The garden vegetables have finally reached their peak here on the farm. Madison, Garett, and Nana (my mom) have been busy stewing tomatoes, making spaghetti sauce, freezing peppers, and processing corn. It’s become a daily ritual to gather the ripe produce from the garden and deposit it on the log house porch for Nana and her little helpers. I stay so busy I haven’t been much help with the preserving this year. At least I’ve been able to help pick and dispose of the scraps to the goats. It’s pretty neat to watch them fight over corn shucks and watermelon rinds. They really will eat anything. I’ve had the brush hog on the 6000 the past couple days clipping the pastures and getting the hay field edges. We’re planning to do a bunch of re-seeding this fall so the grasses will all have to be short. I’ve moved the goats, calves, and a few horses to a different pasture to keep it short. We’ve been working with Thumper a little this week to get him broken to lead. He’s now out in the pasture with other horses and he is much happier. My friend and neighbor Wade borrowed the Mahindra and the Vermeer roller to put up some hay this week. It will soon be time to start cutting mine. My dad picked up a used disc a few days ago. I haven’t seen it yet, he is supposed to bring it down to the farm in a week or two. Madison is having a terrible time with her thumb sucking device. One side has come loose and she is slobbering like a rabid dog. The dentist doesn’t have an emergency number so we will have to hold on until Monday. I feel so sorry for her. I suppose I will leave work early and take her to have it glued back in. Kaylee hurt her wrist at cheerleading practice Wednesday night. Luckily it’s not broken. It is sprained though and very sore. She has been keeping it wrapped with an ace bandage. Someone told her vinegar takes the swelling out so she has been stinking like vinegar a lot. The children started school this week. Garett and Kaylee wanted to ride the bus, but Madison wanted me to take her. Needless to say I took her and spent a little while getting her accustomed to her new teacher. We made sure to go check on Garett. I got a cute picture of her giving him a hug that morning. They seem to be fine with school. The heat is hard on them though. My heart has been very heavy this week. I am so very sorry for the Utah coal miners and their families. My prayers include them. I have lots of memories of coal mining. My dad worked in the mines for many years in SE KY. Actually he even owned a mine at one time. I myself have my mining card and still consider going to work in the mines from time to time. It is terribly sad that miners put there lives on the line every day. I cannot help but think mining would be a much safer occupation if more miners were represented by the United Mine Workers of America. I know that here in McCreary county there was a horrible strike over safety. It started shortly after the Scotia mining disaster in Oven Fork Ky.. Both mines were owned by Blue Diamond Coal Company and the miners here felt unsafe enough they organized with the UMWA asking for a safety committee with authority to shut down parts of the mine. The miners were already making close to union scale all they wanted was a safer working environment, but the company didn’t want them to have that. The strike was bad for everybody and eventually the Justus mine closed. Well there is lots to do so I better get at it……………….Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added to the site and check back soon!

This week has been one of the most trying times I can remember. We were rolling right along with the excavation on the chickenhouses until I noticed something in the siting requirements that has us stopped until we can figure out who’s right. According to the siting regulations given to me by the company, we were within spec, however according to another siting guide we are too close to a house on the county road adjacent to the house site. My contacts at Cobb tell me that the siting requirements are merely recommendations and that a lot of their houses are not the recommended distance listed in the siting guide. The siting guide does list them as recommended distances, however the Ky Poultry Federation and an Extension Professor in Poultry at the University of Kentucky both say they are legal distances required by law. I am waiting on a written legal opinion from Cobb’s attorney and someone higher up at UK before proceeding. It has us in a holding pattern so to speak. I don’t know how long I can expect the excavator to sit idle while we sort this out, but I certainly don’t want to build $700,000 buildings that are not in compliance with the law.

