I’m posting today in avoidance of all other tasks I need to do. It is 102 outside so that leaves me inside to muddle about. Yesterday I started painting in the house and I am avoiding it today at all cost.
Mrs. Roper was quite the decorator. All other visual offences aside, she had some sort of weird attraction to bead board. Not the paneling kind they put up on HGTV; I’m talking about the individual tongue and groove boards nailed up with 14,000 finish nails. At some point she decided that one wall of the living room, both sides of the staircase, and the entire upstairs landing should be covered with said boards and stained and clear coated. I should mention that this was all done after the wood was up so all of the boards are also stuck together. Each time I go up the stairs I am reminded of the kitchens in those fishing boats you see on Deadliest Catch. It has a nautical/torture chamber feel to it. It didn’t take long to notice a few things:
1. There are lots of finish nails holding it together. None of these were put in with the use of a punch, just a hammer. This can be noted by the imprints that the head of the hammer left in the wood around each nail. Incidentally, she had one of those expensive hammers with the waffle design on the head of it. Don’t ask me how I can tell.
2. When in doubt, simply put a piece of trim over the issue in the appropriate size. It does not matter that this piece is a different size than all of the other pieces or at a different height. Or in the middle of the wall.
3. Those corner rosette blocks make everything pretty. Some corners even have the benefit of two of them. I’m not sure what they cost (as they are too hideous for me to have priced) but in the downstairs and stairwell there are over 30 of them. That’s got to be pricey. When this drought breaks they will make a spectacular fire in the burning barrel. Maybe I will invite the neighbors over for a weenie roast.
4. Cheap yellow pine 1x4 boards can easily be turned into a snazzy trim piece with a heavy dose of redwood stain and ultra-high gloss polyurethane. I’m not sure where you find a coating this pretty and glossy, but it must come from some sort of marine supply company. I’ll bet the Titanic would still be wandering the oceans aimlessly if they would have slathered this on her.
After realizing that there was not drywall or plaster under quite a bit of it we just decided to prime and paint it in the wall color we were going to use anyway. I did the downstairs wall in the winter and it has grown on me. I think the fact that it is done helps me live with it. With the heat wave I decided to prime and paint the rest of this mess and get it over with. I worked all day yesterday and got one more wall downstairs done and part of the stairway. When I started today I decided to get rid of some of the extra trim before I started. You know how that works. It’s like trimming your own bangs. You are really happy with the first part that you take off and the next thing you know you have a forehead the size of Texas. Coincidentally, that happens to be the size of some of the gaps between the boards.
I now have all of the trim off and need to sit here and think about what I am going to do to correct the multiple messes that I found. On a positive note you can’t see the outside world from the inside of the house. This is simply because the house is covered with siding. It ain’t pretty. Realistically I am looking at a week of fine carpentry work with lots of details to end up with something that I can live with.
So I just cleaned up and sat on the couch. I’m not admitting defeat. I’m just admitting this speed bump is something I’d rather not deal with and it has caused me to adjust the length of this project to “indefinite”. It may go onto the list with “clean out closets” and “take old clothes to charity”.
The whole reason for this post was to say that I have chicks hatching! They aren’t due to hatch until Friday but a couple of the eggs have cracks and movement. Early birds, no doubt. They will get the worms.
I was sitting at the table eating my breakfast when I thought I heard a chirp coming from behind me. I decided it was way too soon to have babies chirping so I convinced myself it was outside. When I heard it again at noon I looked and discovered the cracked eggs. Yippee! I dyed some of these eggs on Sunday, so there is the potential for multi-colored chicks. If they all hatch I will have blue, green, red, and “natural” chicks. This is a continuation of my food coloring experiment. I will have to update you on that when we have some chicks around here and I see what colors I end up with. Interesting stuff there.
I guess I should probably go ahead and paint some primer on at least part of the bead board. Ugh. I’d rather not but I don’t want it to look like I spent my day eating chocolates.
Enjoy the heat!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Finally!
Good grief it has been a long time since I have posted an update! Without internet here on the farm I have to depend on my cell phone tethered to my computer to be able to be on the internet. This only happens with a functioning cell phone (which mine has not been). I have been able to use it for a phone but most of the other functions just caused it to shut itself off. I was pretty sure I could make it until the September renewal date to get a new phone. I finally had enough and got a new one. I am connected with the real world again!
It would be nearly impossible to try to fill in all of the pieces since the last time I posted. I’ll try to give a short synopsis but I am sure things will come up in the future. Really, one statement could really sum it all up. It’s dry.
I thought it was dry back at the beginning of June during wheat harvest but it has gotten so much worse since then. I helped one of the neighbors during harvest by driving wheat trucks for her. I remember thinking that we really needed some rain way back then. We’ve only had just a bit over an inch since. As I sit inside and look at the thermometer hit 102 outdoors all I can do it wonder what will happen next. I had heard that our June was the second driest on record since 1911. That’s pretty scary considering the dust bowl lasted longer than one year. Yikes.
One thing that seems to be doing well is the garden. Right now I have a batch of tomato soup boiling on the stove to can in a bit. It is the third batch I have canned this year which should just about do it for the winter. I have also canned vegetable relish, pasta sauce, salsa, and plain tomatoes. I have been picking 30-40 tomatoes a day, so I have to do something to use these things up! The blackberry bushes produced well and I have about 25 gallons frozen for making jelly and crisps this winter. I have been watering the garden by hand each night from the cistern. It has held up well so far but the water level is dropping steadily. The last I measured there was 15 feet of water left in it (it’s 23 feet deep). I am going to measure it tonight again if I can force myself to do it. Not knowing almost makes it better. I'm not sure what will happen when that runs dry. Legend has it that it has not been dry since it was dug in 1936. This could be the year.
I’ve also been watering the 20 trees I planted this spring each day. It is lots of carrying water and dragging hoses but I am determined not to lose those, too! I will post a picture of those soon (I took one a few days ago but they are growing quickly). They appear to be 4-5 feet tall now. They were suppose to grow 12-15 feet the first year but that probably does not take this heat and drought into account. We need all of the shade we can get around here as some of the mature tree are dying due to drought. We lost one of the big shade trees beside the house and four in the shelter belt behind the silo. The pear tree and peach trees are loaded with fruit so I have been pouring water to those so that they don’t drop their fruit. It really is amazing to me that I spend so much time thinking about rain. We have been so careful around the yard for fear of fire. The yard is so dry that it would burn like paper and the pasture is even worse. A neighbor is coming over tomorrow to cut and bale the pasture so it at least won’t be so tall. Each day I worry that some dork will drive down the road and throw out a cigarette. This whole place would be gone in no time with three sides bordered by dry pasture or wheat stubble.
My soup is about ready to can so I have to post this and run back to the kitchen. You better check back often as I will probably have to post frequently to catch you all up. I am putting a few goodies below - the recipe for the tomato soup I have on the stove and a picture of the project from the end of June. The old manure spreader either needed to be scrapped or overhauled so I chose the latter. She’s an oldie but looks much better with new wood and a coat of paint. After lots of greasing and adjusting it works as good as it did 60 years ago! I have a "before" picture on the old phone but I am not so sure that I can get it off of there. I can't recall when I took this picture but the yard still looked kind of green (sad to say!).
This tomato soup is a recipe that I put together several years ago. There’s not much in it but is a really good simple soup. It cans well and makes about five quarts. I just put all of the vegetables in the food processor and chop them. I don’t like tomato soup that is thin liquid like the stuff in the can. This is more of a bisque. I probably boil it an hour and a half or so.
It would be nearly impossible to try to fill in all of the pieces since the last time I posted. I’ll try to give a short synopsis but I am sure things will come up in the future. Really, one statement could really sum it all up. It’s dry.
I thought it was dry back at the beginning of June during wheat harvest but it has gotten so much worse since then. I helped one of the neighbors during harvest by driving wheat trucks for her. I remember thinking that we really needed some rain way back then. We’ve only had just a bit over an inch since. As I sit inside and look at the thermometer hit 102 outdoors all I can do it wonder what will happen next. I had heard that our June was the second driest on record since 1911. That’s pretty scary considering the dust bowl lasted longer than one year. Yikes.
One thing that seems to be doing well is the garden. Right now I have a batch of tomato soup boiling on the stove to can in a bit. It is the third batch I have canned this year which should just about do it for the winter. I have also canned vegetable relish, pasta sauce, salsa, and plain tomatoes. I have been picking 30-40 tomatoes a day, so I have to do something to use these things up! The blackberry bushes produced well and I have about 25 gallons frozen for making jelly and crisps this winter. I have been watering the garden by hand each night from the cistern. It has held up well so far but the water level is dropping steadily. The last I measured there was 15 feet of water left in it (it’s 23 feet deep). I am going to measure it tonight again if I can force myself to do it. Not knowing almost makes it better. I'm not sure what will happen when that runs dry. Legend has it that it has not been dry since it was dug in 1936. This could be the year.
I’ve also been watering the 20 trees I planted this spring each day. It is lots of carrying water and dragging hoses but I am determined not to lose those, too! I will post a picture of those soon (I took one a few days ago but they are growing quickly). They appear to be 4-5 feet tall now. They were suppose to grow 12-15 feet the first year but that probably does not take this heat and drought into account. We need all of the shade we can get around here as some of the mature tree are dying due to drought. We lost one of the big shade trees beside the house and four in the shelter belt behind the silo. The pear tree and peach trees are loaded with fruit so I have been pouring water to those so that they don’t drop their fruit. It really is amazing to me that I spend so much time thinking about rain. We have been so careful around the yard for fear of fire. The yard is so dry that it would burn like paper and the pasture is even worse. A neighbor is coming over tomorrow to cut and bale the pasture so it at least won’t be so tall. Each day I worry that some dork will drive down the road and throw out a cigarette. This whole place would be gone in no time with three sides bordered by dry pasture or wheat stubble.
My soup is about ready to can so I have to post this and run back to the kitchen. You better check back often as I will probably have to post frequently to catch you all up. I am putting a few goodies below - the recipe for the tomato soup I have on the stove and a picture of the project from the end of June. The old manure spreader either needed to be scrapped or overhauled so I chose the latter. She’s an oldie but looks much better with new wood and a coat of paint. After lots of greasing and adjusting it works as good as it did 60 years ago! I have a "before" picture on the old phone but I am not so sure that I can get it off of there. I can't recall when I took this picture but the yard still looked kind of green (sad to say!).
This tomato soup is a recipe that I put together several years ago. There’s not much in it but is a really good simple soup. It cans well and makes about five quarts. I just put all of the vegetables in the food processor and chop them. I don’t like tomato soup that is thin liquid like the stuff in the can. This is more of a bisque. I probably boil it an hour and a half or so.
Tomato Soup
4 quarts tomatoes
3 cups onion
2 cups celery
2 cups red peppers
½ cup carrot
2 T. salt
2 T. basil
4 t. pepper (I like it spicy)
2 T. sugar
1 bay leaf
Pray for rain!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
How Now Downed Cow?
It’s been a LONG time since I sat down at the computer, let alone made a blog entry. Sorry folks, but things have been at a fevered pitch on the farm.
I have been working like a madman trying to get the pen ready for little pigs. Just about the time that I think I’m about ready I think of something else to do. I have decided to put electric fencing around the bottom of the whole pen so that I don’t have to worry about them rooting under. That’s causing more work at this stage in the game, though. I couldn’t figure out why I suddenly didn’t have any power to the hog house to run the fence charger but then realized that it fed off of the machine shed. When I moved the back wall to be able to put the old bus in there I moved an outlet which in turn cut off the supply to the hog house. It seems like every project I undertake around here causes about three others to pop up. That should be the last thing I need to do so I will be ready for those pigs within the week.
The chicks that I put up the temporary pen for are growing nicely. They must be about 2/3 grown by now. I have been feeding them lots of rolled corn to put some weight on them. It won’t be long and I will have freezers full of chicken to put on the table. I can’t wait! In another week I will have a new batch of chickens hatch. I put out 2 ½ dozen eggs so I am hoping for about 20 to hatch. I may end up using those to replace the layers I have going right now. That depends on how many roosters are in the batch. With my luck it will be mostly roosters. Of course, they do make might fine eating. Out of the two dozen eggs I gave a teacher at work she had 15 hatch, so it seems like my odds are pretty high right now.
The new addition of cattle to the farm didn’t last long. All but one of them were hauled off to the sale barn today. The foot problem that they were fighting was getting worse and the vet said they had to go while they were mobile. By the time most of you read this they will be hamburger at the grocery store. That leaves one here. She won’t be for long though, as she is getting put down tomorrow and hauled off. She came up so lame that she quit walking completely about four days ago. We had been hoping that the butcher would still take her to process if she was down, but they have to walk in under government regulation. It’s a shame since that’s lots of hamburger that is going to waste but I am certainly not in the mood to butcher her myself. The neighbor who brought these over will be bringing over a load of steers this week to take their place. I would just as soon have something out there so I don’t have to go to the trouble of mowing it. With the price of cattle so high right now it just stinks that we have one that’s a loss. I guess that’s the way of the farm.
The most fun that ya’ll missed was the well drilling. Oh boy. My folks came to the farm to offer a few extra hands and we went to work. Let’s just say that this ground isn’t the central Kansas sand that we are used to. After a whole day of drilling we had only made it down four feet. That was with me standing on the drill casing to push it down and later on the tractor pushing it down. It just wouldn’t budge. Luckily mom and dad know someone who has a boring drill head. I think they are coming back this coming weekend to give that a try. That means that we’ll be drilling the 8” hole by hand (down 35 feet I would say) but at least it will get it done. I think that the folks are planning on this being done in one day, but I am starting to think that will be wishful thinking. At least we’ve had rain in the last 24 hours to soften things up a bit.
Over the past few weeks we have had the opportunity to become acquainted with several of our neighbors. They are quite a cast of characters, let me tell you. Each one of them is just as down to earth and nice as they could be, though. I can’t imagine finding so many folks willing to do anything for one another anywhere near the city. It’s yet one more reason that country living is where it’s at.
With the rain today I had lots of time to stand in the shed and look out over the farm. It’s hard to believe how much it has changed in the last 12 months and how truly blessed we are to have this place to call home. We haven’t even had a chance to take a breath over the last few weeks but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Stop by the chicken ranch it you are in the area. We might just send you home with a chicken of your own - Lord knows we have plenty!
I have been working like a madman trying to get the pen ready for little pigs. Just about the time that I think I’m about ready I think of something else to do. I have decided to put electric fencing around the bottom of the whole pen so that I don’t have to worry about them rooting under. That’s causing more work at this stage in the game, though. I couldn’t figure out why I suddenly didn’t have any power to the hog house to run the fence charger but then realized that it fed off of the machine shed. When I moved the back wall to be able to put the old bus in there I moved an outlet which in turn cut off the supply to the hog house. It seems like every project I undertake around here causes about three others to pop up. That should be the last thing I need to do so I will be ready for those pigs within the week.
The chicks that I put up the temporary pen for are growing nicely. They must be about 2/3 grown by now. I have been feeding them lots of rolled corn to put some weight on them. It won’t be long and I will have freezers full of chicken to put on the table. I can’t wait! In another week I will have a new batch of chickens hatch. I put out 2 ½ dozen eggs so I am hoping for about 20 to hatch. I may end up using those to replace the layers I have going right now. That depends on how many roosters are in the batch. With my luck it will be mostly roosters. Of course, they do make might fine eating. Out of the two dozen eggs I gave a teacher at work she had 15 hatch, so it seems like my odds are pretty high right now.
