What's everybody doing today?

[jishinsjourney]

Baked oatmeal cups in the oven. Rejuvelac started to make some cheegan (vegan cheese). Dumped some coffee grounds on one of the blueberry plants to keep the acidification of the soil going.

Gotta dig up some dead bushes later, transfer some basil cuttings to soil, and do some PT, and maybe a voice chat with some artist buddies this afternoon while I rip out the latest round of “this quilt‘s directions are terrible.”

 

[zannej]

I'm up early. Let the puppies out early. Helped my mom with some tax forms. I need to feed her something but she's busy with taxes & won't tell me what she wants. I also need to go to the store to get stuff she forgot to put on the list yesterday.

 

[TeeJ]

Woke up to snow again this morning and 35 degree temps. I sure hope our fruit trees survive this baloney weather. Planted seeds for warm weather crops in our raised beds yesterday. I guess the snow will give them plenty of water to start out with!

 

[Peanut]

Went out early, dad was running the weedeater which he couldn't be doing. He wanted me to mix up a sprayer full of vinegar and salt to kill some poison ivy. I don't remember who posted it or where I found the recipe but it works on PI. Even better it kills the PI but leaves other species mostly alone, they might get burned a little but they don't die.

This is funny, the last few days my bull calf has been knocking his water tub over. Annoying since I have to carry water from the house. Anyway, yesterday I noticed the water tub was wedged into an old 25g protein tub I use for hay. This kept it from tipping over, a great idea by dad. I was talking to dad this morning and he says "that was a great idea you had wedging the water tub into the hay tub"!

Funny, each of us thought the other did it. In reality the calf had butted his water tub and wedged it by accident!

Edit (the calf is in this photo, can you see him? Another reason I've never been fond of Angus.)

 

[Magus]

No plastic lined bathtub?

 

[dademoss]

Went to the local "educational" farm we are thinking of volunteering at. Got lessons and checked out on the Zeroturn mower and Kubota tractor. Now lunch, and maybe a siesta during the hot afternoon

 

[Neb]

Back on The Ridge to put a top on the raised bed for the broccoli.

I cut some branches ( The garden on The Ridge is only accessible on foot so I have to carry everything in my hand or on my back) to support the corners and the roof chicken wire. They will last the season I hope.

They got tied together with safety ( a misnomer considering how much blood was shed before I was done) wire to the corner posts in order to create a crude frame work.

The side fencing was stitched to safety wire run along the top. Previously some critter climbed over the top and pulled it down in the center.

The roof section was fashioned by folding the chicken wire in half lengthwise with the ends cut and folded in to create "dormers". After stitching the top to the sides there is now a chance of keeping the critters out of the broccoli.

The front side will be closed up after I transplant the broccoli gets transplanted tomorrow.

So that was how I earned my keep today.

Ben

 

[txcatlady]

Convict on transport bus assaulted officer and took off with bus. Crashed 1 1/2 miles west of town and is on foot. TDCJ for murder in two counties. Area is sheltered in place. Schools are out of lockdown now. Dogs, horses, local agencies and helicopter. Driving it is 11 miles by road. Crow flies is half that. In this heat he should have a good sweat scent for dogs. Locked and loaded when I fed animals. Hoped when I got back it house he would be detained. Nope. Oh and I have 6 chicks hatched out this week. Hen and babies doing fine

 

[Spikedriver]

Just finished a second straight 12 hour day in the heat. I was doing much better today but then at 4pm I just hit a wall. I was drinking as much water as I could - I had 7 or 8 liters plus two Gatorade Zeros in me since 5am. We all were just sweating it out as gas as we drank it. Even with all that water I drank, I only had to pee twice in 12 hours.

Tomorrow we're finally getting some relief. It's supposed to be 85 and cloudy with only 43% humidity. I hope it stays like that until Monday because we have 16 hour days scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Y'all probably won't see me on the forum much this weekend...

 

[Bacpacker]

Just finished a second straight 12 hour day in the heat. I was doing much better today but then at 4pm I just hit a wall. I was drinking as much water as I could - I had 7 or 8 liters plus two Gatorade Zeros in me since 5am. We all were just sweating it out as gas as we drank it. Even with all that water I drank, I only had to pee twice in 12 hours.

Tomorrow we're finally getting some relief. It's supposed to be 85 and cloudy with only 43% humidity. I hope it stays like that until Monday because we have 16 hour days scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Y'all probably won't see me on the forum much this weekend...

