Welcome to the Norris Family Weblog

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Pole Barn

Larry Anderson and David McIntyre have started building our hay shed. I had the bulldozing work done by Johnny Davidson about a week before they started. Johnny also dumped a load of gravel and I have spread it inside the barn area. In this picture the poles are placed and the trusses have been set. The metal getting screwed on is the next step.

Visiting Pauline and Brent

We are headed over to Pauline and Brent's house this morning. We are planning to clean up the house trailer at Smith's Grove. We moved out first and left P&B living there, then they purchased a house in December and moved in before New Years. We all left 'junk' there and now it is time to clean up our mess and get the trailer ready to sell, hopefully.

Smith's Grove Visit

We ended up getting to P&B's house about 10 AM and stayed a short time to let the dogs play and get settled down. We headed over to the SG trailer and got started. I mowed the yard, which felt like it had been plowed. It was full of mole runs and just rough spots. Linda, Stacey, Pauline and Brent were working inside. Once the yard was mowed I started helping Brent load up our red trailer with junk. Pauline and Linda were cleaning and boxing and sacking things to take to the trash or to P&B's house or to bring over to our house in Burkesville. We had the red trailer loaded so we decided to take a load to a dumpster and eat at Wendy's on the way. The Smith's Grove Wendy's was extremely slow at getting our food ready, at they didn't get the orders right either. We unloaded the trailer of junk and headed back for another load. Timmy Lawerence and Mike Williams stopped in and talked for about a half hour. It was good to see them. After they left we loaded in the 'keeper' stuff and headed to P&B's to unload part of the stuff. Stacey, Pauline and Linda went to Kohl's in Bowling Green while Brent and I stayed and unloaded some of the stuff out of the red trailer. We got the push mower started and tried it out to make sure it was cutting at the same height as Brent's riding mower. The girls came back and Linda, Stacey and I headed for home.

Pond

Trying to naturalize the pond.

Purple Martins

I have started mowing the grass and I noticed yesterday that the Purple Martins have returned to the farm. I'm glad they come back every year, because they eat lots of flying bugs like mosquitoes. The Martins cause a mess in the barns though. They build muddy looking nests on the support joists for the barn loft. They also drop crap on the equipment stored inside the barns, but hey, NO MOSQUITOES is a very good deal for the mess they make.

Tree from Kim and Kenny

 Last fall Kim & Kenny came down and they gave us a tree. We used the tractor's backhoe to plant it with their help. We watered it until winter set in and then we wondered if the tree would make it through the winter. We got our answer, the tree is starting to leaf out, and it's also blooming. The picture shows a few blooms starting to pop out.

Cooter (our stray dog)

This is a stray dog that came to live on the farm about a year ago. We don't know where he came from, he was real skinny and his head was skinned up pretty bad. He stayed around the house and was sleeping on our back porch for a couple of weeks. Linda started feeding him and he has never left. His hair is medium long and he must have been rolling on dead stuff because he was stinking. Linda, Stacey and Brent gave him a bath in the creek. It didn't help much. Brent said he was like 'Cooter' on the "Dukes of Hazard" so the name was applied and has stuck.

Hills are getting green

You should be able to tell from the larger picture that the hills are getting green in KY. I think this is the best time of the year. The fields are green and the weeds aren't big yet. Flowers are blooming all over the place. The Redbud Trees are blooming and the Dogwood Trees are almost ready to bloom too.

Pole Barn

Well, the pole barn is finished. I have spread gravel inside and made a small driveway to enter on the side of the barn. The Extension Office has mailed me a check for the Tobacco Buyout money. It was in the amount of $2,500. The entire pole barn cost me $7,612. So I was able to get the barn built for a little over $5,100 actual cost to me. I have started storing equipment inside the barn until this summer when I will put hay in it. I have to use it for hay storage to legally receive the money from the Tobacco Buyout Hay Shed Program. Later the little shed on the left end of the barn will be torn down to give access to the sliding door on that end. I have placed hooks on the door to keep it closed.

Tax Day

TAX DEADLINE

We have had our taxes filed for a while, so today wasn't a big deal for us.
We spent the day mowing and bush hogging the 4 wheeler trails. I've went around all the hay fields with the small tractor and used the bigger tractor for cleaning the fields with the scoop on the front.
Brent and Pico showed up late in the day.

Gas Tank Moved

Since I am planning on tearing down the old shed where the gas tank was setting, a new spot was needed. I decided on a new place for the gas tank next to the end of the hay shed, so I used the scoop on the tractor to level the ground. Brent came over Friday evening, so Saturday morning we began moving the tank to it's new spot. We leveled the ground a little better and laid down the cement pieces for the tank to set on. Then we pulled the tractor next to the gas tank, tipped up the tank and slid it on the top of the bush hog. I backed the tractor over to the new spot for the tank and we slid it off the bush hog onto the blocks. It went fairly smooth. We did a little bit more leveling and smoothed out the remaining dirt. It's now ready to have the gas company come and fill it. The problem is the price of gas, currently it is about $2.37 per gallon and the tank is a 155 gallon tank.