We got a chance to attend another rodeo this weekend at the Southeast Ky Horseman’s Arena in Strunk, Ky. This one was much better than the one we attended earlier this year. The kids enjoyed all the bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping, and bronco busting. They participated in a boot race too. It was neat all the kids took off one shoe and the clown scattered them all over the arena. Then the kids had to race to find their shoe, put it on and run back to the clown.

Madison and Garett both went to the dentist this week. Garett to get a cavity filled and Madison to be fitted for a device that will keep her from sucking her thumb. I have felt sorry for Madison ever since. She says the device is hurting her mouth and it has affected her speech. I am afraid with school starting Monday the kids will make fun of her. Hopefully in a month or so she will be able to have it removed.

I’ve used the 6000 to haul crossties to my friend James and moved a bunch of topsoil with the bucket this week. I’ve got to find the time to do some more cleanup at the rental trailer and spread several loads of topsoil for neighbors that want to buy it.

I noticed a used 7010 cab Mahindra on the local Deere dealer’s lot. It has 700 hours and has obviously been used kind of rough. Depending on the price though it might be a good buy. I’m going to try to talk to the previous owner. Who knows I may end up with another Mahindra. Its just tough to justify buying used with financing rates as low as they are and the warranty you get with new.

Well there’s tons to do so I better get at it………..Check back soon and thanks for reading!

Spent most of the week away from the farm this week. The kids and I spent some time in the Great Smoky Mountains. We took in the great veiws from all the way at the top of Clingmans Dome and visited a very old farmstead on the North Carolina side of the park. The old farm is very neat, with it’s split rail fences, molasses processing pans, lye soap making, apple house, chicken coop, heirloom garden, smokehouse, barn, blacksmith shop, springhouse, and pig pen. It was great for the children to see just how the old timers made it. The farmstead leaves me longing for simpler times and wondering if someday I might find some remote peice of land and give it a try the old way myself. The children learned all about games kids used to play and even made some toys and played some of the games like buzz buttons and corn cob tipped feathers for darts. I enjoyed the park the most, but the children enjoyed the shows and rides. Madison said her favorite part of the trip was our dinner show at Dixie Stampede. She especially enjoyed the trick riding. My little girl is quite the equine enthusiast. Kaylee and Garetts favorite part of the trip was Dollywood and it’s roller coasters. They like the rides. We rode all the roller coasters even the new Mystery Mine. I think later this fall I will try to take them to Kings Island. We all played miniature golf at Ripley’s Old McDonalds Farm Golf. The animated farm animals were cool. The kids all posed for pictures with them. While there we visited a dinosaur museum that had an old half track out front. Half tracks were used in WWII. My grandfather drove one through most of the war. It was great to be able to show the kids one and relay all the stories about my grandpa. He was 15 when he lied about his age and joined the army to go off and fight. It’s hard to grasp just how rough things must have been here to see a war as an improvement. I have always said the WWII generation truly is our greatest generation and I take my hat off to them all. Back on the farm. We have decided to go ahead with the poultry houses. After much discussion we have decided that it is an opportunity. It will allow me to get out of the factory and be on the farm. It will also pay for the farm and allow us to grow if we so choose. I geuss bottom line it was going to be very hard to justify passing up a steady income. In farming there aren’t very many ways that you can make it anymore and this seems to be one. Cobb has a very good reputation in this area. I’ll keep you all posted as to how it progresses. I better go for now, I have promised to use the 6000 to move some topsoil and fill some holes in the yard of both the log house and the double-wide. Be sure to check out the pics I have added and check back soon!

Much of our spare time this week was spent staining the hemlock that we had added to the log house and the barn. We found a new use for the 6000, it makes a pretty good scaffold. I would lift B.J. up to where she needed to stain and then I would climb up into the bucket with her. The stain made the house and barn look tons better and I know it will help preserve it. I don’t really know how I talked B.J. into helping out but she was a big help.

Madison learned how to ride her bicycle without her training wheels this week. She also had her first big bike wreck with a little help from me - I was chasing her and she got spooked. She ended up with a scratched and bruised belly. I felt terrible that I was the cause of her first bike wreck.

