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Posted on Friday, October 03, 2008
Julie Pickup
This morning we drove the 56 Chevy to town and met Jason for breakfast and a little bit of friendly chatting. Afterwards, we went home, changed cars and headed to meet Brent and Julie at their house. After an hour drive, we pulled in and went inside and played with Julie, Pico and Poco while talking with Brent. We had planned to go to Bowling Green and eat lunch, so Brent checked with Pauline on what time she was taking her lunch. She wasn't feeling well and was coming home to lie down, so we went ahead and loaded Julie, Stacey, Brent, Linda and I into the HHR and headed to town. We bought our supplies at Sam's Club and loaded them in the car, then headed back to PB&J's house. Pauline was laying down, but feeling better, so she came to the living room and talked with us for a while before we headed back home. Pauline and Brent were planning an evening at the Horse Cave Theater, so we gladly took Julie with us back to Burkesville. I drove the Triumph TR3 back to the farm, while Linda drove the HHR with Julie and Stacey riding along. We pulled into the drive, then unloaded our grocery supplies and then took Daisy for a run around the fields with Julie riding along in the Mule. Julie would yell for "Daisy" when the dog would get too far ahead. It is nice to hear Julie saying a few more words each time we see her.
Posted on Saturday, October 04, 2008
Saturday With Julie
Saturday morning started with Linda making breakfast while I fed Julie a
jar of breakfast food. Pauline and Brent arrived shortly after that, as
I was finishing washing the 56 Chevy. Brent helped with cleaning the
rims and tires on the 58 Triumph. Pauline and Julie road along with
Brent in the 56 Chevy and Linda drove the TR3 to leave the cars at the
Chevy dealership for a local car show. I followed in the HHR with Stacey
and Julie riding with me. After leaving the two old cars, we stopped at
a yard sale in a church parking lot and then on back to the house for a
quick sandwich. We all piled in the pickup truck and I took the back way
to Edmonton to the Pumpkin Festival. We walked around the Courthouse
Square and looked at all the vendors' booths and enjoyed lemon shake ups
and elephant ears while examining the various home made items for sale.
Stacey and I took turns pushing Julie in a stroller because the crowd
was fairly large. When we had seen most of the things there, we headed
back to the farm for a short pit stop, then back to the Chevy dealership
to pick up our cars. Linda drove the Triumph and this time I drove the
56 Chevy as Pauline, Julie and Stacey were riding in the pickup with
Brent. Once back at the farm we let Julie ride in the Mule as Daisy ran
around the hay fields, then Pauline took a picture of Julie and me as
Brent put Daisy back in her pen.
Then
I took pictures of the others watching Julie pet Daisy through the fence
and them playing with Julie.
I
parked the 56 Chevy in front of the barn and Pauline and Linda watered
the mums we had set there for sale while Julie played inside the car.
Brent
was standing by the car and coaching Julie on how to hold the steering
wheel and grab the gear shifter while I was taking the pictures. Then he
pulled Julie out of the car, stood her on the window sill and told her
to raise her arms like NASCAR drivers do after they win the race. After
that, Julie rode with me up to the garage and then we went back down to
the barn.
We
went inside and Pauline fixed potato soup for supper and then we looked
at the pictures and watched TV the rest of the evening.
Posted on Monday, October 06, 2008
Selling Square Baled Hay
Steve Riddle had a friend that wanted to buy some of the square bales of
hay I had in the barn, so he had set it up for them to come by this
morning to pickup the hay. Steve Berger and his wife and daughter came
along to load the hay on the large black trailer. Steve Riddle hooked
his truck to the trailer and pulled it in the back of the barn and we
loaded on 82 bales and they took it to their farm after paying. About 2
hours later, they were back and we loaded the other 53 bales on the
trailer and they headed to their farm again. About an hour later, they
brought the trailer back and put it in the shed where I had it stored.