The new addition of cattle to the farm didn’t last long. All but one of them were hauled off to the sale barn today. The foot problem that they were fighting was getting worse and the vet said they had to go while they were mobile. By the time most of you read this they will be hamburger at the grocery store. That leaves one here. She won’t be for long though, as she is getting put down tomorrow and hauled off. She came up so lame that she quit walking completely about four days ago. We had been hoping that the butcher would still take her to process if she was down, but they have to walk in under government regulation. It’s a shame since that’s lots of hamburger that is going to waste but I am certainly not in the mood to butcher her myself. The neighbor who brought these over will be bringing over a load of steers this week to take their place. I would just as soon have something out there so I don’t have to go to the trouble of mowing it. With the price of cattle so high right now it just stinks that we have one that’s a loss. I guess that’s the way of the farm.
The most fun that ya’ll missed was the well drilling. Oh boy. My folks came to the farm to offer a few extra hands and we went to work. Let’s just say that this ground isn’t the central Kansas sand that we are used to. After a whole day of drilling we had only made it down four feet. That was with me standing on the drill casing to push it down and later on the tractor pushing it down. It just wouldn’t budge. Luckily mom and dad know someone who has a boring drill head. I think they are coming back this coming weekend to give that a try. That means that we’ll be drilling the 8” hole by hand (down 35 feet I would say) but at least it will get it done. I think that the folks are planning on this being done in one day, but I am starting to think that will be wishful thinking. At least we’ve had rain in the last 24 hours to soften things up a bit.
Over the past few weeks we have had the opportunity to become acquainted with several of our neighbors. They are quite a cast of characters, let me tell you. Each one of them is just as down to earth and nice as they could be, though. I can’t imagine finding so many folks willing to do anything for one another anywhere near the city. It’s yet one more reason that country living is where it’s at.
With the rain today I had lots of time to stand in the shed and look out over the farm. It’s hard to believe how much it has changed in the last 12 months and how truly blessed we are to have this place to call home. We haven’t even had a chance to take a breath over the last few weeks but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Stop by the chicken ranch it you are in the area. We might just send you home with a chicken of your own - Lord knows we have plenty!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The honeymoon is over...
It’s been forever since I have put anything out there for anyone to keep up with the farm. That’s because the honeymoon is over - things are really crackin’ around here!
With the weather warming up there are all kinds of projects and tasks that have to be done. Last night I planted the cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, carrots, and the second batch of lettuce. It is supposed to rain in the next 24 hours, so those things need to get going. There have been bulbs and seeds planted for flowers as well. But wait, there’s more!
Remember those trees I ordered? That seemed like such a good idea at the time. However, the 18 trees that needed to be removed made me think twice about that. It took a couple of days to plant the 10 Empress trees, two apple trees, two apricot trees, two mulberry trees, peach tree, and cherry tree. All of the fruit trees are budding out nicely, but only about half of the Empress trees have come out so far. I’m hoping that I don’t have to replant any of those. I guess time will tell. They were sticks about a foot tall so the only place they have to go is up. I’m waiting to see if I get my 12-15 feet this summer.
This weekend I hauled in lots of dirt. With a world made of dirt you’d think that rearranging it wouldn’t be such a job. I invented new swear words many (MANY) times. What seemed like such a good idea about a month ago stunk to high heaven as we did it. Blast that dirt.
I wanted to put a berm in the yard where I had removed several trees as it was really low and held water. It is between the house and the garden and is the perfect place for some bushes and plants. I used the grain truck to haul in three loads of clay for a base and then put 15 loads of topsoil on top with the tractor. I also put three loads of clay in the old barn foundation to bring that level up to plant a garden in there. I still need to put the compost on top, but at least the hard part is done. And it was hard, let me tell you. I got the truck stuck in the neighbor’s pasture after loading up the first load (I used the clay she had left from having her ponds dug out) and then got it stuck in the foundation with the last load. Because the load wouldn’t dump where it was we ended up shoveling that load off by hand before pulling the truck out. She still wouldn’t budge, so we had to hook up the 4-wheel drive pickup to the big truck and then hook the tractor to the pickup. There is a fun little picture of that operation I will post when my arms are less sore. If that ever happens. The neighbors at the end of the mile kept laughing at the poor old truck as it growled around the corner repeatedly. We loaded it to the spring stops each time, making each load about 20,000 pounds give or take a dirt clod or two. Harvest will be nothing for the old girl after that, let me tell you.
As I was hauling dirt the neighbor to the east was moving cattle. She ended up with four lame ones that need to be pampered and fattened before butchering. Where better to pamper than here? So, just as we were winding down the weekend we had to fix fence to bring them here. We’ve now got cattle in the corral behind the hog pen. It feels nice to see something grazing back there, and we’ll end up with lots of free meat so it is a win-win. Other, however, has never been around cattle. I just got a fevered order to go outside to see what was wrong in the pen. “There’s something wrong out there - they are making lots of noise. Something must be attacking them,” I was told. As I trudged in from the corral to report that they were rubbing themselves on the feed bunk there was an air of relief that there wasn’t something dead or dying. I have also needed to provide gentle reminders that cattle don’t have paws and that a few flies don’t bother them. This is going to be a big learning curve for those from the city.
It seems like every neighbor I talked with this weekend also wanted a hog to butcher. I think we are up to about 10 now. I will be getting those in the next couple of weeks, so I worked on getting a fence moved for them this weekend. Pounding in 18 fence posts really helped to loosen up my arms after shoveling all of that clay, but I really could have done without the exercise. These beasts had better taste good, as the only thing I will be able to do soon is chew. We are going to be overrun with animals around here! The smell of money will be in the air. Or swine.
Although I am excited about this weather and the things it is doing for all of the animals here, it does have me a bit worried. The peach trees and pear tree are loaded with more fruit than they can ever hold. The yard, pasture, and wheat is growing like crazy and they look like a million bucks. I just worry that this bubble will burst and we will have another summer like the last with not a drop of rain for the summer. I’ll just be sick if that happens. I’ll probably be sick dealing with all of the produce if it holds, too!
In the next week or so I need to finish the hog pen and drill a water well for the hogs and cattle. With no hydrant out by the pens I am running a hose out there and that’s old already. In theory, the drilling of the well isn’t supposed to be hard. With the water table so high I shouldn’t need to go more than 20 or 25 feet to get water enough to fill the stock tank and make a mud hole for the hogs. Yet one other thing to figure out how to do. Any of you “townies” drilling a well in the next week? If’n you want to help out there is another pair of gloves around here somewhere.
We’ve never been more tired, banged up, and weary, but we’re all giggles over here. It must be the delirium. Stop by some time and we’ll introduce you to all of the new additions. Now where did I put that Tylenol?
TJR
With the weather warming up there are all kinds of projects and tasks that have to be done. Last night I planted the cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, carrots, and the second batch of lettuce. It is supposed to rain in the next 24 hours, so those things need to get going. There have been bulbs and seeds planted for flowers as well. But wait, there’s more!
Remember those trees I ordered? That seemed like such a good idea at the time. However, the 18 trees that needed to be removed made me think twice about that. It took a couple of days to plant the 10 Empress trees, two apple trees, two apricot trees, two mulberry trees, peach tree, and cherry tree. All of the fruit trees are budding out nicely, but only about half of the Empress trees have come out so far. I’m hoping that I don’t have to replant any of those. I guess time will tell. They were sticks about a foot tall so the only place they have to go is up. I’m waiting to see if I get my 12-15 feet this summer.
This weekend I hauled in lots of dirt. With a world made of dirt you’d think that rearranging it wouldn’t be such a job. I invented new swear words many (MANY) times. What seemed like such a good idea about a month ago stunk to high heaven as we did it. Blast that dirt.
I wanted to put a berm in the yard where I had removed several trees as it was really low and held water. It is between the house and the garden and is the perfect place for some bushes and plants. I used the grain truck to haul in three loads of clay for a base and then put 15 loads of topsoil on top with the tractor. I also put three loads of clay in the old barn foundation to bring that level up to plant a garden in there. I still need to put the compost on top, but at least the hard part is done. And it was hard, let me tell you. I got the truck stuck in the neighbor’s pasture after loading up the first load (I used the clay she had left from having her ponds dug out) and then got it stuck in the foundation with the last load. Because the load wouldn’t dump where it was we ended up shoveling that load off by hand before pulling the truck out. She still wouldn’t budge, so we had to hook up the 4-wheel drive pickup to the big truck and then hook the tractor to the pickup. There is a fun little picture of that operation I will post when my arms are less sore. If that ever happens. The neighbors at the end of the mile kept laughing at the poor old truck as it growled around the corner repeatedly. We loaded it to the spring stops each time, making each load about 20,000 pounds give or take a dirt clod or two. Harvest will be nothing for the old girl after that, let me tell you.
As I was hauling dirt the neighbor to the east was moving cattle. She ended up with four lame ones that need to be pampered and fattened before butchering. Where better to pamper than here? So, just as we were winding down the weekend we had to fix fence to bring them here. We’ve now got cattle in the corral behind the hog pen. It feels nice to see something grazing back there, and we’ll end up with lots of free meat so it is a win-win. Other, however, has never been around cattle. I just got a fevered order to go outside to see what was wrong in the pen. “There’s something wrong out there - they are making lots of noise. Something must be attacking them,” I was told. As I trudged in from the corral to report that they were rubbing themselves on the feed bunk there was an air of relief that there wasn’t something dead or dying. I have also needed to provide gentle reminders that cattle don’t have paws and that a few flies don’t bother them. This is going to be a big learning curve for those from the city.
It seems like every neighbor I talked with this weekend also wanted a hog to butcher. I think we are up to about 10 now. I will be getting those in the next couple of weeks, so I worked on getting a fence moved for them this weekend. Pounding in 18 fence posts really helped to loosen up my arms after shoveling all of that clay, but I really could have done without the exercise. These beasts had better taste good, as the only thing I will be able to do soon is chew. We are going to be overrun with animals around here! The smell of money will be in the air. Or swine.
Although I am excited about this weather and the things it is doing for all of the animals here, it does have me a bit worried. The peach trees and pear tree are loaded with more fruit than they can ever hold. The yard, pasture, and wheat is growing like crazy and they look like a million bucks. I just worry that this bubble will burst and we will have another summer like the last with not a drop of rain for the summer. I’ll just be sick if that happens. I’ll probably be sick dealing with all of the produce if it holds, too!
In the next week or so I need to finish the hog pen and drill a water well for the hogs and cattle. With no hydrant out by the pens I am running a hose out there and that’s old already. In theory, the drilling of the well isn’t supposed to be hard. With the water table so high I shouldn’t need to go more than 20 or 25 feet to get water enough to fill the stock tank and make a mud hole for the hogs. Yet one other thing to figure out how to do. Any of you “townies” drilling a well in the next week? If’n you want to help out there is another pair of gloves around here somewhere.
We’ve never been more tired, banged up, and weary, but we’re all giggles over here. It must be the delirium. Stop by some time and we’ll introduce you to all of the new additions. Now where did I put that Tylenol?
TJR
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
It's in the air!
Excitement, that is.
I have so many presents coming via FedEx that I had to tell. Yesterday I ordered $700 worth of tractor parts for the loader tractor. I am about 1/2 way through rebuilding the engine and needed all the internal parts. Right now the empty shell is sitting in the shed awaiting the delivery. It shouldn't take me more than a couple of really good day's work to get her back together. I love getting engine parts and putting together an engine myself. It feels good to know what's in there. This is my first old tractor engine and I am shocked at how much easier it is than the air-cooled car engines I am used to. Along the way I found out that the parts that were in there were pretty rare. Too bad they are well used up!
I also got an email that the 10 Empress trees shipped out yesterday. This weekend will be tree planting time! There are several that need to be cut down to make way, so things will be fun!
We will also HAVE to mow this weekend. We've had in the neighborhood of six inches of rain the last 48 hours and the grass is going nuts. There is water setting everywhere around here. I planned on hauling in dirt to fill in lots of low spots but that will have to wait several days. Everyone around here knows just how effective those wheat truck tires are in the mud. I don't need another log chain incident anytime soon. Yesterday a crayfish walked across the road in front of me as I was coming home. That's a sure sign that we've had plenty of rain lately!
Anyone bored to death this weekend can grab your shovel and your gloves - ya'll can help plant trees!
TJR
I have so many presents coming via FedEx that I had to tell. Yesterday I ordered $700 worth of tractor parts for the loader tractor. I am about 1/2 way through rebuilding the engine and needed all the internal parts. Right now the empty shell is sitting in the shed awaiting the delivery. It shouldn't take me more than a couple of really good day's work to get her back together. I love getting engine parts and putting together an engine myself. It feels good to know what's in there. This is my first old tractor engine and I am shocked at how much easier it is than the air-cooled car engines I am used to. Along the way I found out that the parts that were in there were pretty rare. Too bad they are well used up!
I also got an email that the 10 Empress trees shipped out yesterday. This weekend will be tree planting time! There are several that need to be cut down to make way, so things will be fun!
We will also HAVE to mow this weekend. We've had in the neighborhood of six inches of rain the last 48 hours and the grass is going nuts. There is water setting everywhere around here. I planned on hauling in dirt to fill in lots of low spots but that will have to wait several days. Everyone around here knows just how effective those wheat truck tires are in the mud. I don't need another log chain incident anytime soon. Yesterday a crayfish walked across the road in front of me as I was coming home. That's a sure sign that we've had plenty of rain lately!
Anyone bored to death this weekend can grab your shovel and your gloves - ya'll can help plant trees!
TJR
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Spring
Spring has sprung! All around the farm things are breaking out of their winter shell and making a break for the sky. There are parts of the farm that are on their third mowing already. The grass is growing so quickly that the rain that is suppose to last much of the week may cause us to need a baler to get it under control! The fertilizer that I put on the yard has kicked in.
Out in the hen house one of the layers has decided that spring is the perfect time to get broody. Every day for the last five or so she has done nothing but sit on eggs all day long. There are always two under her, although I take them every day as we sure don’t need any additional chicks around here! She gets kind of testy when I reach under her each day and steal those eggs - she usually “bites” a dozen times. I wear gloves so it isn’t painful, but I sure wish that she would get over that. It would be nice to have one of them that is sort of “pet-ish”. I cleaned out the hen house the other day and had to pick her up and take her outside. She didn’t seem to mind me picking her up, so maybe she’s getting used to me being around. She looks a little pissed in this picture I took of her today. She just knows that I am about to steal her goods again.
I also took a picture of the dwarf peach trees. I have never seen peach trees so full of blooms, and they are the most startling magenta color. I sure hope that it doesn’t freeze again, as we could have a huge crop of peaches to enjoy. I’ve got my fingers crossed. I am not a big fan of dwarf trees. I wish that they were big enough to provide lots of peaches and some wonderful shade, but I will take what I can get. Of the tons of fruit trees that I ordered about a month ago there are NO dwarf trees there. Fruit trees usually aren’t big anyway, but I want them to be as big as possible.
I also sowed lettuce this week. It seems pretty early, but when the temps are in the 80’s I just think it’s time. I guess time will tell. I have never tried lettuce before so I have no idea if it is too early, but there’s a first time for everything. I tilled the garden several times this week working in lots of manure and making it ready for everything that goes in it. I may have to drastically increase the size of it or reduce the amount of plants I plan on putting in there. I fell victim to the “one of everything” illness this year.
This week I finished the new chicken coop and moved the babies out there from the office in the machine shed. Today I put up the temporary fence outside. I haven’t let them out yet as I don’t have the wire on the top but they don’t seem to mind. The coop that I built in the corner of the lean-to is quite large, so they have plenty of space to roam and practice their flying. Today I got a large feeder and waterer that should last through butchering time. Immediately the babies took turns trying to fly to the top and sit. Since the feeder is a hanging style it doesn’t have a top - I can see some baby sitting in there all day waiting to be rescued. Probably the one who broke loose in the bathroom! Needless to say, I had to put a board across the top. That’s provided a seating area for lots of them at one time. Here’s their new digs.
