How embarrassing to be one of them...saying one thing and seeing another during it's happening...No, I'm not talking about a President, Congressmen or the lowly Representatives! Remember I said I wasn't going to talk politics on the farm. For that you'd have to go to http://apissedoffpatriot.blogspot.com/ for my views.
No...I was talking about the Meteorologist...i.e. weatherman, or weather booby, as they are usually referred to. All last evening I watched the weather channel off and on, checking to see what was happening and what we could expect this morning. Yesterday we finished adding another light to the front end of the loft, which I had forgotten...and after correcting that with a switch and bulb...we went to the duck and chicken barn to clean it out and put down new dry wood chips. In the last half hour of the job, we worked in a wet, nasty, heavy blizzard of snow, which quickly coated the ground and us. By the time we put the animals away, went to Stewart's (area convenience store) for a gallon of milk and got home, there was about an inch and a half on the ground. Imagine my surprise when I sat down in front of the computer and checked with weather.com, and found that they were calling for only an inch. Surprise, surprise... happens all the time. Usually they couldn't look at their records and predict yesterday's weather... today and do it correctly! In support of that statement, we woke up this morning with a total of about four inches...or about four times the prediction!
No...I was talking about the Meteorologist...i.e. weatherman, or weather booby, as they are usually referred to. All last evening I watched the weather channel off and on, checking to see what was happening and what we could expect this morning. Yesterday we finished adding another light to the front end of the loft, which I had forgotten...and after correcting that with a switch and bulb...we went to the duck and chicken barn to clean it out and put down new dry wood chips. In the last half hour of the job, we worked in a wet, nasty, heavy blizzard of snow, which quickly coated the ground and us. By the time we put the animals away, went to Stewart's (area convenience store) for a gallon of milk and got home, there was about an inch and a half on the ground. Imagine my surprise when I sat down in front of the computer and checked with weather.com, and found that they were calling for only an inch. Surprise, surprise... happens all the time. Usually they couldn't look at their records and predict yesterday's weather... today and do it correctly! In support of that statement, we woke up this morning with a total of about four inches...or about four times the prediction!
So......we just bumble along, day to day, hoping for the best here. Vick and I were talking on the way to pick up our milk last evening and we both laughed at the fact that here in upstate New York, we at least can find bread and milk here the day or and usually the day after a big snow. In New Jersey or Pennsylvania, there are usually only empty shelves and coolers. Seems that every time a snow storm of an inch or more is predicted, everyone races to the store and buys all the milk and bread. This has always confused and confounded me! How long does a snow storm last...how long does milk last (especially without electricity)...and how much freakin' milk can you drink anyhow? Like I said to Vick...I can hear then now... Boy this snow is gettin' deep. We're all out of meat, fruit and vegetables... thank God we can have a slice of bread with milk on it. DUH!
In the end, we were glad that the weather (surprise) had held off til we were almost done cleaning the barns, because it is the first time since late fall and the first snow and it was about six inches deep on the floor. In the winter, the prudent thing to do is spray disinfectant down and then spread dry wood chips on top. This provides a dry covering for the birds and insulation on the floor to lessen the cold from wicking up through the floor. Usually one 250w heat lamp keeps it tepid in there without creating a lot of condensation, which is bad for the animals, due to molds and bacteria. The disinfectant spray really helps to kill germs, bacteria and molds.
Yes, yesterday was a really nice day until the very end. We started off by going to our friend Chris's restaurant in Coxsackie and having an excellent breakfast of eggs, home fries and sausage...Ha, Ha, Ha...dining on our own eggs is funny...but the people love em. He can use thirty dozen in about half a week...which is more than we can supply until summer. He said he has another lady in Cairo who can supply eggs too. Very close to organic...just like ours. He wants to go there and inspect their operation as he did here, before taking our eggs. Once we finished for the day and settled in for the evening, the soreness started to set in on my legs, arms and back. I call it the softolfartagain condition I now suffer from. It always afflicts me this time of the year... when I become a "soft ol fart again!"
In the end, we were glad that the weather (surprise) had held off til we were almost done cleaning the barns, because it is the first time since late fall and the first snow and it was about six inches deep on the floor. In the winter, the prudent thing to do is spray disinfectant down and then spread dry wood chips on top. This provides a dry covering for the birds and insulation on the floor to lessen the cold from wicking up through the floor. Usually one 250w heat lamp keeps it tepid in there without creating a lot of condensation, which is bad for the animals, due to molds and bacteria. The disinfectant spray really helps to kill germs, bacteria and molds.
Yes, yesterday was a really nice day until the very end. We started off by going to our friend Chris's restaurant in Coxsackie and having an excellent breakfast of eggs, home fries and sausage...Ha, Ha, Ha...dining on our own eggs is funny...but the people love em. He can use thirty dozen in about half a week...which is more than we can supply until summer. He said he has another lady in Cairo who can supply eggs too. Very close to organic...just like ours. He wants to go there and inspect their operation as he did here, before taking our eggs. Once we finished for the day and settled in for the evening, the soreness started to set in on my legs, arms and back. I call it the softolfartagain condition I now suffer from. It always afflicts me this time of the year... when I become a "soft ol fart again!"
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