Dale Hollow Holiday

Pauline, Brent and Julie came over Thursday evening and Friday morning we began getting ready for a boating trip to Dale Hollow Lake. Pauline fixed breakfast and the girls began getting sandwiches and coolers ready to go while Brent and I hooked up the boat and tested it to make sure things would work correctly. I had picked it up from Joe Davidson's Marine after a repair of the transom that involved removing the engine, so I was a little worried about how the boat would run. We started the engine after hooking up the water hose to the lower unit and then clicked the lever into forward and then reverse, let the motor idle for a while and made sure the water was flowing through the engine Everything worked! We replaced the engine cover, then unfolded the road cover and tied it down, we were about ready. After loading the coolers, bags of stuff, and everyone into the truck, I drove to the state park and we launched the boat. Brent drove the boat while I parked the truck in the upper lot. The lower lot was already full of cars and trailers. I walked back down to the dock and boarded the boat and away we went for a day on the lake. Brent picked a nice cove and we anchored the boat and went swimming. It was Julie's first time in the lake water and we eased her into it gently. I slipped Brent a Juice Box and asked Julie if she wanted to go to her dad and get a drink. She did so I handed Julie to Brent and she was in the water without thinking about it.
   
A little later we had Julie sitting on a knee board and were pushing her back and forth through the water between Brent and me. I was also splashing Julie and teaching her to splash with her arms so that she could learn to paddle the knee board through the water. We played in the water a long time, then climbed back in the boat, then back in the water several times to get Julie used to getting in and out of the water and boat. Pauline, Stacey and Linda also went swimming during the day. There were lots of boats this year as gas prices are not so high and the lake was choppy from the boats running back and forth. We had our sandwiches for lunch and rode to the dam before calling it a day. Our boat worked perfectly and I dropped Brent off to climb the hill and drive the truck and trailer to the ramp. I drove the boat on the trailer and Brent hooked it up, then pulled us out of the water. We buttoned up the cover and returned to the farm. I backed the boat into the new barn and we went to the house. Linda fixed us pizzas for supper.

July 4th

We started the day with coffee and muffins, then brought the 1956 Chevy up from the pole barn to the house and washed it. Linda and Pauline had been working on the red wagon for Julie to ride in during the 4th of July parade in town. They had decorated the wagon and Pauline had brought some patriotic clothes for Julie to wear too. They dressed Julie a little early and I took a couple pictures of her on the front walk.
  
A little after 11 AM, Pauline, Brent, Julie, Stacey and Linda loaded the red wagon into the Chevy Traverse and followed me in the 1956 Chevy towards town. About half way to town, the 56 ran out of gas and I pulled over and parked it, got in the Traverse and went on to town. Linda and I dropped off everyone at the bank to sign up for the parade and we went to park near the Courthouse Square. It was just a few minutes till we heard the sirens and the kids came around the square on their bikes and in their wagons.
   
   
Some of the kids were riding battery powered cars and trucks. Wade Flowers, State Farm Insurance Agent, gave away bikes to kids that had their names drawn from the sign up
  
After the drawing, Brent and I went and put gas in the 56 Chevy and drove it to the park and signed in at the Cruise In booth, then parked the car and took out our lawn chairs. Pauline, Julie, Linda, Stacey and Jason joined us as we sat in the shade and talked to the people looking at all the cars. We stayed until everyone was tired, then Stacey and Jason went to the softball tournament that was being held. The rest of us went back to the farm. We picked Stacey up about 5 PM after we had taken the Chevy back to the farm.

