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
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