FINALLY....

It's been raining off and on over the past week, and add it the other things we've been up to, and the grass in the front yard needs baled....er.....mowed. At last, this afternoon, I hopped on my little lawn tractor and clipped it down to bare earth - or something about 4" away.

Since my last experiment with haylige was molested by a hungry bovine who destroyed the bag it was in to get at what was inside, I decided it would be a good idea to "hide" this stuff. That way, miss Mabel will need to work at it in order to get at it.

There was one thing I used today that I never have had the chance to run since we got it. It's an old "lawn sweeper" that Deb's Uncle had when he died in 1994. He had a lawn care business in Independence, Missouri, and it was one of the things he had for his work.

I've not used it up until now because I never picked up the clippings! When I DID want to pick them up, the lawn we had was either too small, or I didn't have a lawn tractor to pull it.

It's nothing fancy - just a sweeper broom on the front that picks up the clippings and tosses them into a basket. It sure beats hand raking and allows me to dump all the clippings in one spot with a flip of a handle.

The BAD thing about it is, it takes multiple passes to get everything swept up! I still have to come behind it with a rake, but it isn't as much. I'm still experimenting with how I mow to keep the clippings in small enough "windrows" so the sweeper can pick them up.



The sweeper also has lost the "thread" out of one stitch along the side and bottom. I'll need to figure out how to fix that before I used it again. At least I know it DOES work, just not as good as I had hoped!

I got about 1/2 the lawn mowed, so I still have lots to do.

MAYBE I'll get back to it tomorrow.....

Guess I'm Gonna Hafta Buy Some Green Paint...

Ok - it MIGHT not be known to the whole world - or even much of the world outside of our Hillbilly Ranch - but I'm not a real big fan of John Deere.

I mean, they're ok, and all, but I grew up IH and learned to run a tractor on a Ford, so I tend to shy away from the Big Greenies.

Back in the 1960's, our neighbor down the road from our place had a "Johnny Popper". I don't know the model.

I DO, however, know the SOUND of that two cylinder motor.....POP...POP...POP...POP...

I remember running and hiding when I heard that thing heading down the road toward our farm.

Maybe that's why I never knew the model, huh?

Anyhow, that sound terrorized me when ever I heard it - and it STILL DOES - 40 years+ later. A couple of neighbor's run those old poppers to do light work. Occasionally, they drive by our place. That sound reaches my ears from a mile away, and the hair starts prickling up on the back of my neck.

I'm just glad I'm deaf in one ear, otherwise it would be TWICE as bad...

When it came time for me to buy a tractor, I knew I didn't want to be reminded of that sound every time I got on the tractor, so I passed up anything wearing green paint that I saw.

Of course, John Deere IMPLEMENTS don't make that annoying clatter, so I was safe with them. I'm actually "color blind" on most implements - as long as they work, I don't care.

It seems that a lot of things that "fell" my way happened to be covered in green (or rather, USED to be...).

The first was a 5 foot shredder that my brother had used, and used, and used. It was worn, but he sold it to me for $25, and I put another $18 into it. That was 8 years ago, and it still shreds.

Next came a 1950's model two row "Lister" planter. We bought this at an auction for $7. It has worked wonderfully for the past 5 years.

About 3 years ago, I drug home two John Deere Model "L" manure spreaders. I gave $25 to the man who owned them and hauled them out of his fence row. I spent about $20 on nuts and bolts for one, and it has been slingin' rather well since.

Now comes tonight. I was making some eggs and pancakes for supper (breakfast for supper thing this weekend....) when the phone rang. It was a friend of mine who lives about 15 miles southwest of here. He told me he had a plow to GIVE me.

Naturally, I hemmed and hawed....

RIGHT...

He came over about 30 minutes later to drop it off. I THINK it's a Model #52 on steel from the mid 1940's. The coulters are gone (one mount is actually an IH mount...), and a few other pieces will need TLC, but it's in pretty good shape.



With this type of plow, you get to the end of the furrow, pull a rope, and the plow rides a "dog" in the wheel hubs to pull out of the ground. When you are ready to start plowing again, you pull the rope again, and it rides back down to engage the ground.

It's been about 30 years since I plowed with one, so it will be a learning experience all over again.

At any rate, I am glad to have it, and very thankful that Kirk was thinking of me when he found it.

I am up to just under $100 for 4 pieces of usable equipment.

The green paint to cover them all will probably cost more then that.....

Sinking Some TEETH Into It....

A few years back, we had a chain of stores in the Midwest (the REAL Midwest, not the Ohio Valley Midwest....) called Country General.

It's a convoluted mess, so suffice it to say -

They went "belly up"......

During their last few days in business, they were DRASTICALLY discounting EVERYTHING in the stores. Sometimes, if you got there at the right time - and were REALLY lucky, you could find an incredible deal on something.

One of those incredible deals we happened to run across was on a 3 point PHD (Post Hole Digger) for my tractor. It was during a 70% off day, and it was in a pile that was considered "tractor parts". I had convinced my wife that I couldn't live without one, so she figured out a way to get it.

She got her trusty calculator out and figured on it until smoke was coming out the back, and we had the necessary $120 we'd need. We loaded up the parts - along with several other things - and headed to the check out.

When the checker got done, she told us our total was something like $8.29. Both of us - almost in unison - told her that there must be a mistake. After checking things over, the checker told us, "Nope, that's it".

Now, to make a longer story shorter, we ended up arguing with her AND the manager about the price, but they told us that everything was as it should be, so we headed out the door with my new PHD that we paid a whooping $1.20 for (yes, ONE DOLLAR and TWENTY CENTS).

I have DEFINITELY got my money's worth from this machine! I don't know how many holes I've put into the ground with it, but it has to be in the hundreds. I use it all of the time, whether it's for fence, building a shed, or planting trees. It has even been used to drill the hole to place our beloved dog, Crystal, in her final resting place.

While the original 14" auger is the one I use the most, I was given a 12", and bought a 9" at an auction this winter for $4. So now I can drill a small hole for a small post.

Lately, I have been trying to fence in part of the farmstead beside the barn. It doesn't get much use, so it gets over grown a lot. I figured that the goats could help me take care of the problem.

Several of the posts were small, so the 9" auger would do. However, I wanted to use Rail Road ties as gate posts, so I'd need the 14" to drill those.

Things went well with the 9" auger, it drilled right into the dry ground with ease. The 16" was a different story - it fought and fought, then flat refused to dig anymore.

