Intermediate Step in Trilogy - Testing the Baler

Sunday, July 5, 2009: Today was spent in trial and error mode to test the hay baler. The field test in the small area resulted in a single bale being tied. More adjustments were done, but only the top knots were in the twine during the morning testing. A quick shower moved through during the early afternoon and that gave me another block of time to try to adjust the knotters. A final late day test resulted in the outside twine 'sometimes' tying a knot, but breaking loose and no knots anywhere for the inside string. Back to the Operator's Guide and try it all again another day!

The Trilogy Continues -- Part II -- Raking Windrows

Friday, July 3, 2009: Part II. Raking the Windrows.

The cut grass was ready to be rolled over a couple of times. Just have to combine a couple of the thin rows and turn over the heavy ones so the bottom can dry. The most difficult part of the smaller paddocks is there is a lot of turning around needed to rake the rows together.

Beginning of the Trilogy: Swathing, Raking, Baling

I. Swathing: (July 2, 2009)

The first phase of the three step grass processing began today. I swathed the winter paddock and corral and the area around where the baler, swather, trailer, and other equipment resides. This is step one of the trilogy that goes into making hay. I need to rake during the next day or so, and then see if the baler is going to work. Since I broke the needles on the baler late during the last baling season, I need to see if the replaced needles will work. Actually using the equipment is really the only way to test it. So, hopefully, the needle action will be correct, knots will be tied, and hay bales will drop out of the back of the baler. I should know the result in a couple of days!

June Monthly Weather Summary

The entries in this posting come from the daily blog at Wunderground. Sometimes I make a few changes here, but most of the time, the blog is just captured, edited slightly to have the images fit the blogger format, and the posting is saved. Normally, I post daily at Wunderground and just add this entry at the end of the month represented in this posting title.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009: Sunny and mild day today in NW Montana. The creek flow was increased due to a release of water from upstream. Otherwise, dry conditions continue. The grass in the pastures varies from long and healthy in the two pastures that were flooded over this spring, to short and varied in the upper dry areas.

Long Grass and View to the Old Barn


Monday, June 29, 2009: It was another clear day in NW Montana. The evening sky had an interesting color to it tonight.

Morning Sun on Box Elder


Evening Sky behind West Trees


Sunday, June 28, 2009: Just like it was in Missoula, it was a sunny, warm, dry day again in NW Montana. I returned to the ranch late in the day as the dogs sniffed around the trees.

Dogs in the Evening Sunlight


Evening Panorama East Views (merged three images)


Saturday, June 27 & Sunday, June 28, 2009: Senior Softball Tournament in Missoula.

Softball Tournament (Slide Show)


Limited Views of Missoula (not a tourist this weekend) (Slide Show)


Friday, June 26, 2009: Today was just like yesterday: Sunny, dry, and nice temperatures. Today, just a few clouds decided to show up in the afternoon.

View East with just a Touch of Clouds


Thursday, June 25, 2009: It was a sunny, warm, and dry day in NW Montana.

Afternoon View to the East


Wednesday, June 24, 2009: Return from Minnesota to Montana. This was a travel day with the flight from Minneapolis to Kalispell. A window seat provided an opportunity to see what the camera could capture from the sky.

Flying from Minnesota to Montana (Slide Show)


Back at the Ranch ... Evening Views (Slide Show)


Tuesday, June 23, 2009: The day began with the same calmness that ended the day before. With the cool night and moisture, a heavy fog hung over the lake for a couple of hours in the morning. Clearing followed, and made for another gorgeous day in the wilderness of northeast Minnesota. This was departing day though, and the trip across the lake completed a wonderful stay in northeast Minnesota.

Fog, to Sun, and another Lake Crossing (Slide Show)


Monday, June 22, 2009: Another wonderful rest day today in Northeast Minnesota. Weather-wise, an overnight shower cooled down the night and made the morning a little wet and humid. There was a chance for another hike of the portage trail. The evening meal (usually a cookout over an open fire) was a great rib-roast that left everyone fat and happy. After the meal, the calm evening made for a great time to view the lake from the dock. The water was still and beautiful.

Scenes of the Day in NE Minnesota (Slide Show)


Sunday, June 21, 2009: This was a great rest day in NE Minnesota. After yesterday's marathon, it is nice way to recover from the 26.2 mile run, and the previous three months (and over 600 miles) of training. Just enjoy the day, hike a little, swim a little, eat a little, drink as necessary. I love it!

Resting and Relaxing in Northeast Minnesota (Slide Show)


Saturday, June 20, 2009: Today was the trip to Duluth to run Grandma's Marathon. This was marathon number 37 for me. A warm day greeted the runners with temperatures in the middle 60's and relative humidity in the 90's at the start of the race. It got warmer through the day. After the marathon, it was a drive up to Burntside Lake in NE Minnesota and a cruise across the lake for rest and relaxation for the next few days.