Farm Machinery

Monday morning, I called G&G Motors about my tractor. They said it was done and I asked them what had been wrong and would they deliver it back to the farm. They said it might have been a fuse or the fuel filter and it would probably be a couple days before they were down this way with the tractor. Hmm, "OK then...", was my reply. A couple hours later, I looked out the window and the tractor was sitting down near the new pole barn. I was surprised and went down to use it to move a little gravel. I started the tractor and drove about 50 feet, pulled two scoops of dirt and gravel away from the pole barn and the tractor quit. Practically right where it had quit before. I couldn't believe it! I walked to the house and called G&G to talk to the service manager. I told him thanks for getting my tractor back quickly and then what happened and he said they would come and get it in a couple days. Whhhaaaaaaaaattttttt? We went to eat lunch then returned to the farm. About an hour later, a G&G employee showed up and began working on the tractor. He found that another fuse had blown, so he replaced it and turned on the tractor, the second fuse immediately blew. He began tracing the wiring and after taking a service panel and the instrument panel out, he found a wire with worn insulation on it. He taped the wire up and then taped the wiring harness so it wouldn't rub against the metal. The tractor was fixed and has ran ever since.
Tuesday, I used the tractor to unload a used piece of equipment from the trailer I had used to pick it up from a farm about 20 miles from our farm. After setting the New Holland 254 rake/tedder on the ground, I then hooked it to the tractor to give it a test run. It raked hay just fine, but when I tried switching it to the tedder position, I noticed there were some bent shafts that would not let it switch to the tedder position.
Wednesday morning I took the shafts off the tedder and tried to replace one with a extra piece that I had got from the guy who sold it to me.
  
It was for the opposite side, so at lunch time, we went to Columbia and ate, then stoped at G&G for parts. I had to order two of the shafts and the pieces that went with them. The price is going to be around $310 depending on the cost of shipping. We returned to the farm and I tried the tedder feature without the two shafts on the tedder and it worked. So once the parts come in, it should be fairly simple to replace them and have a fully functional rake/tedder (I hope!). The new pole barn is finished on the outside with the end wall and entry door in place. All the trim has been attached and we have started storing our stuff inside.
  

Hay Baling

It was nearly 10 PM when Pauline, Brent and Julie arrived last evening. We talked a little while as Linda gave Julie a bath before everyone went to bed. This morning, Brent was up early and making preparations for their trip to IN. Stacey cooked sausage and put them in biscuits for everyone to eat before they left. Julie, Linda, Pauline and Brent left around 7:30 AM. Stacey and I are taking care of all the dogs this weekend. Steve Riddle had cut the hay in the field across from the house on Tuesday and I had made plans with Denise and Larry Anderson to bale the hay around 2 PM. It was starting to cloud up and I had checked the radar on the computer to find that rain was coming our way. Stacey and I went to town and picked up her prescriptions, then ate lunch at Hamiltons' BBQ before returning to the farm. I raked the hay into wind rows and then called Denise and told her that they could come on down anytime to help. They came right down and we began baling with Denise and Larry riding on the wagon and stacking the hay as it came out of the baler. About an hour and a half later we were done and stopped to talk as they looked at our pole barn while we were drinking a cold drink to wash the hay dust out of our throats. Denise paid me for the hay and they towed it home on the wagon behind their pickup truck. Stacey helped me put the equipment away. The thunderstorms went to the south of us and it never rained the rest of the day.

Friends At Dale Hollow

Brent said Pauline couldn't get off work and she stayed at their house when Julie and him came over Monday evening.
Tuesday morning we fixed sandwiches and coolers and hooked up the Sea Ray for our trip to Dale Hollow. Several of our old friends from IN were staying at the lake and had asked us to meet them out there. After filling the boat with gas and the cooler with ice, we drove to the lake and launched the boat and headed out to meet them in Turtle Cove. We arrived a few minutes early and found Lana, Frank, Jen and Derek. A few minutes later, Bonnie, Donnie, Julie and JR pulled in and joined us. About a half hour later, Susan and Danny joined the group with one of their daughters and her boyfriend.
   
We said hello to everyone and then Derek made an announcement that he had asked Jen to marry him and had gave her an engagement ring the night before. We teased them both about it and asked if they had set a date, which they hadn't yet. After a couple hours of swimming and catching up on everyone's stories, we decided to move our group to another cove. Derek was going to wake board before Jen and him left to go back to IN, so we followed along and took a few pictures of the others in their boats.
   
 
We ended the day by making a run up to the cliffs and watching people jump and dive from about 40 to 50 feet above the water into the lake. After making the run back to the dock, trailering the boat back to the farm, we went to Albany for pizza before calling it an evening.
Wednesday morning, we towed the boat to the lake and launched, then headed to Jolly Creek to meet up with two of the three boats. We stopped and swam before pulling in and finding Bonnie, Donnie, Julie and Jr and then Lana and Frank boated in to join us. We all rode to Sunset Dock and ate lunch inside, shopped at the store and headed back towards Star Point. We ran under some clouds and cool air began hitting us as we power boated through the rougher water. We pulled in to a cove to talk a while, but thunder and lightening interrupted our plans. In no time, the rain began and we all headed to our respective docks. We took our boat out and returned to the farm about 4 PM. Julie and Brent left for their house about 4:30.