I had wore out the "teeth" on the tip of the auger a long time ago, and had replaced them, then wore THAT set out, and replaced THEM. Now this set was so badly rounded off on the outside, that the ends of the auger flighting weren't even cutting into the soil.



New teeth at Tractor Supply, Orschlens, etc, were in the $25 range for 4 teeth. Not having any cash, but having lots of scrap metal, I figured on making a set or two. Since the metal would have to be durable and at least 1/2" thick, I had the perfect solution.

A grader blade bit.

I used a chop saw to cut off two pieces that were 2" wide and as long as the grader bit was wide.

I had learned long ago that the bolt you are SUPPOSED to use to fasten the tooth onto the auger with, will NEVER stay tightened for ever. They always work loose, then the tooth turns and doesn't work.

To end the frustration, I just weld the tooth to the auger, and am done with it. If I need to change a tooth - like I did today - I grind the weld off, clean it up, and weld on the new tooth.

The worn tooth in the above photo started out life the same size as the red one in this photograph:



The bigger tooth in the photo is the one I made. The other is a store bought one. Experience has also taught me to not put the on "straight" - angle them to the outside just a little and they cut in SOOOO much better.

I used it to drill the last three holes this afternoon, and was amazed at how well it cut. This auger has NEVER cut this good before. These teeth SHOULD last for quite a "bit" longer (pun intended...) then the ones I bought.

I just wish I had thought of it sooner......

Super Gate

You might remember the story from a few days ago about my "Heavy Duty Gate". If you don't, you can read about it HERE:

Now, the only reason I'm re-telling you this is because SOMEONE ran into the gate with the trailer the other day. It was while we were collecting "parts" of the corn crib.

All of the bottom sections, the air tunnel, floor, and some "odd-n-ends" were loaded up on a 28' trailer for transport. It was a willy-nilly load that stuck out past the trailer for a good 3' on each side.

Since it protruded from the trailer, when the load passed through the gate, it caught on the very outside end of the gate, causing it to "ride up" on the load. This caused the weld to break on the hinge.

It didn't take much to dislodge the gate from the trailer, just backing up did the trick, but the gate was just dangling from it's post.

It wasn't until today that I got the chance to fix it. I had to chain up the gate, unbolt the hinge mount, and weld the loops back to the mount, then put it all back together.

You'd THINK that it would go back on real quick and easy......

Nope...

It fought me every step of the way. FINALLY, with blocks, chains, my loader, and a tractor jack, I managed to get it back on it's post. I'm just glad it was a nice cool day....

Oh yeah....I can neither confirm, nor deny any knowledge of who was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.....

Speaking of hinges....

Along with the other goodies I got from the homestead next door, came several posts. A good number of these came with "Hinge Bolts" attached. If you are confused - a hinge bolt is the "L" shaped bracket that screws into the post, and fits into a "loop" on the gate. Put both sides together to make a complete hinge.

Anyhoo - I ended up with a lot of these bolts, but not very many loops. I checked online and a couple of stores, but found that the ones I needed were over $10 EACH.
This would NEVER do....

Flash back to 3-4 years ago - I did some tractor work for a friend's sister. I, basically, helped her clean up around her place so she could mow easier. In return, she gave me a few livestock panels that were set in metal frames.

These frames were MASSIVELY heavy, so I removed them and have since been using the metal for all kinds of projects. Part of the metal was 1/8" x 1 1/2" strap. It was kinda twisted and bent, but I ended up keeping a pile of it. I had NO IDEA what I was going to use it for.

Well - yesterday, I decided that it was time to use some of it up. I knew that I will be needing some hinges for a couple of gates in the near future, so I made these:




I'll still clean them up and paint them, but they will work fine. These are called "strap hinges".

I still need to build the gates - but I'm ready to hang them!

Gettin' The Crib - Part Two

For those of you following along at home - and you know who you are - we last left this saga yesterday afternoon, with the top half of the corn crib sitting on my neighbor's trailer - with his pickup still attached, and the whole thing waiting to be unloaded behind my chicken house.

At least we got it home....

This morning, we pick up the story right where we left off - the spot of ground where the crib is to go needed leveling.

At 0755 this morning, my neighbor is coming down my driveway in his Bobcat to level the ground for me. It didn't need TONS of leveling, but the ground sloped about a foot in the area. Level isn't super-critical for this project, but it's nice to get it close.

As soon as Frankie began digging, the "Inspectors" started showing up.



Of course, as soon as one inspector shows up, pretty soon you have more.



As with ANY construction job, there are "hoops" to jump through, procedures to follow, and inspectors to be hassled by. Pretty soon, you find out that there are more inspectors then workers. They have a way of knit-pecking their way around the entire project - and doing nothing but getting in the way



That's when accidents happen. Somebody gets caught up in their work, and isn't paying attention and, first thing you know, they're running for their life - and wanting to blame it on the equipment operator.



Despite the best efforts of the inspectors to delay the project, we managed to finish the leveling, and position the crib where it belongs.



As you can see, they weren't exactly happy about it. That's the thing with inspectors, they ALWAYS tend to grumble about SOMETHING...

At any rate, the crib is now where I want it. We had everything done and his equipment was on it's way home by 9:00. It will need a bit of "tweaking", but it's at least THERE. For reference, the lip of the roof is about even with my jaw - and I'm 6'7"......

Gettin' The Crib....

A few months ago, I managed to latch onto a really nice wire corn crib. It was sitting on a farm about 3 1/2 miles from here. I had driven past it several times, and decided to call the owner to find out what his plans for it were. He told me that it hadn't been used in 30 years, so he didn't need it.

I had hoped to get it out of his property before now but things just didn't work out to where it could be done.

Last Friday, my neighbor told me that he'd like to get it taken care of today (Monday 24 Aug). I was glad to have the help, and glad to be able to finally bring it home.

Our plan was: (1) Remove a section on two opposite sides, so that we could hold the top and roof with our loader tractors. (2) Chain the top to our loader buckets and support it. (3) Remove the wires tying the top and roof to the 4 posts around the outside of the crib. (4) Cut the posts at the ground to get them out of the way. Pull the last ramaining bottom sections out of the way. (6) Gently lower the top to the ground.

This morning we started the process of taking it down for moving. We used a cutting torch to remove a BUNCH of rusted old bolts that held the lower sections together.

