A Day in Town

08/27/2008 Wednesday: Overcast and rainy with the occasional five minutes of sun.

Chas and I went into town today and did our regular shopping. We went to the Farm Store where I got rabbit pellets and chicken layena and four gate handles. Chas reminded me I needed to take the M800 charger into the Farm Store to get it fixed. Rex worked on it and replaced an electronic panel. Now it works again. This means I have a backup charger in case my M1000 goes bad. Or, if my outlets on the north side of the barn weren't wired in parallel with the lights I could use the second charger on my east fencing.

When we came back for the charger I also got two salt blocks for the cows and one small one for the sheep.

We also hit the bank, post office and library. After grocery shopping Chas took me out for Mexican food at Plaza Jalisco. I had the burrito Colorado. Chas had chicken flautas. Mine was really good. But we're going to be so full that dinner will be very light, probably leftover chicken soup (made with onion, zucchini and carrots as well as rosemary and chicken breasts).

We also stopped at Sunbirds where I shopped their fall parking lot sale. Most of the good stuff was gone because the sale has been going on for at least most of August. I got a bunch of things on sale that I can use around the farm including 2 medium weight 50' hoses. I can always use hoses - at least until I get the water system in and running to the garden and chicken coop (south), to the cow barn (middle and end), and over to the green barn (south-west corner). We'll be running power at the same time so eventually I will have wire at the green barn and also at the chicken coop and potting shed.

So, I still have to unload the car and sort the goodies I purchased into their proper places.

When we got home it was nearly 2pm. I sat down in my chair to rest after we put most of the food supplies away and the next thing I knew it was 3:40 and past time for me to go do my evening chores.

I must say it is a lot easier to do chores when the Desters are munching on a round bale and the Herefords are out chomping down on grass. The grass is growing again. It's come out of its dormancy and has turned green. The road pasture where I fenced it off will soon look very good. The other paddocks will also start turning green soon. There's so much brown grass it's going to take awhile for the green to show through.

I went and took a harder look at the round bales. I thought they were 4'x4' but it looks as if some of them are much wider. That means that I'm going to have to widen the opening in the side of the barn or else I won't be able to push a round bale through the wall and into the round bale feeder. Oh well, sometimes it takes more than one go-around to get a project right. The height seems to be ok. Fortunately Ryan is pretty good with a chain saw. He can enlarge the opening with a few cuts.