(an older one)
Anyone else have thunderstorms? It rained a good deal during the night then came a good downpour along with storms until sometime after noon. We headed out to feed about an hour after the rains stopped. For some reason, today just wasn't a good day for feeding.:-)
Went across the highway where the heifers are. Drove down to the barn and put out the buckets of feed. Counted to make sure they were all there then headed back to the gate...only the tires on the truck refused to go up that slight incline..we're going to HAVE to put some better tires on that truck! We no longer have a tractor over there so the easy way wasn't available to us. Leslie decides he can drive her out so after slipping and sliding for a bit he tells me to get out and sit in the bed right above the right tire. I'm sitting there adding weight to it (how much extra weight he thought I was adding he can just keep to himself!). You had to really be there to appreciate the comedy of that slip 'n slide adventure. We went forwards, we went backwards. We went sideways and we went backwards in a spin trying to get a better traction only to spin the truck in a complete circle. Actually, it was kinda fun but we were running out of daylight and still had two more places to feed.
We covered up the feed still in the back just in case it rained--AND to keep the cows from reaching over and getting into it. Rolled up the windows and walked home. I'm hoping the cows haven't put too many dents in the truck when we go back in the morning to 'rescue' it.
Cut across the pasture by the rent house and up by the pond. The thunderstorms this morning filled the pond to overflowing and the water was swishing into the woods--where we had to go to get to the road that leads to the house. Thankfully, I had my Mucks on! Got another truck and headed to the Wildcat Road. I get on the tractor and put out some round bales while Leslie puts out the range meal in the bathtub (we have really hi-tech equipment). As I was coming out of the corral with the last bale Leslie comes up to the tractor and tells me to look for #52...she's about to have a baby. I go back and drop the bale then go from group to group looking for her..she's nowhere in the herd of cows. I start to head around the wooded area to the 'birthing room" (so named because most of the cows that give birth find that area to do it in). The tractor simply dies....Leslie calls me to see what's happening and I tell him the tractor quit. As I'm telling him that I'm trying to start it..it comes alive again. Dies on me once more on my way back down. Leslie stand on the fork in the back and we head back to the hay and cows--52's not there. We cut through the woods and get out in the open and the tractor dies again. It's one of those die, start, die, start things going on.:-) We see
52 at the back along with a calf at her side. I tell Leslie to hop back on and we'll head back while the gettin's good...she'll come in her own good time. We make it almost to the truck and it dies again. This time it won't start. Leslie says it's water in the oil. We had to leave it there and walk the rest of the way to the truck. Leslie's going to have to change the oil and clean the filter..it's time to trade in that John Deere!
I make a joke on the way across town ..something along the lines of..." We've had trouble everywhere we've fed so far...wonder what's gonna happen when we get across town? The storm blew the corral panels down and the cows got out? "
We get over there and everything looks okay. Cows are hungry and come up to the fence. I drive down to where the tractor is and tell Leslie I'll 'let' him go up on the hill and get the hay. Ever since his back messed up I've been doing most of the tractor driving to keep him from having to bounce on it..with the shot he's feeling better so didn't feel so bad getting him to do it this time. With all the rain we had we can't take the truck up. We'd been loading a bale in the back of the truck and then hauling one down by tractor..cutting our hauling trips in two. He heads off for a bale and I sit back to enjoy a little peace and quiet until he gets back. He comes back and dumps the bale to head up for another one..then wheels the tractor around and says it's about out of diesel ...it's already surging and we still have to drive through the corral and through the fence to put the bale out for the cows. Unfortunately, they had to make do with the one bale and a bag of range meal...we'll have to go back in the morning with more diesel to finish feeding them...
Poor Elroy and the Senior Ladies will just have to wait until tomorrow, too!
It has certainly been a LOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGG day!!!!!
Anyone else have thunderstorms? It rained a good deal during the night then came a good downpour along with storms until sometime after noon. We headed out to feed about an hour after the rains stopped. For some reason, today just wasn't a good day for feeding.:-)
Went across the highway where the heifers are. Drove down to the barn and put out the buckets of feed. Counted to make sure they were all there then headed back to the gate...only the tires on the truck refused to go up that slight incline..we're going to HAVE to put some better tires on that truck! We no longer have a tractor over there so the easy way wasn't available to us. Leslie decides he can drive her out so after slipping and sliding for a bit he tells me to get out and sit in the bed right above the right tire. I'm sitting there adding weight to it (how much extra weight he thought I was adding he can just keep to himself!). You had to really be there to appreciate the comedy of that slip 'n slide adventure. We went forwards, we went backwards. We went sideways and we went backwards in a spin trying to get a better traction only to spin the truck in a complete circle. Actually, it was kinda fun but we were running out of daylight and still had two more places to feed.
We covered up the feed still in the back just in case it rained--AND to keep the cows from reaching over and getting into it. Rolled up the windows and walked home. I'm hoping the cows haven't put too many dents in the truck when we go back in the morning to 'rescue' it.
Cut across the pasture by the rent house and up by the pond. The thunderstorms this morning filled the pond to overflowing and the water was swishing into the woods--where we had to go to get to the road that leads to the house. Thankfully, I had my Mucks on! Got another truck and headed to the Wildcat Road. I get on the tractor and put out some round bales while Leslie puts out the range meal in the bathtub (we have really hi-tech equipment). As I was coming out of the corral with the last bale Leslie comes up to the tractor and tells me to look for #52...she's about to have a baby. I go back and drop the bale then go from group to group looking for her..she's nowhere in the herd of cows. I start to head around the wooded area to the 'birthing room" (so named because most of the cows that give birth find that area to do it in). The tractor simply dies....Leslie calls me to see what's happening and I tell him the tractor quit. As I'm telling him that I'm trying to start it..it comes alive again. Dies on me once more on my way back down. Leslie stand on the fork in the back and we head back to the hay and cows--52's not there. We cut through the woods and get out in the open and the tractor dies again. It's one of those die, start, die, start things going on.:-) We see
52 at the back along with a calf at her side. I tell Leslie to hop back on and we'll head back while the gettin's good...she'll come in her own good time. We make it almost to the truck and it dies again. This time it won't start. Leslie says it's water in the oil. We had to leave it there and walk the rest of the way to the truck. Leslie's going to have to change the oil and clean the filter..it's time to trade in that John Deere!
I make a joke on the way across town ..something along the lines of..." We've had trouble everywhere we've fed so far...wonder what's gonna happen when we get across town? The storm blew the corral panels down and the cows got out? "
We get over there and everything looks okay. Cows are hungry and come up to the fence. I drive down to where the tractor is and tell Leslie I'll 'let' him go up on the hill and get the hay. Ever since his back messed up I've been doing most of the tractor driving to keep him from having to bounce on it..with the shot he's feeling better so didn't feel so bad getting him to do it this time. With all the rain we had we can't take the truck up. We'd been loading a bale in the back of the truck and then hauling one down by tractor..cutting our hauling trips in two. He heads off for a bale and I sit back to enjoy a little peace and quiet until he gets back. He comes back and dumps the bale to head up for another one..then wheels the tractor around and says it's about out of diesel ...it's already surging and we still have to drive through the corral and through the fence to put the bale out for the cows. Unfortunately, they had to make do with the one bale and a bag of range meal...we'll have to go back in the morning with more diesel to finish feeding them...
Poor Elroy and the Senior Ladies will just have to wait until tomorrow, too!
It has certainly been a LOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGG day!!!!!
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