Finally, I took a picture of the “infinity yard”. With the wheat field to the east so nice and lush it seems that our yard goes on and on for acres. Each time I needed a break this week I sat in a chair and looked out that direction and watched the grass and wheat waving in the breeze. You could almost see them both growing.
There are so many things I could tell you about this week but I am exhausted! We worked outside from sun up to sun down each day tearing out bushes, moving things, and getting flower beds ready for their spring makeover. It’s only 8:45 and I can see myself sneaking off to bed in less than an hour. So much for night owl.
TJR
Out in the hen house one of the layers has decided that spring is the perfect time to get broody. Every day for the last five or so she has done nothing but sit on eggs all day long. There are always two under her, although I take them every day as we sure don’t need any additional chicks around here! She gets kind of testy when I reach under her each day and steal those eggs - she usually “bites” a dozen times. I wear gloves so it isn’t painful, but I sure wish that she would get over that. It would be nice to have one of them that is sort of “pet-ish”. I cleaned out the hen house the other day and had to pick her up and take her outside. She didn’t seem to mind me picking her up, so maybe she’s getting used to me being around. She looks a little pissed in this picture I took of her today. She just knows that I am about to steal her goods again.
I also took a picture of the dwarf peach trees. I have never seen peach trees so full of blooms, and they are the most startling magenta color. I sure hope that it doesn’t freeze again, as we could have a huge crop of peaches to enjoy. I’ve got my fingers crossed. I am not a big fan of dwarf trees. I wish that they were big enough to provide lots of peaches and some wonderful shade, but I will take what I can get. Of the tons of fruit trees that I ordered about a month ago there are NO dwarf trees there. Fruit trees usually aren’t big anyway, but I want them to be as big as possible.
I also sowed lettuce this week. It seems pretty early, but when the temps are in the 80’s I just think it’s time. I guess time will tell. I have never tried lettuce before so I have no idea if it is too early, but there’s a first time for everything. I tilled the garden several times this week working in lots of manure and making it ready for everything that goes in it. I may have to drastically increase the size of it or reduce the amount of plants I plan on putting in there. I fell victim to the “one of everything” illness this year.
This week I finished the new chicken coop and moved the babies out there from the office in the machine shed. Today I put up the temporary fence outside. I haven’t let them out yet as I don’t have the wire on the top but they don’t seem to mind. The coop that I built in the corner of the lean-to is quite large, so they have plenty of space to roam and practice their flying. Today I got a large feeder and waterer that should last through butchering time. Immediately the babies took turns trying to fly to the top and sit. Since the feeder is a hanging style it doesn’t have a top - I can see some baby sitting in there all day waiting to be rescued. Probably the one who broke loose in the bathroom! Needless to say, I had to put a board across the top. That’s provided a seating area for lots of them at one time. Here’s their new digs.
Finally, I took a picture of the “infinity yard”. With the wheat field to the east so nice and lush it seems that our yard goes on and on for acres. Each time I needed a break this week I sat in a chair and looked out that direction and watched the grass and wheat waving in the breeze. You could almost see them both growing.
There are so many things I could tell you about this week but I am exhausted! We worked outside from sun up to sun down each day tearing out bushes, moving things, and getting flower beds ready for their spring makeover. It’s only 8:45 and I can see myself sneaking off to bed in less than an hour. So much for night owl.
TJR
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Things these days...
It has been a busy weekend on the farm. I have this coming week off and I sure hope that it is as productive as the weekend has been.
On Friday I drove downtown and took the head from one of the tractors to be rebuilt. I am going through the engine on the big tractor so that it will be done in time for summer use. It was time - it ran just fine, but when you used it hard one of the rods was knocking. I have no problem tackling a rebuild, but I don’t really want to buy the special tools to do the head. Those are something that I might never use again. That might be the first time I opted NOT to buy a set of tools, cause I firmly believe that the person with the most tools wins. Maybe there should be a show about tool hoarders. My tools aren’t in a mess though, so maybe that just makes me a collector. That sounds way better anyway. I collect fine tools for a variety of uses. Gosh, I sound accomplished now.
So when I was on my way home I got a message from Other that we had a chick escapee. The box that I had them in had sides that were a foot tall and they had begun flying - someone made it over the side! She was standing in the middle of the bathroom floor wondering how it was that she was going to get back in. That must have been a surprising moment. These 30 chicks in a large box talking all day about what it must be like on the other side of that wall. They probably designated the best flier to try to get over and then report back. The other chicks probably secretly laughed at her thinking that she was such a dumb birdie and she would never make it. Maybe they had a vote and picked her because she had the most annoying personality and they wanted her gone. You know she was probably the one that is in everyone’s business and thinks she knows it all. Imagine their disgust when Other picked her up and plopped her back in the box. They probably had to listen to her go on for hours about how wonderful it was on the other side. She probably made it sound like one of the seven cities of gold. Chickens are so dumb.
Because of their new ability to fly I decided that it was time to send the chicks out of the house. There is an office in the machine shed about the size of a bedroom that is heated and air conditioned. I worked for about an hour putting a sheet of plywood across one corner to give them a triangle shaped abode. The cute little babies got moved out there and are doing just fine. It was time to have the bathtub downstairs back. Bathtubs in the country are a perfect place to put a box of chicks, but they sure aren’t making a permanent home there!
Saturday the yard got mowed and fertilizer put on. It was perfect timing as there has been a slow rain all day today. Yesterday I needed to go get the fertilizer and got in the pickup to go to town. I don’t drive it much - maybe only once a week since I started driving Other‘s old car to work every day. Lo and behold, the check engine light was on. It never ceases to amaze me that a vehicle that is a few years old with 60 thousand miles can have so many issues. If I didn’t like it so much that piece of junk would have been traded in yesterday. This will be the first repair that I have had to pay for, but that makes it one too many.
I sort of sound like one of those old people that goes off on tangents when I say “They just don’t make things like I used to!” It’s true. That’s why I have all of these old pieces of machinery around here - the tractors are over 50 years old and start every time ready for anything. The grain truck that’s 55 years old is the same way. Today I replaced one of the original U joints on it. Not bad for that many years. In 45 minutes I had the drive shaft out, the joint replaced, and was backing the truck out of the shed. When I am sitting in the waiting room at the dealership tomorrow I can guarantee that I will be there longer than 45 minutes. All of the wires, doo dads, and fancy options make for more of a worry and less of a reliable vehicle. I’ll promise you that in 55 years no one will be getting in that pickup and pulling it out of a shed. By then it will have been a tuna can seven times over. It’s just about to make its first trip as a tuna can.
There’s something to be said for the things that have been around and earned their keep. All of the machinery is a perfect example. Those things don’t owe me a dime and keep working in the way they were intended. They were made by proud people whose legacy is remembered every time they are used. I think that is why this old house is so neat. All of the things that it has lived through make each day just another piece of cake. When a friend was here last night we got out some of the newspapers that we have found in the house from 1939. We’ve got a stack of papers in perfect condition about three inches high. There are all kinds of cool articles about “the war” and the sale adds for appliances for $50. Although I haven’t been up there, the Ropers have said there are newspapers in the attic dating back to 1909. I guess now is the time to go up there since it isn’t so hot. There’s just that fear that I will pop my head up there and the boogey man will be waiting for me. I need to throw a cat there or something to clear everything out for me. Maybe they can just get the papers while they are at it. It’s about time Maxine earned her keep anyway.
In the next few days I am going to be converting part of a lean-to into a chicken house for these broilers-to-be. I will take pictures as I go and post those with an entry so that you can see the progress. I’m going to try to do something that can be used whenever we are doing meat birds, but also have something that can be opened up and used if we have calves or who knows what else. We have many building that I could use, but I want something that is close to the house so I don’t have coyotes and other vermin getting in and eating my dinner before it is ready.
I’ve realized that I also haven’t posted any pictures of the farm. Now is about the time to do it - things are greening up and the birds are chirping. I have some time this week, so I think I will bring you along as we work to bring the farm into springtime mode.
Here’s hoping that you are feeling spring as well. It’s the most exciting time to be outside enjoying things coming alive. Spring to you!
TJR
On Friday I drove downtown and took the head from one of the tractors to be rebuilt. I am going through the engine on the big tractor so that it will be done in time for summer use. It was time - it ran just fine, but when you used it hard one of the rods was knocking. I have no problem tackling a rebuild, but I don’t really want to buy the special tools to do the head. Those are something that I might never use again. That might be the first time I opted NOT to buy a set of tools, cause I firmly believe that the person with the most tools wins. Maybe there should be a show about tool hoarders. My tools aren’t in a mess though, so maybe that just makes me a collector. That sounds way better anyway. I collect fine tools for a variety of uses. Gosh, I sound accomplished now.
So when I was on my way home I got a message from Other that we had a chick escapee. The box that I had them in had sides that were a foot tall and they had begun flying - someone made it over the side! She was standing in the middle of the bathroom floor wondering how it was that she was going to get back in. That must have been a surprising moment. These 30 chicks in a large box talking all day about what it must be like on the other side of that wall. They probably designated the best flier to try to get over and then report back. The other chicks probably secretly laughed at her thinking that she was such a dumb birdie and she would never make it. Maybe they had a vote and picked her because she had the most annoying personality and they wanted her gone. You know she was probably the one that is in everyone’s business and thinks she knows it all. Imagine their disgust when Other picked her up and plopped her back in the box. They probably had to listen to her go on for hours about how wonderful it was on the other side. She probably made it sound like one of the seven cities of gold. Chickens are so dumb.
Because of their new ability to fly I decided that it was time to send the chicks out of the house. There is an office in the machine shed about the size of a bedroom that is heated and air conditioned. I worked for about an hour putting a sheet of plywood across one corner to give them a triangle shaped abode. The cute little babies got moved out there and are doing just fine. It was time to have the bathtub downstairs back. Bathtubs in the country are a perfect place to put a box of chicks, but they sure aren’t making a permanent home there!
Saturday the yard got mowed and fertilizer put on. It was perfect timing as there has been a slow rain all day today. Yesterday I needed to go get the fertilizer and got in the pickup to go to town. I don’t drive it much - maybe only once a week since I started driving Other‘s old car to work every day. Lo and behold, the check engine light was on. It never ceases to amaze me that a vehicle that is a few years old with 60 thousand miles can have so many issues. If I didn’t like it so much that piece of junk would have been traded in yesterday. This will be the first repair that I have had to pay for, but that makes it one too many.
I sort of sound like one of those old people that goes off on tangents when I say “They just don’t make things like I used to!” It’s true. That’s why I have all of these old pieces of machinery around here - the tractors are over 50 years old and start every time ready for anything. The grain truck that’s 55 years old is the same way. Today I replaced one of the original U joints on it. Not bad for that many years. In 45 minutes I had the drive shaft out, the joint replaced, and was backing the truck out of the shed. When I am sitting in the waiting room at the dealership tomorrow I can guarantee that I will be there longer than 45 minutes. All of the wires, doo dads, and fancy options make for more of a worry and less of a reliable vehicle. I’ll promise you that in 55 years no one will be getting in that pickup and pulling it out of a shed. By then it will have been a tuna can seven times over. It’s just about to make its first trip as a tuna can.
There’s something to be said for the things that have been around and earned their keep. All of the machinery is a perfect example. Those things don’t owe me a dime and keep working in the way they were intended. They were made by proud people whose legacy is remembered every time they are used. I think that is why this old house is so neat. All of the things that it has lived through make each day just another piece of cake. When a friend was here last night we got out some of the newspapers that we have found in the house from 1939. We’ve got a stack of papers in perfect condition about three inches high. There are all kinds of cool articles about “the war” and the sale adds for appliances for $50. Although I haven’t been up there, the Ropers have said there are newspapers in the attic dating back to 1909. I guess now is the time to go up there since it isn’t so hot. There’s just that fear that I will pop my head up there and the boogey man will be waiting for me. I need to throw a cat there or something to clear everything out for me. Maybe they can just get the papers while they are at it. It’s about time Maxine earned her keep anyway.
In the next few days I am going to be converting part of a lean-to into a chicken house for these broilers-to-be. I will take pictures as I go and post those with an entry so that you can see the progress. I’m going to try to do something that can be used whenever we are doing meat birds, but also have something that can be opened up and used if we have calves or who knows what else. We have many building that I could use, but I want something that is close to the house so I don’t have coyotes and other vermin getting in and eating my dinner before it is ready.
I’ve realized that I also haven’t posted any pictures of the farm. Now is about the time to do it - things are greening up and the birds are chirping. I have some time this week, so I think I will bring you along as we work to bring the farm into springtime mode.
Here’s hoping that you are feeling spring as well. It’s the most exciting time to be outside enjoying things coming alive. Spring to you!
TJR
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Quilting Bee
Barn quilts have made quite a resurgence in Franklin county. Within a few miles of the farm there are several different quilts up that really got me to thinking about the history of them and whether I needed to be putting one up.
The history of the barn quilt comes from the Mennonite settlers to the area. They don’t just exist here - they are something that is found in many places across the U.S. I’m sure a couple hundred years ago they could be found in most every county/state, but now they are only in places where folks are interested in the heritage of the area.
The story goes that way back when settlers were building barns paint was much too expensive to be a reasonable purchase for strapped farmers. Most barns were left plain wood. With the use of old-growth wood the deterioration of the barn wasn’t the issue that it would be today. Many farmers and their wives wanted some way to dress up their barns, so they began buying enough paint to spiffy up just one part. Many of the quilt squares were chosen because of their significance or the fact that they were part of a fabric quilt that held special meaning for the family.
With the advent of cheaper paint in the late 1800 and turn of the century most of the barns were painted entirely. Many farmers also painted barns with advertisements for area businesses. The early form of bill boarding, really.
A hundred years later folks are honoring their ancestors or their property by putting these quilt blocks back up. They are always an 8x8 panel mounted where they can be seen from the road. Sometimes they are on other things like houses, milk houses, or even on posts in the yard. Within Franklin county there is a registry for quilt barns and many other communities even have driving maps for an art tour of sorts. To be on the Franklin County registry you have to pay a (large!) fee which gives you the option of designing the square and having others paint it.
I have decided that a quilt square would be a perfect addition to Lone Cedar Farm (a name I am trying out for this place). I’m not sure where it would be mounted or what the square would look like, but it just seems like something that would be kind of neat. I’m sure I will need to think about that one for a while. Maybe I could do some pondering while I am planting those 20 trees I ordered.
Here are some pictures that I took in the area:
On a completely different note, the house has the nice hum of chirping chicks now. I have a large box with 30 chicks in the downstairs bathroom. I had forgotten just how much I like having chicks around. I promise to post pictures soon - things have just been crazy. With them being nearly a week old now I am hoping that I am nearly done cleaning chicken butts - that’s not a part that I love so much. No one has told you about that? Oh yes, you have to make sure their butts are clean! They can actually get so much buildup that they are not able to poop and end up dying (affectionately called pasty butt). It’s hard to believe that these chickens can poop that much, but it is a constant process (usually twice a day for about 4-5 chicks at a time). After they age just a bit it is no longer an issue. Boy, I hope we are close. Let’s just say that it is way easier to change a baby’s diaper than get crusted bird poop out of a chick’s downy butt feathers. Thank goodness those birds will taste good!
Here’s hoping that the upcoming week goes fast. I have a week off coming the next week and I have lots to do around here. Those 30 babies are going to outgrow their box very quickly and need a place to go!
