cranked up

I think most folks know Frieda had finally gotten her dog of choice, a doxy, Holly. Just this morning Frieda thought there was something wrong with her Holly and asked me to look at her. So I picked Holly up, an exercise she detests. Holly fidgeting in my hands, I looked her over. Obviously I frowned as I told Frieda, “I’m just going to have to put her down.” :-(
To this Frieda asked, “Is she hopelessly sick?” :-|
“No!” said I, “She’s just to danged squigglingly heavy!”
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Beautiful morning. Ran across varmint caught in what it’d been doing last night.

It’d be a gift to Demeatrius for his Black and Tan hounds. Almost a shame I had to ruin it with farm play. First thing out of the chute the second baler plopped a tire right off the rim my hitting the road. Deciding to get it safely off the road on a hill top I pulled the whole rig right into Mr. Got Rocks driveway. From there I strolled down hill to the shop. Loaded truck with menial repair tools enough to get the job started. To look like I cared about his lawn I happen to have cardboard piece I weighted down under tractor. Then I commenced to remove offending tire. Taking it back to shop that thirty year old tubeless tire just got an inner-tube today. There! Getting back site of my morning misfortune I exchanged a few words with Mrs. Got Rocks. She’s still worthy a couple extra looks. Lucky the old man who had gotten her to keep him young at heart. Oh yeah, I did put the inflated tire back on baler and removed everything indicating I’d been there back to shop.
Trying my best to get started upon the afternoon, Bro’ managed to keep dinking me around until he almost made sure the afternoon was lost.
When I did get away I was looking foreward to supper and what had I done? I’d neglected to refill my pill bottle. Supper was late tonight. Some kind of Garfield un-recommended all vegetable lasagna. I had hoped it taste better than it sounded?
Going a-field with an 1850 with haylage baler I did manage to put up a dozen bales off a field where I had expected less. Was volunteer grass following last fall’s sudex harvest. I’ll take it.

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Celebration time:
We’re great grand parents again, a boy this time to even up the ranks, that’s one girl and two boys.
Ho boy, I’m loosing it. Have got to lie down. BGKC while I make some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s
Fernan

6-11th-o9’s Continuation.part two

It’s evening and my mind has gone blank. That invisible 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM wall I hit everyday continues its nagging reminder I‘m supposed to be done. It isn’t easy continuing. This act requires my sitting down and focusing my mind on one thing, one problem, one project, so’s the next hour or hours are productive. These hour’s are often filled with tidying shop of all those projects we’ve finished; that’s rather than foul up or pull some stupid mistake.
Unhooked hooked up implements on/off all day long. Prepared WD45 for setting seed planting tomorrow. That was fun. Had to drop draw-bar and lift three point ito position for change over.
Under morning’s light had to bring in cow and pink-eyed calf. That was fun. Cussed calf got out and we had to go get her a second time. Because that calf’s behavior I had to keep the whole sick bay lot locked up all day.
Frieda’s has either complained or complemented me understanding her dog better than herself, and she spends all the time with the doux-mutt. Della the cat still hasn’t warmed up to me. Me, talk to the animals? I don’t think so. BGKC.
Fernan

6-11-o9 So behind

I owe myself an apology failing to even write of me! If this is my busy season I must be in it. Getting machines out, servicing same, seeing it going a-field, myself using half of it the day’s have become longer. Throw in tending my ladies, one of them in the wrong place. The wires going dead Frieda backing into one. No need to worry. I didn’t feel a thing. Finding a calf needing some blue spray for flies, Fixing fence; a couple insulators missing, some tangled wires, some mysteriously lowered retightened insulators(?????) (some skullduggery going on???), Equipment repair, Finding the fence failure a broken circuit completing gate handle, otherwise I been living it up soaking up the Sun under my wide brimmed floppy hat and hand covering brown cotton jersey gloves. Notice I threw the descriptive word “jersey” in there to display my sense of continued higher classed choices in my Shorthorn country wardrobe choices.
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Feeling bad missing my favorite private haunts checking in on only two the more public joints I openly favor. Serves them right for letting me in in those joints in the first place.
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Heavens to murgatroid I’ve missed the opened wide garage door to check out the offered side boarded coffee and brownies. One sheepishly thing remembered from what I read to tired to comprehend or remember I like the pictures Cliff’s discerning choice in the new to himself Ollie tractor.
I remembered Alias’s birthday, it’s so close to mine, and he’s such a close net friend I’ve more than enjoyed his cyber company. Besides it not everybody who’s house hold has allowed me to run my ladies in their kitchen.
For my yesterday’s contribution. BGKC.
Fernan

