Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

May my heart be kind, my mind fierce, and my spirit brave.

~ Kate Forsyth

The weaned calves are doing really well. They've completely settled dowm and are all acting like pets. Mike came over today to give them another roll of hay (I had been planning on doing it tomorrow) and had them all following him around, wanting to be petted..... or fed again. Even my new Gelbvieh heifer is starting to eat grain. She had never eaten any before and has been hesitant over trying it.

Robert traded his old Jeep for a low-rider pick-up truck. He's been keeping his truck bed tool box here for the last 10 years in case he ever got another truck it would fit. It fits this one, so we installed it yesterday. Fortunately, I had the right tools to make it an easy job.

We're aiming to take all 10 steers to the sale barn on January 9th, weather permitting. They're really growing big, and should bring top dollar.

Wise words Kate Forsyth. Thanks, Heidi, for sharing,

Good TOPP Heidi!
Glad the calves are settling in!
Had a Christmas get together yesterday with my siblings and our spouses. This morning my brother rang to say that his wife tested positive for COVID. She was fine yesterday. Fingers crossed!

My fingers are crossed for you as well.

Thunder the Tundra isn't starting again. It seems that my wonderful mechanic didn't find the problem after all. I'll be calling them in the morning.

Tis a good heading - reminds me of a book I am re-reading - Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
Hubby and I both have bad colds (tested neg so far) so laying low until next weekend. Boys take caravan to the beach today to set up camp. This is one day I really enjoy but not this year.
CynB - hope you dodge the bullet.

It seems that, once again, the longest / shortest day of the year is upon us...

Thunder is back home again. My wonderful mechanic wasn't on top form. He has double pneumonia. So he's excused from missing a defective battery terminal. They had a different mechnic (their #2 guy) check her out.
And I'm back online after 48 hours of being without internet.

I've got my small (6' x 10') trailer loaded up with scrap metal to take to the scrapyard in a couple of hours. .... before our weather deteriorates. It's about 45˚F / 7.2˚C right now, with a light mist. By early afternoon, it's supposed to start raining in earnest, and then the temperature is supposed to drop down to 1˚F / -17.2˚C by tonight. They're only calling for 3 inches of snow here, but there will be slick ice under that snow. VERY dangerous.
I just put out a couple of rolls of hay for the cows. The calves, horses and alpacas already have plenty.

Oh dear! That weather will be sooo cold, Heidi!
I know you have experienced temps like that before but they look horrific to sub-tropical me. I hope you keep warm and snuggly for Christmas.
Our temps have been great all week, around 26c with a lovely breeze. Haven't needed the air-con for weeks. Christmas Day is expected to be 28c.

I'm going to be busy in the next few days in the lead-up to Christmas so I want to wish our SA friends, we few who still come here, a wonderful, peaceful and happy Christmas, whatever you do.
We are having our family celebration, 15 of us, at my daughter's house. We will all be together. Best time ever. We are a very loud family but it's all in good fun. We'll eat too much, laugh too much, exchange gifts and hug a lot.
Merry Christmas

It sounds wonderful, CynB. Have a GREAT time!!!

They've changed our weather forcast. It's supposed to get down to -3˚F / -19.4˚C tonight. Tomorrow's HIGH is supposed to reach only 4˚F / -15.5˚C. That's too cold.
I'll be bringing the horses in for the night in about an hour. The alpacas have free access inside at all times.

Have seen the dreadful weather forecast - the cold from Canada sweeping all the way down to Mexico. Hope you are all rugged up and warm.
We are having a meal at our daughters place this year to give me a break from catering. Eldest son now in Las Vegas and son from Darwin is here with his partner so will be a mixed bunch with various extras as usual. Have distributed my cakes and hope they are o.k. - new oven taking a long time to get used to. Best wishes to all for the coming holidays.

Last I looked, northern Idaho had a temperature of -57˚F / -49.4˚C! And that was before it got dark outside!