TJR
The history of the barn quilt comes from the Mennonite settlers to the area. They don’t just exist here - they are something that is found in many places across the U.S. I’m sure a couple hundred years ago they could be found in most every county/state, but now they are only in places where folks are interested in the heritage of the area.
The story goes that way back when settlers were building barns paint was much too expensive to be a reasonable purchase for strapped farmers. Most barns were left plain wood. With the use of old-growth wood the deterioration of the barn wasn’t the issue that it would be today. Many farmers and their wives wanted some way to dress up their barns, so they began buying enough paint to spiffy up just one part. Many of the quilt squares were chosen because of their significance or the fact that they were part of a fabric quilt that held special meaning for the family.
With the advent of cheaper paint in the late 1800 and turn of the century most of the barns were painted entirely. Many farmers also painted barns with advertisements for area businesses. The early form of bill boarding, really.
A hundred years later folks are honoring their ancestors or their property by putting these quilt blocks back up. They are always an 8x8 panel mounted where they can be seen from the road. Sometimes they are on other things like houses, milk houses, or even on posts in the yard. Within Franklin county there is a registry for quilt barns and many other communities even have driving maps for an art tour of sorts. To be on the Franklin County registry you have to pay a (large!) fee which gives you the option of designing the square and having others paint it.
I have decided that a quilt square would be a perfect addition to Lone Cedar Farm (a name I am trying out for this place). I’m not sure where it would be mounted or what the square would look like, but it just seems like something that would be kind of neat. I’m sure I will need to think about that one for a while. Maybe I could do some pondering while I am planting those 20 trees I ordered.
Here are some pictures that I took in the area:
On a completely different note, the house has the nice hum of chirping chicks now. I have a large box with 30 chicks in the downstairs bathroom. I had forgotten just how much I like having chicks around. I promise to post pictures soon - things have just been crazy. With them being nearly a week old now I am hoping that I am nearly done cleaning chicken butts - that’s not a part that I love so much. No one has told you about that? Oh yes, you have to make sure their butts are clean! They can actually get so much buildup that they are not able to poop and end up dying (affectionately called pasty butt). It’s hard to believe that these chickens can poop that much, but it is a constant process (usually twice a day for about 4-5 chicks at a time). After they age just a bit it is no longer an issue. Boy, I hope we are close. Let’s just say that it is way easier to change a baby’s diaper than get crusted bird poop out of a chick’s downy butt feathers. Thank goodness those birds will taste good!
Here’s hoping that the upcoming week goes fast. I have a week off coming the next week and I have lots to do around here. Those 30 babies are going to outgrow their box very quickly and need a place to go!
TJR
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Family Tree
Spring is here and there are chicks on the dryer. I brought home a few that were the oldest and put them in a box on the dryer tonight. There will be others, but there appears to be a lot of losses. Apparently one of the experiment partners wasn't so good about checking incubator conditions. All of the eggs developed, but they aren't hatching. Sooooo, we're only working with the hatchlings from a little under two dozen. The numbers still appear to be pretty good.
I stopped at the farm store on my way home and they will have a shipment of chicks in the next day or so. I think I will buy some to throw in with these and round out my butchering pen. I will let you know the progress on those. But in the meantime, here are the hopeful parents:
And here are the little mutts. I had forgotten just how tiny day old chicks are and just how darn cute they are. The one on the right is named McNugget. Oh wait, they all are...
Have a peep of a day!
TJR
I stopped at the farm store on my way home and they will have a shipment of chicks in the next day or so. I think I will buy some to throw in with these and round out my butchering pen. I will let you know the progress on those. But in the meantime, here are the hopeful parents:
Have a peep of a day!
TJR
Monday, February 27, 2012
Cheep Cheep
Well, we've got some chicks, but it appears to be slow going. They are going to bring me what has hatched as of tomorrow and then see what else develops. Not that I am asking for a huge flock, but I have my mind prepared for a bunch. I hope it isn't a bunch of duds that died in the egg. These city folks have been really impressed with the whole process. I keep getting emails addressed to The Chicken Whisperer. Is that a good thing? I think I would rather be known for other things.
This weekend I spent a whole day preparing the new pen area. I needed to do some dirt work with the tractor and then hauled the temporary pen panels from the pasture up to the machine shed. By the time I hauled all of those panels and restacked the extras behind the shed it took all day. I had been wanting to clean up that area since we moved in but waited until there weren't any wasps circling my head. Those buggers are building nests all summer in that kind of stuff. I still ran across a big nest of mice (complete with younguns) and do you think I could get any of the lazy cats to come out there and take care of business? Sheesh! It's time to start rationing that food and make some lazy cats interested in their job!
As I was running back and forth with the tractor I thought of the fuel prices more than once. It made no sense to shut it off as I was on and off every few minutes (and we know how those 6-volt tractors can get angry with that), but I still thought of all of that fuel I was pushing out the smoke stack. Oh well, there are some things you just have to do. It didn't stop me from using a cup or two to start the trash burner later in the day.
I also moved the big loader tractor into the machine shed to start the engine rebuild. I want to use some tax return money to do that and have it finished by the time things start to grow and I need to use it a lot. I have to rip into the engine to see what specific parts I need to order, as I am sure that some things have been changed over the last 60 years she has been pullin' implements. I am of the mind that every few decades you need to do some things to maintain your equipment. That's the same reason I washed the wheat truck. I try to wash things like that every 55 years whether they need it or not. I found it was a different color than I thought, so I guess it needed it!
On another note I just ordered $250 worth of fruit trees. How exciting! It appears that they won't ship for about a month - by then I will have spring fever for sure! I ended up with two (more) apple trees, another peach tree, a couple of apricot trees, a cherry tree, and a couple of mulberry trees to add to the apple and pear that's already out there. I am going to put the mulberries out in the pasture as a lure away from the good stuff (and to keep purple poop away from the house!), but will still have them to shake for jelly fixings. Those things are such a weed that you would think there would be some on the place, but there is only one scraggly one left in the pasture. Ordering that bunch of trees made me think of a rather memorable event from my youth. In a (horribly) failed attempt, my parents planted an orchard of fruit trees between the house and the barn. Nothing fancy - apple, cherry, pear, and peach. One by one they all died for some reason. Who knows, other than my brother continually running into the apple tree with the 65 Ford pickup. I do remember that the cherry tree got quite big and one year produced more cherries than you could chase a stick at. My mom got me to climb it and sit and pick cherries so she could make a pie. I ate one (or two) and put one in the bucket. I ate so many of those cherries I should have been sicker than a dog. When mom went to make a pie she had to throw them all out because every one of them had a worm in it.
I sure hope things go better here on the farm. I'm pretty sure a person can only eat a few hundred worms and survive once in your life. I am NOT trying again to see if that's true. Yuck - that story still gives me the willies. It's a wonder I even ordered a cherry tree. That must have happened to George Washington somewhere along the way. That cherry tree deserved the chopping down (and yes, I know that was not a true story).
Now on to order the princess trees. I am spending that tax return left and right, but it will be so fun!
This weekend I spent a whole day preparing the new pen area. I needed to do some dirt work with the tractor and then hauled the temporary pen panels from the pasture up to the machine shed. By the time I hauled all of those panels and restacked the extras behind the shed it took all day. I had been wanting to clean up that area since we moved in but waited until there weren't any wasps circling my head. Those buggers are building nests all summer in that kind of stuff. I still ran across a big nest of mice (complete with younguns) and do you think I could get any of the lazy cats to come out there and take care of business? Sheesh! It's time to start rationing that food and make some lazy cats interested in their job!
As I was running back and forth with the tractor I thought of the fuel prices more than once. It made no sense to shut it off as I was on and off every few minutes (and we know how those 6-volt tractors can get angry with that), but I still thought of all of that fuel I was pushing out the smoke stack. Oh well, there are some things you just have to do. It didn't stop me from using a cup or two to start the trash burner later in the day.
I also moved the big loader tractor into the machine shed to start the engine rebuild. I want to use some tax return money to do that and have it finished by the time things start to grow and I need to use it a lot. I have to rip into the engine to see what specific parts I need to order, as I am sure that some things have been changed over the last 60 years she has been pullin' implements. I am of the mind that every few decades you need to do some things to maintain your equipment. That's the same reason I washed the wheat truck. I try to wash things like that every 55 years whether they need it or not. I found it was a different color than I thought, so I guess it needed it!
On another note I just ordered $250 worth of fruit trees. How exciting! It appears that they won't ship for about a month - by then I will have spring fever for sure! I ended up with two (more) apple trees, another peach tree, a couple of apricot trees, a cherry tree, and a couple of mulberry trees to add to the apple and pear that's already out there. I am going to put the mulberries out in the pasture as a lure away from the good stuff (and to keep purple poop away from the house!), but will still have them to shake for jelly fixings. Those things are such a weed that you would think there would be some on the place, but there is only one scraggly one left in the pasture. Ordering that bunch of trees made me think of a rather memorable event from my youth. In a (horribly) failed attempt, my parents planted an orchard of fruit trees between the house and the barn. Nothing fancy - apple, cherry, pear, and peach. One by one they all died for some reason. Who knows, other than my brother continually running into the apple tree with the 65 Ford pickup. I do remember that the cherry tree got quite big and one year produced more cherries than you could chase a stick at. My mom got me to climb it and sit and pick cherries so she could make a pie. I ate one (or two) and put one in the bucket. I ate so many of those cherries I should have been sicker than a dog. When mom went to make a pie she had to throw them all out because every one of them had a worm in it.
I sure hope things go better here on the farm. I'm pretty sure a person can only eat a few hundred worms and survive once in your life. I am NOT trying again to see if that's true. Yuck - that story still gives me the willies. It's a wonder I even ordered a cherry tree. That must have happened to George Washington somewhere along the way. That cherry tree deserved the chopping down (and yes, I know that was not a true story).
Now on to order the princess trees. I am spending that tax return left and right, but it will be so fun!
Friday, February 24, 2012
One Word:
Yikes.
I got word that the eggs I sent out will be hatching in about the next 24 hours. The issue is that when they were candled it appeared that only three weren't going to hatch. That's 33 chicks minus the one that they dropped about a week ago (which apparently would have hatched). Assuming that their candling abilities are somewhat reliable, I should end up with 32 chicks out of my 36 eggs.
That's a lot of fried chicken. Oh boy. I am going to hatch out about 18 more in a month or so. So, it looks like there will be lots of chickens to butcher in late July.
Anyone interested in organic chicken?
Farmers are excited by this kind of bumper crop - I don't think I could get this lucky again if I tried. Maybe I should have planted wheat west of the house!
I got word that the eggs I sent out will be hatching in about the next 24 hours. The issue is that when they were candled it appeared that only three weren't going to hatch. That's 33 chicks minus the one that they dropped about a week ago (which apparently would have hatched). Assuming that their candling abilities are somewhat reliable, I should end up with 32 chicks out of my 36 eggs.
That's a lot of fried chicken. Oh boy. I am going to hatch out about 18 more in a month or so. So, it looks like there will be lots of chickens to butcher in late July.
Anyone interested in organic chicken?
Farmers are excited by this kind of bumper crop - I don't think I could get this lucky again if I tried. Maybe I should have planted wheat west of the house!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Whew.
It never fails to amaze me that the knowledge I take for granted from living here many other folks never know. We had guests this weekend at the farm - longtime friends. They live in town and love to come and stay overnight on the farm and walk around and look at things and learn. Some of the most basic information yields a 30 minute conversation. Sometimes it is hard to convince them of the truth. Try explaining to a townie that you don’t need a rooster to have eggs. I have no idea why that misconception is so common, but it sure is. As a last resort I often have to point at the ladies and say, “You lay eggs without a rooster around.” Ah, that usually does it. You don’t even want to know about the discussion regarding the burning stump in the yard (which is still burning 15 days later).
The last week or so I have been especially startled by the misconceptions that I run into when talking with kids. I decided that while there would likely be many more, I would list the ones from this week. There were times I just had to slap my forehead and wonder what the world is coming to.
Hot Milk: I was talking with kids about the differences between the Amish and the way that we live. It wasn’t long before someone asked whether I had ever milked a cow. Well sure! That wasn’t something that I was around within the family, but I’ve had an occasion or two. The kids were not able to see how something that came from a cow got into the cooler at the grocery store. At some point I reminded them that the only difference between the milk from a cow and the milk in the store is that it’s cold when you buy it (I know, there‘s more to it). It was at that point someone yells, “So, we’re drinking pee?!” Huh? I’m not sure where the leap from warm milk to urine came, but there it was. I quickly realized that these kids hadn’t even seen a cow milked or pee to know that it is two different places. These kids need to stand at the pasture gate and watch some things happen. They’d be better for it.
Modern Amish: At some point later in the same discussion we were talking about the Amish desire for a simpler life. In this desire they have chosen to live without electricity (or at least pay the REA for it, but that’s another topic). I was pretty sure they didn’t have a connection with that, so I mentioned that there wouldn’t be any TV, video games, light switches, or phones. Within milliseconds someone said, “So, how do they get on the internet?” At this point I was sure that none of them had ever gotten outside the city. In the modern city where the power lines run underground most of these children have never even had the power go out. What would they do if it went out long enough that all of the batteries on their toys went dead? They should all live out where they are the last house on the line and all of the wires swing in the breeze. They would learn to be ready to sit and be cold really quickly! Ugh.
Rocks and Dirt: My kids ask about the pets at the farm each day. That is something they can understand - the joy of an animal. It was no surprise when one of them brought the chickens a Valentine’s Day present - two little bags of cracked corn with ribbons on them. I told her that I would take pictures of the chickens eating the treats so that she could see them. The next day she asked if the chickens had eaten their corn. It had snowed overnight and I told her that the chickens didn’t like to go out in the snow and they needed to be able to get to dirt to help them eat. She just looked at me with a blank stare. I told her that chickens don’t have a stomach and so they needed to be able to eat gravel and rocks and grit to help them with their food. “So, they eat poop?” Huh (again)? No, they eat grit to help them with their food. “Yeah, but that’s poop and stuff.” Of course, I didn’t mention that they often do because that would only reinforce the thought. I really can’t do anything to help some of these kids. Seriously.
Clothing Breakdown: When talking about the southeast we ran across a picture of a cotton farmer standing in his field. We talked about how around my house the farmers grow things like soybeans and wheat, but the weather in the south is perfect for growing cotton. I once again had the feeling that the connection wasn’t there. I told them that the cotton in the picture was used to make thread which was woven into cloth. As I pointed out the different clothing that everyone was wearing the cotton the freak-outs started. “You mean we’re wearing plants?” At that point several of them vowed to never wear cotton again. I just don’t get it. How can you get to be 10 years old and not realize that your clothing is made from actual cotton? What have these parents been talking about with them? Obviously not daily living things. Do they think it just appears?
It’s easy to see that there’s really no place to start. You can’t make anyone worldly overnight. Most of these kids have never seen a dirt road or a mailbox on a post. They don’t know what happens when it gets dark if there is no street light. They have no concept of living without the desire to turn on the TV all day long. It’s not hard to see that the more generations removed everyone is from country living the less able people are to connect with every aspect of their lives. There are lots of folks out there who have only eaten foods with a mystery background. Clearly I am a little bit biased here, but there seems to be something wrong with that. Although it takes a monetary commitment, it is important to me to know where the eggs, chicken, beef, fruit, and vegetables that I eat come from. These kids need to stare at an animal for six months and then know that they are eating it. If they spent a summer day bent over weeding the garden they would likely value that watermelon just a little bit more.
We probably should just turn back the clock, drop everyone out on their own, and see who really makes it in the real world. OR, I’ll just come home each day to my peace and quiet and they can play their video games.