Been a good day.... par two

One more little retrospect, or a efficiency report upon my chore boots. Wearing them last night I’m delighted to report they didn’t leak one drop of rain water. They either held or contained every raindrop what filled them running off the shop’s eve’s onto my hat, shoulders, down the inside my bibs to fill them boots. The test was a success. No auxiliary time was lost nor wasted during the time I had my hands inside that electrical housed fence charger house.
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Short a dozen tines Tom and I almost managed to finish repairs upon the IH hay rake, otherwise it is greased, the follower bars re-curved or tuned up, say.
The plows have been cleaned, painted, and put away. The 2150 now has the disc-harrow behind it and behind that a spring toothed drag. When the new exhaust pipe gets here in the morning and installed the 2150 will be good to go. Then I’ll be looking to get out a hay baler. Have no idea when I’ll use it. Day’s so cold the mown hay isn’t drying. And the freaked weatherman’s
Is no help suggesting more rain Thursday ands all this was to be a dry baling. Bah!
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Frieda wanting only the best for her new pet, I picked up something with wholesome grains, real beef, plus accented with vitamins and vegetables. Supper was good tonight and having let my digestive juices do their thing I’ve developed the strangest urge over the last hour or so to scratch behind my ear with my foot. I’m worried as to what has gottened into me. BGKC.
Fernan

Hello everybody…. part one

Speaking for yesterday beyond my last journal entry.
Frieda and I send along our many thanks for thinking of us with all the well wishes. Truth be told June 5th 1958 when Frieda had opened her door to me and my being, she has told me, She was frightened , for she knew at that moment we were to spend our lives together.
Herself a dedicated Tomboy, in an instant, she liked being a girl. I can’t tell how glad I’ve been over that.
June 8th 1958 our first official date we spent 6 hours together. That evening when I had had left her on her door step I felt loneliness for the first time in my life. A few hours later, slow for my then height and age, it took me a bit longer to know, realize the same thing. We spoke our wedding vows each of us giving ourselves’ each to the other for ever more December 8th 1958.
Oddly enough June 8th 1958 is seated deeper, more vividly in my mind. It was the day we were truly blessed to find a true love to share.
Something I’ve never understood in her mind? How could I have been such a frightening individual with whom she never-ever ever felt safer with? She’s also told me That when she had let me take her hand that night I introduced myself, she knew she was at home. Women simply boggle my mind. God Bless them. 51 years and I still haven’t figured her out. I swear she hasn’t let me to know anymore about her than she’ll let me know……….
Fernan

PS: Gathering for the ladies in the morning's rains, preparing for the ladies pallets in the afternoon's sunshine, having to re-contain the bulls the evening hours into dark of night, I'd stolen mere moments to say hello and thank you here this morning. May thee all be blessed, everyone.
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What a finish to a day I had last night. The bulls having gotten out, caught and contained I got there in time to take over bull pen repairs. That was fun. While I was fixing fence I daren’t turn my back on’em. Like little boys they tried their mischievous sneaking by me to be on the outside several times. The worst part was replacing a totally destroyed cattle panel and that’s ordinarily tough stuff. It turn out replacing that cattle panel was the easiest part. Thankfully Keith had rounded up those two bad boys, had them watched by Jake (son) and Josh (nephew) while he sorted out the hot wires. That part of the job was the worst. First off somebody had pulled the fence charger’s plug. When we got around to plugging it back in I failed to work. We rechecked fence hot wires again and again. No go. Then it was to changing the chargers. Lucky me I got that chore and where did I have to stand to do it? Right under the shop’s eve in standing water with torrents of rain plus all the drainages off the building’s roof right down over my head shoulders and filling boots. The boots were at their working best. No leaks, no water was lost, not a drop. Five chargers later fence was working over having checked, rechecked, replaced, recycled chargers until we found one working. The evening’s more restful entertainment was in the form of dancing flashes of light dancing across the skies followed by the crescendo of thunder rumbling and rolling through the descending rains under that same darkening sky.
Myself well soaked (missing soap bubbles) and repeatedly rinsed I came out of my clothing near squeaky clean needing only toweling to make myself comfortable. Comfortable I finished journal entry. That was that and went to bed. Sleep came easily. Yup, my boots are water tight, they didn’t loose a single drop all evening.
Today’s Shorthorn country entertainment: clean up damage fence site; clean, paint, park plows; change over to disc to work plowed fields; take, fix, replace missing bar tines, grease and oil the International hay rake. I save my AC rake for near exclusive alfalfa raking. I could sure us Tom’s help today.
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This is it for my morning journal contribution. I’ve got to get it together and out of here. Oh boy, I get to dress all clean from way down under this Morning. Wee!
Fernan