Grandma's Marathon ... I finish my 24th Grandma's! (Slide Show)


Crossing Burntside Lake and the Guest Quarters (Slide Show)


Friday, June 19, 2009: A day for a trip to Duluth to pick up the race packet. Later, there was time for a visit to the Woods Place and an evening cruise around Sand Lake on the pontoon boat.

Visit to Duluth to Pickup Race Packets (Slide Show>


Woods Place Visit and Pontoon Cruise (Slide Show)


Wednesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 18, 2009: Travel days and visiting with family in Minnesota.

Travel and Family (Slide Show)


Wednesday, June 17, 2009: The day was sunny and mild. This was the first day of my trip to Minnesota and the last morning line-up of the horses for a week.

Horses before Morning Release to Grazing Paddocks


Tuesday, June 16, 2009: Partly cloudy start to what became a mostly sunny day. The cumulus again popped up with even a quick light afternoon shower.

Afternoon Clouds at the Ranch


Monday, June 15, 2009: Sunrise under hanging clouds this morning. The day was a mix of high to mid clouds and some sessions of sunny and partly sunny times. By evening, it again was mostly cloudy with some light late evening sprinkles (right after the softball games), but, not enough to spoil the party day.

Sunrise on Just another Day in NW Montana


Sunday, June 14, 2009: Some clouds remained overnight as a remnant of yesterday's evening showers. During the early morning, these clouds began to burn away. The forecast if for the chance of new cloud development later in the day today.

Morning View East with Lingering Cloud Cover


Saturday, June 13, 2009: It was a mostly sunny weather day at the ranch today. Just those billowing cumulus again. However, today, they managed to group together a bit more during the early evening. Rain and strong winds were around the area for about a half an hour or so. Just a bit of rainfall was accumulated. It was enough to settle the dust for the evening.

Clouds East of the Ranch this Afternoon


Friday, June 12, 2009: It is one of those peaceful feeling days of late spring. Not quite summer yet, but the blue sky and floating clouds drifting through the day.

Clouds Over Lake Cabin


Thursday, June 11, 2009: Not so cold overnight with some drifting clouds hanging about to keep the frost away for a change. The day way sunny and had just a scattering of clouds.

Sunny Day and Evening


Wednesday, June 10, 2009: A year ago on this day we had 3" of snow here in NW Montana. Today, no snow! Although, it was cool enough for a light frost this morning, the combination of the frost and fog quickly burned away and resulted in a wonderful "blue sky with just the right amount of clouds" pre-summer day. The temperature stayed fairly cool, and quite pleasant!

The Morning Sun Burns Away the Fog


Tuesday, June 9, 2009: It was cool overnight with frost on the deck this morning. The outdoor plants (some tomatoes and the marigolds) have been challenged a couple of times since being allowed out on their own! Sunny sky was present during the morning. Just a bit of development of clouds after some of the early morning ground fog and low clouds dissolved.

Mix of Clouds, Sun, and Fog this Morning


Monday, June 8, 2009: The clouds that arrived late yesterday continued to be present overnight. By early morning (like 4:00 AM or so, according to the recording rain gauge) rain began to fall. It was heavy at times and resulted in over 0.40" by the time it ended in mid-morning. The early afternoon was a mix of low clouds and still some light showers. I went out for a run and noticed the hills west of the ranch had a fresh coating of snow near the tops (the morning rain was quite cold, no wonder!). The clouds began to break during the afternoon. By early evening, a nice mix of clouds, blue sky, and sunshine had returned to the area.

Evening Clouds to the Southeast along with Blue Sky


Sunday, June 7, 2009: A clear, cool, and much calmer start to the day today. Cumulus developed around the edges during the morning and mid day, but no showers developed. With the lighter wind, it was a much more pleasant day today than it was yesterday. Late in the day, the clouds became thicker, and it was mostly cloudy at the last animal check just before dark.

Longeing Harmony at Rebecca Farm


Saturday, June 6, 2009: Strong north winds overnight brought with them a break in the dry days of this month by giving some overnight rain. The breezes continued to be quite strong through the morning and for most of the day. That didn't stop my wife from doing a dressage ride in a local horse show (and doing quite well, in-spite of the wind! Cool conditions were the rule of the day and kept the light snow visible on higher hills around for most of the day.

Patti on Wanita after Dressage Test


Friday, June 5, 2009: Today started clear, and mostly calm. By early afternoon some Cu can be seen popping up to the south and east. The forecast is calling for a chance of rain and even a thunder shower. June has been completely dry so far and is historically the wet period before the full dry-out typical for July through late August.

Hazy Afternoon Sky with some Clouds Developing


Thursday, June 4, 2009: Mostly sunny and continued very dry today. (See Life, One Day at a Time for more daily activities).

Dusty Morning Air over the Horses


Wednesday, June 3, 2009: Cool overnight. Sunny, nice day around the ranch.

Morning Sunshine on the Old Barn


Tuesday, June 2, 2009: More sunshine than clouds today. The wind was lighter today and still a bit cool.

