Post Storm Clean up: Weekend Later.

After my Saturday class at GCC, I had lunch at Michelle's Cafe in Mangilao.  Food is good as always there.  Service is a lot better since my first visit weeks ago.  Really pleased with the food and service.  Will be back there to try their Orange Chicken, next weekend.  

After lunch, I picked up 2 bottles of Fire Clean from Ken in Hagatna.  Gonna give my weapons a thorough cleaning tomorrow.  Thinking of putting the new accessories on my Saiga 410, as well.  I'll definitely will be able to pick up those 7.62x39 rounds from Anthony next week.  

On the way home, I stopped by WSTCO to get some Alfalfa Hay for Gera, our karabao.  Northern plants don't have enough protein to  sustain a growing karabao, like Gera.  So I have to supplement his food intake.  The area he cleared, I'll be planting some Malato grass seeds.  That's a grass that has a lot of nutrition for grass fed livestock.  For now, alfalfa hay will do.  After I got home, I took a nice sizeable flake of hay to Gera.  He was happy to get his treat again.  My niece Rachelle, who raises cattle and her own karabao at her family ranch, told me that Gera should get 8 to 10 lbs a flake of hay per day.  That's about the size of my palm.  

This afternoon, I spent most of my time cleaning up the south side area.  Post storm debris all over the place, mostly fallen trees.  Getting all the fallen limbs to the boundaries to compost there.  After I was done moving branches.  The rest of the afternoon was working with my Layer Flock.  Did a headcount of the hens.  12 hens all accounted for.  Checked on the roosters, one was missing.  Thought I was miss counting.  So I recounted...several times.  Only 11 free range roosters were seen in the area of the chicken pens.  

While fixing one the pens, I noticed a bulk of red feathers behind a tree.  Walked over, thinking the rooster got tangled up in the vines.  But no...he was dead.  He was one of the big Rhode Island Red roosters that I acquired, over a year old.  I turned him over and saw that he was badly beaten. I'm pretty sure it was the free range boonie roosters, that came from my Uncle Goro's ranch when they closed up over a year ago, that are responsible.  They're always beating up on the RIR roosters, except for Big Red.  Gonna have to shoot that boonie rooster and his co-horts tomorrow to leave my RIR flock alone.  

I got back into the house well past sun down.  Watching the sunset and observing the Rhodies to see if they returned to their respective roosts.  Most of them did.  The roosters went into their pen, except one.   Found him in one of the layer pens.  Most of the hens went into their pens, except one.  Found her in the rooster pen.  Apparently both the rooster and hen had switched pens.  Yeah, I know.  Never thought I'd have a rooster player, and a slutty hen in my flock.  Their going to be one of the first to cull out later on. 

Have lots more to clean up in the next week or two.  



ESTA

KEEP SMILING 

Ranch Assessment: Minor Damages from Typhoon Francisco.

 

Gera, at the South Side Area, after we acquired him. 

After the All Clear was announced earlier this afternoon, I took the time to check out my ranch.  I wanted to see what kind of damage was out there, if I lose any animals, did I have a minor or major rebuild on my hands.  I heard a large crack just before lunch.  So I knew either a limb broke from tree, or a tree fell.  

First thing I did was let all the goats and sheep out.  There was a lot of leaves and branches on the ground.  So letting them go will start the clean up process.  The weather was windy and rainy.  I don't know how the radio announcers were saying it was clear.  It would be clear for a couple of minutes, then gusts of wind and hard rain will follow.  

The goats/sheep were glad to get out of the pen and back into the paddock.  Even with the slight rain, they didn't come back in.  Making my way to the South side, I was greeted by my daughter Larraine's Rhodes, Rhode Island Red roosters.  I went straight to the fly pens where the hens were kept and opened the doors.  They were happy to get out and get some fresh grass and bugs.  I let the Alpha Rooster, Big Red, out of his pen.  He took quick to reclaiming his spot as the Alpha Rooster beating every rooster in the pecking order.  He fokai'd the Guinea roosters and the free range boonie roosters as well.  That's one tough bird.  

I never thought I'd see the guineas losing to a big Rhode Island Red.  That got the other RIR roosters motivated and confident, all 11 of them, to team up to beat the guineas.  They picked up the guinea technique and beat them at their own game.  Even the RIR hens re-established their pecking order between the two pens.  

There was minimal damage in the South side area.  Lots of leaves and broken branches littered the ground.  A couple of trees that I was planning to cut down had fallen over.   A discovery was made in the roosters pen.  Skeletal remains of a bird was found after the grass was all eaten, feathers and mud washed away from the rain. It wasn't one of the Rhodes.  I must've been a boonie chicken that died and was covered up by the vines.  The bones were too small for a RIR.  Also, all my roosters are accounted for.  

Walking the North side, a limb had fallen and missed one of our perimeter dogs, also a majority of the banana trees fell.  There is only one fruiting banana left standing.  But I'm cutting that down tomorrow because it's bunch is ready for harvest.  The trail to the karabao was closed off by a huge fallen tree.  Again, another tree that I had already planned to cut down.  I had to walk around the fallen tree. only to discover there are more fallen trees on the other side.  It took some scrambling to get back on trail. 

Finally made my way to Gera, our karabao.  He's is one big and healthy toro.  The area he's at is all cleared and starting to get muddy.  Gera is a better boonie cleaner than the goat herd.  One of the first things I'll do in the morning is to move him tomorrow to another side of the paddock.  This weekend, I'll take some time to make his oxen yoke.  Have no choice but to do On-the-job training with him, to pull.  Lots of timber to pull after I trim off the branches tomorrow.  

It's going to be really busy this Saturday and the next couple of weekends to clean up most of the mess from Francisco.  


ESTA...

KEEP SMILING

Typhoon Francisco...what a tease!

It's been 11 years since the last typhoon made a direct hit on the island, Super Typhoon Pongsona made landfall on December 8, 2002.  Actually, it was 10 years and 10 months...but I'm pretty it's easier for those mathematically challenged to round it up.  

26W formed off the island two days ago.  I expected much from a virgin typhoon.  I was hoping it would HIT.  But it scampered down the East Side as a disturbance, got stuck somewhere South of the island building up strength.  Where it was promoted to Typhoon.  With all the hoopla around this, you would have thought that it would hit us.  But with not much fanfare, Francisco, tried to quietly bypass the island on our West side.  

Most Veteran Typhoon Watchers, like myself, were expecting a bigger bang.  All it did was blow down weak trees on my ranch and around the island.  My chainsaw could have done that.  At least take down some big ficus or drop that shack on the North side paddock.  Do something big!  Even PDN on their Facebook page stated a tree was blocking part of a road.  When you clicked on it, it was nothing but a banana stalk on the right lane.  WoW!  Amazing!  Call out the National Guard to remove the banana tree.  Big news for a slow typhoon day.  

Where's all the maiming and flooding that your Che'lus did in the Philippines, just weeks ago?!?  Or in Japan, just days ago?  Hafa Francisco???  What's up...Boy?!  You're suppose to bring fear into the hearts of the islanders, build memories of damages that should have happened but sadly did not.  No one here will remember you in the days, months, and years to follow.  YOU did not amount to the great Supers that came before you like Pongsona, Paka, Omar, Yugo, Pamela, Karen.  

Alas Francisco...You're not just a tease.  You're a DUD.  Hopefully the next typhoon will do this island proud.