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Dec 4, 2014 8:05 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
Not many days left in the year.............it is seasonally cold here, but we are coming off one of the coldest Novembers, according to the WL's. A little snow left on the ground, and forecasting temps in the 30's for the weekend and early into the week. It figures...............we're leaving the cold of December for warmer climes for a week, and it decides to be semi-decent here. Green Grin!

DS#1 will feed the beasts while we are gone, and his GF will take care of the housecat and barn cat herds. I'm sure everything will be fine while we are gone since the electrician FINALLY came and got those automatic cattle waterers working correctly so they don't freeze up.

The SU has been out cutting wood like a fiend, usually 2 pickup loads a day. He has so much wood piled up that we're running out of a place to put it out by the furnace/wood house. I'll need to take a pic of that so you can see.
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Dec 5, 2014 11:05 AM CST
Name: Rita
North Shore, Long Island, NY
Zone 6B
Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Tomato Heads I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2016
December but nothing is going on in the garden here. I did get my dog spayed yesterday so that is about all the news I have lately. She is fine but bored. She is supposed to stay quiet till she heals up.
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Dec 5, 2014 11:32 AM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
It started out foggy here this morning and is now mostly cloudy with an occasional sprinkle of rain - supposed to be 77 this afternoon! I finally got my shredder back from the welder. If it's dry tomorrow I'll "mow" what serves as our front yard and a couple of paddocks near the barn. I hope it isn't too, too late to overseed with rye. Now I'm off to find a fault in the hot wire that I keep hearing arcing, (sp?) when I feed in the morning and promptly forget.
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Dec 7, 2014 10:45 AM CST
Name: Tom
Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Butterflies Vegetable Grower Keeper of Poultry Irises Keeps Horses Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Wisconsin Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I had a short in my electric fence all summer. I must have walked that fenceline a gillion times looking for it. Finally the hired man said lets go find that short, and sure enough he finds it first time out! I must have walked past that same spot many times and never noticed it. Guess I'm getting old! Hilarious!
Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
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Dec 7, 2014 11:45 AM CST
Name: Rita
North Shore, Long Island, NY
Zone 6B
Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Tomato Heads I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2016
At least someone found it!
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Dec 7, 2014 12:23 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
My SU usually takes a screwdriver with him so he can check the "spark" if he does find something and can fix it without unplugging.
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Dec 7, 2014 6:44 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I've tried fixing hot wire without unplugging it ...
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Dec 7, 2014 10:52 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
And............................?????? I take it that it wasn't a success???? LOL Had to go back and unplug?
Avatar for porkpal
Dec 8, 2014 12:15 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Right! Well, almost. I have installed a number of cut-offs in the line so that I don't have to hike as far, but it is amazing how many contrivances I try first before doing the smart thing and cutting the power.
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Dec 11, 2014 10:09 PM CST
Name: Deb
Planet Earth (Zone 8b)
Region: Pacific Northwest Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Garden Ideas: Master Level
I'm fighting beavers yet again... They dammed up below the inflow and at the outflow to our farm pond which is flooding out both our lower field and our road to the back woodlot. Aargh. I'm OK with the inflow dam (diverts the creek into the pond) but not so keen on the outflow dam. So, my mission is to trudge down the hill on a daily basis and take the sledge to the dam. Hoping these particular rodents are just transient rather than residents -- so far they have not been rebuilding as quickly as usual, so crossing fingers.
I want to live in a world where the chicken can cross the road without its motives being questioned.
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Dec 15, 2014 11:49 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
Well................the wretched beasts got out twice while we were gone............DS#1 got to be "farmer boss". LOL I don't think he was particularly impressed. Green Grin!
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Dec 17, 2014 6:12 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
Phone call at quarter to 5................stupid beasts out AGAIN from the other farm. We have them contained down at the neighbor's place where they seem to be partial to going to visit..........when we got home I told the SU that if it was MY decision they would be hauled HERE and not back to the other farm, and be put in the last large pen in the heifer barn. There are enough stalls in there and enough headgates for them to eat, plus there would be one cattle waterer that would be in use and "hopefully" not freeze up.

