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Posted on Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Pickup Grandkids
We left the farm early and drove to Smith's Grove, then on to pickup
Julie and Kyle. Brent was home with them when we arrived. We talked for
a while, then loaded Julie and Kyle into their car seats and went to
Bowling Green. Linda and Stacey went to Kohl's for a few minutes, then
we went to the Bowling Green Mall. Our first stop was at the food court
for lunch, then we 'experienced' the mall. Kyle and I found a seating
area and we stayed there while the others went to various stores and
then returned. When they had seen it all, we walked out of the mall and
back to the HHR. I drove us back to the farm and parked in the garage.
We let Coco outside for a little while. Then Kyle and I hopped on an ATV
and rode around with Linda following us on her own ATV. We stopped and
watched Phil and Steve Garmon as they were driving fence posts with a
hydraulic post driver attached to their tractor. Kyle likes anything to
do with a tractor and he watched intently as each post was hammered into
the ground. I talked to Steve about a problem I was having with the
starter on the FarmTrac tractor. He showed me that it might be a loose
nut on the starter solenoid. Linda, Kyle and I rode around awhile
longer, then I parked the ATV and drove the tractor over to the pole
barn where I keep the tools. I removed the negative battery cable and
then tightened the nuts on the starter and the solenoid. After replacing
the battery terminal, I tried starting the tractor several times, I
think tightening those nuts may have solved the problem. Linda parked
the ATV and began driving the Mule, then picked up Julie. Julie, Kyle
and Linda followed along in the Mule while I mowed. As the daylight was
fading, we went inside and Linda made us a pizza for supper. 
Kyle
laid down beside me after we ate and it wasn't very long until he was
sleeping. Linda picked him up and put him in his little bed. Julie was
next to slip into sleep.
Posted on Thursday, April 05, 2012
Baking For Sale
The Event's Committee that I am a member of is having a bake sale Friday
and Saturday, so I asked Linda to make some things for us to donate for
the sale. The weather outside was cooler and misting rain, so we stayed
inside most of the day. Julie and Kyle were willing to sample anything
Linda baked. They liked the small loaves of banana bread, they also
liked the chocolate chip cookies and the oatmeal cookies. 
We
took a short road trip to town to pickup some flower seeds that Linda
had purchased. I met the guy from KY & TENN Supply and he brought the
plow moldboard that I had ordered. He saved me a trip to Tompkinsville
by delivering the moldboard on his way home from work.
Posted on Friday, April 06, 2012
KY Headhunters
We began the day with breakfast with Julie and Kyle, a Mule ride with
Daisy running along and preparing for the bake sale. I had to go across
the creek to meet with the loggers and when I returned to the house,
Pauline and Brent had arrived. We spent awhile talking with them and
messing around, then it was time for Linda and I to load the HHR with
our baked goods and head to town. We took a table and set it up near the
entrance to the grocery store and began selling the stuff Linda had
baked. Surprisingly, things were selling fairly quickly and we were soon
worried about running out of items. Misty, Bernice and Cheryl brought a
few of their things to replenish our supply. We kept selling and talking
to people until our three hours were over and Tammy Dyer replaced us.
We
returned to the house and took a break with everyone for about an hour
and a half. After changing clothes, Stacey, Linda and I took the HHR and
picked up Jason and headed towards Glasgow for the KY Headhunters
concert at the Plaza Theatre. We stopped at Mancino's for sandwiches and
pizza, then drove into the center of town and parked at the Courthouse.
There was a line waiting at the Plaza's doors and the marquee said the
show was SOLD OUT.
Our
tickets were waiting at the "will call" area and after picking them up,
we went inside and found we were in ROW D on the center aisle. I had
ordered them online a few months earlier and didn't remember the
location, but we were happy with them. It wasn't long till the show
started with hard rock 'n' roll.
The
music was loud and the beat was pounding. The crowd was loving it. After
about an hour and twenty minutes, the guitar players took a break and
the drummer did a 10 - 15 minute solo. Just when the crowd thought he
was at his fastest drumming, he was spinning his drum sticks between
beats, he stood up like it was over, threw his sticks in the air and
continued playing with his bare hands for another 5 minutes. The crowd
gave him a couple standing ovations and then the remaining band members
returned and began playing.
They
played over an hour and 45 minutes, did their finale then walked off.
The cheers brought them back and they played a couple more songs, then
played "Down To Dumas Walkers'" and people thought they were done. A few
people in the crowd started to leave, but the guitar player said, "don't
go, we're not done yet" and they played about 3 more songs.
At
the end, the KY Headhunters took their final bow, then stood and told
everyone thanks for coming and how they had a great time, they also
thanked the Mayor for giving them the "Key to the City" that day, they
waved good bye and the concert was over. Two hours and ten minutes of
rock 'n' roll had came to an end and the crowd was well satisfied.
Posted on Sunday, April 08, 2012
Easter
Saturday morning, Linda and Pauline helped Julie and Kyle color eggs for
Easter.