The last week or so I have been especially startled by the misconceptions that I run into when talking with kids. I decided that while there would likely be many more, I would list the ones from this week. There were times I just had to slap my forehead and wonder what the world is coming to.
Hot Milk: I was talking with kids about the differences between the Amish and the way that we live. It wasn’t long before someone asked whether I had ever milked a cow. Well sure! That wasn’t something that I was around within the family, but I’ve had an occasion or two. The kids were not able to see how something that came from a cow got into the cooler at the grocery store. At some point I reminded them that the only difference between the milk from a cow and the milk in the store is that it’s cold when you buy it (I know, there‘s more to it). It was at that point someone yells, “So, we’re drinking pee?!” Huh? I’m not sure where the leap from warm milk to urine came, but there it was. I quickly realized that these kids hadn’t even seen a cow milked or pee to know that it is two different places. These kids need to stand at the pasture gate and watch some things happen. They’d be better for it.
Modern Amish: At some point later in the same discussion we were talking about the Amish desire for a simpler life. In this desire they have chosen to live without electricity (or at least pay the REA for it, but that’s another topic). I was pretty sure they didn’t have a connection with that, so I mentioned that there wouldn’t be any TV, video games, light switches, or phones. Within milliseconds someone said, “So, how do they get on the internet?” At this point I was sure that none of them had ever gotten outside the city. In the modern city where the power lines run underground most of these children have never even had the power go out. What would they do if it went out long enough that all of the batteries on their toys went dead? They should all live out where they are the last house on the line and all of the wires swing in the breeze. They would learn to be ready to sit and be cold really quickly! Ugh.
Rocks and Dirt: My kids ask about the pets at the farm each day. That is something they can understand - the joy of an animal. It was no surprise when one of them brought the chickens a Valentine’s Day present - two little bags of cracked corn with ribbons on them. I told her that I would take pictures of the chickens eating the treats so that she could see them. The next day she asked if the chickens had eaten their corn. It had snowed overnight and I told her that the chickens didn’t like to go out in the snow and they needed to be able to get to dirt to help them eat. She just looked at me with a blank stare. I told her that chickens don’t have a stomach and so they needed to be able to eat gravel and rocks and grit to help them with their food. “So, they eat poop?” Huh (again)? No, they eat grit to help them with their food. “Yeah, but that’s poop and stuff.” Of course, I didn’t mention that they often do because that would only reinforce the thought. I really can’t do anything to help some of these kids. Seriously.
Clothing Breakdown: When talking about the southeast we ran across a picture of a cotton farmer standing in his field. We talked about how around my house the farmers grow things like soybeans and wheat, but the weather in the south is perfect for growing cotton. I once again had the feeling that the connection wasn’t there. I told them that the cotton in the picture was used to make thread which was woven into cloth. As I pointed out the different clothing that everyone was wearing the cotton the freak-outs started. “You mean we’re wearing plants?” At that point several of them vowed to never wear cotton again. I just don’t get it. How can you get to be 10 years old and not realize that your clothing is made from actual cotton? What have these parents been talking about with them? Obviously not daily living things. Do they think it just appears?
It’s easy to see that there’s really no place to start. You can’t make anyone worldly overnight. Most of these kids have never seen a dirt road or a mailbox on a post. They don’t know what happens when it gets dark if there is no street light. They have no concept of living without the desire to turn on the TV all day long. It’s not hard to see that the more generations removed everyone is from country living the less able people are to connect with every aspect of their lives. There are lots of folks out there who have only eaten foods with a mystery background. Clearly I am a little bit biased here, but there seems to be something wrong with that. Although it takes a monetary commitment, it is important to me to know where the eggs, chicken, beef, fruit, and vegetables that I eat come from. These kids need to stare at an animal for six months and then know that they are eating it. If they spent a summer day bent over weeding the garden they would likely value that watermelon just a little bit more.
We probably should just turn back the clock, drop everyone out on their own, and see who really makes it in the real world. OR, I’ll just come home each day to my peace and quiet and they can play their video games.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Rooting For The Home Team...
Now that the big kahuna of football games is over it seems that folks are in need of something to root for. There are lots of things here on the farm that I am rooting for. Hopefully by sharing them I can get a cheerleading group together to make things work in my favor. Although I cannot condone a wager of any kind, some of these things have pretty good odds, if I do say so myself. Here is the list (in no particular order):
1. The battery in the car. That battery is the one that came with the (new) car seven years ago. I know that it is on borrowed time, but when something makes it this long it becomes a point of pride. It would probably save some headache in the future if I would just buy a new one, but then I might miss the title of World’s Longest Lasting Car Battery!
2. The burning stump in the front yard. This is the one that I lit over a week ago. It is still burning! There is a cavernous hole in the yard where it used to be, and it just keeps on a burning. I wonder how long that thing can burn? Eventually it will start smoking in China and they will wonder what’s up. I might need to build a roof over it tonight so the snow doesn't put it out. Don't think I wouldn't.
3. The vacuum cleaner. This front porch is a disaster. Maxine has trashed it beyond belief. There are little kitty hairs everywhere and she has spread dirt from each plant all over the floor. It’s hard to fathom that one little kitty can make such a huge mess. I’m grossed out. I can see how those animal hoarders have such a gross house. It also seems like they aren’t the most clean people to begin with. There’s something about taking in 452 feral cats that makes me think that Pine Sol is not your first priority.
4. Chicks/eggs. I haven’t heard whether the folks that took eggs have candled them yet, but I am dying to know how my eggs are turning out. I don’t know what the percentage usually runs, but I am looking for lots of chickens to eat. If none of those things hatch I am going to be really hacked. I’ll probably just order some to butcher, as I just got the spring catalog from the hatchery anyway. Then I will go out to the chicken house and give those hens (and roosters) the what for. They have very few jobs, after all. Don’t mess this one up!
5. Snow. I really want a nice snow this year. I can’t believe that we haven’t had even a bit. I hate those years when I don’t have the chance to stay home and watch the snow fall. Besides the fact that I want something to watch and need a day off, I really hope we get something to reduce the number of bugs for spring. We’re going to be in trouble if we don’t get these things killed off! Have you seen that new show Infested? That's where we will all be.
6. Spring. Does that seem counter-productive? Even though I want some snow, I am really pulling for spring. I have so many things that I want to do outside. I miss they days of working in the yard and loosing track of time. I have such grand plans for the garden. Those aren’t going to come to fruition if we don’t get the ball rolling. I envision cantaloupe and watermelons galore. Come on mother nature!
7. New trees. I am looking forward to planting the new variety of trees we found. Royal Empress trees grow between 10 and 15 feel per year, bloom like a tulip, and have leaves that measure in the feet (across). I am so excited to see how they change the place. I think I have the spots planned for the dozen we are going to order. I sure hope that we have enough room for the dozen fruit trees I am ordering, too. This place is going to turn into a park! That will help keep the lawn from burning so bad out near the silo. It should also give Other something to drive around with the mower. He sounds super stoked about it.
8. The makeshift garage sauna. Yesterday the wood stove in the garage got it up to 96 degrees in there. That’s pretty impressive. The cats were laying around like it was summer. Actually, most days in the summer it is cooler than that. I like seeing how hot I can get it. It makes going out to see the kitties a nice warm adventure. They keep coming down from the loft to get a drink. Wood fires sure are a dry heat.
9. Taxes. I sent in my taxes a couple of weeks ago. I want that money! I have plans for it. It seems like I have given the government a loan - I am calling that sucker due! I guess I should set some aside for a new battery for the car. At least there will be enough left for the trees. I think. How come there are always so many plans for such a small amount of cash. Oh well.
10. Egg production. This is different than the hatching ratio, which still stresses me out. I’m talking about how many eggs the chickens produce a day. It seems like we rarely get over the dozen hump. Most days there are 11. Why we can’t get just one more is beyond me. It would make things so much easier. I also really want them to dump their eggs and hurry out to the yard. I sort of feel guilty rooting around under the hen for the eggs. I feel like I am stealing her only reason for living. They also get really hacked and start pecking when you do that. Not a big problem when you have gloves on, but it won’t be glove season for long. Then we’ll have to be having a talk about this pecking business. Also, I know that sometimes nature calls when you don't expect it - believe me I do. However, when you know that you lay an egg a day at about 9 am, be prepared. DON'T just lay it in the middle of the floor. On occasion I forget to watch where I am walking and scramble an egg with my boot. That's a waste. Then I only get 10, for Heaven's sake.
There you have it. The things that are anticipated here on the farm. These aren’t really the usual things that folks are rooting for, but they seem pretty important out here right now.
It appears that the vacuum isn’t going to run itself around here, so I best get cracking.
1. The battery in the car. That battery is the one that came with the (new) car seven years ago. I know that it is on borrowed time, but when something makes it this long it becomes a point of pride. It would probably save some headache in the future if I would just buy a new one, but then I might miss the title of World’s Longest Lasting Car Battery!
2. The burning stump in the front yard. This is the one that I lit over a week ago. It is still burning! There is a cavernous hole in the yard where it used to be, and it just keeps on a burning. I wonder how long that thing can burn? Eventually it will start smoking in China and they will wonder what’s up. I might need to build a roof over it tonight so the snow doesn't put it out. Don't think I wouldn't.
3. The vacuum cleaner. This front porch is a disaster. Maxine has trashed it beyond belief. There are little kitty hairs everywhere and she has spread dirt from each plant all over the floor. It’s hard to fathom that one little kitty can make such a huge mess. I’m grossed out. I can see how those animal hoarders have such a gross house. It also seems like they aren’t the most clean people to begin with. There’s something about taking in 452 feral cats that makes me think that Pine Sol is not your first priority.
4. Chicks/eggs. I haven’t heard whether the folks that took eggs have candled them yet, but I am dying to know how my eggs are turning out. I don’t know what the percentage usually runs, but I am looking for lots of chickens to eat. If none of those things hatch I am going to be really hacked. I’ll probably just order some to butcher, as I just got the spring catalog from the hatchery anyway. Then I will go out to the chicken house and give those hens (and roosters) the what for. They have very few jobs, after all. Don’t mess this one up!
5. Snow. I really want a nice snow this year. I can’t believe that we haven’t had even a bit. I hate those years when I don’t have the chance to stay home and watch the snow fall. Besides the fact that I want something to watch and need a day off, I really hope we get something to reduce the number of bugs for spring. We’re going to be in trouble if we don’t get these things killed off! Have you seen that new show Infested? That's where we will all be.
6. Spring. Does that seem counter-productive? Even though I want some snow, I am really pulling for spring. I have so many things that I want to do outside. I miss they days of working in the yard and loosing track of time. I have such grand plans for the garden. Those aren’t going to come to fruition if we don’t get the ball rolling. I envision cantaloupe and watermelons galore. Come on mother nature!
7. New trees. I am looking forward to planting the new variety of trees we found. Royal Empress trees grow between 10 and 15 feel per year, bloom like a tulip, and have leaves that measure in the feet (across). I am so excited to see how they change the place. I think I have the spots planned for the dozen we are going to order. I sure hope that we have enough room for the dozen fruit trees I am ordering, too. This place is going to turn into a park! That will help keep the lawn from burning so bad out near the silo. It should also give Other something to drive around with the mower. He sounds super stoked about it.
8. The makeshift garage sauna. Yesterday the wood stove in the garage got it up to 96 degrees in there. That’s pretty impressive. The cats were laying around like it was summer. Actually, most days in the summer it is cooler than that. I like seeing how hot I can get it. It makes going out to see the kitties a nice warm adventure. They keep coming down from the loft to get a drink. Wood fires sure are a dry heat.
9. Taxes. I sent in my taxes a couple of weeks ago. I want that money! I have plans for it. It seems like I have given the government a loan - I am calling that sucker due! I guess I should set some aside for a new battery for the car. At least there will be enough left for the trees. I think. How come there are always so many plans for such a small amount of cash. Oh well.
10. Egg production. This is different than the hatching ratio, which still stresses me out. I’m talking about how many eggs the chickens produce a day. It seems like we rarely get over the dozen hump. Most days there are 11. Why we can’t get just one more is beyond me. It would make things so much easier. I also really want them to dump their eggs and hurry out to the yard. I sort of feel guilty rooting around under the hen for the eggs. I feel like I am stealing her only reason for living. They also get really hacked and start pecking when you do that. Not a big problem when you have gloves on, but it won’t be glove season for long. Then we’ll have to be having a talk about this pecking business. Also, I know that sometimes nature calls when you don't expect it - believe me I do. However, when you know that you lay an egg a day at about 9 am, be prepared. DON'T just lay it in the middle of the floor. On occasion I forget to watch where I am walking and scramble an egg with my boot. That's a waste. Then I only get 10, for Heaven's sake.
There you have it. The things that are anticipated here on the farm. These aren’t really the usual things that folks are rooting for, but they seem pretty important out here right now.
It appears that the vacuum isn’t going to run itself around here, so I best get cracking.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Jack of all trades
It has been a busy week on the farm. As I was in the midst of all of the random tasks I started thinking about why it is that people choose this life. Oh sure, there’s the love of the outdoors and animals, but those are both idealized views. We all know that when it is 100 degrees or blowing a blizzard you aren’t loving it with all of your heart. While cute and fuzzy, most animals can really get on your nerves for one reason or another. Then I got it.
Farm folks don’t ever want to lock themselves down to one occupation. Think about this week as an example (and as proof of why I love this life).
Friday morning started with a big storm. If it would have been snow we would have been in trouble. If it would have been ice we would be living like the Amish. We almost were anyway when lightening struck right after the alarm went off. It was so close that you could hear it sizzle in the house. The electric immediately went out and I could tell it was going to stay out. I threw on some clothes and trudged out in the pouring rain to start the generator and begin the routine that you have to follow to switch the farm over from power company to self-sufficiency. I hadn’t run the generator in a while and it took some coercing to get her started. I realized when I got it going that there would not be enough diesel to run the farm for any length of time, so I then got in the pickup and ran to town for fuel. I got home, showered, and still made it to work with five minutes to spare. Sure, it was hectic. Sure, I was soaked to the bone. I still wouldn’t have traded it for a night in a downtown loft. You can’t see the folks at the station in town at 6:30 when you do that! Some folks should really do more with their hair.
Friday afternoon I came home and tore into one of the tractors. The lift on it was bleeding off and causing the implements to slowly (or rather quickly) drop when you didn’t want it to. This can prove troublesome when your toes are under it. So, I drained off five gallons of hydraulic fluid and ripped apart the tractor. I had grease up to my elbows, but had it fixed in a couple of hours. Those hours were very enjoyable as I worked at my own pace and listened to the radio. Would I do it every day? Not on your life. I won’t hesitate to do it when the tractors around here need it, though. I also won’t hesitate to sing at the top of my lungs or sing the wrong words, either. Those are good times.
Later on I put lights on the same tractor. I’m not sure why someone thought that it would be a good idea to remove the originals (including the switch and all of the wiring), but that clearly is not an option out where there are no street lights. If you think that all situations needing a tractor happen during the daylight you might just want to reconsider. Farmer’s Law (cousin of Murphy) says that everything breaks or happens when it is pouring rain, in the middle of harvest, or about midnight. It’s just the way things are. When we lived in town I can never remember needing to put my clothes back on and go outside after going to bed, but it seems to be just another thing around here. I’ve been known to traipse around in my underwear, but it IS February, after all. Comfort and warmth are considerations. Fashion is not, as you may be able to attest on many occasions.
