Rain Finally...

We woke this morning to a cloudy sky, but still no rain. I wanted to go and check to see if watering the mums had helped, so I started putting on my shoes and I heard Linda say we were getting a load of pavers delivered in our driveway. I went outside and Lee Brick and Block was delivering our pavers. It was a huge truck with a boom that lifted each skid off, swung it over to where I asked the driver to place them and set the skids down easily, without even disturbing a single brick. Linda said she was impressed. The driver unloaded 5 skids for a total of 800 pieces of rectangles and 800 pieces of the square pavers also. I think it's going to be a long hot summer of laying pavers.
After the pavers were all delivered we jumped on the 4-wheeler and headed down to the mum patch. We slowly drove around the patch looking for dying mums, but thankfully, didn't find very many. Probably 5 to 10 were not going to make it, but we will see how many we lose at the end of the season. I usually roto-till a few accidentally too, and some die when we fertilize the patch. The creek water definitely help though. About 2 in the afternoon, Stacey and I were taking a DVD back to the video shop and it was starting to rain in town. As we came back home, the rain had made it to our house, although not a downpour, it was helping our mums.

Just A Good Ol' Boy

Mailbox Rebuilt

Sooo, I was out mowing this afternoon and as I finished up the gully and started to mow the ditch along the road, I noticed that the mailbox was gone. The post was still standing, at least part of it was still there. I looked and the rest of the post was hanging to the mailbox which was laying on it's side in the ditch. Something had come along and swiped the mailbox off the post and busted the cedar post arm that held the mailbox on the post. GRRrrrrrdamniiitsonofabitchpisshit....
I found a piece of pressure treated wood the same size as the cedar post, so I cut it down to size, trimmed the ends and used a circular saw to make a half-lap joint to match what was left on the remaining post. I then drilled holes to mount the mailbox on the pressure treated replacement board. I used a couple of hammers to beat the side of the mailbox back to the original shape so the box door would open again. The mailbox was steel and fairly thick, so I had to hammer hard to bend it back like it was originally. I mounted the mailbox to the pressure treated wood with lag screws and then lagged the pressure treated wood arm to the cedar post. It isn't perfect, but it's back on and capable of receiving mail in the morning.

Rolled Hay is Done

The hay fields across the creek from the house have been mowed, raked and rolled. They mowed the hay Tuesday, and then it rained Wednesday, Thurday, and was cloudy Friday morning. Saturday Phil was over there using some kind of rake to spread the hay out and 'fluff' it up so it would dry faster. He mentioned they might roll it that evening if it got dry enough. So, it was Sunday afternoon, about 2 when I noticed they were over there again raking the hay into rows and rolling it with their roll baler. I set down by the creek in the shade watching them work when Phil pulled up on his tractor, he had been disking in some seeds on another farm down the road. We sat there watching and talking for over an hour, until Steve and his boy were done. They all pulled over in the yard and talked a little while. I guess they will be square baling hay later in the week for me.

Square Hay Baling Ain't Fun

Phil and Steve had told me yesterday that they would probably square bale some hay for us today if the rain held off. I noticed they were over in the hay field early this morning raking it up in rows, so I figured it was going to be dry enough. I brought the tractor up to the barn and hooked up the hay wagon. It usually takes till about noon for the sun to burn off the moisture from the dew, so Linda, Stacey and I went to town to eat at Grumpy's. We also took back 2 DVDs we had rented the day before. As we were coming back from town, I noticed the square bales were laying in the fields. I quickly checked the radar and saw there was rain headed our way, so I told Linda to hurry up because we needed to pick up the hay before it got rained on. We headed over with me driving the tractor and Linda riding the wagon. I think she was planning on picking the bales up while I drove the tractor, but I didn't think she would last long doing it that way. She was able to throw the bales on the wagon, but not get them high enough for the second or third level. I put her on the wagon stacking while I drove the tractor, got off and tossed the hay up to her. It wasn't the fastest hay baling ever done, but it was hot and we were getting it done. We finished the hay in the lower field and headed over to the second field to finish up the bales that were left. As I was driving over there, 2 bales fell off the wagon, as our stacking wasn't the best. We picked up those and the rest of the bales and I headed the tractor across the creek to the hay shed. I pulled the tractor and wagon in front of the hay shed and we took our time unloading the hay, carrying it to the back corner and stacking it on some wood skids. The skids will keep the hay from drawing moisture up from the gravel floor. We ended up with 3 skids with 12 bales on a skid and 1 bale left over for a total of 37 bales. I'm glad they didn't do the entire 100 bales all at one time. About 2 hours after we were done it rained.