Things went pretty smooth. The old rusty bolts didn't put up much of a fight. The worst ones were the bottom bolts. They had sunk into the ground a couple of inches. It was a good thing that they only went in THAT far. This crib had been standing where it was since the late 1940's, so it was luck that it hadn't sunk further. We only had to cut four buried bolts, anyway, two front, and two back. This made the bottom come apart in 4 sections.

This is the front section gone. Our friend and neighbor, Frankie, is moving the ladder.


Here, we have the rear section gone, and are ready for the tractors. You can see the heavy wire that is holding the top section to the posts.



After we hooked up the loaders to the roof section, we had to untie the wire that held it to the posts.



We figured that we need a chainsaw to cut the posts off at the ground for the next step. We were shocked, amazed, and thankful, that the posts shoved over with little effort. This let the rest of the lower sections fall away so we could lower the top half.



Now, we GENTLY started to lower the top to the ground. We wanted to get it on the ground FIRST, then we'd pick it up a couple feet to get the trailer under it. We figured that DOWN would be a GOOD thing, we could pick it back up later.

We moved about 4' down, when my side "popped" over the lip on my loader bucket. It was chained, so it couldn't go any further, but it did make the whole thing tilt a little (...ok...a LOT...).



As Divine Providence would have it, it was a SLOW tilt. Once the front touched the ground, it was a simple matter to lower the rest until the whole thing was on the ground.



We placed a log underneath Frankie's side (the one with the yellow Minneapolis-Moline tractor) so we could get the chain out. All that was left was to load it up and head for home.

Here it is ALMOST loaded. We strapped it on, and hit the dusty trail....er.....road.



I followed along in my pickup behind Frankie as he brought it home. He stopped at his house for lunch, then brought it on down to our house afterwards.



Home at LAST!



We left it on the trailer for now, so we can do a little bit of dirt scraping, but at least it is here now. It won't take much to get it off of the trailer. I hope to use the top part as a turkey house.

Then again, maybe I'll get those Peacocks I've been wanting - now that I have a place for them.

Heavy Duty Gate

A couple of years ago, the farm next to us sold to another neighbor. There were several old buildings on the place, and quite a few old posts, rolls of wire, gates, and cattle panels.

The new owner wanted to farm the place - and install a center pivot irrigation system - so the farmstead needed to be removed. He told me that I could have as much stuff as I wanted, except for the gates.

I came home with lots of wood, tin, posts, etc, and even a 12' x 18' granary intact.

Among the items I (literally) drug home, were to corral panels that were 18' long. These "monsters" are EXTREMELY heavy, and a pain to work with. I had no idea what to use the on - at first.

After a week or two, I decided to put them on top of the hill to be used as a gate to enter the hay field we have. This would serve two purposes - (1) keep them up in the air so they wouldn't rust to death, and (2) allow me to have an intimidating gate on the top of the hill.

So, I pulled out a couple of long railroad ties and drilled a couple of holes. After bolting on an angle iron with loops welded to them (so I could hang the gates), I lifted them up with the loader, and set them on the gate posts. I knew that they'd be heavy and hard to move, but this at least, got them out of the way.

At first, I planned on using both of them for the gate, but I decided against it. It's not really necessary to have a single gate over 36' wide....I'll eventually move the second one to a future, "as yet to be determined" location...

I had also been planning to cut up an old ear corn elevator to use as a "raised bed garden". I had brought it home 3-4 years ago, and hemmed and hawed about what to use it for. I HAD designs of making a goat feeder (or 3, or 4...) out of it, but the garden idea finally won out.

As a "by product" of cutting the elevator up, I had several good parts to find other uses for. One of those uses was cutting the elevator's axle and attaching it to the gate to make it roll easier. I FINALLY got the task done this week!



The gate moves MUCH easier now, even with the tire not being totally full of air. It is a 15" tire, so it shouldn't be hard to find a replacement - if need be. It's fairly bald, but won't see many miles, so should last a long time.

There are a few "odds & ends" that are needed to finish the job - like a brace post, the gate/brace post for the other end, and a couple of spacers - but it works great now.



The bottom of the gate is about 5" above the ground, and moves pretty easy - even over the unmowed grass.

Not that it will tell you anything different then what I have written, but here is a short video of it:



Now that the gate is there, all I need is the fence to go along with it......

Fishing For Goats....

It's the latest sporting craze (or is that crazy....?) to hit these parts.

Ok - to hit this hillbilly farm.

No license, no game stamps, no boats, no game wardens, just pure fun.

First off, to catch those unsuspecting "big ones" you have to be just as crafty and wiley as your intended targets. I like to use a new kind of "fishing" pole that is perfect for this type of adventure. It's lightweight, cheap, not really durable, and actually not very long. Don't worry, though, most goats are caught close to "shore".

The best thing about this newfangled fishing pole is -- it's EDIBLE. there's no mess involved with trying to bait it, and NO HOOKS!

Of course, this makes it not very reusable, too, so you need to bring along several.

Once you get all set up in a nice comfortable spot, then all you do is hold your pole out over the "water".



It won't be long (usually a matter of seconds....) before that trophy sized "fish" is reaching up to take the bait.



If you look close, you can just see the jaws of one closing around the pole.

Sometimes, you might get lucky and be able to reel in even THREE at a time:



More often then not, though, they steal your bait. They enjoy it, too. I've gone through a couple pickup loads of poles, and they always seem to get away.
Oh well, I DO have fun trying.....

One last thing though - if you do decide to take part in this sport - just remember: As in any type of fishing, sometimes you latch on to one who's just too small, and you have to toss them back....

City Girl Hits The Farm...

This past week, we have had our niece (great-niece, actually...) staying with us on the farm. She has visited a few times, but this is the first time she has actually been here without her parents.

We picked her up last Saturday, and took her to a tractor show. She had a LOT of fun - especially when we came to the corn shelling displays. She kept shelling until she had filled a five gallon bucket.

She needs to come back when I have some ear corn....

She's been bored a few times - what 11 year old isn't - but has been having fun doing things with Aunt Deb and even with me.

One of the first things she learned was how to milk a goat. I showed her, then used her finger as a goat teat to let her feel what she had to do.

She was a little puzzled at first but then I used an analogy that every pre-teen can understand.....

"Think of her teat as a WATER BALLOON...."

For some reason, that hit home and the light bulb came on.