Morning Walk along the Upper Fence Line


Monday, June 1, 2009: Today was variably cloudy and cooler. The wind shifted to the north overnight and the temperature did not get as warm as it has been for the last several days. No precipitation fell during the weather change event. Overnight wind, and the wind during the day today was quite strong.

Morning Sunrise Sky


Night Animal Check

Marathon Over ... Now, just One Day at a Time

The training period for the marathon is probably the most intense time period during the year. Even when I run a second marathon, the training for the first marathon of the year totally exceeds whatever is done for the second event. After the marathon, I normally do not run at all for at least a week. Sometimes a couple or three. Since I seem to have a lingering injury from the training period this year, it will probably be a couple of weeks without running. I still have an on-going pain in the upper left leg (possibly just some over used tendons or muscles, hopefully nothing more extreme, like a stress fracture or some other hip joint problem). The next couple of weeks should give a better sense as I rest a bit.


Normally, the trip to run the marathon is my only away from the ranch travel of the year. This year, as a quick follow-up, I have journeyed to Missoula for a Senior Men's Softball Tournament at the Fort Missoula Sports Area. The softball event is a good switch from ranch projects that will soon follow (baling, and all other projects related to getting ready for the change of seasons that takes place way too fast).

This is a good life!

Marathon Day - Day 112

Saturday, June 20, 2009: Marathon Day in Duluth, Minnesota. The day was clear and warm. A half-marathon started one hour before the marathon. At that time, the temperature was in the middle 60's with the humidity showing 99%. It was at least as warm at the beginning of the marathon at 7:30 AM. I decided to go into the starting area bin and stand with the group near the expected 5:30 time pacer. Sweat was running like in a sauna, even before the group began moving. One of the race sponsors, Cliff Bars, has a pre-race sign-up where individuals that expect to run a particular pace, get a race singlet, and carry a placard and balloons indicating the pace time (3:30, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, etc.) This allows those who want to run with a pacer to easily see where to run within the crowd (6,300+ runners were in the starting bin today). Due to my slower running lately, I decided to pace out with this group. It took over six minutes to cross over the starting chip reading pads after the race began. The pace was a slow walk for most of that. After crossing the starting pad, the race pace was fine and within my training pace. I actually decided to increase my pace and passed the 5-hour pace group before the six mile mark. The conditions were still quite warm but a good head-wind breeze took place between the six and nine mile section of the course. Even with the warm conditions, I did not take any water until the ten mile water tables.

My pace continued to be within my training level through the half-marathon mark. For some unknown reason, about that time, my left ear plugged much like happens when going through an elevation change. I ran with it for a little longer, but within the next mile or so I decided to alternate walking and running to see if the ear plug would clear. But it did not. I continued the alternating walk 1/2 mile, run 1/2 mile until about the 20 mile marker. At that time, the 5:30 pace group was around me and I decided to pace with them for a while again. I did this through the section of the course when the run is going up Lemon Drop Hill. The group pacer switched to a walk at that time, but since most of my training is up and down hills, I kept on running. I ran most of the rest of the race through downtown Duluth just doing the walk during the water stops to sip a bit of water and to pour water over my head to cool down. Some of the water was quite warm at this time so I actually took separate cups of ice and poured water into the ice to cool it a bit. This was the first marathon that I have actually poured water over my head as a cool down procedure. As the race entered the last mile, I even implemented my tradition (from early marathons and races) that I did not want to let anyone pass me during the last mile of the run. It was mostly the case with just a short section when I slowed down a bit and a couple of runners did pass me. But, it was a good finish and I felt fine going through the medal line and while getting my finisher shirt and pre-race bag. So, I completed another marathon. This was Grandma's Marathon number 24 for me and marathon number 37 in total. I will probably run another!

Marathon results : Entrants: 8,377; Starters: 6,366; Finishers: 5,983 ... My summary: 5:34:47 (gun time), 5:28:33 (chip time); 5,024 out of 5,983 finishers; 3,244 out of 3,710 men finishers; 70 out of 104 in my age group : 26.2 miles completed!

Marathon Training - Day 108

Tuesday, June 16, 2009: This is the last scheduled day of marathon training for the upcoming event. It was a pretty disappointing day, running training wise, since I had originally showed a 20 mile run today to end the training. Instead, I was only able to do a walk-run combination for a total of five miles. (But, it gave me a chance to stop and talk to the road-side horses one last time). Something continues to not be right in the muscles/tendons/core of my left leg, so it limited me to stretching walks and short jogs. I didn't think 20 miles of this combination would be of any benefit, so, it was the 5-miler to finish the training program. I was close to the total goals for the period beginning March 1st with my running miles showing a total of 606.6 miles versus the planned total of 617 miles. Not bad over the course of the 108 day training period! Also, I did a bit better with some cross-training biking this year, although, I still did far less biking than I could have. Hopefully, the marathon day will be a good day, both weather-wise and running-wise. I am running as number 177 again this year when Grandma's marathon takes place on Saturday, June 20th. Marathon Log for today: Walk/run 5.3 miles. Training totals: 606.6 miles VS 617 in the training plan!