We've heard the coyotes are on the run around here, so I suppose that is what spooked them. Something has to be chasing or scaring them for this to be happening. They didn't get out till they had been up in that pasture area for at least 2 weeks, so it wasn't a "never been around a fence before" type of thing. Jeez...........enough of this crap, already.
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Dec 17, 2014 7:43 AM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Winter is prime time for wanderlust for our cows. The county plants winter rye in the ditches - why, I don't know - and the fresh new growth outside the fences is very attractive compared to the tired pastures. I plant rye too but the county always seems to be ahead of me. So far we have had no mass escapes this year ... yet.

Yesterday a neighbor's mass of mannerless Shelties escaped and ended up in one of our pastures. They thought they were going to herd the cows, but the ladies were napping and didn't even get up when "herded" by the furry critters! Coyotes would be a different matter.
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Dec 17, 2014 10:08 AM CST
Name: Rita
North Shore, Long Island, NY
Zone 6B
Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Tomato Heads I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2016
Oh dear! Blinking
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Dec 17, 2014 7:59 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
The heifers are in their new digs. I imagine they will not be too happy about being semi-confined and not having 10 acres to run around in. Tough darts.............I am not particularly impressed on getting my butt drug out of bed at 5 am either. Things are tough all over. Rolling on the floor laughing Wish I was still back on Riviera Maya. Pfffttt................

I wanted to take a pic of the sun coming up over the Caribbean, but it beat me. This was at 6:45............the sun comes up earlier down there than here............well of course it will, it's closer to the equator down there. I like this pic..............I think the posts of the "used-to-be" pier add to it, plus there are some gulls sitting on the tops of the posts.


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Dec 18, 2014 3:00 PM CST
Name: Jill
Weatherby, Missouri (Zone 5a)
Birds Charter ATP Member Daylilies Farmer Irises Region: Missouri
Pollen collector Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Plant and/or Seed Trader
We are joining the active farmers here! Unloaded a flock of sheep Monday. They came from a friend who eliminated sheep in favor of all cattle. We hope to learn for a while before we retire and have to depend on them. Whistling So far, so good - they are behind the fence every morning so far!


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Dec 18, 2014 3:20 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
Jill, just in case you don't know much about sheep............people that have them have said "you have a sick sheep, you have a dead sheep". LOL Sorry not to be a little more encouraging, but I guess they're pretty persnickety health-wise. Green Grin! Good luck. The lambs are so cute, tho, when they cavort around as only lambs can.

I have to work at the local sale barn when they have their monthly sheep and goat auction. Never any lambs, but sometimes we have goat kids. They are so little, sometimes only 5 pounds each. They don't bring much, that's for sure. We can hear them bleat in the office sometimes and they sound like babies crying.
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Dec 18, 2014 3:40 PM CST
Name: Rita
North Shore, Long Island, NY
Zone 6B
Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Tomato Heads I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2016
I don't know anything really about sheep or lambs. Nor goats either. I do think those babies are so cute though.

I saw an episode of Dr Oakley, Yukon Vet on TV and in this episode coyotes had gotten one of her pet goats. They rushed it to her vet hospital to do surgery. The cries that that coming from the goat where really distressing. It sounded almost human. And was screaming constantly in pain. They did surgery but ended up they couldn't save it.
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Dec 18, 2014 4:06 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Such cheery posts! Welcome to the farming world, Jill. There is nothing like it - in many ways! Obviously it is very rewarding or farmers would not work so hard for rather marginal profits. I don't know any farmer who has said, "Gee, I wish I were sitting at a desk working in an office somewhere." Have fun.
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Dec 18, 2014 7:45 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anna Z.
Monroe, WI
Charter ATP Member Greenhouse Cat Lover Raises cows Region: Wisconsin
Oh, now, Porkpal.............if you've been in the game long enough, you'll wish it a time or two. I know I have..........probably on a day where I've had to take 3 showers...............

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