The Castle Rock MARE-TERNITY WARD
Message Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: Ryan on July 12, 2016, 07:00:05 PM
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I am currently enduring some of the WORST weather i think ive ever seen in 36 years. The current temperature is 4 degrees Celsius with an expected high of 9.
Last night I lost two massive Cyprus trees that sit on the boundary line and two of my hay feed sheds have been dragged over 10 m by the antarctic winds that we are currently receiving. it is expected to snow in the area that i live , which in 36 years it has never done so.
One of my feed sheds has all my hard feed in it, cannot wait to open it tonight to see the state of the inside of it. The other is hay only, which I can deal with.
All the horses are fine which is the main thing, There is a fair bit of damage to the boundary fence , good thing is that my TBs cant get out as the tree is massive. Minis Live up near the house.
These winds are expected to continue right through today and tonight , so my fingers are crossed that we dont get anymore damage. ;pray
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Hope your weather passes quickly with no further damage.
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Thanks , me too :)
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Praying for you and that the weather turns more positive for you! Keep us posted and hang in there! ;pray ;pray
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Thanks to you both :)
The winds have died down which is good , now just have to get a bob cat home to get the shed removed off the gate :)
The forecast for the next week is quite good ;pray
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I hate strong wind - really terrifies me as so much damage can result. We have had many (unusually) strong wind sessions here over last winter and this spring. In fact one session earlier this year lifted one of our corrugated dome barns (30x16') off the ground with one gust and with the next gust took it airbourne, twisted it round and sent it over the fence depositing it in the field below. Luckily it was shed used to house the quads and other useful bits of equipment and not animals! Hope your food stuff etc has survived and that the wind has now completely died down.
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Thanks Anna :)
Me too, Im happy with the rain but not a fan at all of the wind.
Hope your well :)
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Yes, seeing your post always makes me smile!! ;D
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It's stormed and rained off and on here for two weeks! At least the farmers should be happy but our power has been put for every storm :| for hours and hours lol oh well!
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Well, here at the BEACH.... yes BEACH.... on my annual vacation the weather is generally delightful, but with storms and lightning, but just having a rest with my children and grandchildren makes me forget the weather!!
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Enjoy your vacation Diane :)
Weather has calmed down here , we even had a sunny weekend , temps reaching 16-17 degrees Celsius. Was able to get out in the garden and repot alot of my trees and bamboo thats waiting to be planted into the ground once the soil has some nutrients put into it.
Hope the storms have stopped for you now Lnight89 :)
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Sorry..im melting...lolol
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Oh they've stopped all right lol back to super hot sunny and really humid haha
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Ladies if your willing to send some heat/ sunshine over , im happy to trade with some Rain/ Winds ect :)
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Ladies if your willing to send some heat/ sunshine over , im happy to trade with some Rain/ Winds ect :)
Nope, not sharing, just got done with a week of showers in the middle of haying season; so keeping out sunshine so we can get through haying. [And, for me second round of staining the house. Last year was the first coat of stain on raw wood siding, this year is round two (it's going a little more quickly, but I still hate "painting").]
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Fingers crossed for continued sunshine Chanda :)
Im with you there , not a fan of painting at all. We just finished putting the first stain onto the front fence and it looks great though it will most likely need another coat when the weather improves.
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Fingers crossed for continued sunshine Chanda :)
Im with you there , not a fan of painting at all. We just finished putting the first stain onto the front fence and it looks great though it will most likely need another coat when the weather improves.
Parts of the west side barely looks like it has one coat, so it definitely needs the second coat. The afternoon Sun sure gave it a beating.
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How do those of you in humid areas handle it? We usually have a dry heat, which is bad enough; but we've had rain for a week and then the temps jumped 10+ degrees today. It's just miserable out there for me, I can't handle humidity. The animals seem to be taking it better than I am. I was supposed to stain the house today, but it was just humid, there is no way it would have dried. So, I got practically nothing done today. [I did dishes and picked up 4 bags of shavings.]
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Im at the bottom of Australia so our hotter conditions are dry most of the time. Carly on the other hand is up in the tropical north of the country so Im guessing there is alot more rain during the summer months there.
For me, I try to keep the house as cool as possible by keeping all the windows and curtains closed throughout the day. We just have the one small air conditioner downstairs so I sleep downstairs when the temps are in the high 30 degrees Celsius during the night. Thats the part of summer I dislike the most , the hot nights, cant stand them.
Regarding my Kids, In the Very hot conditions , ill usually move them out of their yards and out the back to they can hang out under the Cyprus trees. Im very lucky as I can dash home if ever required to check on them. Last year the bush fire got a little too close to home for my liking, we had Ariel water bombers taking water from nearby dams and lakes. As i got closer to home My heart skipped a beat into overdrive as I could see the smoke. Never want to experience that again. When i get home first thing I usually do is hose the minis down and then scrape the excess water off. I also at times add gatorade or powerade into their water.