The kids head back to school on August 8th so we had to go to Garett & Madison’s open house to find out who their teachers would be for the upcoming school year. Garett got the teacher that he wanted, Gwen Bryant, a family friend. Madison on the other hand did not get my aunt, Susan Parsons, as her first grade teacher. She has said that she will not be going to first grade this year and she will just stay home and go to second grade next year. So I will have to take the day off work to make sure that she does go to school.

Monday all of the kids had to go to the dentist, so we spent the day in Somerset. Kaylee and Madison did not have any cavities. Garett had a couple of beginners. Madison also got fitted for a mouth guard that will break her from sucking her thumb. We had breakfast at Hardee’s and then headed to Lowe’s to get things needed for the home improvement projects. As we left, Kaylee & Madison found a slug in the parking lot and would not have it any other way than to take it somewhere that it wouldn’t get hurt. It makes me proud that I have raised good stewards of the environment.

I finally finished putting in the water spickets to the barn, corall, and pasture. I also got the electric wire and conduit to the log house barn. It pleased my mother immensely to get the ditches covered back over. We noticed that we had little water pressure at the log house, it was due to a main line water leak. On the positive side it did fill up our little pond across the road.

Precious, Kaylee’s mare is still taking the antibiotics and now I am applying a gel daily to her leg. It’s getting better but it will be a little time before she is back to normal. I have spent a small fortune in vet wrap and gauze. The chickens, calves, rabbits, & other horses are doing well.

We are down to decision time of what we are going to do with the chicken houses. A decision has to be made this week. The children are now voicing their objections to “all those chickens”.

Well tons of things to do and little time to get them done in so I better go for now. Check out the new pics and check back soon!

Not a lot going on here on the farm this week. With the holiday (July 4th) we all spent a little time away from the farm. The children volunteered at the McCreary County Museum selling lemonade, hot dogs, pies, and sodas to the folks attending the Independence Day Celebration. We had a good time checking out the old (and new) cars and watching the fireworks display. We also picked up a few things at the silent auction held by the museum. Now we’ll have to find the time to visit Barthell, the replica mining town in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. We’ll have to find time to get over to the Stearns Restaurant for dinner too since we have certificates for free daily specials. It was pretty neat to hang out in historic Stearns. They have been having an Independence Day celebration there since 1903. This year was the 100th anniversary of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company office building that now houses the McCreary County Museum.

The excavation continues here on the farm. We are rapidly approaching a time when we will have to make a definite decision about the poultry houses. I’m still on the fence about this venture. My hunch is it would be profitable. It is a huge risk though. I finally got a copy of the contract we would be signing and I can tell you it’s certainly not a great contract. Cobb is paying for a lot of things that other companies aren’t, but it’s still a huge risk. The pay can be adjusted at any time and they can cancel your contract for a number of reasons. I guess the biggest reason I am having trouble making a definitive decision has to do with what is right for the land. I have such a bond with the land here. It’s beautiful land that could be used for so many other things it just seems a waste to put a commercial chicken house on it.

I believe I finally have the rental trailer we purchased in pretty fair shape. We haven’t found any more water leaks. I had to pick up an electric range and a new refrigerator. The old appliances were gas and I wanted to get away from gas since I know nothing about it. At least with electric I can do any maintenence myself. Shouldn’t be anything like that for a while though. We got the range and fridge for $725 new at a local appliance dealer. Right now it seems like the trailer was a bad idea with all the work and money I’ve had to put in it. I’ve changed all the plumbing to CPVC, wired in the electric range, and cleaned up the yard. I’d have spent a small fortune if I had hired someone to do it. I used the 6000 to take out some fence along the road that the previous owner had concreted about 3 ft in the ground. I believe the guy spent way more on concrete than on fence because these things were 4×4s in 10 inch holes poured full of concrete 3 ft in the ground. I couldn’t pull them with the loader because the chain kept sliding up, so I had to take the corner of the bucket and curl them up out of the ground at the concrete.