Sunday
morning, I took the kids for a Mule ride while the Easter Bunny
delivered the baskets and hid the eggs. When we returned to the house,
the kids ran inside and began opening their baskets of goodies. Candy
was being ate as fast as possible too.
After
the kids had opened all their stuff, we loaded into the Mule and rode
down the driveway and across the road to hunt Easter Eggs.
After
finding most of the eggs, we sat at the pole barn and opened the plastic
eggs, dumped out the surprises and counted the eggs. There were several
missing, so we went back and tried to find the remaining eggs. We found
a few more, but 4 plastic eggs remain in hiding.
After
the egg hunt, we cooked chicken breasts on the grill for a late lunch.
Pauline and Brent took their kids and went home around 4 PM.
Posted on Friday, April 13, 2012
IN Trip
Thursday morning, we loaded a lot of tools and a few clothes into the
HHR and headed for IN. We picked up breakfast along the way and ate it
as we were driving. I parked in front of Mom's house a little past noon
and we went inside for a short break. We put some of the battery powered
tools on their chargers and then went outside. I used the chainsaw I had
brought to cut down the scrub trees that had grown up along the fence
around the back yard. Linda picked up the debris while I kept cutting.
When we had finished that job, I exchanged the chainsaw for the battery
powered hedge trimmers and worked on the bushes along the front porch.
Linda and Stacey once again, picked up the debris and cleaned up the
mess I was making. The battery's power ran out and had to be recharged
three times before I had the bushes completely trimmed. We cleaned up a
few items at the gray house across the street while we were waiting.
We
went to White Castle for some 'sliders' and then to Muncie to visit with
Mom. Virginia was setting by the door when we arrived and was doing
really well. She talked with us for a good bit and seemed better than
she had been in a long time. They came to take her for a smoke break and
she was gone about 10 minutes, then returned in an ill mood. I guess she
had a problem while she was outside with another resident, because she
was mad at the world when she came back inside. We listened to several
complaints and then said good bye and left around 8 PM.
After
breakfast Friday morning, we relaxed a few minutes and then began work
on the bathroom vanity. I drilled the holes for the plumbing lines to
fit through the bottom of the vanity and we tried setting in over the
lines and against the wall. Of course, the holes weren't quite big
enough the first few times we tried putting the vanity in place. We
pushed and tugged until one of the lines came loose. We found out it
wasn't glued, just stuck together. I glued the line and we tried again.
Finally the vanity was in place. I installed the faucet on the vanity
top before setting it on the cabinet. This made working on it much
easier. I used plumber's tape on the threads and tightened the braided
hoses, then installed the drain plug and hooked up the lever to open and
close the drain. I carried the vanity top into the bathroom and set it
on the cabinet. "Houston, we have a problem!" The ends of the braided
water lines were not the correct size. I tried hooking up the sink's
drain pipe and there was a problem with that too. I needed a trip to
Lowe's! We drove to Lowe's in Anderson and a real helpful employee
pointed me to every piece I needed to complete the job. We ate lunch in
the car on the way back to Daleville. I installed the new hoses and put
the drain pipe together, it was time to try the water. Linda went
downstairs and turned on the shut off valves one at a time. The hot
water was fine! The cold water, umm, not so much. It popped off the
fitting where the hose was connected. It had not been glued. I glued it
in place and we waited about 10 minutes then tried turning the water on
again. This time, success, both hot and cold water was working, the sink
was holding water and the drain didn't leak. Ta Da! Only a half day to
do a one hour job. Those dang home improvement shows make it look so
easy.
Linda
shot me down, she told me, now we needed to install the cabinet door
handles, the drawer pulls, then the towel bar and the toilet paper
holder, and etc... After taking nearly another hour getting those
screwed to the drawers and walls, only one more item and it was scary.
Remember, it was Friday the 13th! I needed to put the mirror back on the
wall. The mirror was a 30" square, but felt like it weighed 40 lbs when
we were holding it against the wall and putting in the small screws and
brackets that held it in place. Finally, DONE! No cracks, no 7 years bad
luck. I was ready for a break.
A
few minutes later, the phone rang, Kim and Kenny Bourke were coming over
to visit. They brought some old purple Crown Royal whiskey bags for
Linda to take to Pauline. I guess Pauline is going to put the bags
together to make a quilt. We talked for a while, then called and had
Pizza King deliver a pizza. Kim and Kenny stayed and visited until
around 11 PM.
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012
Back Home
Saturday morning we woke to a rainy day. There were thunderstorms and
the rain was coming down steadily. I fixed breakfast. A little later,
Linda painted the trim in the hallway and the bathroom door. We decided
we would go home without visiting anyone because we were both sick and
didn't want to spread the dry cough we had to others. Alton Sneed
stopped by and we talked with him for about a half hour. He agreed to
mow Mom's yard again this year and to also mow the yard at the gray
house across the street. Linda and Stacey packed up our things and I
carried the stuff out to the HHR in the rain. We locked up the house and
headed towards Burkesville at 2 PM in a pouring rain. Linda slept in the
back seat all the way to Jeffersonville where I woke her to get ready
for King Fish. The sun was shinning as I parked and we all went inside
to eat. The food was delicious as always. After we ate, we continued on
to the farm and parked the HHR in the garage just before dark. We
carried in our clothes and left the tools in the car till morning.