I have plenty of days like that Chanda, Plan to accomplish so much but the heat puts a stop to it. ;)
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It's the humidity I hate in Florida. The heat is bad eno9ugh, but the humidity is killer!
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Warm enough, but not so humid today, got another gallon of stain put on the house today, so the west side is almost complete (just a little short on the porch). West side of the house has an addition, so "longer" than the other sides of the house. That's 3 gallons done; the other 3 sides of the house shouldn't take as much stain to complete. Last year took me somewhere around a dozen gallons of stain to do the first coat all around; raw wood siding sucks up a lot of stain. Have 3 more gallons already purchased, but will likely need another gallon or two to complete the job. Then, I will need some paint for the white trim around the doors.
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Sounds like its all coming together Chanda.
Do you get much heat relief of a nighttime ?
Was supposed to be 18 and sunny here today but as soon as I placed a hay order for delivery , the heavens opened :o
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Sounds like its all coming together Chanda.
Do you get much heat relief of a nighttime ?
Was supposed to be 18 and sunny here today but as soon as I placed a hay order for delivery , the heavens opened :o
Usually we do get some relief at night. I'm nearly on the Canadian border, so not as hot as many states in summer; but I do get some ugly cold winters.
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Trying to finish up the last gallon I have, but dragging my feet this afternoon, it's hot out there. I'll need to buy more to finish the last side of the house. Just a half gallon to go today on the north side of the house, so I'm in the shade; but it's all on the ladder, as I have to do the peak at that end of the house. Takes forever to do a little bit with all the ladder climbing and moving.
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I missed this one when it started - probably when we were having some issues with power during a series of heat/storms here, too.
Ryan - I'm so glad that you and the furr kids are OK. While it's a PITA to deal with "moved" buildings or broken ones, it's so much easier than with yourselves or the furr kids...
Lets see - with the heat itself hitting 102*f and the heat indexes as high as 120*, we've been miserable. Yet, when I've watched the news - nothing being said about heat issues!! It's a trip. This is the first year that I've had such a problem with the heat - but suspect part of it is I'm soooo out of shape and have/had actually gained extra weight too, since Christmas (instead of losing it like I was supposed to). :( . The other day, at 6 am, it was already 85* with the humidity almost 100 %. 15 minutes after tottering down our back steps I was bent double and seeing stars w/o being able to get a breath. It was more than a little scary and I was then worried about all the ponies!!
2 weeks ago, somewhere too close, there was a lightning strike that came all the way down our wires and fried our modem. Took a week to get that repaired and I've been worried ever since - they didn't replace all the wiring!! We've had many power fluctuations and then one major power outage - with hours w/o power (I was so glad I've been keeping the ponies tanks filled - even if not always clean enough right now to classify as pretty - w/ no power - we have no water). The storm last Thursday night took our neighbor's roof off his barn and indoor arena, dropped several trees on another neighbors chain link fence and privacy fence (he and his wife are nudists - they got that fence back up PDQ ;D ;D ;D). A third neighbor had damage - but I don't know what type/how much - he doesn't talk to me and no one else has said. Trees were down on the roads - I didn't notice since I wasn't going anywhere, but daughter and hubby let me know.
Thankfully, we'd had little physical damage, but did have one down tree w/o damage to anything. Plenty of branches down - we are working on getting them all picked up - the rain did nothing to cool the temps/humidity down so it is a major job all by itself, LOL.
The ponies are mostly doing OK in this heat/humidity except for Kechi... I'm doing a write up on her separately. I have had a few that have had the weight "melt" right off of them the last two weeks - right along with the high heat/humidity we've had. Others are rather round and during the hot parts of the day they are standing under the trees and sweating and looking miserable.
Right now, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be able to paint or stain anything. The humidity doesn't allow stuff to dry and then every couple of days we are having lightning storms with rain, too. with the heat/humidity - don't think I could do a ladder to pain anything, LOL.
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No humidity is no friend to paint drying.
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Hey everybody....*imagine hand-held palmetto fan listlessly flopping a greeting here*
I live about 40 miles south-eastish of Paula. My place is in a bit of a hollow and sorta backs up to swampland. As above, we've had temps at 95+ and humidity at 80+ for the last two weeks. EVERYTHING outside gets done here before 11 or after 7, except for water refills around two-ish.
No one gets more than a two gallon bucket of water in front of them, except on my two work days. I'm finding that slimes/molds and mosquito larvae sprout within hours!! *Eeeewwww!!* I'm sure everyone (Spanky, three dogs, cat, and 20 chickens) appreciates fresh water with added electrolytes every 4-5 hours. Even with this humidity, everyone is looking good and staying frisky and alert.