Yesterday I had someone cut down the dead tree in front of the house. It was 2 feet from the power line and 10 feet from the house. If you are wondering if it was $245 well spent, please see the Farmer’s Law reference above. Enough said. So, I spent all day yesterday and today cutting limbs with the chain saw, hauling off firewood, and burning all of the things I didn’t want to keep. You couldn’t pay me enough to do that stuff every day. Or give me enough Tylenol. Seriously, I am typing this with the one toe that doesn’t hurt. It will when I am done. I will also sanitize the keyboard. Yuck.
Today while hauling off the last huge load of large limbs and bark I got the grain truck hopelessly stuck behind the burning pile (thank you two inches of rain). As I crawled through the mud under the truck and hooked up the chain (and convinced Other that he WOULD NOT get the tractor stuck pulling me out) I had to laugh at the luck of it. I’d imagine that this whole episode would cause some folks to scream and throw a fit. Didn’t bother me a bit, other than to remind me of every other time I (or grandpa) had gotten a tractor stuck. After it was all done and Other made some comment about how HE hadn’t gotten anything stuck today I realized why it was we were never suppose to mention grandpa’s misfortunes after the fact. There’s something about misjudging the driving conditions and sinking a large vehicle in the mud that sure makes you wish no one was around. It also makes you wish that you had the ability to pull it out yourself and go about your business.
As I was cutting up wood and burning out the stump Mr. Roper stopped by. He was pulling the grain wagon for the other neighbor (who looks a LOT like Don Knots) down the road. He was adding extensions so that it would be ready for harvest the end of June. We also talked about replacing the U-joint in my grain truck so that it would be ready to haul wheat at harvest. Sitting in the 100 degree heat in a truck with no A/C or radio? No problem - sounds like fun to me. Mr. Roper also checked to make sure that his post hole digger would fit on one of my tractors so that I could put in the posts for the new chicken coop. Digging holes and making fence for another batch of chickens? No problem. Sure, I would rather be doing other things, but it won’t be torture and I will enjoy my time just fine. I will also enjoy lots of fried chicken.
So there you have it. Early morning electrician, heavy machine mechanic, electrician, arborist, tow truck driver/passenger, truck driver, construction crew - not bad for an average few days on the farm. See, that’s just it; I was able to do a little bit of all kinds of things. Just about the time that I wished a job was done and I was tired of it, it was over. Country folks have no fear of the unknown. Things we haven’t done are just opportunities to practice something that we will likely have to do again. There isn’t anything around this place that I would want to do each and every day, but there are millions of things that I really like doing occasionally. I guess that’s why folks in the country don’t consider it a job. It’s just a way of life.
TJR
Farm folks don’t ever want to lock themselves down to one occupation. Think about this week as an example (and as proof of why I love this life).
Friday morning started with a big storm. If it would have been snow we would have been in trouble. If it would have been ice we would be living like the Amish. We almost were anyway when lightening struck right after the alarm went off. It was so close that you could hear it sizzle in the house. The electric immediately went out and I could tell it was going to stay out. I threw on some clothes and trudged out in the pouring rain to start the generator and begin the routine that you have to follow to switch the farm over from power company to self-sufficiency. I hadn’t run the generator in a while and it took some coercing to get her started. I realized when I got it going that there would not be enough diesel to run the farm for any length of time, so I then got in the pickup and ran to town for fuel. I got home, showered, and still made it to work with five minutes to spare. Sure, it was hectic. Sure, I was soaked to the bone. I still wouldn’t have traded it for a night in a downtown loft. You can’t see the folks at the station in town at 6:30 when you do that! Some folks should really do more with their hair.
Friday afternoon I came home and tore into one of the tractors. The lift on it was bleeding off and causing the implements to slowly (or rather quickly) drop when you didn’t want it to. This can prove troublesome when your toes are under it. So, I drained off five gallons of hydraulic fluid and ripped apart the tractor. I had grease up to my elbows, but had it fixed in a couple of hours. Those hours were very enjoyable as I worked at my own pace and listened to the radio. Would I do it every day? Not on your life. I won’t hesitate to do it when the tractors around here need it, though. I also won’t hesitate to sing at the top of my lungs or sing the wrong words, either. Those are good times.
Later on I put lights on the same tractor. I’m not sure why someone thought that it would be a good idea to remove the originals (including the switch and all of the wiring), but that clearly is not an option out where there are no street lights. If you think that all situations needing a tractor happen during the daylight you might just want to reconsider. Farmer’s Law (cousin of Murphy) says that everything breaks or happens when it is pouring rain, in the middle of harvest, or about midnight. It’s just the way things are. When we lived in town I can never remember needing to put my clothes back on and go outside after going to bed, but it seems to be just another thing around here. I’ve been known to traipse around in my underwear, but it IS February, after all. Comfort and warmth are considerations. Fashion is not, as you may be able to attest on many occasions.
Yesterday I had someone cut down the dead tree in front of the house. It was 2 feet from the power line and 10 feet from the house. If you are wondering if it was $245 well spent, please see the Farmer’s Law reference above. Enough said. So, I spent all day yesterday and today cutting limbs with the chain saw, hauling off firewood, and burning all of the things I didn’t want to keep. You couldn’t pay me enough to do that stuff every day. Or give me enough Tylenol. Seriously, I am typing this with the one toe that doesn’t hurt. It will when I am done. I will also sanitize the keyboard. Yuck.
Today while hauling off the last huge load of large limbs and bark I got the grain truck hopelessly stuck behind the burning pile (thank you two inches of rain). As I crawled through the mud under the truck and hooked up the chain (and convinced Other that he WOULD NOT get the tractor stuck pulling me out) I had to laugh at the luck of it. I’d imagine that this whole episode would cause some folks to scream and throw a fit. Didn’t bother me a bit, other than to remind me of every other time I (or grandpa) had gotten a tractor stuck. After it was all done and Other made some comment about how HE hadn’t gotten anything stuck today I realized why it was we were never suppose to mention grandpa’s misfortunes after the fact. There’s something about misjudging the driving conditions and sinking a large vehicle in the mud that sure makes you wish no one was around. It also makes you wish that you had the ability to pull it out yourself and go about your business.
As I was cutting up wood and burning out the stump Mr. Roper stopped by. He was pulling the grain wagon for the other neighbor (who looks a LOT like Don Knots) down the road. He was adding extensions so that it would be ready for harvest the end of June. We also talked about replacing the U-joint in my grain truck so that it would be ready to haul wheat at harvest. Sitting in the 100 degree heat in a truck with no A/C or radio? No problem - sounds like fun to me. Mr. Roper also checked to make sure that his post hole digger would fit on one of my tractors so that I could put in the posts for the new chicken coop. Digging holes and making fence for another batch of chickens? No problem. Sure, I would rather be doing other things, but it won’t be torture and I will enjoy my time just fine. I will also enjoy lots of fried chicken.
So there you have it. Early morning electrician, heavy machine mechanic, electrician, arborist, tow truck driver/passenger, truck driver, construction crew - not bad for an average few days on the farm. See, that’s just it; I was able to do a little bit of all kinds of things. Just about the time that I wished a job was done and I was tired of it, it was over. Country folks have no fear of the unknown. Things we haven’t done are just opportunities to practice something that we will likely have to do again. There isn’t anything around this place that I would want to do each and every day, but there are millions of things that I really like doing occasionally. I guess that’s why folks in the country don’t consider it a job. It’s just a way of life.
TJR
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Spring Cleaning
Today was a good day for cleaning on the farm. We aren’t setting any records so I know that there has to have been a warmer January in years past, but I sure can’t remember it. I did some measuring for the new chicken coop(s) and aired up the tires on the manure spreader while I waited for it to warm up today. It didn’t take long and I was able to drag out the hose and wash the pickup. I don’t often get that chance in the middle of winter - it was in serious need. It got me thinking about the cleaning process for all of the animals here.
Even where animals are concerned, there are obvious differences between boys and girls. Out in the chicken coop the girls spend lots of time preening and looking in the mirror. That’s not to say that the roosters are a matted up hot mess, but you just don’t see them taking the time. Chickens also LOVE to take dust baths - I have never seen the roosters take one of those either. A dust bath is suppose to help control the fleas and keep their feathers in order, but to the outsider it just looks like some random flapping in a hole hollowed out by the hen. It might also pass for a seizure. Each hen only gets a set amount of time before they are kicked out by a sister who needs the shower. It reminds me of a family getting ready in the morning. There’s always someone pounding on the door needing to use the bathroom. If the hen isn’t willing to turn over the facilities she will get stepped on in short order as the next occupant takes over her space. You and I have a defined place to bathe, but for an animal with gobs and gobs of room it just doesn’t make sense. What makes that particular spot so good? It doesn’t necessarily have to be free of poop, I’ll tell you that.
The cats are no different. The toms do their best to clean themselves, but they certainly aren’t going to sit and lick if there are better things to be done. When we first moved here we were shocked at the mats and stickers in Patty’s fur. He clearly wasn’t worried about what he looked like. Someone needed to tell him that it is better to look good than to feel good. After a little brushing and lots of petting he is as soft and fluffy as any other kitty, but it’s from no doing of his own. Right now he’s walking around with a few “passengers” stuck to his butt. Hey, if he’s fine with the dingleberries so am I. I don’t think Cat Fancy is planning on using him as a centerfold anyway. The paper they print on isn’t that big.
The female cats spend approximately 45 hours a day cleaning. I’m not kidding. Of course, when they are done they go roll in the dirt just like the chickens. Color me shocked. They always choose the same spot to do it, too. They either have to be under the tree in the front yard or in the flower bed right by the walk. They are going to be sadly disappointed when that spot gets filled with mulch it the spring. I hope it doesn’t make them cry uncontrollably.
I think it’s time to get some animals that prefer to be dirty. Hogs do a pretty good job of covering themselves in mud each day. In the end, that bacon doesn’t taste the least bit gritty. I guess that goes to show you that it is what’s on the inside that counts, huh? Well, that and some hickory wood and seasonings.
Things are about to really pick up around here. I need to get those chicken coops built and put up a cross fence in the hog pen. It’s hard to believe that when I kept saying I would get hogs in March I meant a month from now. The winter is a time to relax a little around here, and it appears that I forgot to do that. I will just keep adding to my “not now but very soon” list and hope the days get long enough to do it all in a big hurry. I guess I could have done some of them today, but the cleaning process can’t wait.
I better go. It appears that the patch of dirt by the walk is free and I have to get ready to go to bed.
TJR
Even where animals are concerned, there are obvious differences between boys and girls. Out in the chicken coop the girls spend lots of time preening and looking in the mirror. That’s not to say that the roosters are a matted up hot mess, but you just don’t see them taking the time. Chickens also LOVE to take dust baths - I have never seen the roosters take one of those either. A dust bath is suppose to help control the fleas and keep their feathers in order, but to the outsider it just looks like some random flapping in a hole hollowed out by the hen. It might also pass for a seizure. Each hen only gets a set amount of time before they are kicked out by a sister who needs the shower. It reminds me of a family getting ready in the morning. There’s always someone pounding on the door needing to use the bathroom. If the hen isn’t willing to turn over the facilities she will get stepped on in short order as the next occupant takes over her space. You and I have a defined place to bathe, but for an animal with gobs and gobs of room it just doesn’t make sense. What makes that particular spot so good? It doesn’t necessarily have to be free of poop, I’ll tell you that.
The cats are no different. The toms do their best to clean themselves, but they certainly aren’t going to sit and lick if there are better things to be done. When we first moved here we were shocked at the mats and stickers in Patty’s fur. He clearly wasn’t worried about what he looked like. Someone needed to tell him that it is better to look good than to feel good. After a little brushing and lots of petting he is as soft and fluffy as any other kitty, but it’s from no doing of his own. Right now he’s walking around with a few “passengers” stuck to his butt. Hey, if he’s fine with the dingleberries so am I. I don’t think Cat Fancy is planning on using him as a centerfold anyway. The paper they print on isn’t that big.
The female cats spend approximately 45 hours a day cleaning. I’m not kidding. Of course, when they are done they go roll in the dirt just like the chickens. Color me shocked. They always choose the same spot to do it, too. They either have to be under the tree in the front yard or in the flower bed right by the walk. They are going to be sadly disappointed when that spot gets filled with mulch it the spring. I hope it doesn’t make them cry uncontrollably.
I think it’s time to get some animals that prefer to be dirty. Hogs do a pretty good job of covering themselves in mud each day. In the end, that bacon doesn’t taste the least bit gritty. I guess that goes to show you that it is what’s on the inside that counts, huh? Well, that and some hickory wood and seasonings.
Things are about to really pick up around here. I need to get those chicken coops built and put up a cross fence in the hog pen. It’s hard to believe that when I kept saying I would get hogs in March I meant a month from now. The winter is a time to relax a little around here, and it appears that I forgot to do that. I will just keep adding to my “not now but very soon” list and hope the days get long enough to do it all in a big hurry. I guess I could have done some of them today, but the cleaning process can’t wait.
I better go. It appears that the patch of dirt by the walk is free and I have to get ready to go to bed.
TJR
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Stresses of Parenthood
I got an email this week from a parent of one of my former students. It seems that she is undertaking a research project and needs a little help from the farm. In her high school (yikes!) science class they have an assignment that requires them to identify variables and all of that fun stuff. She has decided to hatch eggs and see how things like egg thickness impact hatchability. Enter the farmer.
She is needing about 24 eggs to hatch and was wondering if she could buy some eggs to hatch. I agreed to give them to her as long as I can have the chicks back to butcher later in the summer.
This is a LOT of pressure as a parent. Who says that these roosters are doing their job? I know they are “practicing” but maybe they have no idea what they are doing out there. We never had that “talk” that farmers should have their roosters. They could be completely inept in the reproductive arena. I haven’t had any talks with the hens as to their level of satisfaction, so I have no idea where we stand. And what about these hens? It’s possible that the chicken house is built on a naturally occurring radioactive hotspot. What if the hens are all sterile and are just putting out the eggs so that I don’t have some sort of “I could have done better” parental angst? At least I am not conservative enough to require a wedding before the offspring arrive. That’s a lot of weddings. It’s also VERY expensive when you are the parent of both the bride AND the groom. Then there is the question of the legality of the polygamist chicken household.
When chickens lay the eggs they don’t need to sit on them and keep them warm right away. Eggs are able to “wait” a bit until the hen has a big enough clutch to be worth it. As long as the eggs stay at a reasonable temperature (like cool room temperature) they will still be viable. I told the parent that I would pull the eggs when they are ready and hold them until I have 24. What if I accidentally put all 24 in the oven and ruin them all? What if I decide to pop them all in the freezer for some reason? Aside from the mess I would have, I would also deliver eggs that will ruin her project. Oh no!!!
Those parents with just a few kids sure have it easy. I sort of feel like the Duggars over here. I’ve got a whole house of chickens I am trying to parent. It’s so hard to instill values and a moral compass to so many offspring. On the “up” side, if any of them appear to be immoral or get mouthy I can always butcher them and have dinner. Try that, Michelle Duggar!
In the next couple of weeks I will be turning this gathering of eggs over to be hatched, and in April I will turn another group of 18 over to a first grade teacher to hatch with her students. I will end up with a nice freezer full of organic chicken to eat for the fall and winter. That certainly sounds good. I don’t often roast whole chickens, so I need to start amassing recipes for the oven and crock pot. I’ve also got to remember to take lots of pictures of the chickens so that when the 1st graders are older and ask where their chickens are I am able to tell them they are roaming freely on the farm (and show them pictures).
This all brings up another project. With a couple dozen new chickens coming I am going to need to build a new coop. I have the building itself, but it no longer has a fenced yard around it. At one time it was a chicken house but the fencing has been taken down. With the chicks hatching a couple of months apart I will have to have two places to put them. If chickens have not been raised together it is difficult to put them together, as they end up fighting to the death. I do not need to have some ½ grown chickens to eat. Cornish hens are pointless.
