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Posted on Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Loggers In Action
Daisy was ready to go for a run when we pulled the Mule
around to the front of the barn. Linda and Stacey let her out of the
stall and she came running out of the barn and then jumped in the back
of the Mule. We drove the Mule across the creek and around the hay
fields, then stopped and watched the loggers while they worked.
The
loggers were sawing the trees they had hauled out of the 'holler' into
shorter pieces to be loaded on the truck. Three loggers climbed on the
skidder and headed back in the 'holler' to cut more trees and drag them
out. Billy Wray used the front loader to pick up the logs and stack them
on the truck to be hauled to the log yard for grading and to sell.
When
Billy finished loading the truck, we drove the Mule back to the farm and
put Daisy and the Mule in the barn.
Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2011
Stacey's Birthday
The phone rang early in the morning and the caller asked for Stacey. It was her brother, Brent, calling to wish her "Happy Birthday". He talked for a few minutes and had Stacey giggling. Around 10 AM, Stacey called Jason and asked him if he wanted to go to Glasgow and eat with us. He did, so Stacey told him we would pick him up at 11 AM. We drove the HHR to Jason's house and he was ready to go when we pulled in the driveway. He came outside and, as he sat down in the car, he gave Stacey the birthday gifts he had for her. I drove towards Glasgow while we all talked and politely argued about NASCAR and anything else that came up. We went inside at Applebee's and ordered. Stacey and Jason decided on getting the 2 for $20 meal deals and Linda and I did also. We enjoyed the appetizers that came out first, then the waitress brought our meals. After finishing the food, we left and went to Lowes for a few items we needed for the work we're doing on Mom's house in IN. We rode back to Burkesville and dropped off Jason. Stacey thanked him for the gifts and Jason returned the thanks for taking him with us for lunch. We went back home and later in the evening, Stacey took more phone calls with birthday wishes.
Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Car Club Dinner
The Cruisers held their annual CRC Club Dinner at Jone's Restaurant
Thursday evening at 6 PM.
Twenty
five members and guests attended the event. The waitress took our drink
orders and brought those, then took the food orders and turned those in
to the cook. While the food was being prepared, CRC President Dave Neff
made a few remarks, then the normal conversations took over again. A
little bit later the servers began setting the plates in front of the
people and dinner was served.
After
everyone had just about finished eating, Michael Samm announced that
they were giving everyone FREE PIE! We all enjoyed the free piece of
pie, then CRC Secretary Linda Norris paid the bill for everything. She
included a tip for the waitress that had done an excellent job. We
thanked Michael as we were leaving.
Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2011
Tile Work
Stacey, Linda and I took the HHR and went to IN Friday morning. We
stopped in Edinburgh for lunch, then went on to Anderson to drop off
some papers at a lawyer's office. We picked up a few grocery items in
Chesterfield and then went to Mom's house in Daleville. Linda and I
measured for a piece of glass to replace a broken pane in one of the
basement windows, then we went to Lowe's to have it cut to size and to
buy the glazing compound to install the glass. We returned to the house
and proceeded with the installation. We fiddled around there getting
things ready for the tile work we had planned for Saturday, then went to
Anderson and ate pizza before returning to the house to spend the night.
Linda talked to Brent on the phone and he told her they were in between
their house and Louisville and that his GPS estimated they would arrive
at Shelly and Jeff Huck's house about 11 PM.
Saturday morning, Brent
called and told Linda they were just getting up and would be over in
about an hour. I continued measuring and getting things ready to begin
tiling the bathroom and hallway. When Pauline, Brent and family arrived,
we talked a few minutes then mixed up the mortar to lay the tile. I
began laying the tile and Brent was using the wet saw to cut the pieces
that needed to be trimmed to fit. We worked that way till most of the
bathroom was finished, then traded jobs as my knees were getting sore
from the kneeling. Pauline took Julie and Kyle to visit with Jim Lindzy
and his kids, Amber and Clayton, for a while.
The
white things in the pictures are spacers we use to keep the tile evenly
spaced apart. Brent laid the tile in the hallway and I made the cuts
that were needed. We were running out of mortar and had to send Linda to
Lowe's for a small bag to finish the job. When she returned, she had
called Kim and Kenny Bourke and they drove over to visit. We returned to
the job after a while of talking and were able to complete the hallway,
clean up the tools and wash down the front porch with a bucket of water
to remove the tile trimmings. Pauline returned with Julie and Kyle in
time to order two pizzas from Pizza King in Chesterfield and have them
delivered. Everyone enjoyed those, then Brent loaded up his crew and
went back to Shelly and Jeff's house to stay the night.