We had the vet out to the farm this week. Precious, Kaylee’s mare, had a rope burn on her leg that got infected and spread up her leg. Everyday I have to run the hose on it for about 10 minutes and then flush it good with iodine and wrap it good to keep the flies out. While Dr. Burress was here we got the dogs all their vaccines and had her check out a couple goats that have fly larvae on them. We’ve always called the fly larvae wolves or wolf worms. They are pretty easy to deal with, but have been a pain this year because of the dry weather. We finally are getting some rain though. It’s been over a month since we got anything but a brief shower, but it rained most of the night last night and is still drizzling a little at 11 this morning. It does not look as though there will be much, if any, of a second cutting of hay. I would have enough hay to feed through the winter even without the second cutting, but I am already having to feed a roll a week.

With the drought it seems farmers are finally getting some coverage in the local papers. Their were a couple good articles in the Lexington Herald Leader Monday (7-9) about “Farming into the retirement years” and “Beekeepers, other farmers need government help”. Also good to see unions getting a little positive publicity too. See the links below:

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=11A52242402990A0&p_docnum=1

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=11A5224290D14470&p_docnum=1

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=11A5224369463150&p_docnum=1

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=11A52242A6F58E78&p_docnum=2

Well it’s almost time to make the charcoal so I better go. Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added. Thanks for reading and check back soon!

Well another week has come and gone here on the farm. Spent most of my spare time plumbing this week. The trailer we aquired was in desperate need of plumbing. Every time I got one leak fixed I’d find another. The pipes had frozen and burst in a lot of places. One leak would rear it’s ugly head, but the others wouldn’t until you fixed a leak in front of it. Must be a pressure thing. I think I finally got it though. Now it’s looking like I’ll have to put in at least one heating element in the hot water heater. I’ve spent a couple hundred bucks on parts, but it should start paying me back in a couple months.

Garett turned 8 yesterday. We had him a pirate party. I think he had a pretty good time. He sure raked in the presents. After cake and ice cream and a cookout we let off a few fireworks. The carnival is in town this week so I’m sure I’ll be going at least one night.

Madison noticed today one of the horses is limping and has a swollen leg. You can see a small cut that has healed. It looks like she has gotten something around her leg. I guess this means a trip to the vet. We actually have been riding the horses a bit this week. Madison loves to ride and she made me get up early in the mornings to take her for a ride.

I picked up another small field to cut for hay. I helped papaw Staley set out hay and get his cattle off a pasture where the fence was down so he gave me the field to cut for hay. His cattle are smart. The neighbors called 3 or 4 times last week to tell us his cattle were out. We would go up there and they would all be back across the fence and in the barn. We didn’t think they were actually his until I got out and walked through the woods and found the trail they had been using. They had a straight shot through the woods to the barn and could be back there before we could get there to count to see if they were all there.

The excavation continues. I had no idea there was as much flat land as there is. The place looks totally different without trees. I can’t wait to get some grass growing this fall. I’m planning to do a bunch of reseeding as soon as the weather allows. I will have to take the time to visit my dealer this week. I’ve got to find a good disc and hopefully a set of plows. I also need to pick up a set of blades for the disc mower.

Well tons to do so I better get busy…….Be sure to check back soon….Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Well it’s been a pretty good Father’s Day. The kids and I hung out all day playing wiffle ball and working on BJ and Mattie’s flower planters. We got an old wheelbarrow from a neighbor who was going to throw it away. We now have a grand total of about 3 bucks in a pretty nifty planter. I’ve seen similar ones with the Deere logo for much more than that. Ours is now our favorite color, RED. Filled with potting soil and a few flowers and I find it quite attractive. Mattie replanted her potty garden. I must have spent 50 dollars on flowers this week. We also got a pretty neat little outside play area set up for the kids at the double-wide. Now they have a trampoline and a swing set.