Now, most people, when they are first learning to milk, struggle to get a squirt from the one holding the milk. Not so with Jazmine. She kept at it and was getting good, steady streams in no time flat. We even tried a second goat. She mastered that one as well.

I held the hind leg of the first goat because we weren't sure if she would kick or not, since the hands on her teats were new. It turned out that I didn't need to - Annie stood just fine.



Here is her turn at milking Sassy. Note that she is using her LEFT hand.



I'd say it was pretty durn good for the first time.

She also had fun feeding the chickens and collecting eggs. At night, she helped with getting the milk goats into their stalls, feeding them and saying good night. She has been a really big help in the barn.

On Thursday, I decided to let her have a turn at driving the 8N.

We drove around awhile with me sitting behind her on the seat until she got used to how the tractor steers. I taught her how to take off and stop, and how to turn.
Then she was ready for her solo. This is her checking things out before she takes off:



She has been help in the house, too. She joined in when we separated milk, then made cheese.

Of course, she was right in there when Deb made cookies and brownies....

On Wednesday, we took a trip to Nebraska City to go through Arbor Day Farms. If any of you are unfamiliar with Arbor Day do a Google search for it and Jay Sterling Morton. Very interesting reading.

It was hot, and tiring, but a fun day. We even managed to visit a person with goats on the way home and bought two that we had to pick up on Thursday. It meant another trip, but the two goats will be nice to have.

It's been hot in the afternoons, so we haven't been doing a LOT of heavy work outside. Instead, we have been playing UNO, and a couple of other games.

She's quite the card shark, too...

She has to go home soon, but it has been fun having her here. She's learned a lot while she has been here.

Maybe she'll be able to come back next summer.....

Hay There....

AT LAST! The weather this week has decided to co-operate! It has been DRY all week (well....up to Wednesday night...), so people have been haying and cutting wheat while they can.

We managed to cut some hay down for a neighbor on Sunday. It was THICK Brome, with a few other goodies mixed in (like Red Clover...).

We knew from the git-go that it would take three to four days to dry, due to how tall, thick and full it was. That's why we had been stymied for so long on getting it cut.

I ended up with several nice flat rows out of the haybine:




Since it was going to be in the 90's, and even a little BREEZE, I left the hay dry until Tuesday afternoon, when I raked the haybine rows over so the bottom could toast in the sunshine.

By noon on Wednesday, it was ready to bale.

I Hitched up to the baler, and headed north. That's when I hit trouble....

The baler has a "movable" tongue. You pin it to the right for "transport" mode, then move it left for "field" mode. Usually, I have no trouble with moving it either way. THIS time, however, it decided to fight me. I positioned it so I'd be pushing up hill, then blocked the tire with a 4x4 block.

Unfortunately, the baler decided that it would ride over the 4x4....

After going around in circles a couple of times, it decided to stay blocked and gave in. The tongue moved to field mode.

The hay was in single windrows, but still pretty thick, so it was slow going on some of it. I just let the baler "chew" the hay inside, then moved ahead. It was a small field, so it didn't take a LONG time (it always seems like it takes longer then it does, though....).

We weren't able to use the bale basket, because it was such a small field (1.5 to 2 acres), so I dialed the baler down to make the bales small and light. The neighbor helped us load until he had to leave. As it turned out, the bales were nice and "crispy" dry, and easy to work with.

All-in-all we started baling at 1:30 pm, and the hay was in the barn by 4:30.

The man cutting wheat didn't get to the two fields I will bale for straw yet, but he will next week. At least straw is (usually) nicer to work with then hay. We don't know how many straw bales it will yield but, it won't be tons. I'll need about 25 bales for winter - it will be enough for that, and I'll have the rest to sell.

I love baling hay. I am always thankful when it's done - and spend the next 2-3 days in pain - but it is one of my favorite things to do. The loading and unloading of the hay rack is a "back killer", but what has to be done, has to be done...

It always seems that the day you choose to do hay, the weather turns out HOT, HUMID, and NO WIND.

Last year, we were over at Deb's parents house when her dad had some hay down. Naturally, the weather was normal for haying. After baling, we loaded the bales onto a low trailer, and headed for the barn. Her dad uses an Allis-Chalmers Rotobaler, so the bales were small.

(an interesting side note - the original design for the small round baler was drawn up by a man from Seward County, Nebraska - in 1910. He sold the rights to Allis-Chalmers in 1940)

At any rate, when we backed up to his barn, I couldn't believe my eyes!

There, in all it's glory was the most INCREDIBLE thing....

SHADE!

I made the comment to Deb's dad and brother that it was the first time in my life that I had unloaded hay into a barn in the shade. It is usually 102° and nasty hot.

Somewhere along the way, I - sarcastically - made the comment that "it's just not right to load hay in the shade, you have GOT to cut down those trees."

Unfortunately, her dad took it seriously. The trees came down last fall...

Yup. I really enjoy haying. My favorite part is probably raking, them baling, and third, mowing.

Now - if I could only find a couple of nice strong High School boys who would work for food.....

Another side note....
Happy Birthday to my niece, Bonnie! She's living in New Jersey and was born on July 4th!

Finally....

Well, the Weather Gypsies happened to be CLOSE to right this week. We actually got two days almost RAIN FREE!

Like the saying goes - "Make hay while the Sun shines....".

So we did.

I managed to cut a little hay on Monday afternoon. It took awhile to get started because of:

(1) HUMIDITY - It was NASTY out. You almost needed swimming lessons just to be outside.

(2) HAYBINE - Since this was the first time I had used this haybine with this tractor, we had to do a little "trial and error" in order to find what works best.

(3) RAIN - It rained Monday morning about 3/10ths. Sometime about 3:00 AM. The Gypsies didn't expect that one...

(4) MYSTERY BREAKDOWN - I was going along great when, all of a sudden, the haybine quits cutting. Everything moves, except the cutter bar. It took me about 20 minutes to find the culprit - a bent tooth. It was bent enough to catch, but not enough to find easily. I bent it back, then went on my way.

All-in-all, though, it wasn't a bad day. I got the hay cut in about 2 1/2 hours, then was able to relax a bit. My old New Holland 469 Haybine has cut a LOT of hay in it's time, and is still going. It has it's little troubles, but is a good machine still. I was also cutting a field that was previously never hayed. It had a few sticks in it to make noises and kick up.