Kim
and Linda talked the rest of the evening with Kenny and I getting two
words in edgewise every so often.
Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2011
Grandma's 79th Birthday (Nov14th)
Brent picked us up at Mom's house at 10:30 AM and both families rode to
Muncie in their Traverse. He parked in front of the Woodlands Nursing
Home and we went inside. Virginia was setting with several other
residents when we surprised her.
We
moved down the hallway to the area where they served the meals and then
Linda cut the birthday cake and we gave Mom her card and a new coat.
Julie began singing "Happy Birthday" and we all joined in singing the
song. Linda handed out the pieces of cake and we shared with the other
residents that were standing nearby. Mom ate her piece of cake and said
it was good.
Mom
talked with us while she watched Julie and Kyle acting like kids. Brent
read the card to his Grandma while we listened.
Around
12:30 PM, the staff began bringing in the other residents for lunch and
needed the table we were setting at, so we said 'good bye' and left the
nursing home. Brent drove us back to Daleville and we set the new toilet
in place, hooked up the water line and turned on the water. The toilet
worked great without any adjustment. Brent and Pauline took their kids
and went to eat before stopping in Pendleton to see Nana. We remained at
the house for a while, putting away some things and packing our car for
the ride back home. We stopped in Pendleton and talked with Nana too. It
was a short visit this time, about an hour and a half, then we headed
back to KY. We avoided the traffic backup in Jeffersonville near the
Ohio River by taking the side streets to Kingfish for supper. We ate at
the side of the Ohio River, then returned to the interstate and finished
the rest of the trip back to the farm.
We
pulled into the garage a little before 9 PM.
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Stacey's Checkup
Early this morning, the phone rang. It was Karen, letting Linda know that Lacy would not be at school because she was ill. Linda said thanks for calling and decided to go with us to Bowling Green. Stacey had an appointment at the Graves-Gilbert Clinic with Dr Zhu at 9:30 AM. We had a light breakfast of toast and jelly, then dressed and took the HHR for the ride to Bowling Green. We went the Cumberland Parkway, then a few miles on I-65 to one of the Bowling Green exits and into town and then parked at the clinic. The parking lot was almost full. We rode the elevator to the third floor and checked in, then sat in the hallway waiting area for about a half hour until the office workers called Stacey into the examination room. We checked Stacey's current prescriptions with the list the doctor's office had on file and they matched. Dr Zhu came in the exam room and immediately asked how Stacey was doing. We all said, "Good, no seizures in the last year." Dr Zhu was pleased and began pounding the keys on his laptop. He used it to check the last time Stacey had taken a blood test and looked at the results. He recommended we continue with the same medications until Stacey had problems. He said there was no need for a blood test at that time and he wanted to see Stacey in one year unless she began to have problems. That was OK with us and Stacey. Dr Zhu then began teasing Stacey about the cancellation of the NBA games this year and that the Pacers might be making some roster changes that would help their team. He never forgets to make it personal with Stacey and comment about the Pacers. They chatted another five minutes about the NBA, then we said thanks and left the office. I drove to Sam's Club and exchanged a digital camera, then we stopped for lunch. After eating at Mancino's, we rode back to the farm. I went to town and made a few stops to collect donations for the Burkesville Christmas Parade.
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wood Work
Tuseday and Wednesday had been rainy and cooler so the loggers had
stopped working across the creek and parked their equipment along the
edges of the hay field. Before they had quit, they cut a few trees at
the edges of the field that I had told them to cut. They left the tree
tops for us to cut up and use for firewood.
We
started on one big cherry tree top and have most of it worked up. I
bought a new chain for the little saw and it is cutting the small limbs
into pieces without much trouble.
A
couple of the tree tops are in the edge of the woods and will need to be
drug out to the open before I cut those up into smaller pieces. These
few tree tops in the pictures should help keep our house nice and warm
most of the winter.
Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011
Sondra's First Deer
I've been traveling around the county asking businesses for donations
for the Burkesville Christmas Parade and while I was near Joe Davidson's
Marina, I stopped and scheduled a time to have the Sea Ray winterized.
Stacey and I took the truck to the pole barn and opened the doors, then
I drove the 65 Mustang outside and parked it. Stacey was putting the
cover back on the boat while I hooked the trailer to the truck. We tied
up all the loose ropes, latched the hitch and put the safety chains in
the proper places, then I pulled the boat out of the barn and parked the
Mustang back inside.