New Tiller

Larry has finished cutting, raking and rolling the hay in the other field. I think he said he made 60 rolls, which is pretty good for this early in the season.

After searching over the internet for a couple of days looking for roto-tillers, I asked Linda and Stacey if they wanted to go to Glasgow to look. They were up for the 'road trip' if I agreed to eat while we were there, ok with me so we started out. I thought we would eat first and Stacey had wanted to eat at a steak place called 'Tumbleweeds'. Linda mentioned that Tractor Supply would probably close before we were done eating and we should look there first. We drove on over to the TSC and the sign said they would be closing at 8 PM, so it was a good suggestion Linda had made. We looked at what they had, but I didn't see the tiller I had picked out on the internet, so we left there and headed to Lowe's. Once there, I was able to actually look at what I had been seeing on the net. I decided it wasn't the one I wanted to buy and Lowe's tillers were quite a bit higher priced than those at TSC for the same brand. Back to TSC and I went in to purchase a Troy-Bilt Counter Rotating Tiller.

I thought it was priced at $615, but when the cashier rung up the tiller it was on sale for $553 plus tax. I paid and went outside and we loaded the tiller in the back of the pickup. We drove off, got about 1/8 of a mile away and I turned around. I told Linda we shouldn't have paid tax, being a farm and using the tiller for mums. I went back inside and the cashier refunded $33.81 state tax. It was worth turning around to save that much. We were headed to eat and Linda said she didn't want to eat at Tumbleweeds because we couldn't see the truck from inside and the tiller would be easy for someone to steal since it was just sitting in the pickup bed. Instead we went to Mancino's for grinders. We all like those and we sat where the truck was visible from inside. It was raining the entire time we were in Glasgow, but as we headed back to Burkesville the rain disappeard and the roads were dry.

Walkway and Flowers

I got up early this morning and took the new tiller to the mum patch and tilled the entire patch. It was much easier to use since it powers itself and I didn't have to hold it back or push it forward. The tiller turns the soil into a fine 'powder' that will be smooth and easy to work. I was able to till the entire patch without stopping and taking a break, which I was unable to do with the smaller tiller.

 
Our walkway to the front door is looking nicer as most of the Daylilies are blooming. Linda has added some Petunias in the black 'wash tub' setting by the corner of the garage. We have ordered and received more of the pavers that we used for the walkway. We are lining the flower beds around the house and have a few more projects for the remaining pavers.
 
The flower bulbs we ordered from Michigan Bulb are starting to get big and bloom. We placed them under the bathroom window in a raised bed that was lined with the pavers left over from the walkway. They have been there 2 years now.

More Tiller Work

I mowed at the trailer early this morning in order to beat the heat. Linda has planted some pumpkins to sell this year along with the mums and hay. So today, we went and tilled the pumpkin patch. The tiller is making the job much easier, but it was about 90 degrees and quite a sweat developed on me as I was doing the tillling. This will probably be the last time I'm able to get the tiller through the pumpkins as the vines are getting long and Linda had to lay them toward each other this time. We also did the tomatoes and beans that Regina had planted in the garden patch.

Mower Troubles

I used the big tractor with the bush hog to mow the hill in front of the house this morning. Then I started mowing with the mower and mowed along the walkway and at the end of the house. As I was near being done with the level ground around the house, I hit a stick and flipped the belt off the mower deck. I pulled the mower in the garage where I could lay down and put the belt back on, I was back in operation in about 10 minutes. Not too bad. So I started down the driveway and turned into the front yard, started the mower deck running and headed out across the yard. I went about 50 feet and lost control of the mower. No, I didn't fall off, I could turn the steering wheel anyway I wanted to but the mower just went where it wanted to go. Nothing I did made any difference in which way it went. I stopped and looked under the mower and the drag link had come loose from the tie rod. I tried to back up to get the mower where I could maybe put it back on, but that wasn't working. I tried going forward but the rod just jabbed in the ground and snapped loose at the other end too. I walked up the drive and got a 4-wheeler, hooked up the trailer to it and pulled it down and parked in front of the mower. I was able to drive the mower onto the trailer and pull the trailer and mower up to the loft of the barn. I backed the trailer in the barn and carried my tools over there to see if I could fix the broken part. Nope, it was evidently pressed into the hole from the factory and wasn't made to be repaired. I called the John Deere dealer and they confirmed that it wasn't repairable, but they had one in Glasgow. They said to bring mine for comparison. Stacey and I headed over to Glasgow to buy their piece. It went smooth at the dealer, I got the part, and we headed back to Burkesville. Once back, it only took about 10 minutes to replace the broken drag link and I was back to mowing. I finished the yard just about dark.

