98, 99, 100! Ready or not... here life comes! This Blog title is found in numerous songs, stories, and movies. It is used to get us to make a family emergency plan, living will, save for retirement, etc. It is the promise of Christ's return. So, knowing (or not) what lies ahead, we should all prepare... but we seem to think we have all the time in the world... even though we are all fully aware that time keeps marching on. The days tick off into weeks, which pass into months and the years fly by. For now, fall is here, but winter is just around the corner. So much to do before this farm freezes over.
I didn't hop from my bed very cheerfully Sunday morning, but scurried to add another layer of clothing and get my hot tea. I am not ready for these cold fall mornings which are reminders of what's to come this winter. I was out at sun-up to feed horses, cows and chickens. I worked in the nursery and went to second service. Once home I moved the horses out front and then tried to finish up last week's Blog.
Brian Otto called to say he would come bale late afternoon, so Joe (with a little of my help) got ready for more hay. First he moved all Carol's old straw from the corn crib to a grain bin. Then he straightened up the hay piles in the hay mow. I helped him make room for the incoming new bales. And finally he picked up and stored all the bales that had been left out last
Monday night but gotten rained on.
I went out to get photos of Brian baling and then chatted for a bit with Lisa when she and her son Darek rode by. Then I got the lamb stew started in the crock pot. And finally, when Dan got home from work at 4:00, we started retrieving the bales of hay.
I drove the tractor, while Dan picked up the bales...
and chucked them onto the wagon, and Joe stacked them.
After all 70 bales were loaded, I turned the wheel over to Joe so I could get photos as they headed back to the barn with the wagon.
Next we had to get the bales off the wagon and up into the hay loft. This is where Marj's hay elevator came in most handy.
Dan moved the bales from the wagon to the conveyor at the bottom and I helped Joe with unloading and stacking them up top in the barn.
It soon became evident that Dan needed more help than Joe, so I got up on the wagon and moved the bales down to where Dan could reach them from the ground.
The elevator belt came off once, so we took a break while Dan fixed it.
When done, we loaded the elevator onto the wagon. After showers, Dan headed for Courtney's and Joe and I enjoyed lamb stew.
I let the cows out onto the side pasture until bed time so they could clean up left over alfalfa and eat down the un-mowed grass.
Monday was a cold, windy, cloudy do-nothing day.
After morning chores I was content to sit on the front porch with my
computer all morning. I could watch the horses on the front pasture and
cows on the side pasture. Stew and Babe rested under a pine tree out of the wind.
Valencia had taken the above photo
early last week when we were checking out Dan's
new car. Well, while Joe and I were on vacation, Dan traded it in for an older
(1978), more expensive, Caballero. This is a rear-wheel-drive car based pickup originally sold by GMC Truck. It is a lot like the El Camino Dan bought, but it is in much better shape and will
not cost as much to re-furbish. Dan also prefers the color.
After an early lunch, I decided to get up and get some work done. First I raked up all the loose hay from the floor of the barn and out in front of it where the elevator had been. I took four wheel barrow loads of the dusty (with dirt and/or mold) hay to the back trail where I used it as ground cover. Notice the pretty fall colors we have back there. 
Then I used the tractor to haul clay (four bucket loads) that I moved into a wheelbarrow and took into the barn (10 trips total). I filled in a big hole in Amiga's stall and then put most of the clay in the aisle between the stalls to make a ramp up to the big step into the middle section of the barn.
Growth Group was shortened because there were only four of us and Joe had to get to bed early so he could be back up at 2am for work.
Tuesday, like every morning this week, I put the cows on the side pasture. Babe likes to scratch on the pine trees. In the background, you can see the neighbors spreading lime.
I was late for my riding lesson with Josh because it took me almost 25 minutes to get Roni loaded. I wondered if he has trust issues with me or is just being stubborn. The lesson went well and I was especially impressed with Josh's ability to make riding Roni look so easy... and he could get Roni to stand still while on the ground, walk and turn calmly without rushing while being ridden, shoulder in, and some other things.
After lunch I worked on moving lime into the barn. Our outdoor pile was hard as a rock and came up in big chunks using the end loader. This photo is a before shot of where I wanted to put the lime "ramp." The threshold is a ten inch step over.
I had to use a sledge hammer to break up the big clumps and then to tamp down the lime. Then I hosed it down. The water makes it set up into an almost concrete like firmness. But it can be broken apart later if needed.
Next I added four inches of lime over the clay I had put in the aisle way. Tamping it all down took a lot of muscle work and energy. Then hosing it, I got it to set up rock hard. The chickens dig holes and take dust baths in this area and lots of hay also gets mixed in with the dirt. Then when it gets damp, it smells musty and moldy. Hopefully now I can rake and sweep the hay up and the chickens can't dig. The threshold will also be a lot easier to push the wheelbarrow over and for Roni to step over.Joe came home early and took a nap since he had been up since 2am. He also had to get up at 2am Wednesday morning. These hours are really taking a toll on him physically and mentally. And the end is no-where near.
