Snow, Sleet and Rain....it's May?!!

Thursday May 2

Snow tapering off 39°Lo 30°
...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
THESE CONDITIONS COULD KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

Friday May 3  Showers of rain and snow 42°Lo 38°

Saturday May 4  Breezy and warmer with rain 53°Lo 42°

This is a snippet of our weather forecast.  Monday and Tuesday it was hot and humid (80's!) and last night rain turned to sleet and snow and back to sleet.
Monday I transplanted all the tomato plants into bigger containers.  The were root-bound and needed more space.  I fully expected when I got them they'd be in the ground growing by now.  Ugh!

Then we went to Lincoln to see my friend Janelle in the hospital--she had cancer that was removed.  Thus far she is doing well as can be expected for a rather invasive surgery.  She's been through alot the past couple of months....along with support from family and friends.  It's a crappy roller-coaster ride of emotions for all involved! :(

Then we went to see Kyle and Sammi and their new apartment, and what they need.  We all went to Dairy Queen and we had some ice cream goodies.  :)

Due to the wonderful (rotten!) upcoming forecast, Tuesday was spent like this:  loaded the black steer for the neighbors and took him to the locker (I should of charged them an aggravation fee--ha). 
Came straight home and set about mowing the front yard (I think I could of baled it.....for now I let Daisy in the back yard to "mow".) 
We also moved a bale of hay and we brought the 4 baby chicks I got last week (feed store had them marked down) inside into a cage.  Then  I rounded up all the tomato plants and brought them inside.

This morning I woke up to white, not snow, but sleet.  It rained, thundered and sleeted on me while doing chores last night after work.  This weather is hard on the animals and the fruit trees that are blooming. 
Saturday the bees were pollinating the peach trees, and the cherry and pear trees are blooming.  The Lilac and apple trees are getting ready to bloom.  I'll be amazed if we have any type of a fruit crop this year, thanks to another late freeze!

Daisy and the calves are doing fine.  My "wait and see" approach on the scours lasted a whole 24 hours,  I could tell they had "something"; so started Neomycin and probiotics treatments on them.  They are fine now--and got to the point of  happily accepting and eating the probiotics like candy (sounded like they were crunching Spree's or Sweet Tarts!)  ;-) 

I have Little Red sold once he is weaned--I need to get him banded and work on halter training him for the folks who are buying him (the same ones that helped "process" Dolly).  He'll be an oxen, unless he doesn't make the grade; then he'll be freezer bound.  Thanks to Daisy milk; both calves have gained over 50# in the last month--even with their scour 'episode'.
Daisy has lost weight, I've upped her grain and tweaked it some so it's higher protein.  Putting her on grass also helps with weight gain--it's free food anyhow, and one of the best she can get!

As for Nessa, I'm 99.9% sure she is preggers--Sonny the bull is still here.  He's a good boy, doesn't test fences, and gives me a wide berth.  I was going to take him back, but with the crappy weather coming, I knew his owner would have extra work carrying hay/water to him, so called her, and we opted to just leave him here for now.  It's the least I can do (feed him!) for her generosity of lending him to me! 

Maybe, (just maybe!) next week we can get things planted into the garden, move the chicks outside and get back to "normal". 
The feed store called, the turkeys Pat ordered will be in late next week....plus I have 6 more chicks coming the end of the May (I split an order with a gal).  This way I'll have a variety of laying hens, as I've gotten and am getting different breeds. 
It seems I may be creating more work (feeding, caring for and processing them!) but I'll have more laying hens and eventually plenty of turkey in the freezer to eat.
I call it food security, because I can't eat money.  ;-)