Crises resolution

I worked through the latest crises.

In the morning I asked my neighbor Curtis if he could test the voltage on my pump's circuit breaker to see if the problem is with the circuit breaker or the pump.  The circuit breaker was fine.  But between the circuit breaker and the pump is a contact or starter mechanism.  Voltage went into the contact/starter but did not come out of it.  At least the problem was not with the pump.

I called the electrical company who did the electrical work a few years ago when I re-did the wiring.  The old guy, Gene, - who must be pushing 90 - had done the estimate and remembered me and my pump and electric box - which was amazing.  He told me there was a reset button and did I push it?

Huh?

So I went and looked the electrical box over and under dust, dirt and spiderwebs I found two reset buttons.  Pushing them worked.  I had power.

Gene said a few other irrigation systems locally had a similar problem the past week.  My electricity is 3-phase and he thought it is possible the electrical current fluctuated and potentially briefly was 2-phase or single-phase.  To prevent pump motor damage contacts are broken.

And later talking with my neighbor Wyatt, who used to work at the local lumber mill; he said for some of their 3-phase equipment, contacts would break due to heat and they would have to be reset.

Now, I never had this problem before.  I have my pump and electrical box inside a shed which is ventilated.  Other years I left the shed door open also.  This year I haven't as the cattle are in that pasture.

Anyway, I was back to irrigating without spending $$$.   In the evening as I was moving irrigation sprinkler lines the pump quit again.   Same thing.   Once I moved the lines and hit the reset button, I was able to start the pump back up.

I hope this doesn't become a "thing".  The temperature this afternoon was 93 degrees.  Fortunately weather forecast is for cooler temperatures in the lower 80s.


More bad/good news.  For the cow with the lumpy jaw I have a resolution.  I spoke with Evan, who hauls cattle and works part-time for the auction.  He said I would be able to sell the lumpy jaw cow, but as the buyers would dock for anything and everything, I most likely would get more for the cow if I turned her into hamburger.

I asked the meat processor I used about his schedule.  He is now booked up to January.  But as luck would have it, someone just canceled.  If I could bring my cow in today he would be able to process my cow.  So I hauled the cow to the processor as it wasn't hard to get the cow into the corral and loaded into my stock trailer.  Having just cleaned the trailer Monday I now had to clean it all over again.

I left the cow's calf out with the herd.  She would be too busy playing with the other calves to notice her mom was gone.  By evening when I was moving irrigation pipes the calf finally realized her mother was missing.  She was wandering around the pasture looking and calling for her mother.  Before the calf got a wild hair and decided to look in places outside the ranch, I opened the corral and she ran in looking for her mother.  I put the calf in with the injured leg cow and her calf.  The other calf was overjoyed at having her friend back with her as she has been sad watching her friends run around the pasture while she was stuck in the corral with her mother.    The calf whose mother is gone was in no mood to play.  Even now she is still calling out for her mother.


All my hamburger is gone.  I either sold it or gave it away to friends.  I actually could have sold more.  Well, in a few weeks I will have more hamburger.