Worldwide Beekeeping
Sustainable Living => Homestead => Topic started by: Dunkel on June 01, 2016, 07:07:43 pm
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How is it, it can rain 1/2 inch over my hayfield while I am trying to bale and now where else? I had a hydraulic cylinder give out this morning and spent the day rounding up one to borrow taking off and putting on, get back to baling and after two rolls the heavens open up. I make it back to the house drenched to my socks.
Take a shower, have a couple of beers and grill some deer meat for the youngest. I love a hot and steamy afternoon :P Cold front coming through tomorrow, with rain ahead of it. Then cloudy and rain until Sunday.
Normally I would be all mad, but after the time I had last year, I think something gave. Getting tired of looking for the bright side :D But things could be a lot worse. You Texicans sure have had a bunch of catastrophes this spring. Canada on fire, and lingering droughts nationwide. People see these events and when they occur its a big deal. But the months and years people undergo to recover are not news worthy.
I guess getting older does have its good points. Something to be said for being to tired to get mad :laugh: Some things are just out of your hands, but did he have to show a rainbow the whole time. Just as I suspected the neighbors have a pot of gold.
1. replace broken shovel handle
2. find gold
3. go buy a tractor and baler
4. forget three and pay for painting lessons from Ted.
Definitely 4, how much for a week of following you around?
Meant that last part in a PM, Now I have Lazy to contend with, and he is full of good Karma now. Not tyring to steal him I promise. :eusa_think:
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Dunked you have figured it out. Worry about the things that you control and let the others take their way. Sorry you got your hay wet. I have hay ready to cut but it is raining every day. My hay is Tifton Bermuda and it will wait without any degradation. I had some really nice oats that I wanted to bail this year, but it rain too long so now they belong to the cattle and mostly to the wild pigs. My cows don't seem to care for mature oats, but the feral pigs love them. They strip the seeds off the tops and eat them.
You're in a good frame of mind. Good karma is coming your way.
lazy
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By the beginning of August those pigs will be nice and plump and ready to put in the freezer. the season on them is open all year isn't it? Grain fed pork!!!
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Looking for the bright side isn't always easy, but it's there if you look hard enough. I have found being negative doesn't accomplish much, but it took me the better part of my life to finally figure it out. Having a friend, even someone very far away (you know who you are ;)) offer some well timed guidance during those trying times helps.
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Your welcome perry, your friend, Jack :yes:
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How is it, it can rain 1/2 inch over my hayfield while I am trying to bale and now where else?
Kinda the way it goes with baling. At least with my experiences. I like your take on it though. Can't worry about things out of our control
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Dried out enough to flip it and a storm formed over the house and we got another goose drowner. Just as I was heading for the tractor. The only spot on this end of the state. Cold front and rain moving in until Sunday. Still in good humor though, but this is getting ridiculous. :laugh: It's only forty rolls but it is so good and I will still have to do something with it.
On the bright side, I know exactly where my house is on the radar ;D BTW thanks everyone for the words of encouragement. I find it helps me to vent on here to put things in perspective.
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I know the feeling, except mine is always something tearing up, my daughter calls it "breaking tractors".........
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs33.postimg.cc%2Fxdjjdlycr%2Fhayfield.jpg&hash=7435acd09a06a53b5bcce99b9941f8d346885fd9) (http://postimg.cc/image/xdjjdlycr/)
flat tire while I was mowing, lost all of the fluid but still fixed it myself. was a real chore to get the mower off of the tractor, then I pinched two holes in the tube putting it back on. oh well guess I needed some practice on patching tubes. Then the pull rope broke on the compressor, then the outer air filter clogged up, then all went well. me and bizzybee did get 72 bales in the dry!!
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Lol, that sounds exactly the way things have been here. Makes you appreciate when things go right. But when things are going right you brace yourself, because you know it won't last :D I got a little over a hundred 4x4's baled in great shape, but I guess I'm greedy. I have a long ways to go, I dread what will happen next.
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Your welcome perry, your friend, Jack :yes:
What on earth made you think it was you? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
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Jack, it wasn't you. It was Jen he was thanking. She asks all the pertinent questions so he doesn't have to type as much. Then he can just read everybody's answers.
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......................... :D :D :D
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I'll take credit where ever i think i can get it. :laugh: :laugh: Jack
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WHY... WHHHHYYYY DO I insisnt on taking a drink of coffee every time I read an unexpectedly funny post?
4. forget three and pay for painting lessons from Ted.
I now have to change clothes and clean the screen and keyboard.....
Yeah, Ted makes fun of MY painting jobs. Excellent painting instructor.. I have already had the lesson on NOT buying the cheapest brush I can find... I am resisting (rebelling?) learning more!!!
Preparing to start cutting hay right now.. I can tell you, if you NEED rain, then go cut hay!!! Weather says 20% chance...
Where I live, if it says 80% chance then that means there is an 80% chance it will rain all around us in a 30 mile radius, but NOT here, UNLESS, you cut hay...
Monday says 20% the next three days say 0% So, off I go to hook up mower and rake!
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Lazy, I was afraid you would see that :laugh: I can't remember to clean them out half the time, I do well to put the lid back on the paint. I usually mean to go back for another coat. I hate it after the first layer, so expensive brushes are out. :D Back to farming.