My 20 chickens include:
One white-crested black Polish rooster about 14 months old. Ten twelve-week old Polish in the following colors and sexes; six buff-laced that I think are 3 pullets and 3 cockerels, two silver-laced cockerels :-( , one Tolbunt pullet (fingers crossed) and one REALLY NICE white-crested splash pullet.
Two ten-week old Japanese bantam, pullet and cockerel.
Two twelve-week old Campine (critical list Heritage breed) pullet and cockerel.
Bantam pullet and cockerel, about 7 months old. The little hen, Gretchen, started laying about a month ago. A couple weeks back, they were allowed to start free-ranging. I THOUGHT she was laying every 2-3 days. Imagine my amazement when I found her with a clutch of EIGHT eggs yesterday!! She'd laid them in a large dog crate that I had bedded in shavings, and used when I separated flocks or penned birds in while cleaning. So now I have a broody hen in this heat and humidity, setting a a great, huge PLASTIC crate. Is she going to cook to death????? Is it possible to relocate her after dark, like I do when integrating flocks or moving them?
I don't want to take her clutch, since she's so generously shared this last month. On the other hand, I also don't want to lose her to the heat.
Gotta run for now, I've still got one outdoor chore to finish. I'll try to post Chickie Piccies this evening. ;-)
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First pic is Chauncy, black-breasted bantam and Gretchen's partner. (BTW, Carly, I've had MY Gretchen since May!)
Second pic is one of my golden Campine's.
Third is Gretchen on her nest. I moved her, crate and all, to a shadier spot (for now) that gets a bit of breeze. Put electrolyte water and feed in with her.
Fourth pic is the other Campine, and my two wild children...the Japanese bantams. You'll have to look closely to spot them in the undergrowth.
Fifth pic is the juvenile Polish flock, and the last is the adult a Polish. These are currently in the portable run while we re-work permanent housing.
I forgot to mention in my last post....the storm Paula talks about....came through here too. Took several large trees down over intersections in town as well as knocking out power to about 400. We're still on a temporary power pole, but didn't lose power. We DID however, lose the entire temporary chicken coop, and 1/2 the roofing over the travel trailer. The wind just peeled it off like an orange rind! My husband was much more willing to listen to my suggestions about using roofing screws, and many of them, the second time around. >:D We were able to salvage all of the roofing but two pieces. The coop was just pallets tied together with a tarp roof, so not much invested there either. Fortunately, all chickies roost in crates with perches and were all safe and dry. Spanky's hoop stall is on the downwind side of the house from most of our weather, so he didn't notice anything.
Lunch is over, so back to bleach scrubbing the trailer!!
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:I :o ???
Well, not sure which photo uploaded, so y'all get to guess! Phone battery overheated while I was outside, so you get what you get for now. This new phone doesn't have (or do) things that my old one did and I'm still learning it's quirks. :P
Will try again later to post pictures.
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Well, sounds like you have your hands full, too!! This heat is horrid, and I can't imagine it up north. Never really happened when I lived there, but it is one of the things I hate about Florida. The heat is one thing, but the humidity is killer!!
Love all the stories you just told, and looking forward to more!
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Great to hear from you Julie,
8 Eggs, for those that have chickens , Is that on the larger scale of amount of eggs laid? I have no knowledge of chickens but was under the impression most laid 1-3 eggs. Julie you will be able to start an egg farm ( Nothing better than fresh eggs).
Thanks Paula , yeah the winds here were coming through like a hurricane. The shed blew over again last night so will leave it as it is until the weather starts to improve and the winds start to die down. At the moment its tucked in the corner against the gate and I figure it is in the safest place at the moment and wont be able to do any further damage and its not any risk to the kids.
My Dam is at the highest point ive seen and Im sure its going to start to overflow into the back paddocks if it doesnt stop raining soon.
On the positive side i have noticed that the sun set here is starting to move back around , so the days are getting longer and the better weather is getting closer ( well I keep telling myself that anyway)
Cant complain too much as it is winter , it just feels alot wetter than the last few years. On the positive , lets hope this means cheaper hay prices moving forward.
:)
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Yeah, Ryan, spring headed back to you while autumn plods toward us. You might want to anchor that shed right where it is for now, since it keeps getting to the same place. That way you've no worries about where it will be next day.
I *think* my place might be in for heavy rains in the next 36 hours. Several ant piles that were constructed to catch the breezes have been frantically reinforced during the last 12 hours. I'm still learning how to read the nature signs on this new place, so I guess we'll see.
Now...for the naturalists, botanists, farmers and tree huggers among us...I have a question for you. And yes, I'm serious! Can the underside of branches get sunburned?? The tin that covers the trailer-port is VERY reflective. I noticed it the other day. We have a big pecan tree next to trailer, and a good portion of the day the sun is reflected straight up my poor tree's branch pits. I mean....it looks like a spotlight shining straight up!