This parenting thing is so stressful.
She is needing about 24 eggs to hatch and was wondering if she could buy some eggs to hatch. I agreed to give them to her as long as I can have the chicks back to butcher later in the summer.
This is a LOT of pressure as a parent. Who says that these roosters are doing their job? I know they are “practicing” but maybe they have no idea what they are doing out there. We never had that “talk” that farmers should have their roosters. They could be completely inept in the reproductive arena. I haven’t had any talks with the hens as to their level of satisfaction, so I have no idea where we stand. And what about these hens? It’s possible that the chicken house is built on a naturally occurring radioactive hotspot. What if the hens are all sterile and are just putting out the eggs so that I don’t have some sort of “I could have done better” parental angst? At least I am not conservative enough to require a wedding before the offspring arrive. That’s a lot of weddings. It’s also VERY expensive when you are the parent of both the bride AND the groom. Then there is the question of the legality of the polygamist chicken household.
When chickens lay the eggs they don’t need to sit on them and keep them warm right away. Eggs are able to “wait” a bit until the hen has a big enough clutch to be worth it. As long as the eggs stay at a reasonable temperature (like cool room temperature) they will still be viable. I told the parent that I would pull the eggs when they are ready and hold them until I have 24. What if I accidentally put all 24 in the oven and ruin them all? What if I decide to pop them all in the freezer for some reason? Aside from the mess I would have, I would also deliver eggs that will ruin her project. Oh no!!!
Those parents with just a few kids sure have it easy. I sort of feel like the Duggars over here. I’ve got a whole house of chickens I am trying to parent. It’s so hard to instill values and a moral compass to so many offspring. On the “up” side, if any of them appear to be immoral or get mouthy I can always butcher them and have dinner. Try that, Michelle Duggar!
In the next couple of weeks I will be turning this gathering of eggs over to be hatched, and in April I will turn another group of 18 over to a first grade teacher to hatch with her students. I will end up with a nice freezer full of organic chicken to eat for the fall and winter. That certainly sounds good. I don’t often roast whole chickens, so I need to start amassing recipes for the oven and crock pot. I’ve also got to remember to take lots of pictures of the chickens so that when the 1st graders are older and ask where their chickens are I am able to tell them they are roaming freely on the farm (and show them pictures).
This all brings up another project. With a couple dozen new chickens coming I am going to need to build a new coop. I have the building itself, but it no longer has a fenced yard around it. At one time it was a chicken house but the fencing has been taken down. With the chicks hatching a couple of months apart I will have to have two places to put them. If chickens have not been raised together it is difficult to put them together, as they end up fighting to the death. I do not need to have some ½ grown chickens to eat. Cornish hens are pointless.
This parenting thing is so stressful.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The New Math
It seems like there are lots of things here on the farm that just don’t add up. I’m not talking about my taxes. Those are up to the accountant to figure out. I think all of the other puzzles around here are due to the new math (that‘s what everyone blamed everything on 25 years ago, wasn‘t it?). Another one today just brought a puzzled look to my face.
I am liking these days with a little more light when I get home. The chickens were actually still out in the yard when I got home from town today. Usually they have long since put themselves to bed. Last night I wandered into the coop after dark and gathered all of the eggs while the chickens snored around me. It was kind of strange - they didn’t even look twice at the man in the (new) rubber boots and large fluffy jacket. The egg count added up to the usual - no more, no less. Chickens are just neurotic enough to do something like that. Hello Rain Chicken.
Here’s where things get strange. I walked into the coop this morning to check the feed and noticed that there was one egg already sitting in a nesting box. I grabbed it and almost took it to the house before deciding that would be a pain. It was still piping hot from the chicken - I could feel it through my glove. That seems kind of gross once you see it in writing. Hmmm.
When I went in this evening there were more eggs in the chicken house than there are chickens to lay them! Either someone is hoarding them and decided to give up their stash, or they are kicking into overdrive to bring in more cash. I have no idea. I have NEVER heard of a chicken laying more than one a day, but I guess anything could happen. I know that I got them all, so I put off all of the questions to the chickens. It just doesn’t add up. Who knows. I will guarantee you that no stray chicken wandered in, deposited an egg, and then wandered back to their own home to piss off an owner waiting for breakfast.
The other night it was quite nippy on the farm. When I checked the thermometer at 9:15 it was 22 degrees. We’ve gotten in the habit of putting the cats in warm places for the night during the winter, and when Other went out to check on the kitties about 9:30 there was a little surprise waiting. There was a frozen snake on the walk! It wasn’t a huge one - probably 3-4 feet long, but puzzling nonetheless. I (of course) got called to put on my bibs and get rid of it. It was nearly frozen solid. How does a snake just appear on a night like that?
I honestly looked up to see if there was some sort of hawk circling above to pick up what it had just dropped on the concrete. I’ll bet he would have really been hacked after going to the trouble of flushing out a snake on a night like that only to loose it to a case of butter beak.
In the end, the best I could come up with was that it crawled out of the foundation of the house and got 10 feet or so before freezing to death. Wouldn’t you think it would turn around when it felt the cold air? I guess not. Oh, and yes, we do get snakes in the basement on the farm. I just found another little one down there last night. At only a foot long it would have been cute if it wasn’t a serpent. You just get used to the chance that you might see one when going to the deep freeze. You clean up your undershorts and go about your business. Now, if one appears on the living room floor I might have to be scraped off the ceiling and sedated.
If you mention a boot thief around here you might get a chuckle. I always use the same muck boots to chore. They are always on the porch by the door ready to slide into. With the large quantity of driveway gravel, mud, and chicken poop packed into the tread, they are not fit to wear into the house or anywhere else. I don’t think the folks at NAPA over in Baldwin City would be impressed with my boots if I wore them to get some new parts for the grain truck. They’d smell me coming, but that does not equal a quality impression. Or new friends.
Imagine my surprise when I stepped out one morning to find they were gone. I immediately smelled a rat (not literally - we better not have THOSE around here, too). I went back upstairs and gave Other the what-for as to what was done with my boots (as the day before had been a day off of work). The puzzled look I got told me that I wasn’t going to find them there. I finally gave up and wore other boots to do my chores.
I have NEVER found those boots. When I got home that night we looked in every building on the farm and all over the house to find them. They are gone. We even looked in buildings we haven’t look in since summer. I’m not sure why I thought said boots ended up there, but I can say I checked. I even looked in the dishwasher and clothes dryer. You know how you sometimes do things when you are on the phone and don’t know it? That’s what I was hoping for. Nothing. Other did say that even if they had been taken as a gag, they would have been returned long before we spent and entire evening walking the property. I even looked at the whole yard in case one of the cats dragged them out of the porch. The dog wasn’t in the house yard, but you just never know what that fat Gene might do. Alas, no boots.
I sound like some crazy anti-government loon when I swear that someone snuck onto the porch and stole them, but that’s all I can figure. Never mind that they didn’t take the gun that was sitting right there. Those boots were valuable, man.
This new math just has to be some sort of communist plot. Things just aren’t adding up around here.
TJR
I am liking these days with a little more light when I get home. The chickens were actually still out in the yard when I got home from town today. Usually they have long since put themselves to bed. Last night I wandered into the coop after dark and gathered all of the eggs while the chickens snored around me. It was kind of strange - they didn’t even look twice at the man in the (new) rubber boots and large fluffy jacket. The egg count added up to the usual - no more, no less. Chickens are just neurotic enough to do something like that. Hello Rain Chicken.
Here’s where things get strange. I walked into the coop this morning to check the feed and noticed that there was one egg already sitting in a nesting box. I grabbed it and almost took it to the house before deciding that would be a pain. It was still piping hot from the chicken - I could feel it through my glove. That seems kind of gross once you see it in writing. Hmmm.
When I went in this evening there were more eggs in the chicken house than there are chickens to lay them! Either someone is hoarding them and decided to give up their stash, or they are kicking into overdrive to bring in more cash. I have no idea. I have NEVER heard of a chicken laying more than one a day, but I guess anything could happen. I know that I got them all, so I put off all of the questions to the chickens. It just doesn’t add up. Who knows. I will guarantee you that no stray chicken wandered in, deposited an egg, and then wandered back to their own home to piss off an owner waiting for breakfast.
The other night it was quite nippy on the farm. When I checked the thermometer at 9:15 it was 22 degrees. We’ve gotten in the habit of putting the cats in warm places for the night during the winter, and when Other went out to check on the kitties about 9:30 there was a little surprise waiting. There was a frozen snake on the walk! It wasn’t a huge one - probably 3-4 feet long, but puzzling nonetheless. I (of course) got called to put on my bibs and get rid of it. It was nearly frozen solid. How does a snake just appear on a night like that?
I honestly looked up to see if there was some sort of hawk circling above to pick up what it had just dropped on the concrete. I’ll bet he would have really been hacked after going to the trouble of flushing out a snake on a night like that only to loose it to a case of butter beak.
In the end, the best I could come up with was that it crawled out of the foundation of the house and got 10 feet or so before freezing to death. Wouldn’t you think it would turn around when it felt the cold air? I guess not. Oh, and yes, we do get snakes in the basement on the farm. I just found another little one down there last night. At only a foot long it would have been cute if it wasn’t a serpent. You just get used to the chance that you might see one when going to the deep freeze. You clean up your undershorts and go about your business. Now, if one appears on the living room floor I might have to be scraped off the ceiling and sedated.
If you mention a boot thief around here you might get a chuckle. I always use the same muck boots to chore. They are always on the porch by the door ready to slide into. With the large quantity of driveway gravel, mud, and chicken poop packed into the tread, they are not fit to wear into the house or anywhere else. I don’t think the folks at NAPA over in Baldwin City would be impressed with my boots if I wore them to get some new parts for the grain truck. They’d smell me coming, but that does not equal a quality impression. Or new friends.
Imagine my surprise when I stepped out one morning to find they were gone. I immediately smelled a rat (not literally - we better not have THOSE around here, too). I went back upstairs and gave Other the what-for as to what was done with my boots (as the day before had been a day off of work). The puzzled look I got told me that I wasn’t going to find them there. I finally gave up and wore other boots to do my chores.
I have NEVER found those boots. When I got home that night we looked in every building on the farm and all over the house to find them. They are gone. We even looked in buildings we haven’t look in since summer. I’m not sure why I thought said boots ended up there, but I can say I checked. I even looked in the dishwasher and clothes dryer. You know how you sometimes do things when you are on the phone and don’t know it? That’s what I was hoping for. Nothing. Other did say that even if they had been taken as a gag, they would have been returned long before we spent and entire evening walking the property. I even looked at the whole yard in case one of the cats dragged them out of the porch. The dog wasn’t in the house yard, but you just never know what that fat Gene might do. Alas, no boots.
I sound like some crazy anti-government loon when I swear that someone snuck onto the porch and stole them, but that’s all I can figure. Never mind that they didn’t take the gun that was sitting right there. Those boots were valuable, man.
This new math just has to be some sort of communist plot. Things just aren’t adding up around here.
TJR
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Llamas aren't llovable
This place used to be a llama farm. Not just a couple of llamas for fun, either. Like, a herd or something. I always thought it was a bit odd that when we would come to look at it the owners always had to be here, but the reasoning was that they didn’t want anyone unknown around the llamas. I thought llamas were kind of cute, interesting, and unusual. Not something you see roaming the flatlands of Kansas very often. Llamas are exotic!
When we signed the contract on the house Mr. and Mrs. Roper were great about letting us bring things out. There were some items that were a pain to store (like the big tractor) and they just let us move everything into the north shed. It was at that point that Mr. Roper said that with all of the rain he was having trouble getting in fence posts for the llamas at the new property. Although the farm had been on the market for 18 months (and they had the new place that whole time), they had not started preparing to move in any way. He was concerned that they would not have the llamas removed by the time we closed on the house. It was raining a lot, so a muddy oasis comes to mind.
Since we had moved some things to the farm a couple of weeks before closing I figured that it wasn’t a problem to have a week or so after closing to get it evened out. The Ropers are really nice folks, and out here it pays to be neighborly with the closest folks around.
I learned some things pretty quick:
1. Llamas aren’t cute up close. They have evil devil eyes and mangy fur.
2. Llamas have no sense of personal space. When the walk up to you they don’t stop until they are touching you. It’s weird and upsetting.
3. Llama don’t herd. They have a mind of their own and won’t leave if they don’t want to.
4. Llamas are curious. This might be the reason they chase you. That might also be the devil eyes.
5. Llamas scream. I can only describe it as a demonic laugh. They do it when they see something they don’t like. Apparently they didn’t like me, my machinery, or the dog. Or me.
6. Llamas do spit. Before that they snort a little to bring up a good snot rocket. They are evil.
Not at all attached to the list is the joy of having a new place and still having the previous owner show up everyday to feed the animals that they left behind. It sort of makes you feel like a renter or share-cropper. You see how well share-cropping worked out for the cotton farmers.
Needless to say, one week turned into two which quickly turned into six. Yes, six weeks later we still had llamas and daily visitors to feed them. It was at this point that I shared the following information: If I have to look at these llamas any longer I am going to haul them to the sale barn and BBQ the fat one.
Since they were all named and treated like children, this kind of got the ball rolling. One of the other neighbors kindly brought over her stock trailer to move them and the fun began. I had just had some surgery, so I was unable to help (rats). It was definitely a treat to watch them wrangle them into the trailer and haul them the mile down the road to their new home. With much screaming, pushing, and hitting they were in their trailer and on the way. Of course, they were also covered in masticated corn and snot. I tried not to laugh but cannot attest to my success in that vein.
It did take two loads in the stock trailer. I don’t even remember how many there were. I don’t know what you call a large group of llamas. A school? A gaggle? Let’s just go with an annoyance. So, the annoyance of llamas was gone. I literally did a little dance of joy in spite of the heat and my infirmed condition.
There shall never be an animal of such lineage on this farm again. I still hate them and haven’t been near one in ages. Cows, pigs, chickens - sure, why not? Pack animals designed for other countries? Absolutely not. We’re having beef for dinner…
When we signed the contract on the house Mr. and Mrs. Roper were great about letting us bring things out. There were some items that were a pain to store (like the big tractor) and they just let us move everything into the north shed. It was at that point that Mr. Roper said that with all of the rain he was having trouble getting in fence posts for the llamas at the new property. Although the farm had been on the market for 18 months (and they had the new place that whole time), they had not started preparing to move in any way. He was concerned that they would not have the llamas removed by the time we closed on the house. It was raining a lot, so a muddy oasis comes to mind.
Since we had moved some things to the farm a couple of weeks before closing I figured that it wasn’t a problem to have a week or so after closing to get it evened out. The Ropers are really nice folks, and out here it pays to be neighborly with the closest folks around.
I learned some things pretty quick:
1. Llamas aren’t cute up close. They have evil devil eyes and mangy fur.
2. Llamas have no sense of personal space. When the walk up to you they don’t stop until they are touching you. It’s weird and upsetting.
3. Llama don’t herd. They have a mind of their own and won’t leave if they don’t want to.
4. Llamas are curious. This might be the reason they chase you. That might also be the devil eyes.
5. Llamas scream. I can only describe it as a demonic laugh. They do it when they see something they don’t like. Apparently they didn’t like me, my machinery, or the dog. Or me.
6. Llamas do spit. Before that they snort a little to bring up a good snot rocket. They are evil.
Not at all attached to the list is the joy of having a new place and still having the previous owner show up everyday to feed the animals that they left behind. It sort of makes you feel like a renter or share-cropper. You see how well share-cropping worked out for the cotton farmers.
