Silo Filling Adventures...

It was a day of adventures here, with silo filling.

After getting rained out after starting the chopping at the other farm on Wednesday, the guys started up again this morning.

Adventure #1...just as Jim was getting ready to go over to the other farm this morning, he noticed that the fill pipe here at home...at the top of the silo (of course) was broken.  Not so great timing, but there were no options but to repair it.  Now.

It wasn't a "serious" break, but enough that it took more than one person to fix it, and required a service call.  Can you see the shiny section of the pipe at the top?  That's what needed to be replaced...

Jim's running a part to the top, for Tom, the repair man.  Thanks Tom, for dropping what you were doing on your busy day, and helping us out!  That's his silhouette at the top.

The full silage wagons are waiting for them to get finished.  I think it looks a little bit like they're planes, lined up on the runway, waiting to taxi and take off...

Adventure #2...while Jim and Tom were working on the fill pipe here at home, someone had to go to the other farm, climb the silo, and tell the guys who were unloading when it was full.  Had they filled it too full, the fill pipe there would have plugged up.  Not fun when that happens. So...guess who got to do that?  Yep...the one who is terrified of heights!  I climbed up the inside of the chute, and stood up on the top and gave them the thumbs up or thumbs down.  There's a large flat area surrounded by a railing at the top of that silo, but I was still shaking in my boots!  But...I survived!

At the end of the day, we have two full silos, and one left to fill next week. The corn here at home was still just a little green.  It would've been ok, had we continued, but in a few days it will hopefully be even better.  Two down, one to go!

(Almost) Empty Silos...

It's the first week of school...and that almost always means that it's time to chop corn and fill the silos!  We remember countless times, when the bus was stopping out front at the same time that the silo fillers were pulling in.

This is the view from the silage room this morning...

Open silo doors indicate.that the silage level is level with (or lower than) the door.  The doors are opened from the top on down,  so that the unloader can throw the silage out the door and down the chute.  When the open doors reach the bottom, it means one thing...

No more silage!  This is inside the east silo...the unloader is resting just off the bottom of the silo, and Jim has been forking the last of the silage out by hand.  The unloader in the west silo is already at the top, ready for filling...

Jim knows which fields will be ready to be chopped first, and we've been taking sample corn stalks...running them through the chopper...and having them tested for moisture.  Today's samples came back at 70%, so they're still just a little too wet for our silos.  He would like to see them around 68%...which should be in just a few days.  Hopefully by the middle/end of this week, the silos will be full of fresh corn silage.

This afternoon's job?  Putting up the second unloader.  Then as soon as the corn is dry enough, we'll be ready to go!

Waterway Hay...

What is waterway hay, you say?

Well...we have several grass waterways on our farm, which are part of a conservation plan to prevent erosion, and to direct excess water to the proper place after heavy rains.  Several times during the summer, while he has his hay equipment out, Jim mows and bales the grass hay in the waterways for the heifers.

As you can see here, the waterways are long and narrow, and there's not room to turn around with a tractor, baler, and hay wagon...so Jim bales the hay and lets it drop on the ground.  I'm not even sure how he turns just the tractor and baler around...but that's why he does it...and not me!

The kids and I went down to pick up the bales after milking tonight...

I got the easy job...driving the truck.  Jenna picked the bales up and tossed them onto the truck...

...and Eric stacked them up so they all fit on the back...just so...

Then we unloaded them in the barn.  They'll be used for feeding the heifers.

I took a couple of bales down to the hay racks in the meadow for the cows to snack on this evening, and these two supervisors came along.  They love riding in the truck, whenever they can!

Fourth cutting is almost over!  There's one more field to bale...hopefully Jim will be able to get it baled dry on Monday.

Enjoy your weekend...I hope it's as beautiful where you are as it is here!

Here a Cat...There a Cat...

Remember this song?

Old MacDonald had a farm...E I E I O...and on that farm he had a cat...E I E I O...

Well, we feel like Old MacDonald, for sure!

Our favorites are the tuxedos.  Their personalities are very different from the others...they're very calm, friendly, affectionate, and smart!

Here's James...

I'm the hold out that won't allow a house cat.  But...if I were to give in, he would be the lucky one...

Then there's Gato...

He's full grown, but still loves to play like a youngster!  He takes on the roll of teacher and protector to the litters of kitties that are born,  teaching them to hunt and climb ladders.  He also followed  me around like a puppy this spring when I checked the meadow fence.

Here's Peanut's new litter.  She just moved them out of the straw mow, to a place where they have a little more room to explore...

And here's Fritz...

He hides in the flower bed by the house, preferring to keep to himself.  He's clearly a good hunter, because he's huge and healthy.

Last but not least, these are Jolyn's babies.  They're fully weaned, healthy, playful and tame, and are looking for good forever homes!

What would a farm be, without kitties?!

Family...

It's been a hectic, busy week here!

There's been hay to bale...corn to freeze...tomatoes to can...cows to milk...and family visiting.  I've been finding myself slacking on the blog these days, but I'm (we're) still here!

It's a rare occasion anymore to have all the cousins on my side of the family together, with several young adults and college students in the mix, and two families living too far away.  So whenever we can, we do a "cousins picture", much to the chagrin of the younger generation.  But...they were good sports...kind of...

...and they did allow us to get a "normal" picture...

Now two of them are back to work...two of them are back to college...two of them are probably just about finished with their thirteen hour drive home...and two are trying to catch up on their sleep before school starts!

Summer vacation is winding down.  Shhhhhhh!

Ouch...

Look what I found in the chicken pen this afternoon...

Did you ever see anything like this?

Ouch!  I'll bet that hurt!

Farewell To a Friend...

Call me strange, and overly sentimental if you must...

...but yesterday we said goodbye to a dependable and trusted friend...

I bought this 1989 Toyota Corolla in December of 1990, when Jim and I were dating.  It had only 18,000 miles on it at the time, and I was thrilled to have a nice car, after driving an old two door Pontiac Sunbird, (aka the Sun Chicken) in which I felt like I was sitting on the road with my feet sticking straight out in front of me!

Here it is on our wedding day in 1993...

This car saw us through all of our married life so far...two kids in car seats...200,000 miles...countless trips to school and back...we hauled goats in it this spring...and it has served as our "farm car" for the last several years.  It was a 5-speed manual, and it was a great car for Eric to learn to drive stick in.

The engine was still running great, but the body was rusted out beyond repair. The trunk had a huge hole in it from carrying heavy bags of feed back and forth to the other farm, the exhaust had developed yet another hole in it, and the brakes went out last week.  Knowing that it would never even come close to passing PA inspection this coming October, we decided that we weren't spending another penny on it.  So...yesterday it went down the road behind a tow truck, sold for scrap.  The neighbors will miss hearing the hot rod coming up the road...or so I've been told!  :)

Now we're car shopping...oh joy.

So...after twenty three years of faithful service...farewell old friend!

Glads...

A few months ago, my sisters and I held a birthday party for our Mom, in honor of her 80th birthday.  As party favors, we sent home small bags of gladiolus bulbs with the guests.  I tucked mine away in the basement, along with the extras, and almost forgot they were there!  I planted them a bit late, but they're now happily beginning to bloom.

The colors are striking...this was the first one to bloom...

Just to think what I would have missed, had I forgotten completely!

Linking up with Madge, at The View From Right Here for Weekly Top Shot.