Excitement, Then Same Old, Same Old

 

The 66 Mustang has been residing in our barn for fourteen years, and the shirttail relative who owns it is finally ready to start working on it. He came last week and we loaded it up. Barns are not good places to let cars rest. It's MOUSY!  

After all of that excitement, it was back to business. I have two hickories on the ground to split and stack, and a couple of dead black oaks that have to be dropped.

We also take some time to enjoy the wildlife roaming around the yard. Dusty will be out this week, I think, to look for a buck.  Back To The Old Grind!

Glorious Day In October!

 

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 Beautiful day from beginning to end!

Cleaning Gutters

                                                                                   

Also doing some repairs, such as adding new hangers. These gutters were installed in 1979, so a little maintenance is to be expected.  Just because you are not too old to climb, you must not forget that you are too old to fall! Keep that belt buckle centered while you work. 

The cistern at the end of the  concrete was there in 1903 when Susan's g-grandparents bought this place. A log cabin stood where this house is, and we used that cistern until 2000 when the water main came through our front yard. Water seemed like magic then! We moved to the farm in 1980, and pumping down the cistern and cleaning it was one of the first tasks we had to do. We learned the importance of clean gutters from that chore.

On The Road Again

The '01 Nissan is back on the road again after the brake line replacements. It made a trip up north of Bluford to get some new straw. We had straw baled in 1987, stowed it in the north barn and have been using it ever since. We are getting down to the end, so I picked up a dozen bales and have them in the barn now. Susan spread a couple of the new bales in the dog yard. It sure smells nice. The forty year old straw looks pretty good, but the fresh cut aroma of wheat straw has been missing for decades.  The dogs love it. Our dog yard gets heavy use, and straw is a necessity.

 

Corn Harvest Has Begun!

Huge Advance In Farm Technology!

Not Old Grind! Neat New Deal!

Out Behind The Barn: Doe Deer And Baby

 This little scene was a real treat for me yesterday when I was checking on the farm.

Harvesting Wheat Between The Storms

It seems like it is raining every day lately, but now the forecast is for four or five days with sun and no rain. Nobody wants to rut up a field, but every rain on ripe wheat degrades it, so folks get nervous.

Rock Garden Fun!

 Our priorities have changed over the years. Susan had a great time building her rock garden, but it takes a lot of time and we have more important things to do. Gardening, wood cutting, grass mowing, and caring for Schipperkes keep us occupied and entertained. How on Earth did Susan move those big 'uns?

It's always something. Back To The Old Grind!

March 2025 Dam Fire!

 Susan and I try to get a burn in on the dam every year to discourage trees from coming up. This time was the best fire we have ever had. It was a hot one, and really cooked the woody weeds. A decadent black oak below the dam broke up this year, and I had to do some disassembly there, and then used water to cool it down. Susan has been helping on fires and tree plantings since 1975. She's a darn good hand on a fire. She shot most of the photos and video.

Flash Flooding, Now Snow

 The Groundhog got us all! Yesterday we had heavy rain and flash flooding. The state highway down to the county seat was closed, and someone wrecked in the water, either not paying attention or pushing their luck. Our township gravel to the farm was running like a creek, but you can drive it if you go easy. There aren't any culvert crossings in that stretch, so it is safe for the locals who know it. About midnight the rain blew out and snow came in, a couple of inches. This morning the cold air is streaming in, and it will be cold for a week. We are going to the barn to bring up more wood...

Sunsets And More!

 We lived in Eastern Kentucky for a few years (Where the sun comes up about 10 in the morning, and the sun goes down about 3 in the day.) and we still marvel at the sky shows we get in flat old Southern Illinois. Nearly every day has a show. The full moon was setting the other day when I had the dogs out for an early walk. We admire the moon through all its phases, and sometimes it is planted adjacent to a bright evening or morning planet. Occasionally we get a rainbow around the moon. Rain usually follows that. 

Morning Light Show

 Coffee, warm fire, dogs at our feet and sitting beside us.

Autumn Views

Plenty To Do!

 

We pulled all the posts and trellises out of the garden, burned the cardboard mulch and dry vines, tilled it for next spring, and put away all the hardware in the north barn. Today Susan has been cutting peppers and vacuum sealing them for the freezer. Tonight we split a load of firewood after sunset.  We are rapidly building our stacks of wood, and maybe we can coast through January and February. We will be cutting more black cherry and cherrybark oak this week, and we have three standing dead black oaks with dry wood up in the tops. Those should make some good chainsaw videos.  "No rest for the wicked, and the righteous need none." so Back To The Old Grind!

We Hired One Out...

 

 

Rock Garden Equals....

 ...Rocks In Our Heads? We picked up rocks every time we took a trip anywhere, and we also have a lot of rocks from under the old farm house that was torn down sixty years ago. You gotta do something with all those rocks, so making an unmowable area that grows weeds and new trees seemed like a decent idea. We are in the process of cutting young trees, and trying not to tag rocks with the saw. It is amazing the way a place can overgrow with trees in a few years. So, we are gathering up the rocks and moving them to a new spot.

                                  Back To The Old Grind!

How Do You Like Them Apples?

 We planted apple, pear, and plum trees about forty years ago after we moved to the farm, and they are at the end of their lives. The plums and all but one of the apple trees are done for. We still have three good pear trees. Susan is planning to order trees to rebuild our orchard for next spring.  You gotta use your shovels, or they will rust away, you know!

The wood is split, and the hollow sections have been hollowed out a bit more, and an angle is cut on each one. We will have them set up for migrating birds to use on their Fall trip.

Wheat Harvest 2024

 Susan got her annual ride in a big John Deere combine yesterday! All those new joints allow her to climb up into the beast with ease. We always remember Patti's birthday when the wheat is being cut. She was born in June, 1924 when the wheat was being threshed, so the wheat harvest was always an event for her. It still is for us, too.

New Thrills Every Day! Our First New Mower Since 2006!

 We have been hauling the Grasshopper back and forth through the country to mow two places, and we finally broke down and bought a second mower.  We did our research online and called two dealers to see what was out there. The second one offered a really big discount, so we made a deal. Life is good.

While we were still at the dealer we bought a couple oil filters for our new toy and inquired about the recommended oil. We were pointed to Kubota branded oil, and I read the label. Kubota is still adding zinc, an anti-wear additive that has been removed from most automotive oils, because it is bad for catalytic converters. We will be running the Kubota oil, at least until the engine is well broken in. It pays to read the label!