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| Work bought us new xray markers. |
This past weekend, I went in to work at 2pm on Friday and left at 9pm Sunday night. If my sleepy-brain math is correct, that's 55 hours straight...and that was at the end of my regular work week (which is Monday, Tues, Thursday.) But I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. I need the paycheck for moving my family. And it helps that I actually LIKE my job too.
This small town hospital that I work in now is gracious enough to provide a break room (read: sleep room, just like the physicians get) that we are allowed to take advantage of in the middle of the night when all our work is caught up. Considering all the bugs in the farm house, sometimes I think I get better sleep at the hospital :-/
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| Hope I get to play with this one! |
Anyway, enough about the bugs. I'm hoping the winter cold relocates them for a few months soon. As I was leaving the farm to go to work today, I found a nice surprise in the field outside the front yard: a big 'ol tractor hooked up to a huge brush hog that puts my little one to shame. I hopped in the Jeep and raced over to look at it. I guess my cousin came by this morning and began to clear our front 35 acres for the next crop while I was sleeping.
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| The grass is as tall as the fence out front. |
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| Bales across the street, waiting to be loaded up. |
So with all the work, I feel like I haven't had much to blog about lately since I haven't gotten much done. I received my multimeter in the mail the other day and began trying to trace down the electricity short that keeps me from being able to turn on the power at the barn. I was told the rats keep eating through the wires. I'd like to get the barn powered up again, get the grass mowed back down, and start straightening out the barn. There's fence that needs to be mended in a few places but mostly I just need to clear out a ton of overgrowth all over the place.
So, come on Saturday! I'm getting behind!
~OJD
Those "rounds" are illegal around here. It turns out the cows weren't getting a square meal.
ReplyDeleteAt lest you will always find something to do. The farmers near us have been bailing hay every few weeks. getting it stockpiled for winter. They are harvesting the Wheat this week and bailing the straw from the wheat. Everyone is busy.
ReplyDeleteWe moved to a summer place in southern Indiana as a kid. Since Dad worked hours similar to yours and had little time, got a few sheep who cleaned weeds beautifully. I'm considering goats for brush clearing at our place. Rains are plentiful this year but dry season and fires will come soon enough in FL. Can't keep ahead of it with just hubby and me. Get a cat for those rats. Girls will love it. Barn cats are better than snakes
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd be a little irritated if someone was messing with my tractors or equipment.
ReplyDeleteIf you aren't used to using it everyday, you can cause all sorts of trouble like starting it up and not knowing that the clutch is tricky to operate, so you manage to pop the clutch and break the hitch on whatever is hooked up to the tractor at the time. Or, you don't know that the batteries are always low and it needs a shot of ether to get started before the batteries lose their charge. Or, the key sticks and if you don't turn it back the right way after starting, the starter doesn't disengage and will burn up. Or, you break off the bale spike because you moved the loader the wrong direction.
If you want to learn how to use some of that equipment, ask your cousin if he ever needs any help either moving equipment or working on equipment.
Locally here in OK, I've always called a round bale of hay either a "bale" or a "round bale", and a square bale is always called a "square bale".
I've never heard anyone call them "rounds" or "rolls" (although they might call them that in other parts of the country).
Yep, "round bales" and "square bales" here, too. :)
ReplyDeleteYou may have to run your wires through metal pipes to keep the rats from chewing them.
Guess I'm used to talking about silver... (rounds)
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ReplyDeleteSteel wire armoured cable such as:
ReplyDeletehttp://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/armoured-cable/4682202/
Chew on that rats!
I'd second the recommentadation not to mess about with the cousins tractor rig. You could use up your welcome quickly that way.
Our relationship is solid. No worries.
DeleteCats for sure, but only "fixed", and don't let the barn cats in the house & do not over feed or they won't catch as many mice and rats and snakes. Large spring trap are great for mice also. Goats over sheep as weed eaters. They are usually hardier but still no match for coyotes so pay attention when they are staked. You will probably have to pen them when you are away.
ReplyDeleteHave you got a bug zapper yet?
Bug zapper? Great idea!
DeleteThat's a lot of overtime! You are going to need some help around the farm. I recommend cats, goats and CHICKENS!
ReplyDeleteOur chickens are four months old and are laying eggs. They are beyond fun to watch and for all the bugs, weeds and some grass they eat, I get beautiful eggs, often with double yolks. They love bugs.
I have written it before and it may not be what you want to read, but your dogs may be the ones that need penned up while any WORKING cats, goats and chickens have yard privileges. Victorians used to turn hedgehogs loose at night in their kitchen areas, and they would do some serious work on eating the bugs and you can put one in your employ if you keep your dogs from killing it. I'm not anti dog, I have one. She's not allowed to be anything but motherly to cats and chickens.
Just ideas.
Thanks for the ideas!
DeleteI am not sure where the myth came from that cats that are fed well won't kill rodents. Ours have house privileges yet they often stay out at night and pile up the offerings on our door mat. They also have killed mice that got into the house. Their bowls always have food in them. They kill because their mama's taught them to kill. A kitten from a mama that didn't teach them to kill may not be an effective killer. They don't have to be hungry and eat it, just like a dog doesn't kill a cat because he's hungry.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't supply food your "killers" may move on to the next farm where the chow is better or more abundant. We've been the new home to a few of these and when we got them fattened up, they still killed for us. My grandparents always fed their working cats (meat, grease, and milk from the farm) and the tom was obese but could move like lightening. This was back in the day when spaying/neutering was not common, but other farmers would take the kittens because they were from proven working stock.
I've had all kinds of cats ( even Bobcats) for more than 50 years. I concur with the previous post. Feed the cats, they will still hunt!
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