Brent Headed home

Brent stayed over this weekend. He came Friday and we worked a little bit Saturday. Mostly messed around. We rode the 4-wheelers, went to the pond and let the dogs play in the creek. Nothing exciting, just a relaxing weekend. Stacey got a little sick and needed to take a nap. Brent left for his house about 11:30 and Linda and I ended up watching the NASCAR race while Stacey was finishing her nap. She made a comeback about 2:30 in order to see the end of the race. Later Linda and Stacey were riding the 4-wheeler again and went to Regina's house to visit.

Stacey in the hospital

Well, Monday started out like Sunday with Stacey getting sick after getting up. She took a nap for a couple of hours and Linda fixed her some lunch which she ate. She didn't get sick at her stomach, but seemed to be getting a little 'twichty'. Linda went to the grocery and I stayed with Stacey. Linda had been gone about 20 minutes when I started seeing more involuntary movement in Stacey. I went and took off my shorts and put on long pants and shoes. When I returned to the living room Stacey was worse. I grabbed her medicine and had her put her arm over my shoulder and we headed to the truck. Stacey couldn't make it, so I had to carry her to the truck and strap her in the seat. I hit the garage door opener button and we took off for the hospital. We got to the gas station on the corner in Burkesville and Stacey had a seizure. She continued to seize until I got to the emergency room entrance. The EMTs helped load Stacey onto a gurney and they admitted her to the hospital about 2:20 PM. An IV was started and 10 mlg of Valium was sent thru the IV. Stacey calmed down for a while. Linda got to the hospital and Stacey was placed in a hospital room. Linda took over and I went home about 9:30PM. I awoke about 2 AM and headed to the hospital after a shower. Stacey had just had another seizure when I arrived at 2:30 AM. The nurses gave 5 more mlg of valium and she rested until about 7 AM. She was getting jerky again and about 8 AM I asked the nurses to give Stacey more valium. They did and it seemed to bring her back to consciousness. Stacey was ok when I left about noon. Linda remained at the hospital after I left.

Coming home

Stacey stayed last night in the hospital and got to come home about 11:30 today after talking with Dr Rice. He told us, not to give up on the birth control pills controlling Stacey's hormone levels enough to keep her from having seizures. He said it might take 3 months for her levels to get smoothed out, they might even have to give her a stronger dose if this wasn't enough. Once we got home, Linda had Stacey take a shower and she washed her hair. Stacey took a short nap and then we ate lunch. I went outside and mowed the front yard and around the barn on the house side of the highway. It took about 3 hours. I then went to Regina's house and used the tractor to disk the ground for her flower bed. I also disked where the ostrich pens were located and I started a fire to burn the debris that was piled up from cleaning out the pens. It was scrub trees and brush that had growed up after the ostriches had been sold and the pens abandoned.

New Battery

Another day on the mower, but not all was well. The battery had just about had it. It would start the mower one time, kind of ground it slowly until the motor would finally start. So, it was time to take it out and head to town to get another one. Stacey and Linda decided to go and we all went to Sonic for lunch and then to the Wal-Mart for a new battery. Surprise, they had the one I needed and gave me $5 back for the old battery, making the new one cost about $16 plus tax. Just about like Jon Stewart says on the Daily Show, "You can get a new refrigerator at Wal-Mart for $2." We got home and I put the battery in and the mower started great. I went and finished the yard where the old house used to be. Afterward, Linda, Stacey and I went to the creek and hand picked small stones to make a 'dry creek bed' around the back of the house.

Visitors

We were woke up to thunderstorms rolling and lightning flashing. We weren't planning on anything happening, just an easy day at the farm. Linda wanted to take some receipts to the extension office and I needed to go to the bank. We went to town and took care of our business, came home and were setting on the back porch relaxing drinking a glass of tea after the stress of riding to town and back. The back door opened and Bonnie and Donnie Cox came out. Stacey had answered the door and let them come thru to the back. Donnie and I talked while setting in the porch swing and Bonnie and Linda walked up to the pond. We went down to the hay shed so Donnie could see how big the shed was I had hired built. Later we walked down by the creek and set at the fire pit for awhile. Linda wanted to give Bonnie some flowers so I got a shovel and dug them up and Linda put them in a bag. Donnie placed the flowers in the back of their truck, we said goodbye and they took off. They had stayed about 3 hours. During that time the grass had dried up so I decided to mow at the trailer. I mowed and Linda used the weed trimmer to trim around the stuff in that area. I finished mowing and Linda had quit trimming, then we got cleaned up and went to Jone's to eat. I had looked at the radar and there were hail warnings for our area. We ate quickly and as we were coming home the storm hit. It was raining hard, but no hail hit our truck. I let Stacey and Linda out in front of the garage and I parked the truck in the barn.

Cold again

Today started out cold and cloudy. I put on long pants and a flannel shirt and went out to mow the yard at the little house. Regina drove up to the house while I was mowing. Linda and her were talking and I continued to mow. I started the little tractor and mowed the creek bank and made a lap around the two hay fields across the creek. Later, Stacey's medicine was ready, so her and I went to Rite-Aid to pick up the prescriptions and we stopped at the grocery store also. It was cold all day, the ducks were nested down with their bills tucked into the middle of their back feathers.

