we just cut one part of the one field..., once , then graze later.... Then Dennis's place...down the hill near the old stone house I used to live in.... 10 acres in the lower field, 4 acre "long field" and then another 6-7 acres on top of the hill and his field across the creek that is about 6-8 acres I guess... then "Augusta County"... we cut off part of one pasture field there 5 acres or more.....and the 9 acre hay field (no fences)... that 9 acre field is where the bears get into the hay and roll the bales around and tear them up..
By then it will be time to get back into the orchard grass fields for 2nd cutting if we get some rain. Plus he is going to plant the field across from my house in sorghum-sudan and also one of the fields there in the subdivision where I was raking this morning.

I'm tired just thinking about the next 2 days.....

Plus the HEAT... going to be a real b#@ch for the next 2 days. I just pray he gets the tie rod ends so I can get my "raking tractor" , the 4600 Ford, back to use.

Farm cancelled Tuesday morning due to the heat... I have no one scheduled and won't schedule anyone now.

Going to bed...

I will elaborate more on the walk behind trimmer in the next day or 2....

 

[Baymule]

Wow. What a day! One break down is enough, but you got breakdowns piled up on you. Just be grateful that it wasn’t any worse.

A couple of years ago, a guy was baling hay about a mile from me. A bearing went out on the round baler and it caught fire, caught the field on fire, burned up the baler, the guy was able to disconnect it and save the tractor.

It took awhile to get the fire under control, I had truck packed with important papers, couple changes of clothes, trailer hitched and backed up to loading chute, sheep penned and ready to load, if I had to make a run for it. Thankfully, the fire was put out, but it sure was not a real good feeling there for a while.