Everything here is now white. I got the horses inside into their stalls before the snow started. The alpacas are voluntairily staying inside. Benny was VERY unhappy when I caught him and put a large sized winter dog coat on him. He's grown a LOT, but is still too small to tolerate below zero temperatures without help.

It got ugly last night. High winds, horizontal snow and a low around -10˚F. It's -2˚F now, the high for the day.

to those 'west of the line'.

It's 15˚F / -9.5˚C right now, and it almost feels like a heat wave.
I have to go out 4 times a day to break ice on all the water tanks.

I'm glad you had a bit if a heatwave Heidi! Those temperatures seem too low to survive. I heard on the news last night that some people have no power. How horrible! Take care. I can't help but think of those people who are old and live alone with no help, or the homeless trying to find warmth.
It's Christmas morning here and I've been up since 5am. I have no idea why. I have done everything I needed to do for our family Christmas. I have prepared food as requested, I have wrapped and packed gifts. They only need to go into the car. I'm not an excited child. I just couldn't stay in bed.

It's 15˚F / -9.5 at 10:00 pm. I just got back inside after breaking ice for the cows and the calves, and trying to refill the water tank for the horses. Even though I tried to thoroughly drain the hoses do they wouldn't freeze up, they froze anyways. So I hauled six 5 gallon buckets of water to their tank that's out of the wind (100 foot walk each way), so they have enough water to get through the night. Then I brought my 100 foot water hose into the house, where it's now defrosting in my bath tub.In the morning I can use it to refill the water tanks. What a tiring way to spend Christmas Eve. At least the dogs are enjoying their bones and stuffed cow hooves tonight. Tomorrow they get their cookies from the Dog Bakery.

Today was the first White Christmas in Kentucky in 23 years! And it's supposed to snow again tomorrow.

It's snowing again. I was hoping that the forecast was wrong so I could make a run to the feed store. When I went to the closer one (15 minute drive) before Christmas, they were out of all-purpose sweet feed (I use it for younger horses and all alpacas... they prefer it to their alpaca feed so I mix the 2 for palatability) so I had to stretch what I had. I have just enough sweet feed for today. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to go to a more distant feed store (25 minute drive each way) when the roads are safe. It's supposed to get above freezing tomorrow.

The weather warmed up today! it shot up from a high of 28˚F / -2.2˚C yesterday to a high of 52˚F / 11.1˚C today!!! Most of the snow aand ice melted. I even had to take Benny's coat off.

Good to hear that the weather has improved Heidi! Did all of your animals survive?
It's been awful to see how devastating that blizzard has been in parts of the US.

Everybody pulled through just fine.

Caught another skunk in the barn. It's a big, beautiful, mostly white male. Off to dispatch him. He committed the crime of getting comfortable in my barn. I'd recently seen signs of a skunk eating my cat food.
Mike the Vet and I have firmly decided on taking all of the steers to the graded sale on January 7th. It has yet to be decided who hauls them. The 10 steers are big and will be the maximum limit for my truck.

Another year is over. Another one starts.
It's hard to be full of cheer and hope after the last few years but what else can anyone do? We have to keep going.
On a personal basis, in the last 5 years, Colin has lost the sight in his right eye but still has the sight in his left eye. He than had Bowel Cancer and Chemotherapy but has been cancer free since. Then this year he had open heart surgery, survived and is much better for having it. While it has been hell, he is still alive and miraculously well. It has taken it's toll on me. I did the unthinkable for me and began taking medically prescribed anti-depressants. I am 10 years older than him and the ravages of time are beginning to hit hard. I have had several falls just in this last year caused by a weak ankle, loss of balance due to vertigo and loss of concentration. I bought a walking stick! My eyesight has deteriorated in the last year (appointment on 9th January), It may be that my cataracts need doing. My brain is not working as well as it used to, my speech falters as I grasp for a word that is there but won't come out. I am 75 in a few weeks. Covid is rife again but we have been vaccinated.
We've still got our heads above water, I hope you all have too.
I still hope for a better year in 2023 for us all.