Stacey's Dr Visit

We took off early Monday morning, headed for Bowling Green, and Dr Zhu's office. We stopped at Columbia and bought breakfast at McDonalds. Stacey wasn't feeling very well, and was holding a plastic pan in case she became sick. The trip took over an hour and a half and we arrived at the Gilbert Graves Clinic around 9. We were the first appointment at 9:15 and Dr. Zhu wasn't at the office when we were taken into the exam room, but he arrived shortly after. He came in and we started explaining what had been going on with Stacey the two months since he had seen her. We described how Stacey was having trouble with her balance and seemed to be experiencing problems with her cognitive skills. Dr Zhu decided to take Stacey off the Zonegran pills and to try a newer medicine that would have less side effects. We were glad to hear that decision.
After the Dr. appointment, we headed to Warren East Middle School to print the diplomas for the graduating 8th graders. I had forgot the laptop with the Print Shop form already setup, and left it at home in Burkesville. So we tried to set it up on their computers, but to no avail. We spent about 2 hours and got nothing accomplished. It was a normal day at WEMS. We decided to take the diplomas home and print them there, then return them to the school at a later date.
So, after doing nothing at the school, we stopped at the Smith's Grove trailer and dropped off the chainsaw and stuff to use it for Brent to pick up later. We dug up several bunches of flowers. We had all the flowers we could get in the back of the truck, I closed the tailgate and we headed home. We made it home about 3:30 tired and needing to go to the bathroom.
At 6 there was a Pacer playoff game and we watched the Pacers beat the Boston Celtics in a close game. The Pacer win evened the series at one game apiece.

Linda's Dr Visit

Well today, it was Linda's turn to go to Dr. Rice's office to have the bumps taken off her head. Her appointment was at 10:30 and it took a long time. Stacey and I went to the post office and dropped off a package for return mail. Then we went to Rite Aid to order Stacey's new prescriptions. Lastly, we went to the video store and picked out 2 DVDs to watch later. When we returned to the office, Linda was still in the waiting room. We set down and waited on Dr Rice to come in to the office. He came in and Linda went to the examination room where he finished removing the rest of the bumps and closed the cuts he made in her scalp with stitches. She was in the office about 2 hours. We then went to the Dollar store to buy Cooter a couple of bags of dog food and stopped to eat at the Pizza Hut before the pain killer wore off. We returned to Rite Aid and paid for Stacey's prescriptions. We came on home after eating and Linda took a long nap. It has rained off and on all day.

Trip to Sommerset

Stacey has been feeling better the last two days. She has started taking 1 less Zonegran per day and she is showing signs of improved stability while walking. She is able to talk better and we can tell she is feeling better. We just hope the new medicine will stop the seizures also.
Since things were going better with Stacey, we decided to go to Sommerset to stock up on some of our supplies. We left home and went thru Columbia and turned on the Parkway. They have placed signs saying 'Future I-66 Corridor'. We were running slightly ahead of the rain. We made it to Sommerset before the rain, so we turned north and went to Paul's Hardware. It is an outlet store, that deals in lots of different kinds of merchanise including guns, hardware, clothes, sewing material, lawnmowers, chainsaws, and a bunch of other items. Next we stopped at Big Lots and then Area Supply for a new seat for one of out toilets. On down the road the rain began and we stopped at a Dollar Store and then made a lap thru Lowe's parking lot, but didn't stop. We left there and went to Fazoli's to eat. Linda and Stacey like that type of food and I was able to order a sub sandwich with ham, bacon and cheese. I liked the sandwich. We finished eating and went to Aldi's, which we renamed to Ya'll-di's. We loaded up on supplies and checked out. Stacey likes putting the quarters into the shopping cart and getting it back when she returns the cart to the line. We made a quick stop at the Office Depot and a clothing shop in the same parking lot. So then it was back toward home with a short side trip to K-Mart in Russell Springs and to the Columbia Wal-Mart lot to check out the prices of mulch for our flower beds. As we returned home the rain continued and we pulled next to the mailbox to pick up our mail. We backed up to the garage and unloaded our supplies.

Shelly and Imon Visit

Shelly and Imon came down from Indiana. They went to Brent's house first and saw it for the first time. They followed Brent from his house to here. As they pulled into the driveway Cooter began barking and let us know they had arrived. We went outside to greet them and take a look at Imon's Corvette. It is a 2001 Yellow 6 speed coupe. It also has a removable top and several other options. Looks sharp. We went inside after seeing the ducks and Cooter. Brent had brought Pico along also. We talked for a little bit and then took Shelly and Imon outside to see what we had been doing. I showed Imon the pole barn and Linda pointed out some of the things we had done at the pond. We walked around and down to the creek. It was up quite a bit, as the night before we had received 3 inchs of rain. Back inside I started a fire in the stove as Shelly was cold. Later we played pool and watched some of the Pacer game. Boston won the game and it evened the series at 2 games each. Linda and Imon stayed up late talking.