It's STILL Winter....

Despite the 60° weather we had over the past few days, we have - once again - returned to February. This morning we awoke to approximately 4" of new snow. The wind was also blowing (wind chills were below zero....). It is supposed to be cold for the next couple days, but up into the 50's by the end of the week.

I managed to get a few things done before the snow hit. I used the tractor to stir and move the bales I have composting. They seem to be doing fine - the whole pile has become a mass of hay, grass, and other items in various stages of decomposition.

I'll use some of it this spring in the garden.

I also moved some items that were in the way of some things I need to do around the chicken houses. One of these items was a claw foot tub that belongs to my sister. It's been sitting here for several years, since she doesn't have a place for it. I needed to get it moved and decided to just take it over to my brother's house. He will probably see her before I will.

I put it by the new garage he is building, behind his tractor.



I could have used it for a goat water tank, but then I'd have been in trouble.....

As I was using the loader to move stuff around and other things, I noticed that the cylinder for the bucket was leaking. I decided to take it to a shop to have the seals replaced. I left it at the shop with a note (and verbal instructions) that I only wanted the seals replaced, and to call me with an estimate.

Well - two days later, I get a call from the guy, saying he cut the rod end off, straightened it, welded it back together, ground the shaft, ground the barrel, polished the rod, and crossed hatched it. He hadn't even done what I told him to do, and his "estimate" was $228!

Needless to say, I was NOT happy......I had even called him the day after I dropped it off and made it CLEAR that I didn't want anything else done except seals.

I told him that there was NO way I could come up with anything even CLOSE to $228. To make a long story short - I ended up retrieving my cylinder - in several pieces - and paying him $25 for taking it apart (for doing work he shouldn't have). Now I have a cylinder that needed seals, that isn't usable, and I can't even put it back together and live with the leak, because he ruined the old seals taking it apart.

I found a BRAND NEW cylinder for less then half of what he wanted to charge me, so I will go with that.

It's amazing how some people can take a $50 job and turn it into a $250 joke, then expect you to pay for it. I don't think I'll be darkening his doorstep again anytime soon.

I guess that Western Meadowlark I heard calling on Thursday probably is not having a good weekend. He is probably thinking that he should have stayed down south a BIT longer. I heard him calling, and calling, and calling - and not receiving an answer. I guess his buddies are smarter - or slower fliers - then he is.....

Spring is just around the corner, and things will all be better....