It has been very dry since the first of August and hay is a little hard
to find right now in some parts of the state. I noticed the story
below...
|
August, September driest since 1897
By Andy Mead
Kentucky has just been through its driest August and September since 1897. The 2.62 inches of rain recorded during the two months was the second-lowest amount in 114 years of record-keeping, according to numbers compiled by the University of Kentucky Agricultural Weather Center. The driest year for the two-month period was 1897. In the top 10 for driest August-September combinations, last year came in at No. 9. Kentucky was in extreme drought last year. Thanks to a wet start to 2008, most of the state is in moderate drought now. Repercussions large and small are spreading because of the recent lack of rain. Arborists report that many trees in the Bluegrass area are dying. And entomologists say the wasps and hornets that swarm around open soft-drink cans this time of year are especially frantic because they desperately need moisture.
|
Posted on Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Rain Finally Comes
Late Tuesday afternoon, we finally received a good rain. It rained on
and off during the night and most of this morning. I took the hay off
the hay wagon and stacked it on one side of the barn while it was
raining this morning.
The
rain stopped a little after noon. I took the HHR to the Chevy dealership
to have the oil changed and when I returned home, Linda went to work at
the after school day care. Stacey and I took Daisy and went for a ride
around the hay fields with the camera and I took pictures of the leaves
on the trees.
The
colors and not quite at their peak yet, but it is already looking
beautiful.
Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008
State Park Drop Off
We had dug about 40 mums and taken a truckload to the grade school to decorate for their open house on Thursday. Friday, we went to pick the mums back up and bring them back to the farm. Most of the mums had been sold, but there were about 7 potted mums for us to return. While in town, we filled up with gas because the price had dropped to $3.08 a gallon. Back at the farm, we sold a few mums and 12 bales of hay. Linda had agreed to pick Jason up at 3 PM when he was done working, so we took the HHR and after getting Jason, we went to Albany and ate. I drove past a place that also grows mums and it looked like they hadn't sold any. I thought mum sales were going a little slow for us, but the patch at his place looked like they hadn't dug a single mum. We drove to Dale Hollow State Park and down to the boat ramp. The lake's water level was so low that only a small portion of the ramp was usable I noticed they have started construction on the new boat launching ramp. We left the ramp area and drove to the campground and found where Stephanie and Tommy were camped. Gloria and Hoy were camped in their camping trailer alongside them. We parked the car and set and talked with everyone about an hour until they began fixing their supper. It seemed like it was a great time to be camping, the weather was perfect and the leaves were turning. We drove back to the farm and found we had sold a few mums while we were gone. Stacey watched a pre-season Pacer game after we went inside.
Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008
Weekend Visitors
Late Friday evening we received an instant message from Brent saying
that Sabra and Jim were coming down with their kids and they all would
be coming over to our place Saturday. We had planned on going to
Columbia Saturday morning for the Downtown Days festival, so we went
early. The roads around the courthouse were blocked off and vendors had
their booths setup on the streets. We took a tour around the square and
checked out the various items for sale. We stopped and bought food items
and then ate while setting at a table on the street. Since we had
company coming, we stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the
farm. When we drove in our driveway, Sabra and Pauline were selling hay
out of the barn and had collected money for mums they had sold too. We
laughed and told them they could take over on the selling since they had
done so well. I helped the guy load the rest of the hay he had bought,
then went to see the kids. Julie, Clayton, Amber and the women were on
the back porch and the kids had been playing. Later in the day, Linda
filled a tub of water and let them play with toy boats by the back porch.
Jim
and Brent had remained in Bowling Green because Brent was running a swim
meet for Western University and Coach Powell. They came over around 5:30
PM after the swim meet had finished. The kids were the main focus during
the weekend though. It was all about keeping them busy and playing.
Sabra,
Jim, Pauline and Brent were able to take rides on the ATVs while we kept
the kids busy. It was a fun filled weekend with something going on most
of the time. Sabra and Jim packed their things and headed towards IN
around 4:30 PM Sunday and P,B&J left for their house about a half hour
later.
Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Nearly Sunset
Since school is on Fall Break this week, Linda has worked from 7 AM to 1
PM the last two days. Stacey and I have taken the dog for her runs and
done a few odd jobs while Linda was working. We went to town today and
just happened to drive by as Linda was leaving the day care, so she
followed us to the bank, then to Jone's Restaurant. We ate and returned
to the farm, then I took the camera and rode around on a 4-wheeler as
the sun was just about to dip below the hilltops.
