Baymule’s Farm

[digitS']

Hoping for the best for you, Bay'. @SPedigrees ' Vermont has now applied for federal assistance from the flooding caused by Hurricane Beryl. While still out in the Caribbean, it was the earliest category 5 ever recorded. It must have picked up a lot of water.

I read that the Salvation Army has established a big presence in Houston, especially. FEMA is distributing through the Air Force.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

Son and I left Friday morning for Corpus Christi, a 6 hour drive, to see oldest granddaughter graduate high school. She is 16, and graduated with 36 college credits. She will take summer classes and gain 4 more credits, start college in the fall.

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We came back Saturday with a detour to look at a tractor. He didn’t buy it.

We took back roads coming and going, instead of going the direct route through Houston. Houston holiday traffic was a nightmare plus they had closed lanes for roadwork all over the place. On one road, there was a family selling sweet corn, $5 per bakers dozen. I bought 4 dozen and put it up as cream corn yesterday. I measured out 1 cup per bag and got 32 bags.

This morning I’ve got to run the ewe crew through the chute, have some wormy ones to treat. I have a few that are way over the top wormy, I credit the constant rain, heat and humid conditions coupled with them having lambs and one field. They have another field to graze, but prefer the bigger field. I see a fence charger and hot wire in my future so I can rotational grazing. One of these days I’ll get it all together.

News from my sister-I can have the free standing garage out back, FEMA doesn’t include it in the buy out. Sister still has a few things in it, and I’ll get the little girls next week, so tear down is at least 2-3 weeks out. She was so excited to tell me the good news! There is my barn materials!

It’s hot and muggy outside. I’m not excited or very motivated to go work sheep this morning. I’m tired, procrastinating, don’t want to, whine, piss and moan.LOL

Good for her!!! I graduated HS at 16yo, too. I moved from PA, was younger than Anybody in my classes from 4th grade on, HS counselor told me that bc I spent my 2 summers taking summer school classwork--NOT remedial--I had enough hours to graduate early. I thought about it for a hot second, then said, "yes."
I imagine your GD is like our friends DD, who is destined for NASA with all of her early College classwork.
NOT ME!!! Just wanted to get.out.

 

[Marie2020]

Power is still out. Trees down everywhere, blocking roads and taking down power lines. A group of neighbors went out with their chainsaws to clear what they could. All over East Texas, people are doing the same thing. County workers can’t get it done fast enough. The electric company and county precinct workers would not go out until the wind died down. Rednecks just go out in wind and rain. Heck, I did.

Winds blew out a section of the storage sheds. The back of the shed serves as a wall for the horse pen. I put her in the round pen. HUGE nails sticking up.

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I put the mule and tractor in the shed. Oh well.

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The cow panel hoop shelter I built in the front field had lift off! It flew across the driveway, impaled itself on a T-post and was flapping around. I went out in the wind and rain to cut the tarps off so it wouldn’t fly out on the field.

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The back blew off this hoop shelter.

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The only tree that gave shade on one of the pens snapped off. American persimmon, the sheep loved its fruit in the fall. I’m sad.

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Quonset hut flipped over. Ewe lambs were inside it, huddled up.

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Blew loose underskirting, I already snapped it ack in.

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I’ve been a wet bedraggled mess all afternoon dealing with destruction. I’ve got a lot of clean up to do. It’s almost 7 PM, just got a shower, done for today.
Horse, sheep and dogs are all ok.

I think I’ll get a flashlight and read a book.

@AMKuska your comment posted at 3:46 PM. That’s not late! LOL

You have had one disaster after another wit an this horrendous weather I'm so sorry.
Thank goodness you didn't lose any of your animals.


How is your sister coping?

 

[baymule]

In other news, my dryer won’t start. The power comes on, it lights up, but will not start. Ain’t that just hunkydory? NOT. Where am I gonna find poles high enough to keep my clothes off the ground? I walked out on the front porch and stared stupidly for a moment and had an AH-HA!!

 

[baymule]

It’s too hot now to work on the hoop shelter. I’ve got most of it done. I bought a tarp that was longer than the one that was on it before the hurricane sent it flying. There wasn’t one that size, so had to get the longer one. So…… I had to go find/rob another cow panel.

I still have to finish securing this side at the bottom. The plywood pieces have holes drilled and I have to line them up with the tarp grommets.

This side is finished

I had some of the tarp left over so I turned it to the inside. I’ll go back out this evening and get that finished.

 

[baymule]

Yesterday morning I finished the hoop shelter. Just in time! It’s pouring down rain!

I am trying to save the American Persimmon tree the hurricane blew down. I drove T-posts and braided hay string to tie the tree to the posts. I pushed it semi upright with the tractor bucket and tied it to the posts. Then I dropped the bucket and pushed the tree up again. I tied it to the posts.

I had to braid some more hay string. Cooper the ram decided my knees made a good spot to rub his head on.

With the tree stood up, the shade was back!

I damaged the tree, broke a few branches and scraped bark. I get some of whatever it is to cover the skinned places to keep bugs and disease out. I’ll baby it, and hope it lives. While it was laying on the ground, the sheep chewed a lot of the leaves and small twigs off. I hope it lives.

I was going to be taking lambs to auction this morning but when I hitched up the trailer, there was a problem. Several months ago my son replaced the plug with a new one. When I tried to plug it into the receptacle, the new plug was just a teeny tiny bit too big. I was so disgusted. It was afternoon heat, I was soaked in sweat, I just left trailer hitched and walked away. I got animals fed, watered and hay for those that needed it, went in , took a shower and made it to church on time.

Pouring rain now, loading lambs plus the 3 ewes I’m culling, wouldn’t be any fun at all. So there’s always next week.

 

[Finnie]

This side is finished

Youre lucky you have sheep instead of goats!

 

[baymule]

Youre lucky you have sheep instead of goats!

That’s not luck, that’s smart!

 

[SPedigrees]

I was going to be taking lambs to auction this morning but when I hitched up the trailer, there was a problem. Several months ago my son replaced the plug with a new one. When I tried to plug it into the receptacle, the new plug was just a teeny tiny bit too big. I was so disgusted. It was afternoon heat, I was soaked in sweat, I just left trailer hitched and walked away.

Seems like many small tasks blossom out into a myriad of problems. When starting any simple task, I find myself steeling up for difficulties.

I haven't seen anyone braiding baling twine in years. From an article in a horse magazine nearly 50 years ago, I made bridle reins and stake-out ropes for our horses too numerous to count. Braiding and using what would otherwise be throwaway by-products of hay into serviceable and strong rope was oddly satisfying. Nice to see you're keeping the craft alive.

 

[baymule]

@SPedigrees you made some snazzy bridle reins!