When Things Go Wrong...

We all have things go wrong sometimes...

...but why does it always seem to happen on a weekend?

Do you know what this is...and why it's in our yard?

Yesterday morning after milking, we noticed that we didn't have any water.

Ugh...

We first thought that it was a minor problem, and that we had it fixed. However, we soon noticed that the well pump continued shutting off, which is definitely not a minor problem.

Thankfully, we have a cistern, which holds several thousand gallons of water. It collects water from the rain spouts on the house, and after a day or so of rain, it's full.  The cows can drink this water, and we can use it for washing dishes, laundry and showering.  The only thing we don't use it for is our drinking water.

We switched over from the well to the cistern, and called the plumber.

He went to the pressure tank in the basement, tested some things (I make no claims to understand all the electrical terms enough to explain them to you!) and determined that the problem was with our well pump.

He needed to pull the pump out of the well...which is 380 feet deep.  The first step was to take off the well cap...

To get started, he attached the tubing inside the well casing to his "wheel".  He grabbed a shiny metal can out of his truck, and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized he was using the sun's reflection on the metal can to act as a flashlight, so he could see down into the well...

His "wheel" is run by electricity, and it spins, pulling the tubing up out of the well...

In case you ever wondered what a well pump looks like, here it is...

The old pump is still under warranty, thankfully, so we should get some credit for it. He replaced the faulty pump with a new one, and lowered it back into the well.  Problem solved?

Not quite.

There was a problem with the new pump.

So...we had to go to plan B...staying on cistern for the rest of the weekend.

Because we used the cistern recently, and it hasn't yet been replenished by heavy rains, we had a load of water delivered to fill it to the top...

They emptied two thousand gallons of water from the truck into the cistern...

We should be good until the plumber comes back tomorrow...to pull the "new pump" and replace it with yet another one.

This wasn't exactly how we had planned to spend our afternoon yesterday...but we are glad we have the cistern to fall back on, and we're glad we have a plumber who was available to help when we needed him!

Organizing...

So...what do you do when it's spring...but doesn't feel like it outside?

I organize!  Spring fever has me in a "get going" mood, so I'm trying to get things done inside.

This was a long time coming.  I'm not sure why I didn't get around to it until now, but our basement was in dire need of some organization.

Anyone who lives in an old farm house can probably testify to the lack of closet space.  Don't get me wrong...I love our old house...but finding places to store things is a bit of a challenge, other than stacking them in the corner of an empty bedroom, or in a corner of the basement.

A few years ago, my Dad built me some canning shelves.  They're just simple shelves...nothing fancy, but so handy!  I've had them full of canned goods, empty canning jars, canning supplies, extra kettles, etc.  The coolers, empty containers, egg boxes, bulk paper towels, etc. have found their spots in neat (sometimes) piles in the space at the bottom of the basement steps.  Last week, a light bulb went on in my head...why couldn't he make me some more shelves, so I could get these things up off the floor?

They measure 6' x 6', and are 15" deep...

He made them in two sections, fastened them together and anchored them to the wall.  I liked his nifty screw driver...it has a light that turns on when he pulls the trigger, making it easy to see where he's working...

Finished...and already full...

The old shelves are now much more organized too.  I can't believe how many empty jars I already have!

And last but not least...he made a smaller 3' x 3' section under the steps, for us to put our paint cans, etc. on.  This is the area that first gets wet if we have a problem.  Last week, my washer over flowed late in the evening, and until we noticed it...we ummm...got some water in the basement.

I use the Rubbermaid tubs to store our out-of-season barn clothes...

I feel so much better now!  Next on the list is the spare bedroom.

What do you do when it's spring, but doesn't feel like it outside?

Spring Work Has Begun...

It might not be feeling too much like spring around here right now, but the spring work has begun!

Yesterday Jim spent all afternoon cleaning out the "outside pen".  This is the pen where we keep the oldest heifers...the animals that are closing in on one year old...up to fifteen months old, when they are bred and taken to the other farm.