It
was another beautiful day with the temperatures in the lower 80s and
partly cloudy almost all day.
Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008
Jason Drives The Mule
Stacey and I made chili while Linda was outside and then I went out and was using the tractor and bush hog to trim around the hay field. Linda came and reminded me we were picking up Jason in town, so I quickly parked the tractor and Linda drove us into the grocery store and parked. Jason came out while Linda went inside to buy a few things. We talked and Jason said it would be OK to go to the farm and eat chili. We went back to the farm and ate chili and a pb&j sandwich. Afterwards, we went outside and Stacey drove the Mule while I continued trimming with the tractor. They rode around the fields a couple of times until I finished. I stopped the tractor in the dry creek and climbed in the Mule. This time, I let Jason drive with Stacey in the middle. Jason drove around the hay field until we spotted Tommy's truck and then we headed back to the house. It seems that is the first time Jason has drove, other than an ATV. I put the tractor in the shed and Stacey parked the Mule in the barn, then we talked with Tommy for a little while. They left and we went inside.
Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2008
Busy Saturday
The doorbell rang this morning about 8:30 and it was Larry wanting to
buy hay. I put my shoes on and went outside to find David and his son,
Landon, waiting in the truck with a trailer behind it. Larry backed the
trailer in the barn loft and we began tossing hay bales to David, who
was stacking them on the trailer. We filled the trailer and loaded the
rest in the back of the pickup truck. They bought 120 bales of hay and
then left to go unload. I went inside to cool off for a little bit, but
Linda had called Regina and they were ready to dig mums for the
Homemaker's Club meeting next Thursday. I went back outside and hooked
the hay wagon to the back of the Mule. Stacey, Linda and I drove to the
mum patch and met Regina there. I dug about 40 mums while Regina and
Linda put the mums in pots and Stacey carried the potted mums to the hay
wagon, then I dug several more for Regina to take in her pickup. We
pulled the wagon back to Regina's house and Linda used the water hose to
water each pot of mums. I then pulled the wagon to the back of the barn
and parked it in the hay loft. OK, that job was done, so we headed
inside and took a short break. We drove the HHR to Albany to check out
the Foothills Festival and it was extremely busy. It was hard to find
anywhere to park, but after finding a place, we walked about two blocks
towards the center of town.
We
looked around at several of the booths and then headed to the food
section. We each picked out something we liked and ate, then Linda and I
split a hot fudge cake. We tossed our trash in the can and began walking
around again. Someone stepped out in front of me and I looked up and was
surprised to see Bonnie and Donnie from IN. We fell into a conversation
and then spent some time walking around looking at the booths and items
for sale with them. We started towards the car, when Francis and her
husband mentioned to us about a car show behind the US Post Office, so
we all walked up there and looked around at the cars, tractors and
motorcycles that were entered in the show.
Donnie
used to drag race, so he and I enjoyed looking at the cars, especially
some of the race cars. Bonnie asked us to follow them over to Susie and
Gary's cabin near Dale Hollow Lake. After a short drive, we parked and
went down to their cabin and set on the outside deck enjoying the
beautiful surroundings and talking. We stayed until almost sunset and
then headed back home.
Posted on Sunday, October 19, 2008
Posted on Monday, October 20, 2008
Frosty Mornings
We've had frost on the ground the last two mornings. We had dug mums for
the Homemakers Club and had to roll the hay wagon in the garage to make
sure the weather didn't harm those mums on it. We roll it out each
morning and water them, then roll it back in the garage just before
sunset.
We
have to wrap the pots and deliver those mums Thursday afternoon, so not
too much longer on messing with them. I'm surprised that people are
still buying mums around here. We have set the racks up on the back
porch to stack wood for the stove and have hauled one load in the back
of the Mule to the porch. We had our first fire in the stove Sunday
evening. It feels so good, nothing warms me up like a fire in a wood
stove.
