Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

frustratedearthmother

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Uff, you got a workout yesterday. Sounds unpleasant!! I hope getting the tire back on goes better!!
It wasn't one of my top ten favorite days for sure! For a split second I thought about crying, lol. But, I couldn't do that - not tough girl farmerish is it?

However, I am thrilled to announce that the tire is back on the tractor and a new round bale is out for the goats dining pleasure. Gotta go outside and cut the net off the hay, put the panel around it and let the goats have at it. Tractor is parked and I came inside and am having a bit of breakfast. Nothing like an early morning workout. :rolleyes:

I still need to wrap the kumquat tree and a lemon tree. DH wants to try to save his pepper plants so we'll need to work on those. Probably take feed sacks and slide around the plants and then stuff 'em with hay. I'll wait until tomorrow to take the hoses off and try to get them drained then cover the faucet heads. Got mulch put around most of the garden plants yesterday. Today I'll add more hay on top and put a row cover on 'em. That's all I can do besides hope for the best! Feeling less frantic now that the preps are under control.

Friday I'll do some baking for Christmas. It'll give me an excuse to run the oven, lol.
 

farmerjan

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A trick for filling tractors that the fuel cap is on the hood area. I take a squeeze fuel pump.... like they use for filling kerosene heaters. Lift the can up on the hood and set it where it is not going to fall off... most are level enough and you can use a piece of wood, 1x2 or 1x4 or 2x4 short scrap piece to stuff under the "low end". Then put the straight rigid part down in the can (we use mostly 5 gallon cans/jugs..) and the flexible hose will fit down the side of the can and into the open fuel neck and do the squeeze thing to get the fuel flowing... Then you can do something else while it is filling.... I am usually getting another can off the truck or something... It is not so hard to lift, shove a fuel jug up onto the hood and then it will fill without you having to try to hold a funnel or hold the heavy can up and pour. Been doing it that way for years and you don't spill it all over the tractor or have to try to hold a funnel and pour and all that at the same time.
 

baymule

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I have 3 girls here. I have an added on utility room that is either poorly insulated or not insulated at all. The individual cut off valve for it is somewhere underneath it. It will be easier to cut off water to the house. Friday will be the only day it doesn’t get above freezing. So I’ll water all animals tomorrow, bathe kids, a shower for me and put a bucket of water in the bathtub for flushing the toilet. Pots of water on the stove for boiling/thawing animal water buckets. Saturday, turn water back on or maybe not. Leaving at noon, be back Christmas night. Water will be off while I’m gone.
 

frustratedearthmother

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Put a fork in me - I'm done! I've been going all day and I've got nothing left in the energy tank, lol. But, hey - it's all great exercise, right?

When you live as far south as I do...south of Houston and due west of Galveston - it's not supposed to get in the teens with windchills near ZERO! But, teens are headed our way. Winds (up to 40mph or so they say) are headed our way. I. Can. NOT. Want. It! :(

I've got everything in the garden mulched that's supposed to need to be mulched. Frost covers over the most tender stuff. Fingers crossed that not everything freezes despite my efforts. I started on the kumquat tree, but still need to wrap the trunk. I have a self-started lemon tree that popped up after all my lemon trees froze last year. It got covered and prayed over, lol. Two of DH's pepper plants got put in the garage, the two bigger ones will get mulched and wrapped in the morning. After that I only have to cut off the water that goes out to the pens, attempt to drain the hoses and cover the faucet. The pipe is already wrapped except for one tiny spot where a goat thought foam insulation might be a tasty treat. Stoopid goat. Had to put a barrier up around that pipe.

I'll fill all hay racks inside the barn as full as I can get them tomorrow evening. Already have a big ol pile of hay out for the LGD's to snuggle down in. The ES's will come inside as usual. Hope the deep layer of lard that the pig is carrying will keep her warm. She has a shelter that I'll sacrifice some hay for tomorrow.

I think I'll enjoy an adult beverage now that the work is done. To heck with wine - I want tequila! (don't have any... :mad: )
 

tortoise

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I have 3 girls here. I have an added on utility room that is either poorly insulated or not insulated at all. The individual cut off valve for it is somewhere underneath it. It will be easier to cut off water to the house. Friday will be the only day it doesn’t get above freezing. So I’ll water all animals tomorrow, bathe kids, a shower for me and put a bucket of water in the bathtub for flushing the toilet. Pots of water on the stove for boiling/thawing animal water buckets. Saturday, turn water back on or maybe not. Leaving at noon, be back Christmas night. Water will be off while I’m gone.
Sounds like a good plan! :hugs
 

frustratedearthmother

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Whooped again! My git up and go has got up and gone, lol. Don't have a lot left to do, thank goodness!

Pig has a pile of hay in her shelter, hay racks in the barn are stuffed for now. Goats are depleting them as I type. Forgot about a couple of barrels that I had filled with water back during the summer and had to siphon some of the water out so they didn't split with ice.

Need to re-do the two pepper plants DH "tried" to cover... :rolleyes: City boys, lol. Still need to get some feed out of the truck and do the afternoon feeding a couple hours early. That means I need to get started on that pretty quickly.

Guess my break is over - ugh. I'll be glad when this whole winter mess is over!
 
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