Today he took down the plywood barriers that helped to keep the cold winter winds out of the west side of the barn.

I was working in the house today, and I would hear the skid loader starting up...and then the Farmall M coming out from behind the barn and down the road, over and over again.  He spent most of the afternoon back and forth between the two...spreading load after load of pen pack manure on the fields.  By milking time, the "wooden pen" was cleaned out as well...

The young heifers had to share some tight quarters for a few hours this afternoon while Jim was working, but finally they were separated back into their respective pens.  They're always so excited to run around in the fresh bedding (corn fodder), and always curious to see what looks different.  The wooden barriers were covering that gate all winter long until this morning, so they're enjoying the "view".  I'm in their way, but behind me they can see the outside pen heifers...lounging outside in their own little "meadow".  All in good time...they'll be out there by mid summer...

As I was looking at the pictures I took, I realized that there was an observer that I had missed...

Peanut, the new mama of three-day-old kitties, was either hoping to catch a mouse, or hoping I'd offer her some special treats.  Probably the latter!

It always feels and smells so fresh when the outside and wooden pens are cleaned out, and the barriers are removed in the springtime.  Now if only the temperatures would rise just a little...and the March winds would die down...

Wouldn't that be nice?!!

Pellet Delivery...

Bright and early this morning we got a delivery of pellets from the mill.

Actually, that's only partially true.  It was early, but it definitely wasn't bright yet when the truck pulled in...

The back of the delivery truck is filled with the bulk pellets.

These pellets are a custom blended feed supplement that we feed to the milking cows.  They are a combination of protein, vitamins and minerals. The calves, heifers and dry cows don't get any of these.

To empty the truck, the driver tilts the bed...

...and hooks up the pipe to the bottom on the truck bed...

The flexible metal pipe sections are fastened together until they are long enough to reach from the truck to the permanent fill pipe that is attached to our feed bin...in this case, about 45 feet.  The pipe snakes through the barn, past the first two rows of cows.

We like to be around when this feed is delivered, because when the driver turns on the motor to blow the feed into our bin, it is loud. Very loud...and the cows are sometimes spooked.  We were milking while he was here this morning, so it was easy to keep an eye on those end stall cows.  You can tell by looking at her eyes, that the one closest to the camera isn't too sure about what's going on!

Just past the pipe, on the far side of the pipeline, you can see the square wooden chute that is the bottom of the feed bin, which is located (mostly) on the second floor of the barn.  This wooden chute has a sliding door at the bottom, that we pull open to fill our feed carts...

...and here are the pellets, ready to be fed to the cows.  They each get a small amount, twice per day.  The heavier they are milking, the more pellets they get.  The cows that are near "dry up", don't get any...

Other than calf feed, which is a special blend of grains, vitamins, minerals and molasses, this is the only feed that we regularly buy for our cows.  We are able to grow the rest of our forages...corn for silage, corn for the grain bank, soybeans for the grain bank, and enough hay to feed our animals all year long.  We sometimes buy some heifer hay, which doesn't need to be of as high a quality as what the milking cows are fed, and occasionally we might need to buy a load of silage if we run out before chopping in the late summer.

This three ton delivery that we got today should last us almost exactly two months.  If only I could do my grocery shopping that infrequently!

Pullets...

We've added some new members to our "family"...

I ordered some new pullets for this spring, and I got the call last week that they were ready to be picked up.  Thirty, sixteen -week-old Red Sex Links have come to live with us...

For the first week, they hung out in the shed all day long.  I went in to their pen every day...to feed them of course...and they gradually got used to seeing me around.  Now when they see me, they come running! (maybe my coveralls say "she's got food!" on them)

The past few days, they've been spending a lot more time outside, getting used to their surroundings...and getting used to the dog.  Do you see Murphy laying in the garden just on the other side of the fence?

They enjoy taking dust baths in the holes that the previous "tenants" made in the dirt...