Zorro and Roni were being friendly Wednesday morning but by the time I was ready (or not) to snap the photo, Zorro pinned his ears and Roni moved away while swishing his tail. I spent a few hours at Marj's cleaning stalls to help her out. Then I ate a late lunch on the road as I drove to Farm and Fleet. I shopped there and at Tractor Supply and Wal-Mart, not getting home until almost 5pm.
Little Brother asleep in the hay. The bales that got rained on were stacked in the calf pen and some loose hay was put in this wheel barrow. Can you see the tip of Missy's tail as she sneeks up on brother from beneath the wheel barrow?For some reason our security barn light did not come on tonight and the whole barn yard was eerily dark. It reminded me of the new series "Revolution" that Joe and I have started watching. We watched it and then Survivor. Once the debate came on, I went up to bed to read. I have no desire to listen to inflated figures and slander along with false promises. However, ready or not, the voting will soon take place, and my mind is already made up.
I woke feeling quite sore Thursday morning, especially my "bad" wrist. It has been a year ago today that I had surgery to repair the broken radius. Unfortunately, my right wrist has never been the same. It has gotten much stronger, but is still weaker than my left wrist. And I have not nearly recovered the range of motion. It gets sore easily, swells, and may have some arthritis and/or carpal tunnel issues. My New Year's resolution is to have it looked at. -> Zorro gets a drink of fresh water.
It was a beautiful fall day, getting up to almost 80 degrees. I didn't go out to work until right after lunch, but did take care of morning chores, including filling water tubs and leading the horses out front. I hope the grazing muzzles (one seen here on Roni) do the trick of keeping their weight down.
The horses stayed near the shade of the trees but out of the wind. You can see it blowing Zorro's mane below. He doesn't get as fat as the other two, so usually goes without a muzzle. 
I swept out the tack room and barn of all the hay dust that had accumulated. I mowed one area and then cleaned up the garden, removing corn stalks and old vines from my squash and cucumber. I also weeded so that they don't go to seed and
cause more work in the spring.
Returning from out back where I dumped a load of the weeds, I saw this coming up Beck's lane. The horses also saw and reacted by trotting up to the gate with Zorro leading the way.
Quite often he is the fearless leader, maybe because Amiga is too busy eating. Ha ha ha.
The trucks remained parked for awhile, but when they started back up, moving towards the horses, Zorro decided it was time to lead the herd in the other direction.
Run Away!!!
Roni, who is older and wiser by nine years, did not feel near the need to make a quick escape.
The horses kept a watchful eye as the trucks dumped their loads of lime. When all the commotion was over, they resumed doing what horses like to do most...
... grazing on good green pasture.
I also resumed working. I fertilized all 23 little pine trees out back using the scummy stock tank water to do so. I finished draining the tank, scrubbed it out well, moved it to its winter location, and started filling it.
Joe summoned Dan home from Courtney's and he meet us at Marj's to help return her hay elevator up into her loft. Then Dan mowed all our yard.
The wind picked up and the temperature dropped almost 30 degrees in an hour's time. The cold front and rain had moved in. Dan left after dinner, to return to Courtney's for more computer gaming. Joe sat to relax in front of the TV. The horses grazed on what little grass they could find in the paddock, and I caught up on E-mail and Facebook. Today started out cold, gloomy and rainy... and it never improved. It had rained off and on all night and continued to do so throughout the day. It was perfect for sitting here on the front porch with my hot tea and space heater to finish up this blog post. I put the horses straight out front, but not until 9am, because I wanted to keep them out of the muddy paddock.
I took a walk around the perimeter of our farm between rain showers, but still got sprinkled on. Notice that Beck's came back and harvested the rest of the corn.
Babe is walking (and running) just fine now, but has not gained back all the weight she lost. She was a runt and has always been a slow grower. She will probably never reach a very high market weight. Ready or not, we plan to take her in late spring.
We didn't cut the grass around all the pine trees in the two pastures, so there is extra lush pickings there. I left the paddock and corn crib open and available to the cows but they never took advantage of the dry place to come rest and chew their cud.
I had to run to town to meet Joe at the loan office to complete the paper work for the refinancing of our farm. We are at a 2.625% interest rate, fixed for the next 7 years, on a 20 year loan. We plan to be off to warmer pastures before the 7 years is up.
I continued vegging out on the front porch once I got back home. I kept inching the thermostat warmer on my little space heater, realizing my days out here are numbered. Ready or not, the cold is going to force me to move into the house. I have several plants out here I have to move inside as well.
Some of my outdoor potted plants are
also going to need to be moved in, but probably not these flowers. Dan dropped in from Courtney's on his way to work. After Joe took a nap he headed off to a poker game. And I...
I sat here and read my Bible, a magazine article, Facebook and played Words With Friends. I did get up to do chores, including moving the horses to the barn from the front pasture, in the drizzling rain.
When the wind and snow aren't blowing into the barn, I'll keep the doors open, like today, so the cats, chickens and turkey can get in. The other doors are left open for the horses to look out. I hope to modify that. So, the
barn is basically
ready for winter (with the one exception of that door modification project). I am so glad we got the garage door put in. It keeps out the north wind and rain and should do the same with snow.
No comments:
Post a Comment