Rain moved through this morning, I started cutting at noon. Weather said no rain through Sunday, came in and now 50% chance for Tuesday. I'll finish cutting the home place tomorrow and check the weather at noon. I don't trust these weekend weather gurus. :no:
If I cut more I have to get everything out of pocket, but I hate to miss out on good weather.
Hoping for no break downs. Baler cylinder already in shop for repacking, risky I know. Last year I was cutting some of the first cutting in August, so I'm gun shy with the weather.
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First cut in August? OUCH!! Cut 1 first week of june, cut two middle of July, cut three middle of September, provided we get the rain...
Hooked up the cycle bar mower and picked it up... hit the lever to lower the blade.. the bracket broke where the cylinder mounts... drove up to the shop and took it apart and welded it up RIGHT this time.. usually I just weld it baclk on as best I can... which is why it always breaks off when I need it most... hopefully it wont break again now that I took the time to do it right.. Managed to get most of my mowing done.. Dad was mowing his field and draws, and broke the pitman shaft on his mower, so he has to finish up tomorrow...
Then, the news came that a friend ordered queen cells.. and has too many!!! Do I want the rest?? Well.. YEAH! Except, when I am supposed to be raking and baling, I will instead be doing splits...
SO, got the hay cut, came home, ate, and then went to the shop and built 42 boxes and cut the handles.. have to paint them and then build the 420 frames that go into them.... 11 pm, just NOW sitting down to have my rum and coke!
I will be SO HAPPY when the poo stops hitting the fan here.. who turned on the stupid fan anyhow?
S
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I'm late to the party on this but it's okay because I can't think of a "snappy" response. In a battle of wits I would be considered unarmed!
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I'm late to the party on this but it's okay because I can't think of a "snappy" response. In a battle of wits I would be considered unarmed!
NEVER!!! I would defend you my panting buddy!!! :laugh:
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Lazy,any chance of getting him to paint while he is panting? :laugh:
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Back to hay:
My hay is improved Bermuda grass and the last four weeks of rain has caused it to grow like Jack's bean stalk. My hay, and most of my neighbors will be too tough for the cows to eat. I need to mow my hay, fertilize it, and let it grow again before cutting for bailing. It's another one of those years for agriculture.
lazy
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Hate to hear that Lazy Shooter. But I guess that has been the least of your all's worry's. I can't remember what a normal year was like.
I have under taken trying to teach my oldest son to cut. I trimmed him out a bottom yesterday, and while he cut I watched him from the shade. Before I could get to him he bunched a glob of hay after a turn. Then he raised the mower without raising the blade. Due to the design of the mower the 3pt hitch pin is sandwiched between a plate and the frame. He sheared off three 1/2 in bolts flush with the frame. I think one had fallen out and one had been cracked in time, he just was the finishing touch. I hated it for him , he felt awful. I just hung my head, thinking of all my dad's equipment I had broken growing up, and the way I felt. I told him I was glad I wasn't on the road or moving fast or something bad could have broken.
Drilled out one last night and broke an easy out in it while holding a flashlight in my mouth. I hung it up for the night. Two broken easy outs, five broken or dulled drill bits, and I was back in business by four this evening. Time to cut has passed and was able to cripple home to unhook and get ready to bale. Fingers crossed.
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Back to hay:
. My hay, and most of my neighbors will be too tough for the cows to eat.
lazy
No one around you has a Silage Baler that would bail it for a share. It would get it off the field to allow for the second crop.
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Well a good run of luck. Weather held off until I was finishing coming across the bottom. I am done with the first cutting. It's takes about 500 4x4 rolls to get me through the winter, and I have 417 rolled up. No more break downs and an inch of rain when I was done. Perfect scenario,have to haul it all home though that will take another week, oh well.
Tried to check on bees today and having trouble staying awake. Crazy what you can do when you think your tired and you keep pushing. Now back to bees and being envious of everyone else's honey.
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you are all done. My field got cut this morning. fingers crossed for good weather. Dad had a 5 acre field rained on all day Saturday.
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I'm routing for you Keith, hope you get it up.
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Why is it the weather man chances the forecast about the same time you drop the last blade of grass??? I also hope you get it all in with out any rain.
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Wouldn't it be nice if you could just get a better weatherman. :laugh:
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I missed my calling. I should have been a meteorologist. The only job you can be consistently WRONG and not get fired.
We had an 80% chance of strong storms, even had warnings, so I worked overtime to get the hay rolled up.. Didnt get a drop of rain, didnt even have clouds!! Was a beautiful 88 degree day....
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Like one of my uncles use to say. If you want to know what the weather is doing, open the door and look out. :D Jack
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I had a private pilot's license for a hundred years, and the old guy that taught me to fly always said, "Remember your weather report is coming from a guy that doesn't have a window." At that time most of the meteorologists were in basements at airports.
It has finally dried out in our part of Texas, and we could use a rain. That's normal, as it is normally dry for the next 75 days. However, our rivers are still above normal and our lakes are over filled. It's a beautiful thing. My hay needs cutting so that it can regrow.