Daily High New Low

This weekend the high temperature for the daytime was a record low. The high temperature was only 71 degrees Saturday and Sunday and the humidity was nice and low too. Linda and I were able get caught up on the mowing after a few days of rain had the grass getting high. After mowing all the grass around the house and barns, I went around the hay fields and also back in the 'holler'. I had a slight problem of losing a bolt out of the finish mower and I had to go to town and buy some new bolts, washers and locking nuts to put the piece back in place. After replacing and tightening the new bolts, I was able to return to mowing.

Tedder Is Together

I had to order more parts to repair the rake/tedder I bought a few weeks ago. G&G Motors called and said the parts were there, so Stacey and I picked them up yesterday. Another $70 and I was prepared to reassemble the rake arms on the tedder. I also bought a cheap pair of snap ring pliers to use on the assembly job.
This morning it was raining, so I laid out all the pieces and began building up both arms a little bit at a time. As I put on a piece on one of the arms, then the same piece on the other arm, until I had most of the new pieces assembled. I then removed the existing pieces I had to reuse from the two arms that were bent and installed them on the new arms. I took the two new arms to the shed and used the grease gun to lube them before going to the new pole barn and bolting the new pieces onto the rake/tedder. I finished the job just before lunch time.

Kid Sitting

Stacey, Linda and I took Coco and left early and drove to Glasgow for lunch at Sonic. We quickly ate in the car and then drove on to Smith's Grove and turned north to Pauline, Brent and Julie's house. We let Coco out and he went to the door and started sniffing which started Pico and Poco barking from inside. Pauline came to the door to see what was going on and we went inside. Julie saw me first, so I was able to pick her up, get a hug and kiss and pass her over to Linda. PB&J knew we were eating on the way over and were about to eat pizza before going to the Horse Cave Theater to see a play. They finished eating as we played with Julie and the dogs. We all talked until it was time for Pauline, Brent and Stacey to leave for the play. Linda and I stayed and watched Julie while they went to see "Red, White and Tuna". We kept Julie busy for a while, then managed to get her to take a nap before Pauline, Brent and Stacey came back. Brent came in and woke Julie up and played with her for a while, then we loaded into their Traverse and went to Bowling Green for dinner. Pauline had picked O'Charley's as a place to eat, but when we drove up they had people waiting outside to be seated. We checked, but decided the wait would be too long, then we went to Ruby Tuesdays. We were seated right away and our service was excellent. After everyone had finished with dinner, we walked around the Greenwood Mall for about an hour, then went back to PB&J's house until we left for home about 10 PM.

Hay Baled

Steve Riddle cut the hay in two fields last Monday. It was cloudy and cool most of the week with rain on Wednesday and rain and hail on Saturday while we were out of town. Sunday, I used the tedder to pull the hay away from the ground and spread it out on top of the grass. Today, I waited until about 1:30 PM to let the hay dry and then I raked the hay into wind rows. I had already removed the tedder from the tractor and hooked up the hay baler and they were sitting in the pole barn ready to bale. I unhooked the rake from the small tractor and pulled a hay wagon out of the barn with it. I waited a few minutes and Steve showed up to help. He drove the small tractor with the hay wagon and I drove the Ford tractor with the hay baler behind it. We started in the field in the 'holler' behind Regina's old house and baled 45 bales. We unhooked the wagon from the baler and pulled it and the baler to the other field and were ready to begin baling. Linda came down in the Mule and we asked her to get us some drinks. She went to the house and fixed a cooler with pop and water and came back with Nancy riding along. Steve and I had begun baling the second field, but we stopped and took a break for a cold drink and to talk to Nancy and Linda. After a few minutes we finished our drinks and resumed the baling. When we were done, we had just over 90 bales on the counter and the wagon was just about full. I pulled the baler to the pole barn and Steve drove the FarmTrac tractor pulling the wagon of hay to the back of the upper barn and parked. We set down on the back porch for a while and cooled off while chatting, then pulled the wagon of hay in the barn loft and left it on the wagon. Nancy and Steve went home and Linda and I put the equipment away, then we went inside for a shower and supper.