I've never lived with a pecan tree, and it is dropping a lot of nuts. I do understand that it will shed non-fertile fruit. That seemed to have stabilized in late spring. Since putting up the roof though, it seems to have gotten heavy again. I don't want to hurt my poor tree!!
So what do you think? Sunburn? Stress? Overactive imagination??!! LOL
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Just wondering if the reflection of the sun light is acting like a magnifying glass on a paper.....you know, hot enough to start a fire, or in this case damage the bark?
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Yes I agree , I think you'll find it is due to the reflection coming off the carport.
It may have gone into some kind of stress. I've just repotted some Bamboo that im planning to put in the ground during the better weather. They have all gone into shock since Ive transferred them.
My SIL is a horticulturist Im going to ask her for you.
Just read on the web that the soil around pecans can have some impact on growth, especially in a drought or hot conditions. What color are the leaves on the tree ? How much water is the tree getting ?
Ryan :)
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More rain here over the last few days , I think we have had over 100mls in the last week. The lake at home is so full I have no doubt with anymore rain it will start to overflow. We have a small creek that comes off the lake and winds in towards the house, it was quite narrow before winter now it looks like its going to drown the Buddha statue that sits beside it.
Im very grateful for the rain we have had this winter , I just hope hay prices come down next year ;pray
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Ryan...re: 8 eggs question. The answer is, it depends on breed. For bantams, one egg every 2-3 days is a high average. She was VERY GENEROUS, since she laid her very first pullet egg 15 June. She then skipped a week, laying second egg 22 June. She laid 1 every 4 days until 4 July weekend. I'm SURE of this, since she was penned until then. After the 4th, I let them free range. So from 5th to my post, she laid the 9 she ended up with under her, plus the 8 she gave me. :-)
Now, as to my pecan tree question, we determined it is an insect pest munching the pecans. All the shed ones have gnaw marks on the stem end. This is a mature tree, with the lowest branches at 30 feet and crown at 50 feet. After comparing notes with a volunteer at work we knew nature would take it's course. I could see a tent caterpillar nest up top, however, the tree is strong, healthy, not dropping leaves, no droopy branches and good strong color. Since the tree isn't stressed--and I'm trying to maintain property as organic--we decided not to intervene with chemicals or pesticides.
Today, we got another TORRENTIAL rain here. Approximately 4 1/2 inches in 45 minutes. When I stepped out the door to do evening feed, I found THIS!!!
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I have no idea what it is, other than the obvious HONKING BIG CATERPILLAR. Since I put it in the jar, it has oozed a protective liquid that has a very strong scent I recognize...maybe crushed pine needles? I don't want to offer it to the chickens, since it might be a protected species. I hope I can find out what it is!! Any ideas? I'll try to keep it hidden (and alive) until I can get to the county extension on Tuesday.
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Never mind!! I searched "largest caterpillar in North America" and the first result was this:
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/regal_moth.htm
It answered all my questions! Now, the caterpillar has been released to pupate. :-). The funny thing is, a couple of weeks ago at the gas station I took a picture of an adult of the Regal moth, but I'd completely forgotten until I saw this webpage. I cannot attach photos from my phone's memory, only click and post, so I'll have to post the adult photos another day.
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Glad you found the culprit , were you able to move the nest out of the tree ? Wonder if there is a natural product or something that will deter them from " making home" in your pecan tree ?
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Yes its August in Texas!
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Lol :)
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HA !
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We have actually had Sunshine ( yes you read correct) the last 3 days....... 18 degrees Celsius :)
Thought of ten million things that i haven't been able to do due to the weather and my coccyx and stupidly over did it and doing so, aggravated my coccyx (or the injection has worn off) :'(
Its been 5 weeks since I had the steroid injection into the coccyx and surrounding tissue and ive been feeling really good though. Back to the surgeon next Monday , so i guess Ill know what the plan is moving forward then........
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I'll be happy to share some more sunshine with you Ryan. All we seem to have is torrential rains and sunshine -- sometimes at the same time. A clear blue sky and torrential rains going on. Quite the trip!
Keep us posted on your coccyx issue. I was hoping it would heal quickly for you so you could start your riding again. So praying hard for a good report! ;pray ;pray
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Thanks Diane , me too :)
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Warming up again, already 81 degrees today (thermometer in the shade); the thermometer in the sun says nearly 100.
Bleh! I don't like the heat.
I want to try to mow the gelding pasture area, it's overgrown and they've eaten what they like, so it needs to be cleaned up. Not sure if i'll get to it or not.
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Well, the figures are in. North Carolina just had it's hottest July EVER. We've definetly been creeping from shadow to shadow!
Most of my herb garden doesn't look like it will survive. My heirloom tomatoes though are still producing a bit of fruit and flowers. The old-time locals looked at my pictures and said that I should get fruit into November, if I keep them frost-free. :-). Looks like the heirlooms are doing what I desired.....surviving and producing.