Deb took my camera and made a short video:



Since it is really fine Native Prairie Grass (with some wild flowers mixed in...), it takes a haybine to cut it. It also doesn't take long to dry.

By 11:00 on Tuesday, it was ready to be raked. Some of the field had been cut about
2 1/2 weeks ago - when the weather gypsies said it wasn't going to rain. I had cut about an acre when the clouds formed. It didn't rain that day, but it rained the next. I managed to pick up what I had cut, but had been waiting for good weather ever since.

Here is a video of my 1949 Ford 8N pulling the Dearborn 14-42 rake of the same era:



Now it was time to hitch up the New Holland 273 Hayliner and get ready to go bale.

We let the hay dry until 3:30, then dove right in. I hooked up the homemade "Bale Basket" to the rear of the baler. I use this to catch the bales as they fall off of the baler chute. The basket collects them, then dumps them when I pull a rope attached to a lever.

It makes it REAL handy....it leaves the bales in piles of 8-10, instead of having singles dropped all over the field. Picking up the bales this way is a lot easier and less time consuming.

Here is a video of the baler and basket at work:



I had one bale in the basket that had a broken twine. Somehow, the baler tied it to the next bale in line. I stopped later and rebaled it.

It's nice having the hay in the barn, not in the field. We had it picked up and put inside by 7:30 last night.

Of course, right after we finished, the breeze came up and the humidity went down.....

I have some more hay to bale in a few days - weather permitting, and then some straw when a neighbor gets his wheat cut.

Even though it was HOT, I have always enjoyed haying. My back, hips, and knees won't let me enjoy it like I USED to, but it is still fun. I won't get much done in the next couple days - I'll be recovering.

But it was worth it.

Busy Making Mods...

A few years ago, I bought a set of "Omaha Standard" Oak stock racks at a farm sale for 50¢. They were in really good shape but came off of a Chevy pickup. I never knew why nobody else bid on them.

I had to do some modifications in order to get them to fit onto my 1979 Ford F-150 (I THOUGHT I was going to use them on it, at the time....). Mostly, this involved moving the stakes. It wasn't long before I modified them again. This time to fit my 1997 F-150. I had to narrow the front cap about 3', and some other minor things.

In the Fall of 2007, I sold the 97 and bought a 2003 short bed F-150. It was time to get out the saw, and modify them AGAIN! This time, I also got rid of the annoying rear door that never did slide right. I replaced it with a section of combination cattle panel. It works MUCH better...

Now, I find that I need to modify them yet again! I need to haul adult goats, dogs, chickens, and bottle babies at the same time, not to mention assorted "odds-n-ends" to go with them.

I also needed to be able to do this without adding a lot of weight, and make it easy to "disassemble". Either that, or go all out and just build a "slide in camper with several apartments".

I decided to go with the "easy to disassemble"....

I built a divider to go across between the wheel wells, so I could put bottle babies behind it. Then, I divided THAT space into a 60/40 area so the dog and pup could ride there. I added a small shelf 24" off of the floor over the bottle babies, so I could put in chicken cages. The whole back 2/3 of the bed is where the adult goats will ride.

I "topped" it all off (pun intended) with a nice "roof" that will keep everyone inside. It's mesh, so it will let plenty of air and sunlight in, but will prevent "escapes". It would be easy to add a tarp in case of rain.

I still have a few "finishing touches" but, as a whole, it's pretty close to being done. It's only taken me most of 3 days...Eventually, I want to get some brackets and bolts to fasten it on with but, for now, it will just have to be wired.

What's a Hillbilly to do?

I'm thinking of tying an old rocking chair to the top, just to irritate people!

I still remember the stock racks we used the first time we hauled goats back from Missouri.
Here is a link to that story:

POKE HERE

Hey, you use what ya gots.....

"Tis The Season....

I don't plant much, but what I DO plant has to get into the ground SOMETIME.
Once again, this year, a neighbor gave me some leftover seed corn that will be put to good use. Last year, I harvested enough to keep my chickens fed for most of the winter (and some for the goats, too...). It saved a lot of money for us.

This year, I planted almost the same amount. I would have liked to plant more, but didn't have a larger field ready. This will have to do - for now. Maybe next year.

I had the stalks from last year shredded down, and had been putting the "cleanings" out of the barn on it all winter, so it SHOULD have some good fertilizer this time.

My neighbor came over and used his disc, earlier in the week, and I harrowed it to smooth it out. I figured that yesterday (Saturday) was a good time to plant it.

It was in the mid 40's when I finished milking and the other chores, and a bit breezy, but I got the planter and tractor ready to go.

The old John Deere 2 row Lister has planted a lot of corn (and milo). I used my IH 454 to plant with it last year, with mixed results. While having more horsepower then the 8N, it also had "hydrostatic steering". This is like power steering in your car, only WAY more touchy. It works great for loader work, but is a pain for any field work.

The 8N is MUCH better suited for working in the field.

So, I greased, and oiled the planter and tractor, then put gas in the tractor - and seed in the lister - and headed out.

Here is a photo of what I use to plant:



Deb came out and took a few photos of me planting. This one is during a round, and then one when I stopped to make sure I still had seed. I finished up with about 1/2 a coffee can left over. I'll probably toss it out by the creek - and maybe it will sprout.





When I bought this planter at a farm sale (I paid $7 for it), it didn't have lids on the seed cans. I did some measuring and called a John Deere dealership about finding some. I was told that they were available but, they cost $75 EACH.

Not gonna happen.....

We took a trip to Deb's mom and dad's place shortly after that. I noticed a "popcorn can" there, with a lid. I thought it looked close, so I measured it. Come to finding out, it was a about 1/4" too big. At least it was CLOSE. We went to an auction later that day, where I spotted 4 popcorn can lids in a pile of "stuff". I was bidding against a lady who wanted the other things in the pile, so I made a deal with her. She bought the pile for $2, and I gave her 25¢ each for the two lids I wanted.

When I got home, I took the lids and compared them to the planter seed cans. They were just a little too large for the cans, so I took out my trusty pliers and bent a small "dent" in three places on the top lip of the can.



Now the lids fit pretty well, and have never blown off, even in the 60+mph winds we've had.

One of these days, I need to put some paint on the planter.

What do you think?

Red?

The Weekend Is Off To A Rocky Start....

Since it was a nice morning - and I had the tractor up on the hill already - I decided to finish the job of picking rocks out of the pasture.