Linda's Mustang

Linda went yesterday to Smith's Grove and mowed the yard at the trailer. She stopped and looked at a 1997 Mustang GT Convertible. Went to the bank and took the money out and bought the car. She came home and asked me to take her over this morning to pick it up. We headed over and there was no one at the place she bought it, so we went and ate at the Long John Silvers in Glasgow. After eating we went back to the place and the woman was there, so Linda picked up the Mustang and we followed her back to Burkesville.

It seems like a pretty good car, there are a few minor things wrong, but maybe those can be fixed. It has a V-8 Automatic with A/C, power windows, electronic door locks and trunk release, leather interior, and some other options like cruise control...

Father's Day Visitors

Saturday morning Brent came over and said Imon and Terry would be over later. He had been to Indiana and worked on the 56 Chevy with Imon almost the entire week. Terry and Imon were going to the Corvette Museum before coming to our house. Brent brought Pico with him and they arrived about 9:30. Imon and Terry rang the door bell a little after 11. They set down for a minute and then Linda came in the house and told them to go outside and check out her Mustang. That was all Imon needed to hear, he went out and took a look, took a test drive, did a couple burn outs and then they started working on the car. The main objective was to get the power seat moved back as far as possible. Brent, Terry, Imon and I took turns using a box end wrench to remove the seat bolts. We finally got the seat out after also unplugging the wiring harness. The motors were 'locked up' and we sprayed WD-40 on everything and used the battery charger to run the motors to loosen up the seat assembly. We were unable to get the motor that moves the seat forward and backward to run, so we unhooked the linkage and moved the seat as far back as possible by hand and then reassembled the linkage to hold the seat where we had set it. More WD-40 on the bolts and they went in a lot easier than they were removed. That made the car easier to enter and exit.
Imon said we needed to take Terry a ride on the 4-wheelers so he could see what the farm looked like, so we made a lap around the hayfields, back in the hollers, and to the top of the hill. Terry said he 'loved' riding the 4-wheelers. We went back to the house and drank a few beers, took some pictures of the cars, did some burn outs, and talked till late that night.
 
   
Sunday morning Stacey and Brent started off my Father's Day by giving me a T-shirt and a couple hugs. I liked those items. Linda fixed us all a breakfast of eggs and ham with biscuits. We hung around a little waiting for it to be late enough to take a longer 4-wheeler ride up Jone's Ridge and down Beech Branch. It is about a hour ride and Linda rode with Imon and Stacey with Brent, Terry and I were on our own 4-wheelers. We got back to the house about noon and Imon and Terry packed up their stuff, said goodbyes and headed to Indiana.
 

Mums Needed Water

It has been a while since we had a good rain, so we decided that we better water the mums instead of taking a chance on them dying in the heat. The forecast is for at least 90 degrees the rest of the week, so today was the coolest. We were going to use the tractor to bring water up from the creek and pour into 5 gallon buckets. We didn't want to carry the buckets back and forth down the rows, so we were going to use the 4-wheeler and the little red trailer to carry the buckets. Unfortunately the tire had came loose from the rim and we couldn't get it to seal back against the rim. We made due by setting the buckets of water on the back rack of the 4-wheeler and letting Stacey drive it up and down the rows while we watered 5 rows per trip. Regina stopped in and helped water the plants while I picked the water out of the creek with the tractor and carried the buckets to the 4-wheeler. It was plenty hot, even though it wasn't 90, and it took us about 2 hours to water the entire patch.

Boating Work

Yesterday we pulled the boat out of the shed and brought it up to the house to see if we could get it started. I hooked the battery up and put the charger on it. I pulled the water hose around to the end of the boat and Linda went and picked up the 'ear muff' that we use when we start the motor. She turned the water on and I gave the key a turn. The motor wound over a few times but didn't start. I pushed the button in to the fast idle position and tried again. I pumped the throttle a few times and the motor started. I lowered the trim and let it run a few minutes while I watched the gauges for temp and oil pressure. Things looked good so I went to the back to see if it was pumping water and all was ok. After letting the engine run for about 5 minutes I shut it off and started it 4 or 5 more times.
This morning Linda and Stacey began cleaning the inside by sweeping and using Soft Scrub with bleach to remove some of the mildew and dirt from the interior. They took all the 'equipment' out and had the boat looking nice on the inside. They had the top up and the radio in the garage playing so it was almost like being on the lake, only no water. I started the boat a couple of times during the day and all seemed to be working good. Linda and Stacey wiped down the outside with Pledge and had the boat shinning. We put the cover over it and moved it out of the middle of the driveway.