The kids have been slow to rise this week. I can see it being a problem by the time it’s school time again. Speaking of school the kids attended bible school last week at Bethel Baptist Church. They came home with something every night. Madison did a solo of “Jesus Loves Me”. I’m awfully proud of them. They seem to be good kids, so we must collectively be doing a fair job raising them.

The excavation continues. They are really making some progress. We set one of the brush piles on fire and it burned almost all up. That’s unusual for most clearing jobs. Dave is doing a really good job keeping the dirt out of the brush. Won’t be long until we will have to make a definite decision about what to do with the farm. The calves are eating hay and grain good so we’ve decided it’s time to wean them. That means no more early mornings and late evenings feeding bottles. At least until I run across some more.

The 6000 turned the dreaded 666 hours this week. I noticed it today and was glad to see it was about to turn to 667. The dust is so bad from the drought I had to wipe off the instrument cluster to see the gauges. We got just a little rain one night, but it’s till very dry. I heard on the radio they have banned folks from watering their gardens and washing cars. I think it’s very unfair that commercial car washes aren’t affected. Just doesn’t seem right that I can go pay to wash my car, but I can’t do it at home. The garden is very dry. We pulled some potatoe vines today to see what they would be like and found very few and very small “tatoes” as Mattie says.

Got my transfer tank / toolbox combo mounted with the help of my friend James. Now it’s time to spend a hundred bucks on fuel to fill it up. It will pay for itself after 58 transfer tank fulls. I can save a little over 40 cents a gallon on off road fuel.

On a sad note I saw a release on the Clorox intranet site that they are closing yet another plant. This time it’s the Edmonton Alberta Canada bleach plant they acquired from Procter and Gamble. I have been reading a blog on the website and noticed lots of folks responding to say Clorox is losing touch with its workers and becoming a cut throat organization. I can only hope that folks will wise up and organize. The only thing that can help them is a union.

Madison and Garett found several chicken feathers near our chicken coop. We’re concerned a gray fox we saw a few nights ago has started dining on our chickens. Mattie had to rescue one chicken from Thumper’s water tub. It had fallen in trying to get a drink. Poor thing was totally exhausted and floating with help from it’s wings.

Used the 6000 4wd for a little demolition this week. We have acquired some more land and it had 2 trailers on it. One was in such disrepair that it could not be saved. So I used the 6000 to knock the walls in on it so we could salvage the metal and then drug it off the foundation so we could burn the rest. Hopefully we’ll be able to salvage the other one and rent it. I tease the kids that I bet nobody has used their tractor to do as many things as we have. From demolition and farm work to picking berries and moving swing sets.

Well lots to do, so I better go ……..Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added and check back soon!

Another busy week here on the farm. Still no rain to speak of. We did get a small shower one evening, but it was barely enough to settle the dust. There has been rain all around us, but it seems to split and go around us. Most farmers in the area are reporting their hay crop as about half what it usually is. Ours was down a little, but not too much.

The 6000 has really earned it’s keep the past few weeks. It’s been going non stop except for having to replace the battery. That’s my fault, I have a bad habit of leaving the key on. I’ve run the battery dead 3 times that way. This last time did it in. I was pleasantly surprised that an almost exact replacement at Napa was only $74.95. I expected much worse. I’m hoping to find time to give the 6000 and hay roller a bath this week.

I’ve got to stay away from Tractor Supply Company. We went on Friday and before I got out of there I’d spent a thousand bucks. I’ve been wanting a toolbox and a fuel tank for the back of the truck. They had a one time offer on a combo for a little under $700 so I grabbed it. Also picked up a 12 volt pump and some halters for the horses.