‘Twas a Dark Day…

Present day
One After my cutting down likely sixty acres hay yesterday to a weatherman’s report sprinkles ending by noon and next five days fair weather. I want to put a price on his head!!!!!!!!! Then looking again at what has happened having been delivered an inch of rain last night and another quarter inch this aftewrnoon, When that hay’s baled and put away it’ll be the cleanest I’ll have ever started putting up first any season since I started haying 63 years ago.
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A day of long long-ago
On this date 51 years ago I had arranged a picnic date with a very lovely young lady. I had decided before I had picked her up we were going to go window shopping. No time to waste sitting idly anywhere letting another media entertain us. I wanted to know of what kind of stuff this lady possessed and was made of, dreams, ambitions, goals, and argumentative smarts.
Riding beside me she was mute the first half hour, our drive up the coast to see what kind of entertainment the village of Saugatuck had to offer. First stop I helped her out of the car reversing my having helped her in earlier. The overcast sky emitting liquid sunshine I took her hand beautifully fitting within my own. Together we dashed away dodging rain drops onto the first stop’s porch. This place was one of the high priced mercantile junk shop tourist traps other wise known as a antique shop.
Inside there were all manner of old things older than our combined ages. Old chairs hanging on the walls as if we had walked into a shaker home. Children’s old sleds and wagons. Bureaus dressers and an ardmore, a pie safe, end tables plus other wooden and wicker seating furniture. Towards the back of the shop there even set a buggy and cutter. In the center of the there were a couple sinks, one of them made of china including a pedestal. It was beautiful. Next to it was a marble toped sink assembly what could use a cabinet of its own.
Myself taking a particular interest in this old piece of Americana, Frieda asked me, “What‘s your interest in that dirty old sink thingy?”
I answered, “I’d like one like for use in a home I’d build for my family someday.”
She stated, “I’ll enjoy spending a lifetime watching you shave over such a sink.”
Now just where had that come from? Did she realize what she’d said?
Through my mind one word described her mind, “Nuts.” How she decide that already? I had only introduced myself to her four evenings prior. She was nuts. Another 5 ½ hours talking eating talking walking eventually dropping her off, I had wondered from where the rain had come from? Two more dates that evening when I had walked into my mother’s home along about 2:00 AM, Mom wanted to know where I had been all day. Coming form I knew not where, I blurted out, “I been out with my future Mrs.’s today. Mom in turn accused me, “Your nuts!”. Exactly six months more heavy discussions over the what’s and wherefores of a marriage contract from that very day on we’d said our vows to be married for ever more Dec. 8th.
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Today’s activities involved my dropping Handy off at Doc’s office. Next it was my day’s way for traveling about the neighborhood to re-supply my shelled corn supplies my having to grind today. Just as timely as never imagined possible Handy was ready to come home a just about the same time I had the next steps beginnings coming together. Still making deals we split for our individual lunches. Lunch out of way I picked up empty feed wagon made second day’s stop by the elevator for supplements, and then Handy. His help he handled the weighty lifting I need avoid, to avoid those debilitating lightening headaches. Grind done, feed wagon spotted some hap hazard shop time trying to cut some glass, we just managed to save one possible piece out of three. That glass sheet to old, to brittle, it broke so many ways, I’ll take what I can get (salvage) for a new glass for the sandblasting cabinet window.
Late enough looking like more rain we all closed shop and I took Handy over to the crossroads for some his shopping and medications. Me, I found a couple half price sales in the produce department. This of course right after I had tried talking a young lady out in the rain if she’d share rain coat. She neither said yes or no. I at least got a pretty smile.
I don’t remember supper. I don’t even remember what I had. Wasn’t really finished when I was called out. Somebody had pulled the fence charger plug for the bull pens and they’d been out for a strol. Keith had them back in. I was needed for fixing the fences. Fence repairs were easy enough. The fence charger was something else, failing to work. We’d gone through all the chargers on the shelf before we found one old reprobate that worked. I was odd how all those chargers were checked out while Bro’ and Keith kibitzed from the shop’s sheltering walls and roof while I got to stand out in the pouring down rains. Especially those waters what had rinsed off the roof before running down my neck and filling my boots. It was a grand two hours. Slickest shower I’ve ever had without the soap.
There’s more than one way to clean up farming. BGKC.
Fernan

Got to get it done

Woke and started day as becoming the usual. Resting back against an ice bag.
Cruised E-net some. Answered some, got some to go. Also need get to woik. What’ll I do? I need good dose Ice, what the “H.” Time for another cup coffee. There just isn’t nothing like being totally organized.
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When do I start haying? Normally or this year? Personally I like to get at it two-three weeks before memorial day. Few years back made difference what weather forecasts predicted us drying time. Five-six days usually and still raking. Since we’ve gotten haylage baler need two days, cut and wilt.
This year……. Two tractors totally down, two more down with locked up clutch on denigrated crankshaft pilot bearing. Another with blown driver inner tube, we’re way behind do to rain, wet fields and last minute easy(?) repairs. BAH!
Two downed tractors ready to go next year we’ll hopefully be in better shape, for the shapes we’re in. {:^(
Oh, Memorial Day is (has been) the traditional Lower Michigan kick off weekend for hay making’s start around here. I (we’ve) (myself particularly) have been known to cheat on that date. Once I showed‘em how to put up 60 ton dry one year and followed with 80 ton dry the following year before Memorial Day.
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Spent my morning until 1:15 PM finishing up the Rotary-Mower. Lunch out of the way by 2:00 PM, I was out and out the farmyard driveway. I was on my way to put another tractor in the field. So it be between 2:00 and 8:00 pm’s allowing two hours traveling time between four hayfields, Moving over those fields mowing at an 8-mph speed’s cutting 12’ swaths I dropped a lot of hay today in much less than four hours time. Ho boy, This much grass down will keep me busy for a couple more days. If I ain’t pooped, I’m going to be. BGKC.
Fernan