I had shoved most of them together with the loader, so it wasn't too bad of a project. I hooked up the trailer to the pickup, and headed out. It ended up being two loads on the trailer, and a pile in the pickup.

Like I posted before, the "head size" and smaller rocks will go either on the driveway, or around the water tank for the goats. A couple of the larger ones (probably 700-800 pounders) will go at select spots around the yard.

The rest of the bigger ones - including one that will weigh in at close to 1000 pounds - will be tossed out in one of the goat pens for them to play on - unless we need them elsewhere.

To load them, I scooped them up with my loader, then dumped them onto the trailer. Unloading them was a matter of pointing the trailer down hill, then lunging forward....

Here is part of one load of rocks still one the trailer. The large one in the middle (on top) will weigh about 750 pounds, and will live next to our driveway:



I had already unloaded a good sized pile for around the water tank:



There is a lot of weight on the trailer. Here is a shot of the "goat pile" after I was finished. The one in the top left corner is the largest one. It doesn't LOOK big in the photo, but it is pretty good sized.



To finish the job, I went back up the hill with my back blade on the Ford 4000 and filled the holes. I then took my 8N and the homemade tine harrow out to 'smooth' the areas.

It was interesting in that all but one of the rocks we removed were on the top of the hill in an area of about 1 acre. An old fence line was the dividing line. There are still 5-6 rocks up there, but they are "just poking through", and won't hamper mowing any, so they get to stay.

Here is what it looks like now:



I have one more pile of small rocks that came from this area. I think I'll move the water tank (again) before I pile these up around it. One of these days, I'll have it where I need it.....

Yesterday afternoon I found the first mushrooms of the spring (for me). I gave half to my neighbor, and I'll have some for lunch today.....MMMMMMMMM.

We decided to drive around the countryside after that, so Deb could take a few photos. We were only gone a couple of hours, but she took over 200 photos. Good thing it's digital, and not film.....

We weren't back more then 10-15 minutes when a good friend drove in. I was in the middle of milking, so he had to stand and watch me finish and then feed the youngsters. He ended up staying for a couple of hours, and we had a nice visit.

This morning, I found out we have ANOTHER con man in the barn. Another of the older "bottle babies" got his bottle, then decided to sneak his face into the pan for extra. It's ok, though, that means I have one less to bottle feed! He won't get a bottle next time. It's odd, they drink water from a pan, but equate milk to a bottle (nipple). Sooner or later, the 'light' comes on and they "get it".

Deb took some good photos of the youngest kids playing when we let them out in the morning. To see more of her photos, click HERE. You might have to go to the next page for goat photos, though....

I keep the littlest ones separate at night because they are a lot smaller then the other ones. We've lost one baby to "piling", and don't want to lose any more. They pile up in a stack to keep warm at night. If you're the guy on the bottom, you better hope that you are also the biggest, so you don't get squished....

I have found out one thing about bottle feeding. If you use the little red and yellow nipples that screw onto a 16 ounce pop bottle, I've found that not all bottles will work. I know that Dr Pepper bottles do not have 'deep' enough threads, and the nipples will leak. Sprite bottles don't seal well either. Mountain Dew bottles are the best. Since they work the best, and that's what I drink, I'm happy.....

Deb likes Dr Pepper, though.....

Prison Time.....

Well, that's it. Dress me in an orange jump suit.....

This morning, my neighbor decided that it was a good day to go to my pasture and dig rocks. It was foggy, dreary, threatening rain - but surprisingly warm.

I had asked him a few days ago if he could help remove several of the bigger rocks out of this part of the pasture so I could mow it this year for hay. This morning wasn't good for much else, so away we went.

My first thought was that old song:

Workin' on the Chain Gang....."

Ok, so it was MUCH easier the way we did it. We had almost ZERO manual labor (I didn't even get my hands dirty....). He brought his Bobcat over and used the teeth on the bucket to dig them out. It actually only took us about 45 minutes to pull out about 18 good sized rocks, and a bunch of smaller ones.

This is the first one we dug. It was also probably the largest, although, several others were close.



Here is the same rock, with my hat to show size reference.



A lot of these were "icebergs". There was just a small part of it showing above ground - just enough to mess with the mower - while the main "body" of the rock was under ground.

One of the rocks we worked on turned into a "mess". It started out with digging ONE rock. When we got under it, we found one right next to it. THEN, the more we dug, the more rocks we found! We ended up pulling several out, and then not worrying about the rest. We made sure that they were buried, then quit.



Now there are several holes to fill and smooth but, that will be easy. I still have this hole to fill, too:



This is from a large rock that was taken a few years ago. The guy who took it promised to fill the hole. I was told by several people that he'd never do it. Guess they were right. I can just fill it while I'm doing the rest of them. I have been dumping ashes in it for the past few years, and have it about half full.

My NEXT problem is finding a spot to put all of the rocks. For now, I will just pile the bigger ones up, and toss the "head" sized (and smaller) around the "goat tank" for stepping stones.

We brought home three more free chickens last night. I put them in with the other ones when we got home, and let them out this morning. The hen of the bunch is adjusting nicely.

The two roosters, however, have been in a constant fight with somebody since they got out this morning. I've seen one of them fighting 4 different birds. He's gonna wear himself out and get pummeled, if he ain't careful....

The goats are all piled up in the barn. They are afraid they are going to melt if they get wet outside.

Maybe they'll do some "bonding" while they're cooped up......

Haven't Had Much Spare Time....

Lately.

I had been battling a cold for awhile last week, then Deb caught it, then.....

It between all that, I managed to eek out trips to two auctions, a couple of scrounge trips, company, baby goats, fence work, a wild storm and pig twicking.....

The last auction was this past Saturday (21 March 2009) I didn't get anything TOO spectacular but, I managed to bring home about 1000 "Bin Bolts" for my corn crib. I will probably end up cutting the existing bolts out in order to remove them. The $6 I spent on these bolts (and nuts/washers) will DEFINITELY save a BUNCH of money.
I also bought some good Hedge (Osage Orange) posts for 75¢ each....

Deb had a friend of hers (and her son) come for a visit last Friday and stay until Monday morning. Her son spent a lot of time outside, playing with our goats, LGD, and cats. He threatened to take Tractor Buddy home with him.

The cat told me that she DID NOT want to move back to Missouri.....

