Life of a Farm Blog

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 4x4s 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!

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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.

Today has been a sad day here. One of the puppies got on the road and got run over. Of course the kids were heart broken. They all were crying. I swear I felt like running down the speed demon and giving him a piece of my mind. It’s ridiculous here, people fly up and down the road. The worst part is, they are in such a hurry to get to the dope dealers house. Law enforcement is a joke. If I know who’s dealing you know the cops do. I keep hoping someone will get elected that will actually do what they are supposed to do.

Another busy week here. In between work and spending time with the kids I managed to finish up the service on the 6000 and change the hydraulic filter mount that I destroyed with a pine tree. I had tried to JB Weld it back together, but it didn’t hold. Figured while I was into the service and would have the hydraulic filter off I’d better replace it before I ended up with hot hydraulic fluid all over me.

I got a bulldozing job this week too. I say bulldozing because when I showed up to mow I wanted to say “you need a bulldozer not a bush hog”. I knew the lady didn’t have the money for a bulldozer and I figured I have the next best thing. I took the 7ft IMC bush hog and backed over trees some so big it slipped the clutch on the mower. When I finally got it all mowed I took the bucket and piled all the brush and pushed over the trees I couldn’t get with the mower. When I was done I had a pile bigger than the tractor. As soon as I can find time I’ve got a couple gardens to till and a driveway to grade. Hopefully the weather will cooperate on Wednesday and Thursday and I can get that done.

The contractor came back and started putting the hemlock siding on the log house and barn. I think it really helps the appearance. I think we’ll be done for a while when the siding is done and stained, the metal work is finished, and we get some gutters.

We had planned to rent equipment and start clearing land as soon as the house was finished, but when we went to set up an account with Whayne Supply they were borderline rude about their requirements and that really turned me off. I hate when someone thinks they are better than me. I don’t have much, but I’ve worked hard for what I have and if I tell you I’ll do something I’ll do it. It just seemed to me they looked down on us. Caterpillar hasn’t been exactly great about taking care of the equipment they’ve sold/rented Kingsford either. Actually that’s the very reason they bought a Komatsu skid steer. At any rate a friend of the family has started his own excavating business and we decided just to hire him on a per acre basis to clear for us. He should get started in the next couple weeks.

We got our beef and pigs back from the slaughterhouse. Filled the freezers to the brim. It’s good to know we got plenty to eat. Sold the last of the pigs today. I had been holding one for a friend of a neighbor. My friend Wade came up today and we decided to go ahead and start cutting the hay. I hooked up the disc mower and he took the 6000 to his garage to put in the roll pin I sheared. He’s gonna cut while I’m at work. We both agree too that it’s time for a radio. He said he’d hook it up if I’d buy it.

The kids and I did a little hoeing and planting today too. We set out about 40 pepper and tomato plants. I’m going to try to get the beans and corn out one day this week. I’ve seen neighbors planting them both the last few weeks. I hope the children continue to be interested in agriculture. Madison has talked about becoming a large animal vet. Garett wants to be a dentist. Kaylee a nurse. It’s scary to think it won’t be too long until I’ll be paying college tuition. I noticed an ad today describing a scholarship program for women in agriculture sponsored by Mahindra. I’m glad that Mahindra is encouraging women to pursue careers in agriculture. Women have a sensitive style about them that men don’t have and I have seen many times a woman could handle an animal a man couldn’t. It’s good that a company would help support this style of life. I believe they are the first tractor manufacturer to do this sort of scholarship just for women, not open to men.
Well 5 am will come early so I’ll go for now…………Check back soon and be sure to check out the pics I’ve added to the site.

Well, I think mother nature decided to skip spring and go straight for summer. I spent the whole weekend outside with the kids and we got a little too much sun. We all have bright red cheeks and necks. It was a lot of fun though. We spent a day in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and went horseback riding here around the farm.

It was a short week for me at work. I had scheduled off Friday and Saturday night and then before I left for work on Thursday, school called to say Garett had a low temperature and was complaining of a stomach ache. That meant I had to skip work and pick him up. He ran a fever all night Thursday, so BJ took him to the doctor on Friday. I figured our weekend would be spent at home since he was sick. Turns out he has strep throat, but after he spent most of Friday napping he snapped right out of it and wanted to do what we had planned. He must be over it now because he has not had a fever or acted sick at all since.

The Spring Planting Days in the Big South Fork NRRA was great for the kids. It was great to see all the aspects of early farm life. They got to see draft animals working, flint knapping, quilting, pottery, blacksmithing, wool spinning, and live dulcimer music. I can’t say enough about how nice all the exhibitors were. They all welcomed the kids in to participate in the activities. The Park Rangers were all very nice too. The shuttle driver made a real buddy out of Garett. When Garett told him we were going to go eat our picnic lunch he asked Garett if he had brought an extra sandwich for him, and Garett told him “no, but I brought an extra apple” and he took it to the driver when we went back to the farm.

We managed to get 3 of the horses shoed and 2 shoes on one other this week. Madison has talked about horses all weekend. She loves to ride. I’ve got to find her some boots. She has cowboy boots but has a hard time standing up with the slick bottoms. Today after we got back from our ride she told me it was time she start riding by herself. She assured me she knew what to do so I let her ride a little in the field by herself while I stayed close. I think she’s going to be a real cowgirl. BJ has adopted the colt. She got him out of his stall and gave him a bath and led him around a little.

Earlier in the week I did a little mowing. The roll pin in the handle that actuates the PTO on the 6000 broke on me. I’ve got to take the old one out and put in a new one. I’d alot rather be putting in a roll pin than trying to figure out why an electronic part isn’t working. I still need to finish the service too.