My chickens are still growing out well. I culled my Polish flock to the White-crested black rooster, the splash, Tolbunt, and 4 buff-laced pullets. I'm sure Gretchen (the bantam hen) is still laying, I just don't know WHERE.
We are still in the upper '90's into next week with heat indexes of 105 for our county. My chores still get done before 11 and after 7. I'm seeing the difference in evening hours of light--it's getting shorter. :-( :-(
I'm still a northern/western/snow country girl at heart. I'm feeling the instinctive push to lay in 1 ton of hay, 5 cords of wood, and a cold cellar full of canned goods!! ROFL
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I'm about done with this heat too! For the last 2 weeks now it's been 97 without humidity and it's been REALLY humid. I've had to keep all the minis inside the cool.barn with fans. It's so hot it's hard to breath outside :( today wasn't so bad and apparently a storm is coming later tonight! Maybe it will help!
I'm a winter girl too! I can't wait until summer is over haha
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The weather is starting to change here too. Today is going to be 21 degrees and sunny. This is the warmest day we have had in 4 1/2 months. Also noticed last night that the minis are starting to shed :) It has been so cold this winter , I cant remember it being this wet and cold. Ill be glad when im not having to cart wood to light the fire of a night.
Julie, I had one tomato plant that I potted and kept under cover last summer and as it was out of the frosts it produced fruit until the end of april this year.
Thats one thing im looking forward too, getting out into the veggie garden. I was amazed last year how much it cut my food bill down by :)
hope you all stay cool and ive said it before , Feel free to send some of the summer heat my way :)
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I would love winter or late fall all year round haha
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Not sure anymore where we are in relation to Julie (Silver Heritage Farm, Raeford, NC) but know that it's about 40 miles distance (driving).
We hit 108* one day last week - with the heat index driving it much higher (somewhere between 115 & 120, not sure actual)! It's been brutal.
I lost a group of older chicks a couple of weeks ago when they went thru a period of laying on top of each other just like they do when they are first hatched - 6 weeks old (I think all 6 Buckeyes - can't tell them apart from the RIRs right now since I put them together). Just got another 18 this past Sunday (7 Speckled Sussex - pullets, now 6 EE pullets & 3 white leghorns pullets & 1 white leghorn cockerel) - and lost one before I got them all separated into 3 different brooders... Still had the rest today, will look for a working fan (several have "died" and I'm afraid to try plugging them in) tomorrow morning w/ the heat index again supposed to be high.
The GREAT thing about this "wonky" weather - we actually have some grass growing... Hope our hay producer did better this year with hay - he didn't say when he delivered the last load. Other than "Kechi", only a couple of ponies are a bit "light" in weight. I really expected, with this prolonged heat, to have many more! It makes me really happy that they are holding their weight(s) really well. I am hoping to plant some grass seed(s) next month into October - and hopefully that will help, too...
I am also already noticing the shorter nights, :(
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Well hang in there! The heat in Florida is killer, but of course, everything in Florida is air conditioned, so at least inside people are comfortable.
I love hearing about your chicks. You'll have to share some pictures of them!
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Sorry you lost you some of your older chicks , the heat can really takes its toll on all the animals.
Great to hear that the grass is growing ( hopefully it will keep prices down)
We are back to winter weather this weekend , rain , hail, storms, thunder ect and lovely temps of 12-13 degrees. It got to 21 here yesterday, rugs came off my TBs and it was like a sneak peak of summer coming.
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I know Ive mentioned it on another thread, but our weather has been somewhat disappointing over summer this year. It hasn't been near as hot as what it usually is here. The actual "Summer weather" in the high 30s degrees Celsius is here all this week and into next week, even the nights are alot hotter than they have been.
One thing I havent missed this year is the Bush fires ;pray
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Our weather is just CONFUSED!
The "real" temp is right at 33* but the temp feels like mid 20's w/ the wind... BRRRRR. Snowing hard here right now. I've got a few pics, getting ready to get more. Moving ponies around in a bit. It was over 90* last week, too. Ponies shedding hard - but wet and frigid here today.
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Summer has finally appeared here, not that its been cold here over the summer months , just not as consistently hot.
The last week has been over 30 degrees everyday :)
With so much rain over xmas everything is so green for this time of the year !
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Texas has chilled off a bit, but should be warming up again soon! Garden growing like crazy, new pics to come in that thread soon. Everything is turning green, and it's just beautiful! I love sitting on the porch drinking coffee in the morning watching ponies!
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Still under snow, spring will try to arrive sometime in April or May.
Oh, and first live calf hit the ground this morning. First time heifer had a little bull calf; I haven't been out there yet, so will have to try to get a picture later, I'm off to town to see the chiropractor.
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My cousin in New York got about 36 inches of snow overnight last night. Here we just got some cooler weather...with the nights going down to the low 40's.