On Saturday - before the auction - I was in the barn to feed everyone, when I found Rosie (one of our Nubian goats) had had a baby. He was fairly small. Deb kept an eye on her so I could go to the auction. She called me a little after noon to say Rosie had had three kids - all boys.

I also received a call from the lady we got Rosie and Winnie from last fall. She said she had some male kids she needed to get ride of, too. She was running out of room, so she needed me to pick them up as soon as I could.

Sunday was fairly warm, but with a cool breeze, so it never developed into a great weather day. I did manage to "pig twick" some sticks out of part of the hay field, though.

Our visitors went home on Monday morning - just in time to miss the really big wind.

It started late morning - blowing sustained at over 35 mph, with gusts as high as 65 mph. I kept an eye on the radar, and decided that I'd better milk and get everyone to bed a little early. I was pleasantly surprised that ALL of the chickens were already in the coop by 4:30. They knew it was coming and baled....

I finished up feeding, milking, and bedding down at 5:20 and headed for the house. About 10 minutes later, the rain hit. It only rained for about 10 minutes, but it came down HARD. I didn't have the rain gauge out, but estimate about a half inch. Things weren't particularly wet.

Our neighbor had some damage, but we only had minor stuff - our dead TV antenna committed suicide, and 3-4 shingles are gone from my shop roof.

It could have been worse, there were several tornadoes in nearby counties. The lady we got the goats from said one was within a mile of her house.

I decided Tuesday (24 March 2009) would be the day to pick up or new goats. Since it was a COLD windy day, I hooked up the horse trailer I had scrounged a couple years ago for it's maiden voyage. I could have put the stock racks on the pickup, but it would have been a BIT breezy. In hind-sight, I'm glad I decided on the trailer.

In addition to the 5 baby goats, she also gave us 4 adult Does! Two are Nubian's, and the other two are Alpines. We've never had Alpines before, but they are a large goat. Deb thinks they look funny - their ears are erect - but I think they are kind of pretty. Four of the 5 babies are also Alpine. They are one day old and already bigger then the week old Nubian kid.

Here is a photo of the Does:



An Alpine kid photo:



And Deb spoiling the Nubian kid:



There are more photos here:

While we were loading goats and talking, I said that I had brought a cage for any stray chickens she had. So we set about with fishing "dip nets", to capture wayward fowl. I ended up with 11 more - several of which are hens - to add to the collection at our place. Two are Americauna hens, and several are a nice shiny Black Sumatra crosses. They are VERY pretty birds.

I have a LOT of work to do in the barn, and more fence to get done. I have about 50' of fence, and a creek crossing, that HAS to get done before May first, but I've got a good start on it.

I also even found time to get rid of 4-5 small stumps out of the edge of the hayfield. Just doing that will give me another 15' wide swath to mow.

We might even have SNOW this weekend! Not much, but it's time for spring.

I'm ready.

A couple of new things.....

It's been a week, or so, of "new" around here.....

First, there was a "new" (to us) car for Deb. We have been looking for a used Ford Taurus for about a year now. We never even look at the "off brands" - we're only interested in quality - and that means FORD. The local Ford dealer found a Taurus for us in Lincoln last week, so we brought it home.

It's a darker red color, so it goes well with MY pickup......

The first "mission" we took the car on, we brought back "Yani" our new LGD.

She has been well worth bringing her here, in just the first few days.

We heard her barking one morning, and looked outside to check. Sure enough, there were 6 goats out by the end of the driveway. Yani was barking loudly, and looking in their direction.

Luckily, the "not-so-bright-at-times" goats, showed me right where they got out so I could fix it.

Yesterday, I picked 2, 5 gallon buckets of Elderberries for jelly and wine. Neither of us had actually MADE jelly of any kind before, but I have made wine out of them. We ended up filling 24, 1/2 pints of jelly, and a couple of pint jars. Deb had never had it before - and probably doesn't care for it - but I like it a lot. We have more then we can use in 5 years but, at least we know how to make it now.

I started a good batch of wine in a large "pickle crock" we have. It has been awhile since I've made wine of any sort, but I haven't made Elderberry since High School.

I remember 3-4 friends from school that I shared it with back then. It was really good and well liked.

(I can neither confirm nor deny underage drinking........)

I am thinking of giving some to a couple of my High School buddies who really enjoyed it. I'm POSITIVE they would love to have some more.

Also in this past week, I bought some hay equipment! My neighbor and friend, has decided to retire from the hay making business. In order to make SURE he STAYS retired, he sold his equipment.

I now am the proud owner of a New Holland 469 Windrower, a New Holland 273 Hayliner Baler, and a bale basket "accumulator". Hopefully, I will get to use them again in a few weeks.

Deb and I really appreciate his generosity and help with EVERYTHING around here.

This morning, I had to take our new Boer Billy - "Buckingham" - to the Vet in town. He has been limping for a few days now. I could not find ANYTHING wrong with him, so decided it was time for a doctor's visit.

When I left, Yani, was out by the goat shed barking and looking toward the creek. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I headed to town.

The Vet dug around on Buckingham's toes for awhile, until she finally found the sore spot. There was nothing stuck in it, it was just a soft spot. I have heard it called "Tender Toe" by some.

Now I have to soak his toes in Epsom Salt, twice a day, then coat his foot with a Copper Sulfate mixture to harden the toe.

Hopefully it will work in short order.....

I KNOW it's not gonna be fun trying to soak his foot twice a day....

When I got home, Yani was still off to the side of the goats looking off into the brush. I counted goats and came up with one short. I figured out which one was missing - the instigator and trouble maker, naturally - Bunny.

I went into the Jungle to look for her. Yani got up and led me right toward her. I stepped over a small "bump" in the ground and looked into the creek bed. There, through the trees, I saw Bunny - and a little white "fuzz ball" sitting next to her on the ground.

The baby was still wet, so he couldn't have been very old. Yani had been barking before to tell us that the baby was coming. She knew at least an HOUR AND A HALF before it arrived (and probably longer....). I saw Bunny at 8:00 am when she ate breakfast with the rest of them. Yani was barking at 8:15, I left for town at 9:30, with Bunny accounted for and no baby. When I returned at 10:45, we had a new kid on the ground.

This one was totally unexpected. We had THOUGHT Bunny LOOKED pregnant, but never gave it a thought because we lost our Boer Billy. We started counting backwards on our fingers and toes to figure out just WHEN the baby came to be.

Not like a goat kid has to be "legitimate" or anything......

