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I'll make an unsolicited suggestion. Get licensed for at least GMRS. Program your handheld radios for the GMRS frequencies. Now you can actual use the radios to familiarize yourselves on how to operate. If a situation arrises that you really need them you probably will not have the time to learn how!
Do we have a thread for this? This is something I'm going to work on later, because who doesn't need it? We all do.
 
Sitting here sipping coffee on this grey dreary looking morning.
Have some laundry to do up.
Will have to cook today.
Will ponder on what to cook.
Need to clean out Dad's refrig. today.
Fix him something instead of Vegan stuff.
Tomorrow is Dad's birthday.
We will have to walk today.
We will also discuss books.
He'll have to check out Craig's List Kansas City.
He's still looking at trucks.
When you decide, be sure to let Jim @phideaux know so you can make him hungry 😊
We're going to a gun show today. Its almost 6 am here and still nobody is up. Dang lazy city people.
Our coffee is ready at 4:10AM & the day goes on from there.
A good frost here this morning but beautiful early spring morning with sun and clouds - how you would expect to find March. Will probably do a little more planting (inside). I'm too antsy but ce la vie.
 
Our mixed doe finally kindled after 32 days. 2 kits were not in the nest but warm and alive/moving and clean. They had fat bellies so I figured they were still nursing when the doe moved out of the box and they took a ride. I got them back in the nest with the rest of the litter. I have not done a kit count yet. I wanted to wait until treat time (when I give the rabbits their fresh greens) to count how many and get rid of any dead ones. The two I put back were pink and blue. No surprise since the sire is a broken blue Rex. The doe is a harlequin whose dad was a black otter Rex. I figure she will throw some neat color patterns. The other doe is a chocolate otter from a chocolate otter dam and a lilac otter sire. I think her kits will be blue and possibly broken rather than solid as well since she mated with the broken blue as well. Our other buck is a lilac chin Rex so I think his kits will be paler and solid. Either way I might keep a kit from these litters if they have great growth and temperament.

Hoping to make a Costco run today. I want to fill the freezer with milk and grab some basics and maybe some beef if the price is not unaffordable. Rice is on my list. The girls discovered onigiri with sake miso butter sauce so they are asking me to make it often. Fun! :rolleyes: At least left over rice can become Japanese fried rice.

Can't wait for the final frost to pass. I need to get our herb and spring veggies planted. Anyone know where I can get some Goat's Rue seeds? Or Milk Thistle?
 
I'll make an unsolicited suggestion. Get licensed for at least GMRS. Program your handheld radios for the GMRS frequencies. Now you can actual use the radios to familiarize yourselves on how to operate. If a situation arrises that you really need them you probably will not have the time to learn how!
When SHTF a license won't be necessary. I have the books and did the practice tests on line.
 
Yeah , I been thinking about this also.
All my family is within 2 miles of me , but it would be a fallback plan.

Jim
I got all my (adult) kids BaoFeng BF-F8HP radios for Christmas, but I have to admit I have not idea how to really use them. I figured out how to program them and had picked a frequency at random, but heck if I can remember it now. I'll have to take a rainy day or sleepless night in the near future and figure them out again. Would love a thread where those who know what they are doing could share with us idiots :)
 
Kit count done. 7 alive and warm wiggle bunnies. 0 dead kits. They all look to have some blue on them with one being all blue. It may end up being a black bunny. Doe's sire was a black Rex. I can't wait to see the coats they have.
 
So does anyone else just spur of the moment buy a bunch of baby chicks? No? Just me?

Not lately but every time I see some, I take a pix and send it to Hubby usually with some sort of caption such as, "Do you see what I see?" or "Cheap Chirps at Checkout." You know, subtle hints to keep him scared 😇

You ladies might get a kick out of this. Chicks show up here in March. I was at the local TSC a couple days ago. They didn't have chicks in but were ready. Had the 100g troughs setup, wood shavings in the bottom. Had the heat lamps ready.

There was this guy standing and staring at the troughs while I got several kinds of feed. Finally I walked up and stood beside him, to see what he was looking at. He was staring at empty troughs, no chicks.

After a moment he looked at me with a sad dejected face and said "chicks aren't in yet"!

I was dying laughing (on the inside)... Man clearly needed his spring chick fix!

:LOL:

I said, "maybe by the weekend". He looked hopeful.
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that sounds terrible! I’m so happy to hear she is better now! Mine wasn’t a break, just herniated disc, but it had cut off all the nerves to my arms so Ive been numb to the fingertips for two years.it fixed all of that on the first night, so blessed. Until recently they always went through the back and it created a lot of problems. Just had my second decompression done on L5 S1 lower back and it’s because they go through the back, always ends up needing to be done more than once. Thank you for the prayers!! Blessings to you!
Glad your surgeries helped. Thats always a blessing.
Wifes Cage was from the front as well. The first surgery was after a car wreck, basically had to rebuild c7. That was a night mare.
 