After the "new" girls have adjusted even better to their new home,  I'll put the old and young chickens together in the large pen.  The "old" girls are beginning to lay again, now that the daylight hours are lengthening.  I was pleased to find nine eggs from twelve chickens one day this week!

On Sunday, Jenna found the first pullet egg, a tiny double yolker!  Today I found two more...

They are so tiny compared to the much larger eggs that were laid by my old Barred Rock hens, and look at the difference in their colors. It won't take long until their eggs are as big as...if not bigger than...the others.

I won't sell them until they're bigger, so until then, we'll likely be eating lots of scrambled eggs!

A Weekend To Remember...

Oh my.  I'm not sure when I've ever been so tired.  Happy, but exhausted.

This has to go down as one of our busiest weekends on record.

Last month, my Mom turned eighty years old young, and we decided to do something special for her to celebrate.  Mom doesn't like surprise parties, so we asked for her input, and came up with the idea for a ladies' luncheon.

Thursday night and all day Friday were spent preparing for the big event. When Saturday morning rolled around, we were blessed with a gorgeous day.  We held the luncheon at the Pheasant Run Farm Bed & Breakfast, and it was catered by my friend Sue...

Sue worked in the food service industry for many years, and is now a high school social studies teacher.  She put in a full week of teaching, and on top of that, spent a lot of time on top of that making a delicious luncheon menu for us!

Mom thoroughly enjoyed herself!  Here is a picture of Mom and the "milkmaids"...

...but only one of us is still a milkmaid!  :)

After the luncheon was over...and after the evening milking was finished...the whole family gathered at my parents' house for the evening.  There was a lot of laughter...

This is classic Mom, Aunt Alice and Uncle Dave...

I just love when they all get together.  They have so much fun!

So...we got home around 11:00...lost an hour of sleep due to the time change...got up and milked...and were out the door for a friends wedding by 8:30 am.  The wedding was 1 1/2 hours away, but the Sunday morning traffic was light, and we made good time.

Our friend Dawn married Bryan during the Sunday morning Church service where she is a pastor.

Congratulations Bryan and Dawn!

One more picture of "the girls".  We've done this at every wedding, and this is the last one!

One of the girls wasn't able to be there, and we're missing another very special member of the group...our friend Glenda, who passed away in September.  It's at times like this especially, that we think of her and miss her so much!

We pulled in the driveway around 7:00 pm, and I was ready to crawl up the steps to bed.  What a wonderful whirlwind of a weekend.  If we oversleep tomorrow, and you hear the cows bawling to be milked...you'll know why!

Calibrating the Milk Tank...

Here's a look at our "Blizzard of March, 2013"...

Schools were cancelled in anticipation of a 3-6" accumulation of snow, but so far we've just got cold, rain and wind.  Lots of wind.  I'm sure glad I didn't have to make the decision...but it's too bad that we now lost a day of Easter break.  Bummer.

So, what did we do today?

We got a phone call from the Co-op this morning, telling us that they were planning to calibrate our milk tank today.  This happens every 8-10 years. Over time the ground settles, which can change the calibration of the  bulk milk tank...which in turn could result in incorrect measurements of milk...which in turn could give us more...or less...on our milk check.

In the above picture...besides showing you the "blizzard"...the calibration truck is waiting alongside the road for our milk truck to come and empty our milk tank.  The timing was great...he only had to wait a few minutes for the milk truck to pull in.  After our tank was emptied of milk, the calibration truck pulled in and got started.

Here's what's inside that truck...

There's a big water tank way in the back...you can hardly see it here...

A pre-measured amount of water is pumped into our empty bulk tank...

...and they check to see if our current measurements are accurate.  The "stick" rests in a holder on the top of the milk tank...

...and measures the milk from the bottom...

...and then the calibration chart converts the measurements on the stick into pounds of milk...

After calibrating the tank, they only had to make a very minor adjustment, and printed us off a new calibration chart...

...and they were on their way.

That's how we spent our snow rain day.  How about you?