Tractor Supply continues to add to their selection of John Deere merchandise. Garett jumped on the bandwagon with the girls and grabbed a shirt that reads “Can You Dig It” and has the Deere logo on it. Kaylee found the best one yet though. Her new one is pink and says “Silly Boys, John Deeres Are For Girls”. I here that Mahindra will be releasing some new T shirts, including some for kids, soon.

BJ and the kids helped me give the truck a bath this week. It’s funny they call the truck “old blue”. We are still wrestling with whether we should replace old blue or just keep it going. I need to spend at least a thousand on the truck to get it back in shape. I’m tired of being without a CD player and air conditioning and wonder if the money wouldn’t be better spent on a down payment on something newer.

We are still shopping for a good square baler and tossing around what’s best new or used, New Holland or Massey ferguson or Case IH, Inline or traditional. There are so many choices it’s unreal. I can see advantages in all. I located a used needle for the old IH 46. Cost including shipping will be $70. I guess I’ll go ahead and order it.

Last night was rodeo night here. They had it at the South Ky Horseman’s Arena in Strunk Ky. It was a different promoter this year and I was very dissapointed. While the bulls were better, the promoter doesn’t have a clue what the environment is supposed to be like at a rodeo. There was no clown, they played nothing but rock and roll music, and the anouncer didn’t introduce the riders before or during their ride. Add to that the fact that the whole thing was in about a 20 ft circle and well it just wasn’t very exciting. They did keep telling us all about the sponsors though. At least the girls and John Thomas had a good time. Garett had a stomach ache so he stayed home with my mom.

The excavator continues to clear land. It kind of makes me sad to think that this beautiful land that I’ve dreamed of having as pasture someday is going to have a commercial chickenhouse on it. My dad keeps telling me not to get discouraged that the income will allow us to buy even more land. We picked up a couple acres of land that we will need to widen the county road this week. That means more work for me. The land had 2 trailers on it, but one was in too bad of shape to salvage. The other we plan to rent to Alan who shoes my horses and give him a job in the chickenhouses. That means we’ve got to get it in shape.

Well I better get at it……lots to do…… be sure to check out the pics I’ve added to the site. Thanks for reading and check back soon!

All the kids and animals seem to standing the heat. It has been several days since a drop of rain. This is the first year I can remember being able to get a substantial amount of the hay done so early. The hay has cost me though. I dropped the wheel of the old IH square baler into a hole causing the needles to come up into the bale chamber and bend one. I had high hopes of getting a bunch of square bales, but just my luck. Seems if the weather cooperates the equipment doesn’t. I’m hoping to find a needle used and save the old baler. Wouldn’t make a lot of sense to put much money in the old baler given it’s value. Gonna have to buy some blades for the disc mower too. I’ve got one broken and a couple more bent. I guess it could be a lot worse, but it sure gets me down having to work on this stuff. We got a lot accomplished around the farm in addition to the hay. I replaced the hinges that were broken on the doors to the barn. It’s so much easier with the pallet forks and the 6000. I used to have to block and jack the doors up, but with the 6000 4wd I can just get the forks under the door and lift it into place. Then I just put the bolts back in the new hinges.

I’m not crazy about this heat, but at least the garden is starting to produce. We’ve gotten several pickings of brocolli, onions, and lettuce. I’m sure there are some small potatoes there, but we haven’t gotten any yet. We finally got the corn and beans out this week too. It won’t be long until we’ll be able to have a “find me” dinner. We started calling a dinner completely from the garden a “find me” about 3 years ago after I got hurt at Kingsford. Some people working about 15 ft above me dropped a pry bar on my back. We literally lived out of the garden for about a month. That’s when I figured out just how badly folks who work for Clorox/Kingsford need a union. I was out of work for over a month and the company treated me really badly. In fact the HR Manager tried to tell me it wasn’t workers compensation. No one from the company called to check on me, but the union called at least weekly and stood up to the company to get things right. On a sad note I noticed a press release from Clorox last week saying they will be closing 2 plants. Both the Jackson Mississippi plant and the Cleveland Ohio plants will close. As usual with Clorox, both these plants are union as was the Glad plant they closed last year. Seems they have a track record of closing the union plants and moving the production to non union locations.