If the weather forecast is correct...(There are two jobs where you can be wrong the majority of the time and still keep your employment, Weatherman and Politician) ... I'm planning on crawling around under the RV today. A year ago something pulled and ripped a bunch of 12 VDC wiring from under the RV. Four of the wires went to the engine fuel pump and gas level gauge. I managed to fix all of the wiring. Used the RV last season with no problems. This past January during my monthly testing the RV engine would turn over but will not start. I suspect the fuel pump wiring. If it is the wiring again and damage is where I can not reach it then the RV will have to be towed, fuel tank dropped ...

I suspect the neighbor dogs are chasing the stray welfare cats the wife supports. Cats are trying to hide on the under carriage of the RV and the dogs are biting and ripping everything that can reached trying to get at the cats. Or since we leave in a woods, raccoons. I am not happy.

The RV! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!!

I've got a 6 foot bore snake with a camera on the end. It will allow me to see above the fuel tank. That's where I believe the wiring problem is this time. The worst possible place.

Tarp under the RV will give be a dry and clean place to lay.

From the smell and then visually it is obvious the welfare cats have been using the entire ground under the RV as their personal litter box.

Trouble light on a 100' extension cord to put light on the work area.

Open the RV dump station compartment door gives me a little extra room to work.

Found the wiring problem. Last spring when I fixed the damaged wiring there was a multi-wire connector that I unplugged. This gave me just enough slack so I could rebuild the damaged and missing wire. I broke the plastic locking tab on the connector taking it apart. I used short pieces of electrical tape to hold the connector together. My tape job didn't hold and the connector had come loose. Plugged the connector together and the RV started! Working blind with my face smashed up against a steel support. My left arm and body twisted like a pretzel to the right. My right arm and body twisted like another pretzel to the left. I managed to stretch one long piece of electrical tape around the connecter with multiable layers of tape. Let's see that puppy come loose again!

Tucked the wiring up and tie wrapped securely AND the RV still started! Time to celebrate by taking my after noon nap.
 
When SHTF a license won't be necessary. I have the books and did the practice tests on line.

I'm glad you acquired the head knowledge with books and online testing. And I agree SHTF Federal government will be too busy (or will no longer have the capability) to enforce. What I was trying to say in my previous post is that practical experience is valuable.

P.S. I'm a little confused about your statement "did the practice tests on line." GMRS licensing does not require any tests.
 
I'm glad you acquired the head knowledge with books and online testing. And I agree SHTF Federal government will be too busy (or will no longer have the capability) to enforce. What I was trying to say in my previous post is that practical experience is valuable.

P.S. I'm a little confused about your statement "did the practice tests on line." GMRS licensing does not require any tests.
It's the test you have to take to get your HAM license. I would have to go to Nashville and I didn't want to go.
 
It's the test you have to take to get your HAM license. I would have to go to Nashville and I didn't want to go.
Actually most counties have a VEC team that gives the test. Shouldbt have to go to Nashville for it. Which direction are you from Nashville and ill see if I can locate a couple in that direction
 
Spent all day putting chicken wire in 2 of the beds and cutting wood to put in the bottom halves. I didn't have near as much as I thought, so I spent a lot more time sawing than anything. Be doing more tomorrow to fill them half way.
Small bed....well I screwed up. I meant to go measure the short one I built last year but never did. Just assumed it was 9' and could use the 3' section off as 12' for the end. I should have measured. It was 8'. So I get to remove one end and cut a foot off either side then put the end back on. I could leave it, but it'll screw up the spacing and make it harder to mow around. Plus it'll look better if they match since they are side by side. Luckily everything is screwed together.
Ill try and post some pics later.
 
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I was shopping for a pencil holder box on Amazon today. I found a neat looking one. Then I saw the name of the store. Guess I shouldn't buy it there...

View attachment 81705
I hate scams and scammers.
The RV! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!!

I've got a 6 foot bore snake with a camera on the end. It will allow me to see above the fuel tank. That's where I believe the wiring problem is this time. The worst possible place.

Tarp under the RV will give be a dry and clean place to lay.

From the smell and then visually it is obvious the welfare cats have been using the entire ground under the RV as their personal litter box.

Trouble light on a 100' extension cord to put light on the work area.

Open the RV dump station compartment door gives me a little extra room to work.