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After snow dumping in MT while our youngest daughter visiting there (my mom), and her car being stuck in the snow about a mile from the house due to not being able to get thru the snow, it melted off and it was 55* there yesterday when she left.
In contrast, here in "sunny, warm" NC, we are battling winds dropping our temps into the teens for the past 3 days (around 18* w/ windchill most of yesterday - the warmer the regular temp got the faster the wind, so windchill stayed the same - MISERABLE)... Currently it's 25* and there is ICE on any water outside of a warmed area. When it warms up a bit more, will be checking for damage.
May have lost the plants the I planted 2 Goji Berry, 2 Butterfly bushes) as well as the ones we didn't (2 Blackberry, 2 honey berry). Probably should have brought the ones not planted in to the house, but then would have had to figure out how to keep daughter's upset cat (since daughter gone) from tearing them up... Plus I simply didn't realize we were getting this HUGE cold blast!
We DO need some precip here! No rain, no real snow as predicted - we are already behind in water, heading into drought and the prediction is a hot, dry summer here. Now that we are really working on planting, I'm very worried about water situations. Think we'd have been better off putting our money into water containment system(s) from our roofs then in the floors... :( But it is SOOOO much easier to care for these vinyl floors than the carpet, so I'm happy (still a lot of work - TRULY didn't realize how BAD our dogs were being!!).
I can't get over this cold weather - when we'd already had temps in the upper 80's/lower 90's... I had to pull out the coveralls for the first time this winter (IN MARCH) - I just was too cold!
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Yes, it was 41 degrees here this morning....in sunny Florida!
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OMG is that 41 degrees Celsius Diane ?
As we put it here that is "Stinking Hot" :)
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It's getting warm, I think only 40s, maybe low 50s (F); but warm enough to have melted our snow rapidly and run our creek fast and wide.
Pictures of our driveway underwater, and the pasture creek crossing.
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Lovely photos of your country side :)
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We have just had big storms the past few days, with about 100 mills of rain. Now its just extremely humid and very uncomfortable, but the rain was much needed! We are expecting some big storms over the weekend as well to add to it.
We had a beautiful foggy morning this morning and I think our partially flooded yard made the photo prettier!
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OMG is that 41 degrees Celsius Diane ?
As we put it here that is "Stinking Hot" :)
No, Fahrenheit! So, cold for Florida! :D
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Chanda - that's not a creek - that a RIVER!! and it looks like it's moving enough to move a vehicle right off of your driveway... :(
It was depressing to hear from our daughter while she was in MT and here that the snow disappeared in a hurry and it went to 50* F while we were only at 12*F for a low and 25* for a high the same day! Her little car (can't remember what it is) didn't make it up the hill at my mom's place while it was snowy and then couldn't make it up in the mud either! She states that's the worst 6 days she's ever spent somewhere (I just looked at her and stated "NOPE - U weren't caught in a Super 8 Motel for 5 full days in a blizzard w/ 2 trailers of ponies (6 total), a dog in the bed of the truck - her dog house strapped in, and 3 tots -oldest 7 & youngest 3.5yrs" - the horror on her face was PRICELESS & she was the youngest when we got caught in blizzard in April 1997. That was before "instant weather" on cell phones, satellite & Dish TV. She asked "How did you EVER survive?" :o )
U R right Carly - that is a really COOL pic!
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Chanda's last pictures are the perfect example of "Big Sky" country. And I agree with Paula, I'd be concerned about crossing that creek. Is it flash flooding, or is that just a typical high water in spring creek?
As for my place, we've averaged about 10 degrees cooler than at Paula's place....and much dryer. Our frozen precipitation (sleet) event on the 7th of January was just a dusting, while my work (26 miles away) got 2 inches of snow. This week's frozen precipitation event resulted in about an inch of snow, and a teensy bit of a miniature blizzard. The micro climate I have on my tiny property is very interesting to be learning. A good portion of the wind bounces over us. We are just under the crest of a hill. The prevailing winds come behind us and skip along the tree tops most of the time. This week they DID NOT. I can handle cold. I can handle wet. I handle wind....but not all three together! BRRRRRR!! Temps down to 18 then add a windchill is NOT fun. For once, Lucky didn't take off her pajamas (dog coat.) She's finally figured out that "do you want to put on your pajamas" means she won't freeze her buns off.
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Chanda's last pictures are the perfect example of "Big Sky" country. And I agree with Paula, I'd be concerned about crossing that creek. Is it flash flooding, or is that just a typical high water in spring creek?
We usually only have this type of water, if we have early warm temps so the snow melts but the ground is frozen, so it all runs off, rather than soaking in. We've had it a couple times in the last few years.
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Thats 5 degrees celsius , freezing Diane.
Its starting to cool down here , so hopefully its starting to warm up for you all. We had 50mls of rain over the last two days , which we certainly needed.