The New Year lies before you,
like a spotless tract of snow.
Be careful how you tread on it,
For every mark will show…

Auld Lang Syne - Sissel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtajxo8d7js

Her voice is so pure it brings tears to my eyes...

~~HAPPY~~
☆＼｜ ／☆
~NEW-YEAR~
☆／｜＼☆
.....2023...... To All..

Hello, Everyone! I have finally been able to get back into one of my favorite places. Oh, how I've missed all of you! I only have a minute, but want to wish everyone a most wonderful healthy and Happy New Year! I'm sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , healing energy, powerful positive thoughts, and prayers for all!

I just sorted the heifer calves from the steers. They're in separate pastures now. It will make it MUCH easier to load up the steers on Sunday to take them to the sale barn.

💦⚡️We're having a nasty thunderstorm right now, and it's supposed to last all night. Fortunately, it's 62˚F / 16.7˚C right now, and not supposed to drop much, so we won't be having ice problems. It's nasty, though. BOOM!

Everything is SO wet and muddy outside, but it could be a lot worse. It got up to 70˚F / 21.1˚C today. Cold mud is the deadliest thing we can have here, for livestock.

I got another raccoon in the horse barn today. The raccoons decimated my bantam chickens, I had 25 Golden Sebrights. Thanks to the raccoons in the past 2 months, I'm down to just 3, 1 rooster and 2 hens. So it's open warfare again.

A bit late but hope 2023 is a better one for all. What a few years you have had CynB - shows us what a tough lady you are - keep it up, I am sure your family relies on you and your sparkly humour. You sound like a few days' break away will do you the world of good.
Mixed baggage so far for us - son now in Chile with covid and on his own. Think he was infected in Las Vegas - was glad to leave there. My brother went blind overnight and in Eye & Ear Hospital - Drs think could be either diabetes, embolism or result of meds and dialysis. Just waiting for event no. 3.
On a brighter note, my kk gave me a gift voucher for a nursery and I have purchased a small vertical garden bracket and am busy potting up some herbs to hang on it. Always feel better when I am outside but now I can whinge about the heat !!
Van is waiting by the beach - haven't been there yet but will probably only go for day visits. At least some of the family hae had some great weather down there.
We are still working and have quite a lot of containers due into Australia in January. Our customers always want to start the New Year with stacked warehouses. At 71 I think it is crazy (hubby 75). Time to retire.
Good luck with the raccoons Heidi - sorry to hear about your bantams.

Robert's first knee surgery has been rescheduled for next Tuesday. He's been in massive pain from them lately.

Poor Robert being in pain like that! I think I told everyone that Col had to have a stent put into his femoral artery which was narrowing badly. That was done on 21st December and it worked so well! He has no pain in his leg when he walks, He'd had it for ages but hadn't really told a doctor so it went untreated. He admitted he felt like screaming from the pain by the end. So I can understand how Robert is feeling.
Midge, it is what it is. Col's had some bad luck but we just have to keep going. As I'm sure you understand, you've had all sorts go wrong in the same time. I wish us all better days ahead! Sorry about your brother going blind overnight, that's a scary prospect. Hope they can sort it out for him.

Capricorn avatar!
And Covid is just running rife again everywhere, Will they ever eradicate it? My sister-in-law got it for Christmas.
For those who have had it, do you still get symptoms and days that you just feel bleh? Col and I do. I had a couple of days early this week where I did RAT tests because I had all the symptoms. Nothing! After a day or 2 it goes away for a while.

I was looking at the steers, and I realized that they won't all fit in my trailer. They're too big. We will have to use Mike's trailer. Or I will have to make 2 trips.

Steer loadout is tomorrow in Mike's much bigger trailer. After that, I'll only be feeding grain to the 5 heifers we're keeping. Much less work.