Needless to say, one week turned into two which quickly turned into six. Yes, six weeks later we still had llamas and daily visitors to feed them. It was at this point that I shared the following information: If I have to look at these llamas any longer I am going to haul them to the sale barn and BBQ the fat one.
Since they were all named and treated like children, this kind of got the ball rolling. One of the other neighbors kindly brought over her stock trailer to move them and the fun began. I had just had some surgery, so I was unable to help (rats). It was definitely a treat to watch them wrangle them into the trailer and haul them the mile down the road to their new home. With much screaming, pushing, and hitting they were in their trailer and on the way. Of course, they were also covered in masticated corn and snot. I tried not to laugh but cannot attest to my success in that vein.
It did take two loads in the stock trailer. I don’t even remember how many there were. I don’t know what you call a large group of llamas. A school? A gaggle? Let’s just go with an annoyance. So, the annoyance of llamas was gone. I literally did a little dance of joy in spite of the heat and my infirmed condition.
There shall never be an animal of such lineage on this farm again. I still hate them and haven’t been near one in ages. Cows, pigs, chickens - sure, why not? Pack animals designed for other countries? Absolutely not. We’re having beef for dinner…
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Bad Kitty
Does this thing look guilty to you?
It should.
This is Maxine. If you remember back a week or so, she was supposed to be named Doris. Well, we got her and she didn’t look much like a Doris. Must be because she didn’t have a lilac rinse in her hair and wasn’t wearing SAS shoes. She ended up as Maxine. That was my choice from the list of names I was given. I wasn’t given much to choose from - Lisa, Evelyn, and Susan were on it. Maxine was literally the best choice. That doesn’t say much. It should be known that Other has YET to take a cat to the vet and uncomfortably say its name when they ask. That might get some of these things named appropriate names like Fluffy and Bootsy.
So Miss Maxine has been living in my sun porch. I love this room. It was originally the front porch that stretched the width of the house, but it was enclosed and heated and air-conditioned in the 80’s. It seems a little trashy, but it’s a great place to hang out. I can’t wait to sit out here when it snows and enjoy the 180 degree view. Or when Maxine is on the outside of the door looking in.
Mrs. Roper went on and on about how sweet this kitty is. And she is indeed sweet. She failed to mention that she had only been kept in the house and that she was only about half grown. I can’t go shoving this kitty outside when it is in the single digits. So, Maxine is living in the porch until spring (and ONLY the front porch).
Although I am tickled with about any animal addition to the farm, I AM NOT an indoor pet person. I don’t want their fur places that I sleep or eat. With all of this space out here I am not sharing my home with an animal. I live in the country. It shouldn’t be my job to clean up poop unless I am shoveling it in a manure spreader. Maxine likes to poop, but I won’t be pulling the manure spreader up beside the house anytime soon.
Today while I was work Maxine thought it would be a good idea to climb onto my Christmas cactus and see if she could tip over the stand it was on. She was successful. It also successfully broke the bottom off the pot and mashed all the leaves on one side of the lily next to it. It must have scared her pretty good because none of her toys had been touched - she must have spent the rest of the day in her bed. I didn’t tell her that my dead grandma is probably making a kitty voodoo doll of her right now with scraps of left over fabric. She was an exceptionally frugal lady who previously owned said cactus. Don’t piss off the German lady, even if she’s long since left this world.
Little Maxine will either LOVE or HATE her life when she gets to be an outside kitty. I can’t help but think she’s lonely during the day, but I wonder how she will like sharing her food bowl and taking care of her own safety. Good luck Maxine. Other will probably be in tears for days when I shove Maxine out with the toe of my muck boot. That’s not going to deter me, though. This cat gots to go!
While we are on the subject of animals, you should know the next post shall be about llamas. My take on these vile beasts and their infringement on my property is not to be missed…
This is Maxine. If you remember back a week or so, she was supposed to be named Doris. Well, we got her and she didn’t look much like a Doris. Must be because she didn’t have a lilac rinse in her hair and wasn’t wearing SAS shoes. She ended up as Maxine. That was my choice from the list of names I was given. I wasn’t given much to choose from - Lisa, Evelyn, and Susan were on it. Maxine was literally the best choice. That doesn’t say much. It should be known that Other has YET to take a cat to the vet and uncomfortably say its name when they ask. That might get some of these things named appropriate names like Fluffy and Bootsy.
So Miss Maxine has been living in my sun porch. I love this room. It was originally the front porch that stretched the width of the house, but it was enclosed and heated and air-conditioned in the 80’s. It seems a little trashy, but it’s a great place to hang out. I can’t wait to sit out here when it snows and enjoy the 180 degree view. Or when Maxine is on the outside of the door looking in.
Mrs. Roper went on and on about how sweet this kitty is. And she is indeed sweet. She failed to mention that she had only been kept in the house and that she was only about half grown. I can’t go shoving this kitty outside when it is in the single digits. So, Maxine is living in the porch until spring (and ONLY the front porch).
Although I am tickled with about any animal addition to the farm, I AM NOT an indoor pet person. I don’t want their fur places that I sleep or eat. With all of this space out here I am not sharing my home with an animal. I live in the country. It shouldn’t be my job to clean up poop unless I am shoveling it in a manure spreader. Maxine likes to poop, but I won’t be pulling the manure spreader up beside the house anytime soon.
Today while I was work Maxine thought it would be a good idea to climb onto my Christmas cactus and see if she could tip over the stand it was on. She was successful. It also successfully broke the bottom off the pot and mashed all the leaves on one side of the lily next to it. It must have scared her pretty good because none of her toys had been touched - she must have spent the rest of the day in her bed. I didn’t tell her that my dead grandma is probably making a kitty voodoo doll of her right now with scraps of left over fabric. She was an exceptionally frugal lady who previously owned said cactus. Don’t piss off the German lady, even if she’s long since left this world.
Little Maxine will either LOVE or HATE her life when she gets to be an outside kitty. I can’t help but think she’s lonely during the day, but I wonder how she will like sharing her food bowl and taking care of her own safety. Good luck Maxine. Other will probably be in tears for days when I shove Maxine out with the toe of my muck boot. That’s not going to deter me, though. This cat gots to go!
While we are on the subject of animals, you should know the next post shall be about llamas. My take on these vile beasts and their infringement on my property is not to be missed…
Monday, January 16, 2012
Fool Me Once...
I like old stuff.
I’ve always liked to work on old cars and fix things up. I’m not deterred by the prospect of doing some work on something if I know I will end up with something that lasts me years. My mother has said that she and I are just too dumb to know when we are in over our heads. I have set out on many a road trip in a vehicle that is much older than I and had no issues at all (except for that engine I blew in my VW bus). Giving up some of the creature comforts we take for granted makes things fun for me as long as the third degree burns I get from the vinyl seat doesn’t leave a scar. It’s all fun and games until someone has a thigh that permanently looks like a waffle. Not pretty.
The majority of the cars around here (at least the four extras) are from the 60’s and 70’s, the tractors are from the 40’s and 50’s and the grain truck is from 1958. Those are years when they built stuff to last out of metal that was substantial. I love it. It also makes me sound like a grandpa. Or stingy.
When we got ready to move I knew just what tractor would be the first one (notice I said first). We needed something big to take care of the large jobs on the farm - a Farmall M. At the time that they were built they were the largest tractors made and worked millions of acres in this part of the country alone. Finding one around here is a bit of a challenge. Those that are still left and still running well are usually working on farms each day. It would be a challenge.
After lots of looking I found one about an hour southwest of the city we lived in. It looked good, had new tires, ran well, and had a front loader that went with it. It would be our “go-to” loader tractor. It seemed perfect except for the distance. By my closest estimate I figured that it was about an hour and 45 minutes (by car) due east of the new farm. The catch is that “road gear” on a tractor is about 16.473 MPH. Calling it road gears is really a misnomer. It should be called “slightly faster gear that will still make you want to slit your wrists”. I decided that the best thing to do would be to hook it to the pickup with a chain and pull it. We could go just a little bit faster, which just might add up in the long run. I was willing to do anything to reduce the sunburn I was going to get. Not to worry on that one.
I might just offer up at this point that Other did not grow up in the country doing things such as pulling tractors around. Other had never even been on a tractor. The only thing working in my favor at this point was ignorance of the task at hand. This was going to be fun. I had a feeling I would get one shot at this.
Fast forward to the middle of May when we got the tractor. Other was NOT happy about pulling me with the pickup. I explained that we wouldn’t go fast and that I would do all of the braking for us, so there wasn’t any danger of the tractor hitting the pickup. The country roads that we were slated to travel were not too busy. It all seemed doable. It also seemed how the captain of the Hindenburg probably explained his landing plan to the copilot.
The whole trip to get it Other griped about this process - being nervous and all. The idea was to drive it through the town where it was and then hook it to the pickup once we were in the country again. It seemed like the best way to control it and I DID NOT want people thinking this fine piece of 60 year old iron didn’t run. So, that’s what we did. I don’t want to bore your with the details, but the trip took FIVE HOURS!!! It was freezing cold and misting. I had myself bundled in everything I could find in the pickup to keep warm - I had a towel wrapped around my head and two coats zipped around me.. By the end of the trip I was so delirious that I was talking to the animals in the pasture beside the road. It was that much fun. I am pretty sure that anyone who saw us immediately knew we were freaks. The only thing that saved us was that I did not write the address of the new house on a sign and wear it around my neck.
I had certainly not anticipated the earful I would get at the end of this five hours. You would have thought Other had to pull the tractor by hand. The click of the flashers had been mind numbing. The passing vehicles had been nerve wracking. The hills had been too much to handle emotionally. I knew that just the sight of this tractor in the shed might cause Vietnam-style flashbacks. Oh, the drama.
Here is the tractor at the end of the trip. She looks happy, no? Ivana has provided us with many hours of service and never sputtered once (did I mention all of the old machinery gets named?). She likes her new home. Other staunchly refuses to drive her. In fact, I think I have seen a shiver at the sight of her. Maybe it is just the rush of warm memories.
Long story short, I found the grain truck I wanted an hour north of here. It needed a head gasket and would have to be towed home. Other made it known that I would need to find someone else to help. Apparently the ignorance the first time we did this no longer existed. I tried everything. “We can pull it much faster - it’s a truck!” Didn’t work. “It isn’t that far this time - it won’t take but a couple of hours.” Didn’t work. “Don’t you want to show that you are capable of something like this?” Didn’t work. “All of the couples are doing it these days.” Nope.
Soooo, I had to call my brother. He was happy (I think) to drive on up and help out. He’s kind of like me - the lure of crawling all over some greasy old piece of machinery outweighs the torture. He and I also share this insanely nostalgic view of the past so if it resembles something dumb we would have done 25 years ago he’s ready to try it again. If given the chance to own all of the machinery we used growing up he would sell one or all of his children. Sadly, that stuff was old back when we used it, so I am going to need something more valuable than his children to swap.
Sure enough, it took two hours to get her home. After a week overhauling it she runs like a champ. I’m not saying there is much left of the muffler, but announcing one’s arrival is a good thing, right? She doesn’t look like much, but there isn’t a single dent in it, and I am only the third owner. She’s got such history. A coat of paint, and she’ll be the envy of the county. I’m sure it’s already the talk of the county anyway.
I’ve always liked to work on old cars and fix things up. I’m not deterred by the prospect of doing some work on something if I know I will end up with something that lasts me years. My mother has said that she and I are just too dumb to know when we are in over our heads. I have set out on many a road trip in a vehicle that is much older than I and had no issues at all (except for that engine I blew in my VW bus). Giving up some of the creature comforts we take for granted makes things fun for me as long as the third degree burns I get from the vinyl seat doesn’t leave a scar. It’s all fun and games until someone has a thigh that permanently looks like a waffle. Not pretty.
The majority of the cars around here (at least the four extras) are from the 60’s and 70’s, the tractors are from the 40’s and 50’s and the grain truck is from 1958. Those are years when they built stuff to last out of metal that was substantial. I love it. It also makes me sound like a grandpa. Or stingy.
When we got ready to move I knew just what tractor would be the first one (notice I said first). We needed something big to take care of the large jobs on the farm - a Farmall M. At the time that they were built they were the largest tractors made and worked millions of acres in this part of the country alone. Finding one around here is a bit of a challenge. Those that are still left and still running well are usually working on farms each day. It would be a challenge.
After lots of looking I found one about an hour southwest of the city we lived in. It looked good, had new tires, ran well, and had a front loader that went with it. It would be our “go-to” loader tractor. It seemed perfect except for the distance. By my closest estimate I figured that it was about an hour and 45 minutes (by car) due east of the new farm. The catch is that “road gear” on a tractor is about 16.473 MPH. Calling it road gears is really a misnomer. It should be called “slightly faster gear that will still make you want to slit your wrists”. I decided that the best thing to do would be to hook it to the pickup with a chain and pull it. We could go just a little bit faster, which just might add up in the long run. I was willing to do anything to reduce the sunburn I was going to get. Not to worry on that one.
I might just offer up at this point that Other did not grow up in the country doing things such as pulling tractors around. Other had never even been on a tractor. The only thing working in my favor at this point was ignorance of the task at hand. This was going to be fun. I had a feeling I would get one shot at this.
Fast forward to the middle of May when we got the tractor. Other was NOT happy about pulling me with the pickup. I explained that we wouldn’t go fast and that I would do all of the braking for us, so there wasn’t any danger of the tractor hitting the pickup. The country roads that we were slated to travel were not too busy. It all seemed doable. It also seemed how the captain of the Hindenburg probably explained his landing plan to the copilot.
The whole trip to get it Other griped about this process - being nervous and all. The idea was to drive it through the town where it was and then hook it to the pickup once we were in the country again. It seemed like the best way to control it and I DID NOT want people thinking this fine piece of 60 year old iron didn’t run. So, that’s what we did. I don’t want to bore your with the details, but the trip took FIVE HOURS!!! It was freezing cold and misting. I had myself bundled in everything I could find in the pickup to keep warm - I had a towel wrapped around my head and two coats zipped around me.. By the end of the trip I was so delirious that I was talking to the animals in the pasture beside the road. It was that much fun. I am pretty sure that anyone who saw us immediately knew we were freaks. The only thing that saved us was that I did not write the address of the new house on a sign and wear it around my neck.
I had certainly not anticipated the earful I would get at the end of this five hours. You would have thought Other had to pull the tractor by hand. The click of the flashers had been mind numbing. The passing vehicles had been nerve wracking. The hills had been too much to handle emotionally. I knew that just the sight of this tractor in the shed might cause Vietnam-style flashbacks. Oh, the drama.
Here is the tractor at the end of the trip. She looks happy, no? Ivana has provided us with many hours of service and never sputtered once (did I mention all of the old machinery gets named?). She likes her new home. Other staunchly refuses to drive her. In fact, I think I have seen a shiver at the sight of her. Maybe it is just the rush of warm memories.
Soooo, I had to call my brother. He was happy (I think) to drive on up and help out. He’s kind of like me - the lure of crawling all over some greasy old piece of machinery outweighs the torture. He and I also share this insanely nostalgic view of the past so if it resembles something dumb we would have done 25 years ago he’s ready to try it again. If given the chance to own all of the machinery we used growing up he would sell one or all of his children. Sadly, that stuff was old back when we used it, so I am going to need something more valuable than his children to swap.
Sure enough, it took two hours to get her home. After a week overhauling it she runs like a champ. I’m not saying there is much left of the muffler, but announcing one’s arrival is a good thing, right? She doesn’t look like much, but there isn’t a single dent in it, and I am only the third owner. She’s got such history. A coat of paint, and she’ll be the envy of the county. I’m sure it’s already the talk of the county anyway.
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