Winter coats are starting to grow and we wind the clocks forward this weekend an hour.
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That's interesting Ryan. We turned our clocks forward (what will be on this coming Sunday) two weeks ago. I thought that was just an American custom. Why do y'all do it?
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Whoops I meant to say we wind them backwards :)
I wish it was all year round , it would make life so much easier !!
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Its freezing here at the moment. Half of the country has been gripped by flooding due to Cyclone debbie. Ive been speaking to Carly by text and they have had alot of rain.
There is something really nice about autumn, especially the sunsets, just not looking forward to winter arriving.
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What a BEAUTIFUL picture!!! Carly's picture of her flooding is horrid. I'm so sorry for her and the family -- looks like they got hit pretty hard.
But thank you Ryan for this beautiful sunset!!
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Thankyou :)
This is just about setting in the middle of our property. It will set off to the right throughout winter and sets to the left in summer.
They have had 500-600mls of rain so far. Where Carly is the weather is very Tropical so when it rains, it buckets down. Mother nature sure has a way of expressing herself, hope that everyone is ok ;pray
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We are currently trying to weather some horrible storms. They are kind of like mini hurricanes. We've had unbelievable wind. Uprooting trees and snapping branches off. A very short distance away people are having baseball size hail. Needless to say there are many broken windows and windshields. Some of my friends have even had hail come through the roof. The funny thing is the storms come and then go very quickly. But the rain comes down so hard that it looks like it's been raining for days. And then in between the storms we are are expecting 110 degree weather. It's pretty crazy right now. Thankfully all of the animals are okay. But we are expecting another heavy storm this afternoon.
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Thats Crazy weather Elizabeth, hope you are all staying safe. It actually sounds Like "Melbourne Weather"( where Im from) It can be raining one min and sunny and blue skies the next.
So thats 110 Fahrenheit ?
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Yes so about 43 Celsius. Earlier this year we had a day that went from 90 degrees at 3pm to 18 at 11pm. I think that is about 32 Celsius to -7 Celsius.
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Wow that is seriously like the weather here at times. We were lucky summer just gone , we didnt get the extreme hot weather that we usually do meaning less bush fires.
I am looking forward to summer, its so cold this winter, going through so much fire wood at home.
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:o
Texas Heat Wave! 100 heat index yesterday. Ponies broke a sweat for the first time this year. Its SUMMER!
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Yes, Florida has been in a heat wave for more than a week! Torrential downpours one minute, and the next minute -- and I mean the NEXT minute, HOT sunshine! I'm always amazed at how the rain can pour down with no clouds in the sky and the sun shining brightly!
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We are having plenty of blue skies here at the moment but it is f r e e z i n g
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In owning horses for 30 years I can honestly say that Ive never had the water troughs frozen over , until last weekend.
Three days in a row the temp dropped to minus 2 :'(
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I HAVE MY FANS ON THE HORSES. IT HAS BEEN VERY HOT , SO WE GET THEM IN BEFORE 3 IN THE AFTERNOON. WE HAVE BEEN HAVING LOTS OF RAIN 3 INCHES ONE DAY AND 3 INCHES THE NEXT DAY. FINALLY, NOW THE PATTERN IS CHANGING TO LATE AFTERNOON RAINS A LITTLE EASIER TO TOLERATE AT LEAST EVERYBODY GETS THEIR TURNOUT. PAST TWO DAYS WE ARE EXPERIENCING HORRIBLE MOSQUITOES. WE SPRAY HORSES BEFORE THEY GO OUT AND BEFORE THEY COME INTO THE BARN. WITH THE HOLIDAY, THE COUNTY HAS NOT TREATED FOR THEM YET.
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You are more than welcome to send me some rain here :) This has been one of the driest Junes on record. Its ok now but we will pay for it in summer with bush fires.
How does your county treat for mozzies , ours doesn't here , but then again we don't have the rains you do.
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You are more than welcome to send me some rain here :) This has been one of the driest Junes on record. Its ok now but we will pay for it in summer with bush fires.
How does your county treat for mozzies , ours doesn't here , but then again we don't have the rains you do.
The closest town down on the river sprays with melathion (think I spelled that right), or at least they used to, I haven't lived there in a few decades.
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the county is state of the art. They have planes, vietnam era helicopters, and fogger trucks. They test the mosquitoes to see what kind they are and treat accordingly. The salt water marsh mosquitoes are especially vicious. they are especially concerned if zika gets started. i don't know what they spray, but it is at night when everyone is inside. i did hear that they are afraid the mosquitoes are getting resistant. just think, without air conditioning and mosquito control---no body would live in south florida. in the 1800s the mosquitoes were so bad that the cattle would suffocate to death because they could not breathe oxygen
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mozzies, ryan, :) so interesting to learn about your country/culture!