Found the wiring problem. Last spring when I fixed the damaged wiring there was a multi-wire connector that I unplugged. This gave me just enough slack so I could rebuild the damaged and missing wire. I broke the plastic locking tab on the connector taking it apart. I used short pieces of electrical tape to hold the connector together. My tape job didn't hold and the connector had come loose. Plugged the connector together and the RV started! Working blind with my face smashed up against a steel support. My left arm and body twisted like a pretzel to the right. My right arm and body twisted like another pretzel to the left. I managed to stretch one long piece of electrical tape around the connecter with multiable layers of tape. Let's see that puppy come loose again!

Tucked the wiring up and tie wrapped securely AND the RV still started! Time to celebrate by taking my after noon nap.
1646528039566.png
 
Hubby is having a beer with a friend. This is funny: The friend had a birthday about 6 months ago. Hubby said he'd buy him a beer for his bday & they were supposed to meet after work at whatever the name of the place is. Hubby came home, ate, etc. and was in his recliner when he exclaimed, "I'm an @$$h0!e." He totally forgot so messaged his friend and so forth. Friend is back in town so he is buying him a birthday beer. I texted Hubby to make sure he didn't forget to go drink beer 🍻 I said he's lucky friend is still talking to him since he had to buy his own bday beer.
 
It rained last night and on and off today. Been so long since we had a real rain, I forgot what it sounds like on the roof. Hopefully it will pull the last of the frost out of the ground, but we'll have sub freezing nights and cloudy, high 30s days in the coming week so the weather will not be helping much.

50 miles south of me there was a severe weather cell in the storm. Tornadoes went through Winterset, Iowa and six people are confirmed dead at present with four more hospitalized. It was an F3/F4 and there's a lot of damage.

There but for the grace of God, go I...
 
You ladies might get a kick out of this. Chicks show up here in March. I was at the local TSC a couple days ago. They didn't have chicks in but were ready. Had the 100g troughs setup, wood shavings in the bottom. Had the heat lamps ready.

There was this guy standing and staring at the troughs while I got several kinds of feed. Finally I walked up and stood beside him, to see what he was looking at. He was staring at empty troughs, no chicks.

After a moment he looked at me with a sad dejected face and said "chicks aren't in yet"!

I was dying laughing (on the inside)... Man clearly needed his spring chick fix!

:LOL:

I said, "maybe by the weekend". He looked hopeful. View attachment 81692View attachment 81692View attachment 81692

The farm store in Santa Fe has chicks, hubby wouldn't let me look. Told me to pull out the incubator if I want chicks!
 
We had a very late lunch because of the Costco run. By 5-ish the girls were whining about being hungry so I made onigiri. It was cute watching the girls holding their rice balls nibbling away while watching Muppets Most Wanted. Like little mice! K had no interest in trying any and I just rolled my eyes at him. He likes plain rice. None of this 'fancy foreign' rice. 🤪
 
Didn’t sleep much again last night.
Got up and checked cows. Then loaded up the truck and stock trailer and went to work and cut branches that came down the last few days. Was nice to have hubby along. He had the bigger saw and I had the middle slightly smaller saw. “Little” saw is still down. Parts on the way. That went so quick considering. Thankfully nothing broken. We work so well together most of the time. But that about finished me off.
Of course before we left a straggler cow decided she wanted to come back into heat (she wasn’t at sun up check) so I’m staying up to breed her tonight. This is her last shot. If she doesn’t take with conventional she’s freezer bound. We cull hard for fertility normally anyways and we’re now affecting next breeding season. Feed is short and nutrition is already gone so trying to give her an extra chance. “Good” news is I think the “bad” breeding season wasn’t and it was my fault. I put heat detection patches on the herd and turned them out in a field with “more” grass and forgot about the trees they can scratch on. That field is out of camera range and I was suspicious of false positives. So far so good on pasture that has no trees. Next few days will tell the outcome.
Checked out the fields I usually mow every year at 2 of the facilities and even with no grazing animals on them there isn’t even any grass tall enough to worry about. Not going to be much of a fire hazard this year. I expect more problems with trees though. While the $ is great mowing and could go towards the new trailer I think I will discuss not doing it this year. Waste of time, their $ and our equipment. We’ll see what they say.
Made dinner early and fell asleep for a bit on the sofa. Hubby woke me up when he went to bed to take a nap since he’d been up all day with me. So now up making pet meals and feeding hay to the cows. Absolutely hate feeding them this time of year. Especially when hay is so expensive.
Hope y’all had a good day
 
Well I guess I'm not understanding your cattle breeding issues. The trees and such are confusing me. Do you use artifical, or do you have a heard bull/ bulls?

The cows rub on the trees activating the heat detection patches. Making it look like the cows have come back into heat. I think she uses AI.
 

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