Going to the Lake, Twice

With no rain in sight we decided to go to the lake. The boat was still hooked up, so I was busy getting the cooler ready and Linda was packing sandwich stuff. Stacey was getting the towels and we were headed out. We stopped in town to fill up the gas tank on the boat. We drove to the State Park Dock and backed down the ramp, took the cover off, and put the cooler in the boat. Linda was to start the boat after I backed the trailer and boat in the lake. I was unhooking the chain and letting the boat roll off the trailer, but Linda couldn't get the boat started. She tried it a few more times with no luck. I climbed in and it wouldn't start. The battery was going dead, so we put the cover on and headed back to town. I stopped at NAPA and bought a new battery, but the boat still wouldn't start. Hmm, I kept trying but no luck. We put the cover on again and came on home. I went inside, got a big glass of ice water and the next thing I knew I was waking up from about an hour nap. We messed around a little while and I decided to try to start the boat again. This time it fired right up. I tried 3 or 4 more times with no troubles, so I went in and told Linda and Stacey to get their suits back on we were going to the lake...again.
This time we put the boat in and it started right up. Linda drove it out in the dock area while I parked the truck and trailer and walked back down. We stopped at the gas dock and bought an annual pass for the KY State Parks, cost us $30. We took off and rode for a couple of miles, I stopped and started the motor a couple of times and from then on it was just a regular boating trip. We went to Willow Grove and the girls got shirts. We went swimming a couple of times and headed in about 7 PM. I pulled the truck and trailer down the ramp and Linda drove the boat on the trailer. We put the cover on and headed to the house.

No Rain, Water the Mums

No rain for a couple of weeks now, it's been 90 every day this week, so we watered the mums again. This time I had the tire fixed on the little red trailer. It made the watering a little easier. We started about 4 and finished about 6:30. We didn't work as fast as before, due to it being hotter.

Lake Trip

Brent brought Pauline and her sister, Beth, to the farm early this morning. They were eager to get to the lake, but it looked like rain on the radar. After they drove from Smith's Grove to Burkesville, they weren't sure if we could go or if it was going to rain or not. I said we were going to get wet anyway, so at 9:30 we packed up, lunch stuff, towels, coolers and everything else we needed for a day on the lake. I had to stop in Burkesville to fill the boat with gas, and I told Linda it would be raining by the time we got to the lake. Sure enough, it was just starting as we launched the boat. They had put the top up while we were parking the truck and trailer. We headed out anyway as the rain was getting a little harder. I found us a cove to pull in, and we stopped the boat and went swimming, there wasn't any lightning, so not much danger. After the ride in the rain, the lake water felt like bath water when I dove in. The girls said it was warm too. We played around there for about an hour as it drizzled a little and would stop, then drizzle a little more, never a real hard rain though. Finally, I saw a sunny spot appear, and I told the girls to get in the boat while the sun was out. That way they wouldn't be cold when getting out of the water. We ate some sandwiches and then went for a ride. We headed southeast toward Sunset dock and never had any more rain the rest of the day. In fact it got hot and was a beautiful day. We stopped 2 more times and swam and Brent went water sking. About 3:30 we boated in to Sunset and parked along the dock in front of the restuarant. We were seated in the restuarant and ordered, then stepped over to the store to shop for shirts or other junk while our order was prepared. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and afterwards we took a long slow ride back toward the State Park. I stopped once more to see if anyone wanted to swim before taking the boat off the lake. Stacey and I were the only ones in the water, so we just made a short lap and got back in the boat. We pulled the boat on the trailer and drove off the dock at 5:45.
When we got back to the house, there had been NO RAIN here!

Lazy Day

Originally we had planned on two days of boating, but the girls got too much sun on Sunday, so they canceled the trip for today. That was OK with everyone, Brent was a little burnt too. So Linda fixed a big breakfast and we laid around watching TV and taking it easy. It was cloudy and finally rained for about 30 minutes. Boy did we need that for the mums. I checked the rain gauge and it was only about a 1/4" of rain, but it helped. I took Stacey, Beth and Pauline to town in the Mustang to pick up some stuff for lunch. They liked the convertible. We had lunch late and Brent and the sisters headed home about 4 PM.

More Water for the Mums

We kept waiting on the rain that has been all around us, but none came, so about 6:30 we headed to the mum patch and began watering the mums again. This is getting old, there have been probably 20 plants die, I guess from lack of water. Tuesday we went to Columbia for sandwiches and about 2 miles from the house we ran into a downpour. It was a thunderstorm but it missed our house and mums. At least there was more water in the creek for me to scoop up with the tractor though. We gave each plant a full cup of water. It wasn't easy as the tire on the red trailer was flat again and I couldn't air it up, so we had to set the buckets on the back of the 4-wheeler. We took it slower and the job was better because the longer we took the cooler it got as the sun was going down.