Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday

Back to work today, things went well, plenty of help. P an I had to knock down the piles from the manure traps under the barn, and that is one job on the farm I would rather not do. I was coughing and gagging outside by the bullfrogs in no time. It's not the manure, it's the ammonia. I think a bit of fear too as I read about a man succumbing to fumes in a manure pit and then his daughter who went to rescue him. Luckily the other child called for help. The two died. Fumes can be bad!

LOL Tonia, I read your comment about your temps and that is what ours are running, more or less. 82 and my kids are melting!!! The humidity has been high which makes it seem worse. I worked for years as a chef in hot kitchens over drawer broilers, grills, and fryolaters, in addition to growing up in a hotter clime, so I don't mind the heat. Besides, if we get too hot here we just go for a swim!

Peko has learned to swim, and his main goal is to get that boogie board away from Willow! She just goes out too far for his liking! He thinks he's a rescue dog!

I did get the lawn mowed, yay! It took two passes it was soooo long! Then it made the rest of the yard look shabby, weedy, and overgrown!!! LOL. I sort of liked my meadow theme. I like an integrated lawn, personally. In addition to various grasses, we have heal all, red clover, queen anne's lace, yarrow, potentilla, and feverfew, not to mention the plantain. I don't mind the plantain, but it is taking over a large part and it frost kills, so after frost there is a big bald patch on the lawn!

So I mowed it as it was going to seed, hopefully in time, and maybe next year I might have to rototill that section and reseed if it continues to take over.

Scheduled for more hours at the farm now, so I am hopeful we can try and live on that and save other income for some major work around here! Things have been at a standstill for a few years and I'd like to get the house finished off.

Sometimes I wonder why I have goats, but as I was putting hay out today I noticed how nice the upper "pasture" (1/4-1/2 acre) will look once I clean up all the slash.

4 comments:

Tonia said...

82* is a cool August for us!! Usually going from August to September its still warm as in 90's at least.. But we are in the southern part of the country. Humidity makes Everything Worse!!Lol
You could always graze the goats in the yard and save the cost and effort of mowing! Mixture like that is Good for them!!Lol just put them on a leash, get a book and sit out there with them..
Eeeew on the knocking done piles of manure! I know it gets strong when we are cleaning out the barn and we like to have good air flow when we do that..

Anonymous said...

I did try and graze them on the lawn before I mowed it, but the ganders think that is their domain and drove all the goats off where I didn't want them!!!

I was thinking about letting just one or two out so they were easier to handle, but I know the rest would yell the whole time!

So I gave up and mowed it!!! The chickens would eat the plantain seed but they are locked up until the garden is gone by since they will eat the tomatoes, etc if I let them out!!!

Tree

Tonia said...

Lol Of course it would be fair to let one or two out!! THey are like little kids and like their Fair share!! geese are something else especially those ganders!
Havent heard from you in a while.. I am sure you are busy! Okay its just been 4 days since you posted but still!!Thats along time in Cyber space!!

Tonia said...

ooops that would be- Would NOT be fair!! Geez my typing skills have been severly defective lately!!lol