Stay safe Spike.
Do you all have someone on your crew that keeps an eye out for heat exhaustion or heat stroke? With a large crew someone needs to be in that role.
Our safety meeting Tuesday I lead off with that, just heat stress in general.

 

[Spikedriver]

Stay safe Spike.
Do you all have someone on your crew that keeps an eye out for heat exhaustion or heat stroke? With a large crew someone needs to be in that role.
Our safety meeting Tuesday I lead off with that, just heat stress in general.

We don't have anyone specifically to watch for heat symptoms, but we're all trained yearly for heat related illness and we talk about it every morning at job briefing. We're all reminded to watch each other's backs when it's really hot and we have mandatory 5 minute breaks every hour when the heat index is over 90. When that happens everyone is required to drink at least 10 ounces of water during those breaks, and we usually send somebody to the truck to bring back ice cold water bottles for everyone, about every half hour...

 

[Bacpacker]

The crew keeping an eye on each other is the best bet. Glad to hear you all do a Pre Job Brief. Those are very important from a safety standpoint

 

[Spikedriver]

The crew keeping an eye on each other is the best bet. Glad to hear you all do a Pre Job Brief. Those are very important from a safety standpoint

Maintenance of Way policy is, no one is permitted into the work zone without first recieving a job briefing from someone, and we each get a sheet to fill out every morning during the morning briefing. We're required to present that sheet to any manager on request during our shift. We take it pretty serious...

 

[Bacpacker]

Thats outstanding. With the things you all deal with it needs to be serious.
We do one that is task specific. Requires anyone participating to sign off on the work package. All known hazards are listed, along with reminders of things like snakes, stinging insects, etc.

 

[Spikedriver]

Thats outstanding. With the things you all deal with it needs to be serious.
We do one that is task specific. Requires anyone participating to sign off on the work package. All known hazards are listed, along with reminders of things like snakes, stinging insects, etc.

That sounds very much like what we do.

We actually had an incident in our group yesterday. One of our excavator operators got his boom into a power line. Luckily, nothing bad happened, but we had what we call a "stand down" afterward where we all stop work and discuss how the situation could be prevented.

We're all authorized to ask if anyone around us has been briefed. If our VP of engineering came to the job site and I ask if he's been briefed, he has to answer affirmatively or remain outside of the work zone until given the info. It's a good system.

 

[Bacpacker]

Yep sounds similar to the way we do things

 

[hashbrown]

Got the $1500 diesel Kubota fired up today. It wouldn't start with the key but fired right up after I jumped the solenoid. With a little work I think it will make a good tractor.

 

[Spikedriver]

Got the $1500 diesel Kubota fired up today. It wouldn't start with the key but fired right up after I jumped the solenoid. With a little work I think it will make a good tractor.

How many horsepower is that Kubota? Looks like just the right size for acreage chores.

 

[hashbrown]

How many horsepower is that Kubota? Looks like just the right size for acreage chores.

Its 27 horsepower

 

[LadyLocust]

I love it when God waters the garden. He does a great job! It's supposed to rain until about midnight. Yay! My brother (in central Oregon) said they've been hauling water for the cattle for a while now, but there is some grass coming up which is good. They didn't get the snow pack in the mountains.

 

[Wingnut]

Good to see that you hands in those 'safety-sensitive' positions are taking things seriously... same way I took 'em seriously when I was behind the wheel of a 90-m.p.h. big truck hauling hazardous waste, go figure (you'd think those trucks would be cut or governed the hardest, lol). But truth be told, having that extra power & speed was actually beneficial, since it allowed me to pull away from dangerous developing situations on the road. "SEE YA!!!"

Did I ever share this little blog here at this site? I know I've shared it many times elsewhere, but let me do it again, since it involves heat exhaustion, heat stroke, etc., not to mention a little bit of trucking back in the day, lol. Here ya go:

For The Birds

Y'all stay hydrated in that hot & humid weather, I know what that feels like after being in Panama, lol... not to mention all those years spent traveling and working across the U.S. Heck, I'm looking at a possible relocation to the Midwest or South in the near future, unless things change for the better here... I'm no fortune-teller so I can't promise anything, lol. If I had more money set aside, I'd go for a 2-year cruise in the Pacific, AYE? Meh, we can't ALL be rich nautical heroes...

 

[Amish Heart]

Went visiting today. First to my favorite cousin's place. Then to visit mom. Also went to the salvage store in the bigger town to find the specials of the week. Little granddaughter's school had 8th grade graduation tonight, and the younger grades were singing, "You Raise Me Up" for the graduates. Husband took her and recorded it for me to hear. I had to take the twins to the High School where they go in the nearby town for the band concert. They did well. Little granddaughter said she liked the treats after the graduation....rice krispie treats tied with thin read licorice. Made to look like hay bales. And punch. Tomorrow is a water day at their school...water slides, jump houses, all that sort of thing. And a hotdog lunch. She is very excited.