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More Aussie "Slang" you could say :)
Sounds like you all really need the spraying to keep the numbers low. What do you spray on your horses? And is the spray that the county uses safe for your gardens and animals ?
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suppose to be. ha! I use pyhrana aresol fly spray with lanolin on their bodies. I feel that an aresol covers better and they like it because there are no big drops and little drops that feel like flies when spraying the pump bottle.
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Coldest August day on record here yesterday. we got to a MASSIVE 9 degrees cel
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I'll send you some heat if you'll send me so cold!!! It's been over 90 every day for days with the heat index at 108!!
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Deal :)
I ready for it to start warming up a little now :)
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Its supposed to be winter! All week we have been sweating, having the air con on high during the day! It was 32 degrees c here today!
Although the nights are lovely! :)
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Ill swap you , Its going to be 14 here today and 12 tomorrow , just when i thought things were warming up :(
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Well, over 90 degrees here every day!! What I wouldn't give for a little COLD!!!
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What I would give for a little of that heat Diane. The only issue Id have with it constantly like that is the snakes , I do like it when Im not walking around looking like a detective to make sure theres no snakes sunbaking. Do you have plenty of fans and an aircon ?
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I don't know how it is where Diane is in Florida, but it's awful here. July was hot..3 weeks of 90+ days. It was also HUMID. 😤😤😤 I mean, so humid that heat index stayed between 108-114. August is shaping up to be more of the same.
I haven't said anything about it, but suffice it to say that this weather cost me two of my dogs on 7/7/17. So I'm hyper-paranoid about keeping everyone shaded, hydrated and RELAXED. That entails 0600 walks to wear out a high energy Jack Russell Terrier and an 18 month old German Shepherd before it gets too humid to move. I can sure tell autumn is headed our way, since the sun isn't over the horizon that early anymore.
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I haven't said anything about it, but suffice it to say that this weather cost me two of my dogs on 7/7/17. So I'm hyper-paranoid about keeping everyone shaded, hydrated and RELAXED. That entails 0600 walks
So sorry for your loss. You know we're here for you, if and when you want to talk about it.
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BIG hugs to you Julie ((((((( ))))))))
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I'm so, so sorry Julie... :( :(
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Ditto that, Julie! Sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
Yes, Ryan, this year my A/C bill is high, since we too are having heat index at 108+ many days.
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It is very hot here too. The horses early leave their shelter. And then random storms come rolling in...
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WHAT A FABULOUS PICTURE!!!!!!! Just beautiful!!!
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Thank you!
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Wow you snapped that at the "right " time :)
Well Im happy for a little warmth to be sent here if you are both over it :)
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It's actually just a screenshot off my phone from the actual video I took.
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Ooh! I love lightning shots! ;D
This is from a few years ago when my parents went to Sydney with my sister so she could get surgery. There was a storm, Mum was lucky enough to be at the Sydney Harbour bridge to get some shots! I Unfortunately didn't get to go to Sydney, I have never been!
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Yes, lightning shots can be so awesome!
Ryan, consider it done. I'm praying you get some of our heat, and we get a little cooling....but of course, August is NOT a cooler month here. DRAT!
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What a FANTABULOUS shot Elizabeth!! I saw some similar as Hurricane Gert was motoring by this week (offshore, thank goodness! 😅😅) I was driving though, so couldn't get any shots.
Carly Rae, your Mom's are great, too. I find the middle one most interesting. I *think* I saw a PBS special that showed how lightning sometimes starts on the ends then meets in the middle like that one seems to be doing. I could be wrong though.... ::)
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Those are beautiful pictures!
Thank You
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About to get one of the worst storms in the last 10 years. Its supposed to last for 48-72 hours and expected 200-250mls of rain.
I spent last night moving all the horses around back to the paddocks i generally use during winter. Ive cleaned out drains and nailed down and packed away anything likely to get blown away.
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About to get one of the worst storms in the last 10 years. Its supposed to last for 48-72 hours and expected 200-250mls of rain.
I spent last night moving all the horses around back to the paddocks i generally use during winter. Ive cleaned out drains and nailed down and packed away anything likely to get blown away.
That's 7.8 to 9.8" for those of us in the States. Gotta love on-line converters. And, dang, that's a lot of rain.
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Almost like hurricane season here in Florida!
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That sounds terrible Ryan - hope the worst has passed you now and that you are all safe and sound. Do let us know when you can.
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We got 128mls where I am so not as bad as expected , happy I was prepared for it .We didn't get the massive storm as predicted which was good . I think my horses are enjoying the cool change as we have had 30-35 degrees Celsius every day for the last two weeks .
I always find the weather quite confronting especially when it's severe , storms , fires , flooding etc . I'm sure we can all agree when your living on large parcels of land there's always so much to do especially with horses , cows and other livestock , making sure they are as safe as possible ..
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Glad it went well for you Ryan.