We spent a few hours with a builder from Arkansas Friday evening discussing the poultry houses. They can offer the total package minus excavation and fencing. I can do the fencing myself and save money. I cannot believe the time that I have spent just getting bids on this project.

Check back soon and be sure to check out the pics I’ve added to the site.

Finally warming up a little here in KY. The warm weather seems to have gotten everybody out and about. I’ve been running like crazy tilling gardens and even brush hoggin for folks. Between feeding, working, tilling, and mowing I haven’t had much time to spend with the kids. Sunday they talked me into a trip to Marsh creek to fish and wade. They love to run around in the creek and splash.

Haven’t done a lot on the farm because I’ve been doing for everybody else. I did get the animals delivered to the slaughter house. Every time I load pigs I tell myself I’m going to build a good loading chute for next time, but I just never find time. We had to use some redneck engineering to get the oinkers in the trailer again. I took livestock panels and t posts and built a temporary chute. Seems like everything on the place is held together with livestock panels and baling twine. Well it worked pretty good. The hard part was getting them to come out of their pen. I literally had to grab them one by one by the ears and drag them out. Once out of the pen they went on up the chute and into the trailer. I was proud of Garett, he got right in there and used his stick we got him at the farm show to make the pigs move. The beef wasn’t any trouble to load. The only trouble I had with it was when I opened the trailer door after he was loaded to put in some water for him. He tried to force his way out. I don’t know how, but I was able to get enough force on the door to keep him in.

I’ve got to find a good dependable farrier for the horses. The pony I picked up has some real issues with his feet. All the other horses need a good trimming and shoes too. The warm weather has me itching to find the time to saddle them up and ride. Thumper the colt has taken a real liking to BJ. She’s been brushing him and got a lead rope on him. Once he’s used to the rope some, I’m going to get him out of the barn and lead him around. Then will be the time to try to get a saddle on him. The mares I picked up last week need to be ridden too. They are only green broke.

I finally got the hemlock to finish the log house and to side the barn. Also picked up enough oak to build a tack room in the barn. Now if I can just get the contractor to come back and finish the job he’s already been paid to do. Last we spoke he said the forecast was for rain the next 3 days but he would get to it as weather permitted. Today it’s 80 and sunny, but no contractor. I can do the work myself, just don’t know how I’d find the time. We decided the traffic in the yard had done so much damage to the grass that it wasn’t going to come out of it. So I tilled up most of the front yard with the 6000 and mom sewed grass. A disc would have been better than the tiller, but I have not found the time to go shop for them.

The kids and I are planning a trip to the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area this weekend weather permitting. I scheduled vacation so we can attend the spring planting days demonstration. I want the kids to know what life was like before all the modern conveniences we have now. I think it will be good for them to watch draft animals work and see how folks subsided. Garett wants us to have family animal planet night this weekend too. We try to all pile up in my bed and watch animal planet when we get time. I’m lucky, it’s the little things that don’t cost money my kids enjoy like creeks and animal planet.

The chickenhouses continue to consume a lot of my time and energy even before they are built. Seems like everyday I am either on the phone or on the farm with someone discussing them. Seems everybody has a different idea about what’s the best site or best way to go about building them. On a bright note the company I will grow for called to say they had raised the pay about $500 a month.

Bj has gotten moved into the double-wide and it’s working good so far. This has a built-in recipe for disaster, but if it works out it will be great for the kids. Myself – I’m glad to have my room back in the cabin. Bj has even come out and helped around the farm.

Well tons to do so I better go………Check back soon and take a look at the pics I’ve added to the site!

Wow, this weather is not what I had expected for April. Seems like every night it’s been in the 30′s. That’s not good for the plants. I would hate to have an orchard right now. Estimates are they’ve lost about 60% of their crop. I know all the blooms on the apple trees here are gone.

Today was our family day and we went out to eat and stopped by the local Tractor Supply Company. The kids and I had spent $240 by the time we left. We picked up 3 new horses this week. Well, actually 2 horses and a pony. My neighbor Mr. Wisham had them and hasn’t ridden them in 3 or 4 years. Yeah this is going to be a rodeo. The price was right though. The 2 horses are registered American Quarter Horses. Also sold 2 of the calves this week for $750. Between the pigs I sold and what I sold the calves for, I’ve gotten more than what I paid for everything back in the winter. I still have 4 pigs and a calf to take to slaughter too. All I’m out is feed and the time I spent. I wish I could always do that good.

Garett talked me into getting two pre-fab rabbit cages. His rabbits are old enough now to raise baby bunnies and he wants to try. That means we have to get them seperated out so they can make a good nest and the other rabbits won’t eat the babies.

Still haven’t gotten the time to service the 6000. I did get the fertilizer spread though. I got all mine done, now I can concentrate on spreading for others. The price of fertilizer being so high has really cut down on how much I have to spread for others. When prices get high people just don’t want to let go of the money. With it at $420 a ton, I’m sure a lot of folks are just gonna hope for the best without fertilizing.

Madison and Garett have been dressing the puppies up this week. They found some baby onesies and put them on the puppies. We got them wormed and I picked up their vaccinations this week too. It’s time to start trying to find some new homes for them since Daisy is weaning them.

Nothing really new on the poultry houses. Still going through the process of getting all the bids together. The next hurdle will be figuring out how the money will be released and making sure we can get enough to do the building right.

Well 5 AM will be here before you know it so I’ll close for now. Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added.