Back in March, we bought 6 Kinder goats, one of which is a Billy. We have him in his own pasture next to the rest of the goats. The first few days, he stayed with the others. We missed it, but he evidently had had a party with Bunny.

At any rate, he picked a good "partner". Bunny is part LaMancha and part Boer - leaning more toward the LaMancha side. She has been a good mom in the past, so she shouldn't be any different this time.

Here is a photo of Deb holding the new arrival. I thought about calling him "Snow White" but, he being a he, and all - "Sleepy" or one of the other 7 Dwarfs might be better....



We might keep this by for a companion for the Kinder Billy.

We'll just have to see how it goes...

Busy, Busy, Busy......

Well - it has been a busy few weeks! We had a visit from my Nephew, his girlfriend, their two kids and my niece. They got here Friday 6 July 2007 and left Sunday. We went out and cut some fence posts from the "timber". It was pretty hot, but we did get 35 cut in a couple hours. It was nice to have their help.
I did manage to get two Allis-Chalmers All Crop 60 combines brought home. My sister and I went over, jacked them up and put tires on them. It was an easy tow home from there. I need to start working on them pretty soon. They are in pretty good shape, but will need things worked over.
My neighbor came over with his big tractor and pushed the concrete horse tank into position for me. It now needs a bit of concrete and dirt pulled up around it, and it will be done. It has "Oct 27 1913" etched plainly in the back side. It was a heavy beast, but worth the effort to have it here. I won't be using it as a water tank, though. I plan on mounting a hand pump near it for "effect" and it will be decoration.
I am also pleased to say, that we FINALLY started on my barn! It will be a slow go, but it will get done eventually. My sister and wife are helping now, but more "volunteers" will be drafted in the future! We have the truss rafters put together and the beams made, so far. I managed to drill one hole for a pole, but it is REALLY hard. We haven't had rain for a couple weeks and it has been hot. The ground is like concrete! We soak the ground good, drill a bit, fill the hole with water, let it soak, drill some more, etc. I'm only good for a couple hours a day anyhow, so the slow going fits right in!
Our neighbor had to have surgery a few days ago. He is up and around a bit now, but it will be slow for him for a few weeks. We got some sweet corn from him the other day - and will get some more tongiht. Like the last couple years, when the corn is done, he lets me cut the stalks for my goats. They love them and are getting fat & lazy!
I'm almost done with my "Lunar Lander" now! I posted a photo of it on line a few months ago and people started calling it that. It is actually an old hog feeder that I have converted into a grain bin with a gravity feed system. It is on legs that make it look like a spaceship from some 50's grade B movie......

Spring is here for sure!

We started out this month with a cold snow storm. This week we are having high temps in the 70's and even close to 80°. It was a cold winter, but spring is shaping up to be hot!

I managed to go to three auctions so far this year. I haven't spent a lot of money, but I have brought home some good items. Most of the things I bought were for fencing or other "construction" related items, but I did manage to come up with a few good deals on other things!

Yesterday, I brought home a real nice 10' x 6' grain wagon with a hoist. No one else bid on it, so I got it CHEAP! It will be put to good use around here - that is for sure!

One thing to look for at auctions is items nobody else seems to want. I have brought home bunches of pipe, angle, wood, and even hog/cattle panels because they were "bent' or otherwise damaged. These panels make wonderful gates and even creek crossings, even if they are bent. Usually, they can be cut to whatever size you need.

I am making plans to plant some corn this year. I am not going to plant much, but am not sure of the amount yet. I already have some seed lined up (free), so I am ready to go!

I have been picking up any small rocks I find in the pasture ("fist" sized or smaller). They work just great in some of the low spots in the driveway. They are also a lot cheaper then buying rock! There is an endless supply of them out there, so I should be able to pick them for awhile!

My sister is staying with us for awhile, and is helping out with some things around here. This week, she braved the wilds of our "back forty" to help me survey a line for fence. One of these days we will start building the fence and have more pasture for the goats.

COLD......

Winter has decided to make an appearance this weekend! We went from highs in the 40's and 50's - to highs in the 20's and lows in the single digits! Right now it is 12 above with wind chill at 1 below zero. This weekend we are supposed to get some ice, followed by 2" to 8" of snow. So far, there hasn't been any ice (thankful for that) and the snow has amounted to a heavy dusting (so far) . We are thankful that the main brunt of the storm has, once again, passed our area. The ice and nasty stuff is off to our south and east so far. We will wait until Monday to get the final results!

The goats are content to spend most of their day in the barn - only venturing out to drink or get a new supply of hay to chaw. I haven't let the chickens out of the coop today or yesterday and probably won't for a couple more days at least. They can stay a lot warmer huddled together inside the chicken house. It is also cloudy, so there isn't any radiant heat they can stand in, either. If the wind chills were not below zero, I would let them out.

Last night we looked out and saw the big Tomcat sitting on the front porch, huddled against the wind (blowing at about 25 mph). I guess he was hoping that I would open the door and let him in! He was gone awhile later, and met me at the door this morning, ready to follow me to the barn to get fed. When you go into the barn, you will see little "tunnels" between the hay bales. These are where the cats burrow down in the hay for warmth. If you have ever burrowed into loose hay or straw, you know that it can be nice and comfy warm, even when it is cold outside! They all were happy to see me (and the food) this morning. I feed them on a shelf I built in the barn below my food bin. It works great until an unsuspecting cat tail gets nibbled on by a goat because it was sticking through the fence.....might have to build a "tail shield".......

I was reading a thread on a farming forum today and it got me to thinking. My Grandfather was a wizard at turning used up things into something useful. My Dad was always tinkering on something. Deb's dad has a whole farm full of things that started out as something else. It was a way of life to people - keep everything until it's usefulness was gone, then make it into something els useful. My Mom always told us that Bohemians used "every part of the pig, but the squeal". That doesn't only apply to pigs, but just about everything! A few months ago I was talking to someone, and Deb's dad's farm came up in the conversation. He asked "WHY do you want to live like THEM"? Now, considering the person, and the fact he had never even been there to SEE how they lived, it was useless to try and convince a corroded mind as to the virtuous nature of conservation, refurbishing, and reusing - or the idea of living within our means in a manner that would make our forefathers proud. We need to quit keeping up with the Jones's, re-use what we have, and start using the "squeal". Now, let's go get some of that old iron and "junk" out of fence rows and see what we can do with it!