Sunday
morning was hot and clear as I went outside early. The flowers at the
back of the house had bloomed while we were gone.
I
took Daisy for a run since she hadn't been out for a few days. A little
before lunch, Linda and I began mowing and we finished several hours
later. Just before dark, Linda had Coco outside and he found a "little
bitty bunny" in the flower beds. She said the bunny was squeaking and it
was like one of Coco's toys.
Posted on Friday, April 20, 2012
Marna & Jim Visit
A few days ago, one of our friends called and said they were coming to
KY and going to camp at the Dale Hollow State Park. Marna and Jim were
pulling a 5th wheel camper and wanted to visit us, so we made plans to
visit with them. We drove out to the park Thursday evening and found
their campsite. We talked with them a couple of hours and made plans for
them to visit us at the farm.
Friday, Jim drove into our driveway
about 10:30 AM. Linda and I went out to meet them and talked a few
minutes before riding around in the Mule. They wanted to see the farm
before going inside the house, so we rode around for a little while,
then went in the pole barn. A little later, we returned to the house and
talked until time for lunch. We went to the Hot Rod BBQ for lunch and
talked more as we ate.
When
we finished eating, Marna and Jim went back to their campsite and we
returned to the farm. We were supposed to go to the campground at 6 PM.
We took chicken breasts and potatoes to cook on their grill for supper.
We also had a couple types of salad along with the meat and potatoes.
Once again, we finished eating and then talked until 9 PM. We said good
night and went back to the farm.
Posted on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Cruiser Car Show
Linda and I had been getting things ready for a couple days. We headed
to town around 8 AM. The weather was the worst we've ever had for a car
show. It was cold, somewhere between 50 and 55 degrees, but it felt even
colder. It was misting rain and a brisk breeze. The CRC club members
voted 7-1 to go ahead with the show. Amazingly, people started showing
up with their vehicles and registering. Darrell opened up his Mid Night
Special DJ trailer and pepped up the crowd with the old tunes and the
kids from 21st Century sold hot coffee and sandwiches.
It
seemed to get colder as the time passed. At noon, registration was
closed and the Crusiers gave everyone notice that they had 1 hour to
vote for their 3 favorite vehicles and then the awards would be passed
out. While the votes were being counted, the Cruisers had a small boy
draw for the door prizes as they passed them to the winners. The
trophies for Long Distance and Club Participation were then awarded. The
list of winners was then handed over to the announcer and each winner
was presented a Top 20 Trophy as their name was called. After those were
presented, the Cruisers called Walter Hendley to the tent and presented
him with the Best of Show Trophy for his blue and white 56 Chevy.
The
50/50 drawing was done and the money paid to the winner. The Cruisers
thanked the owners that brought their vehicles out in the bad weather.
We
hope we made the best of a bad situation for those that attended.
We
packed up the stuff and returned to the farm. Linda started a fire in
the wood stove and we relaxed for a few hours. Around 5:30, Marna and
Jim came over from their campsite and we played cards and talked until
about 9 PM.
Posted on Friday, April 27, 2012
Tractor Delivered
I had been looking for a tractor for a month or two on the internet. We
went to look at a used tractor that was supposed to be in TN, but when
we were about half way there, Linda finally was able to contact the
person, they told her it had already sold. I started looking at a new
model that New
Holland had brought out this year called the "WorkMaster".
I thought I wanted the '45'
model and went to look at it at the local tractor dealer, Hobdy,
Dye & Read in Columbia. When I saw the actual tractor, I thought
it was too small for what I needed. I asked the salesman about the next
size that was larger. A '55'
model that had slightly more horsepower and bigger tires. I thought I
knew how much they would ask for the tractor, but he gave me a price a
couple thousand dollars below what the internet had shown. I told them I
needed to think about it and then I went back to the farm because they
didn't have the tractor at that location anyway.
The next morning,
the salesman called and reduced the price five hundred dollars and said
that he could have the tractor picked up and brought to their location
the next day. We negotiated for a fiberglass top to be put on the
tractor at a reduced price, so then I told him I would buy the tractor.
I went to the bank and picked up a check to pay for the tractor, then
took the check to the dealership and signed the papers. Stacey and I had
appointments it Tompkinsville on Thursday, so we scheduled the tractor
delivery for Friday morning.
The delivery driver called and asked
where our farm was located as he was coming back through Burkesville
after delivering a hay roller south of town. I told him our location and
that we would be waiting in the driveway. He backed the truck in the
driveway and unloaded the tractor.
Stacey
helped me hook up the bush hog to the tractor. She loaded Daisy in the
back of the Mule while I checked out some of the controls and hookups.
Stacey followed me down the road and across the creek. She let Daisy run
while I made two trips around the hayfield with the new tractor and bush
hog. Stacey put Daisy in the back of the Mule when I was done and we
went back to the farm. I parked the tractor while Stacey put Daisy in
the barn and we went inside.