 

[Heartbroken]

Struggling with constant exhaustion and sleepiness, brain fog making it hard to concentrate on work. Which is fun since I've been handed extra to help out one of the other district offices. Barely managing to get the plants in the greenhouse watered. Did finally get the gumption yesterday to take out the new (to me) motorcycle for a bit of a ride. Of course I managed to run out of gas, but thankfully remembered one of the spots on the gas valve said "RES". Yep, it's a reserve. Manged to get it restarted and to a station. I swear, I have only two brain cells left, and they're not speaking to each other. Don't have to work a full day tomorrow, hopefully I'll find the energy to get the grass mowed and maybe fold the mountain of clean laundry I've just been tossing on the spare bed.

 

[Wingnut]

Hang in there, Heartbroken, you're not the ONLY one going through the wringer right now... but I appreciate your candid sentiments, since I've been feeling the same way for a while. Hey, look at the bright side: you didn't hafta PUSH the bike, LOL, and no tweakin' crackerhead stole it from the roadside either, AYE? WOOHOO!!!

 

[Pearl]

Good night everyone, gotta get up at 4!!!

 

[zannej]

Peanut, I couldn't see the calf in the picture.

txcatlady, I hope the convict gets apprehended soon.

Spike, that tractor looks neat!

Ben, the garden looks great!

'Night, Pearl.

I cooked for Mom and ate some of it but wasn't very hungry and ended up giving a good portion to the dog. She was very happy (the dog, not Mom). She forgot that I fed her later on and complained and I had to remind her. I had a massive sinus headache but still went to the store. Because H&R Block software refused to submit electronically we had to print the tax forms. But printer said it was "low on ink" so I had to go buy ink at the store. I'll have to mail the forms tomorrow (technically later today).

The heat here is really getting me. I have two fans on me right now. 30+ year old ceiling fan gave up the ghost last year and won't turn on. I'm hoping replacing the light switch will fix it.

 

[Pearl]

Peanut, I couldn't see the calf in the picture.

txcatlady, I hope the convict gets apprehended soon.

Spike, that tractor looks neat!

Ben, the garden looks great!

'Night, Pearl.

I cooked for Mom and ate some of it but wasn't very hungry and ended up giving a good portion to the dog. She was very happy (the dog, not Mom). She forgot that I fed her later on and complained and I had to remind her. I had a massive sinus headache but still went to the store. Because H&R Block software refused to submit electronically we had to print the tax forms. But printer said it was "low on ink" so I had to go buy ink at the store. I'll have to mail the forms tomorrow (technically later today).

The heat here is really getting me. I have two fans on me right now. 30+ year old ceiling fan gave up the ghost last year and won't turn on. I'm hoping replacing the light switch will fix it.

Hang in there zannej, going to be a long summer!!

 

[sonya123]

That sounds very much like what we do.

We actually had an incident in our group yesterday. One of our excavator operators got his boom into a power line. Luckily, nothing bad happened, but we had what we call a "stand down" afterward where we all stop work and discuss how the situation could be prevented.

Don't you get a underground utility survey before anything gets dug up? When I was still working we did this on every construction project. They go out there and mark the different utility lines with different color spray paint and approx. depth

We hit an unmarked gas line once in a neighborhood , had to evacuate the entire area until the gas company came to fix it ( they shut off gas to the area and replaced a piece of pipe. One spark could have caused an explosion you could smell the gas

 

[sonya123]

Got the $1500 diesel Kubota fired up today. It wouldn't start with the key but fired right up after I jumped the solenoid. With a little work I think it will make a good tractor.

Good price for any tractor that runs,

We need to do something about ours. Husband broke off the muffler
I would like to get one of those small backhoe ones that have a excavator in the back and loader in front with mower on bottom . One for $1500 would be great
Going to a farm equipment auction today most likely

 

[Spikedriver]

Don't you get a underground utility survey before anything gets dug up? When I was still working we did this on every construction project. They go out there and mark the different utility lines with different color spray paint and approx. depth

We hit an unmarked gas line once in a neighborhood , had to evacuate the entire area until the gas company came to fix it ( they shut off gas to the area and replaced a piece of pipe. One spark could have caused an explosion you could smell the gas

This was an overhead line.