We
towed the boat through town and south on SR61 to the marina. I parked
the boat and trailer in the parking lot and went to the office door.
There was a note on the door and I followed the directions, I left my
name, phone number and that I wanted the boat winterized. We returned to
the truck, unhooked the trailer and boat and drove back towards
Burkesville. I made a few more stops, picked up two more checks for the
donations, then took them to the Extension Office. Misty Dubre and I
talked about other possible businesses that might make donations and
then Stacey and I went to lunch. We returned to the farm, parked the
truck in the shed and split wood a little while, then went inside for a
break. When we went back outside and were setting by the creek, Sondra
and Regina rode up on their ATV. Sondra asked if I would help her by
hauling a deer she had shot out of the woods. I said I would, but I
wanted to get the camera first. I picked up the camera and we drove to
where she had shot the deer. I took a few pictures while Sondra called
the DNR and received a confirmation number to make the deer a legal kill.
We
loaded the deer in the back of the Mule and hauled it to Jone's
Ridge Meats just up the road about a 1/4 mile from the farm. Phillip
Garmon came outside and we slid the deer out of the Mule and laid it by
the butcher shop, ready to be processed, packaged and frozen for Sondra
to pickup the next day.
Posted on Saturday, November 19, 2011
Boat Winterized
Around 8:30 AM a guy from Davidson's Marine called and said they had
finished winterizing the Sea Ray and we could pick it up anytime before
noon. Stacey and I went to the shed and took the pickup truck to get the
boat.
Joe
Davidson had told me he had 48 boats to winterize when I made the
appointment, but they had put the Sea Ray ahead of those boats because
he knew I would come and pick it up right away and get it out of their
way. I told them I appreciated the good service, paid the bill and
hooked up the boat to the truck. We drove back to the farm and put the
boat in the pole barn, unhooked it from the truck and put the truck back
in the shed. Stacey and I split a little more of the wood we had left on
the black trailer and then we went inside. Later in the day, Linda,
Stacey and I finished splitting the wood.
Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Daisy Runs
The deer hunting season is now over for a few weeks. That means that we
can let Daisy out and let her run around the hay fields again. I had
kept her penned in the barn stall while the deer hunters were all around
the farm to keep her from running up on one of them and maybe getting
shot. It had been raining most of the night and had stopped for an hour,
so Stacey and I went to the barn and loaded Daisy in the back of the
Mule. We drove down the road and intended to cross the creek, but we
turned around because the water was too deep. We drove back up the road
and crossed the creek across from the house. The creek is wider there
and that lets the water spread out farther and for that reason, it is
not as deep.
The
water was running pretty fast as we crossed the creek and it was coming
out of the little branch too. Daisy had a good time running and sniffing
while Stacey and I drove around the fields in the Mule. We went back to
the barn and put Daisy in her stall, fed her, then we went in the house.
Stacey and I went to town a little after noon and picked up the last
check for the Christmas Parade, then took it to the Extension Office.
After that, we stopped at DC Auto Service and talked with some of the
guys for about a half hour. We went back to the farm as it continued
raining.
Posted on Friday, November 25, 2011
Thanksgiving Day
Pauline and Brent arrived Wednesday night with their kids and dogs.
We
had cereal and pop tarts for breakfast Thanksgiving morning. Linda had
been cooking all morning, then Pauline joined her to make a few more
things. Brent and I kept the kids busy while the cooking was going on.
We loaded Julie and Kyle into the Mule and took a ride across the creek.
As we turned the corner in the hayfield, I saw a car in the driveway at
the house. We headed back and as we pulled onto the road, Beth was in
her car turning around. She had drove past the house before she realized
it. We all drove to the house and found that Dorothy and Larry had just
arrived. We helped carry in a cake and other dishes of food they had
brought with them. About 45 minutes later, we began dinner.
With
the food that everyone brought and what Linda fixed, our table was full.
The food was really good and the desserts were even better. After
everyone had finished eating, Larry and I took the larger dogs and rode
around in the Mule. Larry's dog, Buddy, was a beagle but didn't want to
get to far away from Larry when we stopped to let Buddy and Daisy run. I
called Daisy and put her back in the Mule, then we rode around the farm
letting Larry see the place since it was his first visit. When we went
back inside, Larry had brought two electric guitars for Brent to try
with an xBox game he had purchased. Larry showed Brent a few things
about playing a real guitar while Dorothy and Linda talked. About 3 PM,
Dorothy and Larry left to go to Sommerset to see Dorothy's sister that
was in the hospital. 
