Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[farmerjan]

Although a royal PITA to you... at least there is some movement on the medical company/bank situation. As long as someone is still working on it, that is in your favor. And a copy of a cancelled check is a wonderful "paper trail".....

 

[Bruce]

We are starting a period of several hot days in a row -- upper 90s °F (upper 30s °C) -- so I may wait for cooler weather.

EXCELLENT CHOICE!!!!

Medical insurance issues, PITA!!!! Got a call from my optometrist office Thursday week before last ... on my cell phone which gets little to no signal at home so I didn't get it until Saturday. Short version - both Medicare and Federal Blue Cross (DW) decided they were primary and both paid as primary. This is for an appointment March 30. Office insurance lady kept trying to get them to figure it out, calling both since EVENTUALLY one of them will want some money back. She finally got fed up and called me. I called BCBS, they said that since DW was an active employee they were primary. Called Medicare, they said they got it figured out and had made an adjustment 5 days before. Meaning the day I was called from the optometrist.

Won't be a problem in the future since I got on BCBS Advantage April 1 so no more deduction from DW's paycheck.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @farmerjan,

My Beautiful Gal is always telling me that I am in need of professional help, and I hope you are the professional to help me.

My southern most pastures, which are not hayed, are really thick and tall. Except for narrow paths from the entrance to the pond and around the boundaries, I have not cut the grass there at all this year (I will explain why below). Yesterday I decided to cut the grass around a brush pile. The grass is so thick that the cut grass completely covered the grass still in the ground. I fear that the cut grass will kill the grass still in the ground by blocking the light. I certainly don't want that to happen. I am wondering if there is a better way to cut the grass, such as cutting less of the grass (i.e., cutting the grass taller), and wait a week or so before cutting again. Another thought was to wait until the first frost kills the grass and cut it then, when there will be less moisture in the grass and thus easier to cut. What is you advice on how to cut this grass?

Also, how would you advise I get ruts out of the pasture that I made last year when I mowed those same pastures? I made those ruts by mowing those pastures prior to their having dried out after all of the winter and spring rains. I had hoped that this year the ruts would have somehow filled themselves in, but they are still there. The reason that the grass in those pastures is so tall is that we had a lot of rain this year all the way into June. Because the pastures were still wet, I did not want to mow them and make more ruts, but by the time the pastures had dried out in early July, I had a bunch of "honey-do"s. Only now do I have time to mow and try to remove the ruts I made last year. What do recommend I do to get the ruts out of the pastures?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

I'm not Jan but I think there are 2 ways to fill the ruts

1. bring in dirt
2. churn the area with a rototiller to loosen it back up

 

[Ridgetop]

Jan will know what to do! With the hay shortage that is coming (and already here in some parts of the country) it is too bad that you couldn't offer the pasture grass to a cowman who needs it.

 

[farmerjan]

@Bruce 's 2 options are about right. either fill in the ruts and then seed and even run a roller over them... or lightly till or disc and then rake with like a spring tooth harrow and plan to stay off so it can grow and the ground settle. Rolling with a "roller"... like they use on pavement...they make them to pull behind tractors; something heavy and round... to pretty much press the soil down and settle the grass seed in it. Or driving over it once flattened with something that will not dig down... so if it is wet then stay off it....

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

@Bruce 's 2 options are about right. either fill in the ruts and then seed and even run a roller over them... or lightly till or disc and then rake with like a spring tooth harrow and plan to stay off so it can grow and the ground settle. Rolling with a "roller"... like they use on pavement...they make them to pull behind tractors; something heavy and round... to pretty much press the soil down and settle the grass seed in it. Or driving over it once flattened with something that will not dig down... so if it is wet then stay off it....

Thanks. There is plenty of grass growing in the rutted area. I do not have a tiller. Instead I have a box blade and I am considering deploying the scarifiers as far down as I can and then drag those scarifiers across the ruts, keeping the blade above the soil so as not to actually cut a path. Just let the scarifiers remove the edges.

Jan will know what to do! With the hay shortage that is coming (and already here in some parts of the country) it is too bad that you couldn't offer the pasture grass to a cowman who needs it.

Yes, it is a shame! That grass goes to waste every year. Every year I cut it, either once or twice a year, and it goes back into the ground. That could go to feed some farmer's or rancher's cows or sheep or goats or alpacas! But the profit margin for hay is so low that I would be 100 before I could recoup my costs for farm equipment to mow it, ted it, rake it, bale it, and haul it. So I simply mow it and let it decompose and make the next year's grass grow.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[farmerjan]

I think that the box blade thing will work... gow with the ruts to loosen then up, then maybe go against them...90 degree.... then go with again. But if the grass is already growing and all, you may have to wait for the frost so that the growth won't impede it... I would try it though... you won't make them worse if it doesn't break up the ground.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I would post some news.

First, I got the dispute with the bank and the medical firm resolved. It turned out that the disbursing company employed by the bank screwed up. That company credited to my account the $500, so all is well on that front.

We went to NE Texas for a visit with family for a somber occasion -- this was the 8th anniversary of the death of the mom of my Beautiful Gal and her siblings. The three girls like to get together to remember the occasion. While there, my Beautiful Gal got me a surprise. It is something we have talked about ever since moving here but never have found. My Beautiful Gal's brother offered them to us, and she agreed and surprised me with them:

They are 6 weeks old. Their mother is Great Pyrenees and their daddy is Anatolian. We named the boy (lighter color) Max and the girl (darker color) 99, after the two main characters from the '60s TV show Get Smart. At the moment they are still missing their previous home, but we are hoping that when they figure out that we bring them food every day that we aren't so bad after all.

Belated happy 29th birthday, Miss @farmerjan! I am sure you celebrated by painting the town!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[rachels.haven]

So cute! Love the names.