Posted on Tuesday, October 21, 2008
ATV Ride
This morning we took the Mule and the black trailer along with a
chainsaw and headed across the creek to where a tree had fell earlier in
the summer. The leaves were all dried and the limbs were pretty rotten,
so I decided to just cut it into pieces and move it out of the hay
field. As I cut the small limbs, Stacey and Linda threw them onto the
black trailer and I hauled them to the edge of the creek to finish
rotting or be washed away. We worked until about noon, then went inside
and had sandwiches for lunch. Afterwards, Linda went to the day care to
work and Stacey and I took an ATV ride around the farm. 
We
were most of the way around the fields when we noticed a bunch of
buzzards sitting in the hay field at Regina's old house. I rode the 4
wheeler over to the spot and there was a dead coyote laying in the
field. 
I
took a picture so that people would know what they looked like. There
are several around this area.
Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2008
Home Makers Pot Luck Dinner
Yesterday afternoon, Regina, Linda, Stacey and I wrapped the potted
mums. As the girls put the wrap on the pots, I set them in the red
trailer. This morning, Regina, Linda and Stacey worked on the pumpkins
for decorations for the tables. 
We
took the mums to the church about 2 PM and Linda and Stacey began
decorating the tables. The pot luck dinner began at 6 PM and they had
approximately 125 guests and the Lindsey Family singers were the
entertainment for the evening.
Linda's
club, the Krafty Kritters, had about 12 members present and Jason showed
up to set with Stacey while they listened to the singing.
After
the singing was over, there was a little bit of club business conducted
as one president exited and another took over. Kathy Berry was the past
president on the left and Patricia Garner was the new president for the
upcoming year on the right of the picture.
Posted on Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friendly ATV Ride
This morning, I took the Mule, the black trailer and a chainsaw and went across the creek to the tree that had fell at the edge of the hay field. I cut some of the smaller limbs loose from the trunk and then piled the limbs on the trailer. I hauled them to the edge of the hay field and dumped the trailer. I repeated the process two more times, until I was tired and sweaty. I went back to the house and went inside to cool down and drink a cold pop. As I started watching a football game, the phone rang. It was one of the women Linda works with and they wanted to come out to the farm and ride ATVs, so I said OK. Kaitlyn, Charla and Earl showed up about a half hour later with their ATVs on a trailer. We unloaded the ATVs and Stacey, Linda and I started 3 of ours and away we went. We rode around the hay fields, back in the 'hollers' and up to the top of the hill. We stopped and talked a few times as we rode and then ended up down by the fire pit and picnic table. They started talking about leaving, but Linda mentioned she would fix a couple of pizzas, so, after loading their ATVs on the trailer, we all went inside and ate pizza as we continued talking. It was around 7:30 PM when they left for their house.
Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008
Digging and the Dog
Our neighbors, Joetta and Danny, have settled with the highway
department for the purchase of their home and land. They are planing on
moving to the opposite side of the highway and Danny wanted me to dig a
test hole in the area where he was hoping to place a septic tank. I took
the tractor over to his property and used the backhoe to dig a hole
about 6 feet deep to let him see if there was a layer of rock. I didn't
encounter any layers of rock, so he was happy about that, so then they
continued to stake out the location for their new home. Yesterday, our
neighbor, Steve, came to the door and wanted me to dig up some of the
blueberry bushes that would be bulldozed when Danny has his lot leveled.
Again, I took the tractor to their lot and dug up several blueberry
bushes, then drove down to Nancy and Steve's yard and we planted the
bushes using the backhoe. We had a few left, so we planted 4 blueberry
bushes on our land near the location where the old house used to stand.
This
morning, Stacey and I took the Mule and went for a ride while letting
Daisy run. The recent rain has finally drained through the ground enough
that the creek has a little flowing water in it again.
We
let Daisy out and she crossed the creek and headed around the hay field
following our usual path. Once we were back in the 'holler', Stacey
stopped the Mule and Daisy came running up to get a little friendly
petting from Stacey and I. Daisy will run and play back there until the
Mule is started and then it's like a race out of the 'holler'.
The
trees are really starting to lose their leaves now and bare branches are
becoming more visible. The colors are muted because of the drought, I
guess, but it still looks nice.