Beth,
Julie, Pauline, Linda, Kyle and I rode in the Mule with Daisy running
and Stacey and Brent riding the ATVs. We went to the creek and let Julie
and Kyle throw rocks for a little bit, then stopped at the 'popsickle
barn' on the way back to the house.
Pauline
and Beth read story books to Kyle and Julie as the day turned to night
and later we played a card game called "Apples to Apples". It was
terrible because Linda won all three games (j/k). We ended the day a few
minutes before 10 PM.
Friday Outside
Friday morning, Pauline fixed breakfast. Pauline's sister, Beth had
stayed the night. Beth and Pauline played with Kyle and Julie most of
the morning as we watched. After the sun had been up long enough to warm
the outside air, we went to the pole barn to do some things to the boat
and old cars. Brent took the life jackets out and hung them on the
rafters and also removed anything else we had left in the boat by
mistake. We checked the oil and decided to make a service appointment
with the Sea Ray dealer in Somerset. Brent took Julie a ride in the TR-3
and then took Pauline and Beth a ride in the 56 Chevy. When they
returned, we put battery tenders on the cars to keep the batteries
charged over the cold months. Beth and Pauline had the kids down at the
edge of the creek playing, so we joined them and watched the little dogs
run around while we were outside.
A
little after noon, we went inside and had sandwiches made from left
overs while Beth was preparing to leave. Beth told everyone good bye and
kissed the kids, then left for her trip back to eastern KY. Lunch
created a 'sleepy field' that over took us all for a while. I ended up
going outside and taking a chainsaw with me to the area where the
loggers had cut down the cherry tree. I sawed up the largest part of the
tree, then returned to the house for the tractor.
By
that time, Stacey, Linda and Brent were awake and willing to help. We
took the Mule with the black trailer and the tractor back to the downed
cherry tree. Brent chained the piece that was unusable to the scoop on
the tractor and I carried it to the edge of the woods and dropped it in
there to rot away. Brent used the small chainsaw to cut the remaining
pieces while Stacey, Linda and I cleaned up the debris and picked up the
pieces he cut.
The
mess was cleaned up! We then took the tractor back to the shed and
parked it. Brent pulled the trailer loaded with wood to the wood shed
and parked it close enough we could split the wood and toss it on a
bench. Stacey picked the wood off the bench and stacked it in rows in
the wood shed. Julie helped Linda rake up the scraps that busted off and
we scooped those up with the scoop shovel and tossed them on the
trailer. Brent and I relieved each other for breaks from splitting the
wood until we had finished the load.
We
parked the Mule after cleaning the debris off the trailer and unhooking
it, then we went inside. Later, we ordered pizza for supper and picked
up some milk at the store while getting the pizzas.
Posted on Saturday, November 26, 2011
Another Nice Saturday
When the temperature was in the upper 50s we went outside to do a little
work. We sawed up another tree that had been cut by the loggers. They
had left the tree top for firewood, so we cut up the bigger limbs and
tossed those pieces on the trailer. Then I used the tractor to shove the
small limbs and debris into the edge of the woods. We hauled the wood to
the shed and split and stacked the pieces. The temperatue was near 70 by
late in the afternoon when Brent and I repaired the walkway lights. Some
of the wires had become loose, so we used the soldering gun to hook
those together. We also had to replace a couple bulbs. Brent crawled
under the house to place an extension cord for a new set of lights we're
going to install along the walkway to the back porch. We finished that
right before dark and went inside. Kyle and I played with the small
tractors in the floor.
Pico
watched and played with the dog toys while we were in the floor.
Pauline
worked on braiding Julie's hair while she watched a cartoon movie. Linda
was busy straightening up and Stacey and Brent were watching the movie
too.
Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Steady Rain
After everyone had left to go home Sunday, the rain began to fall. The
rain wasn't coming terribly hard, just steady. All Sunday night, all day
Monday, Monday night and Tuesday. I went to the pole barn to look up the
serial numbers on the Sea Ray for Brent to give to the Lake Cumberland
Sea Ray dealer to schedule a bit of service work. I guess it will be
scheduled in January since the dealer said they close for most of the
month of December. While I was outside, I took a couple pictures of the
water running through the ditch and the creek.
I
won't have debris to clean up because the water never did get out of the
creek banks, so I was glad about that.