We finally got started on clearing some land this week. It will take several weeks to get it all done. The farm should be much more productive with the extra land though. I’d like to lease some more land next year too. The kids love to go watch the trackhoe and dozer. The size of the stumps is amazing. Just check out the pics. My dad wants to save a couple and try to make some bowls out of them.

We picked up the kids a Bonzai Falls to keep them occupied this summer. They haven’t slowed down since we aired it up. We have a wiffle ball game scheduled for when the sun goes down a little so I better go for now.

Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added to the site and thanks for reading!

banks mobile alabama credit unions vsscreening credit aaagolf course colleges accredited managementschools american christian accreditation of515 scroe creditcard online credit colorado account merchantacting college ny accreditedrating credit 536 Map

Finally got around to putting in the sheared roll pin in the PTO lever on the 6000. Turned out to be a real simple fix. Just Loosened the bolts that serve as stops for the lever and drove the old one out with a 1/4 inch bolt. Then just drove the new one in while BJ held the lever in the spot I needed it. I’d a lot rather be replacing a bolt or roll pin than replacing or troubleshooting an electro unit. Now that I’ve serviced the tractor and got the roll pin replaced I should be good to go for a while.

Hay season has begun here in Kentucky. We took advantage of the warm weather to get a few rolls done. Just like every year I’ve already broken something though. This time it’s the tines on the Sitrex tedder. Looks like about 5 of them will have to be replaced. It too should be a simple fix. All the other equipment seems to be in good shape.

Spring brings new babies to the farm. I picked up a couple bottle calves for the kids. They are Jersey bull calves. Now if I can just get them to feed them once the new wears off. Right now it’s not a problem. They love to give the babies a bottle. Garett’s rabbits are beginning to multiply too. He has 2 new litters, one of 6, and one of 5. That’s 11 babies and the 6 grown rabbits. It’s time to figure out what to do with them once they aren’t babies anymore. One thing is for sure, it’s time to build some cages. I picked up the wire to line the bottoms and have enough hemlock left to do the sides and dividers. Now if I can just somehow find the time to build them. I’ve got a list a mile long of things to do.

We took a trip to the local Tractor Supply Company to pick up milk replacer for the calves and the girls found some of the cutest shirts. I was opposed to buying them because they are John Deere shirts, but they insisted. I told them we don’t have anything John Deere, but they pointed out I have Harley Davidson stuff and I don’t have a Harley. Marketing genius on both these companies parts. At any rate the shirts are very cute. Madison’s says “Girls Just Love Big Ol Tractors” and Kaylee’s says “I’m a Farm Angel”.

We’ve all spent quite a bit of time in the garden pulling weeds this week. It’s such a hoot because as we pull the weeds we put them in a wheelbarrow and take them to the fence for the goats. They will run fast as they can and even fight over weeds. Standing belly deep in fescue and orchard grass and fighting over weeds. Just seems crazy to me. Everything is doing really good in the garden except the potatoes that were just coming up during the big freeze. The ones we had left from last year in the basement are doing much better. We still have not gotten the corn and beans in the ground. I put about 40 more tomato and pepper plants in the ground in hopes of selling some at local farmer’s markets. The plants were grown at Oakwood, a home for people with mental disabilities in Somerset. I like to try to support their greenhouse program when I can.

Not anything new on the poultry houses. The excavator is over a week late and Cobb obviously isn’t happy. The builder we will contract with and the production manager for Cobb were here early last week explaining that they have pullet farms coming online and have to have hen farms for those pullets as they mature. I guess nicely saying “get moving”. I’m giving the excavator until Monday and then I’ll have to go to plan B.

Well I better go take the tedder apart so I can get the replacement tines I need. Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added.