still haying…..

……hauling in that I had baled yesterday. It gives me a real comfortable cozy feeling watching the hay yards fill up. Why the “cozy?” because I feel warmer knowing the ladies will have all the energy they need to consume to be nice and warm inside.
Hay in the yard, lunch in the belly, a broken hay wagon pulled up to the shop, I got to work upon the old mower what’s been lost in the weeds the last two years. The battery charged, carburetor primed the engine started and run good. Steering has been liquid wrench sprayed, oiled and greased making steering free working again. The bearing carriers upon the deck sprayed and oiled they’re free again. Mower blades straightened, sharpened and balanced the deck is ready to cut grass again. Getting the machine to move under its own power was a total loss up until a little while ago. Finding a pair of conversely working variable pulleys stuck but good their removal was required. Out loosened with liquid wench and lubed with silicon spray they is on their way back into the machine. A blinding headache taking over my senses the final assembly now waits for my personal touch tomorrow. It’s best to quit while I was ahead on an up-note. Likewise starting with the completion within sight come morning the whole experience shall end as a moving one.

Well, It isn’t dark yet, but I’m ready to turn in regardless. BGKC.
Fernan

Hayfever maybe

I’ve heard references to mythical fields of dreams. Is there any truth in some such references? Why I question? Yesterday I mowed a field of weeds. To wit I mean “weeds!” May an individual suffer the throws of hay fever without the sneezing and the running of fluids off an innocent nose. I ask this for within a couple hours free of the mown field my sinuses were filled, bagged and packed my suspecting this was or at least a contributor the latest cause of another headache. The new one laid on me yesterday is still with me. Waking this AM my nose is wet unlike Fido’s, but rather from the liken a faucet’s running from the inside out. My forehead aching and nose starting to run did I manage to receive a Mother Natures overdose of whatever it what may be the nucleolus of pollens. I wonder along this line as at no time did my cut smell like grass, alfalfa, nor sweet clover.
Vertical now for a morning’s half hour, whilst sorting my rattlers, my eyes took on a good bit of itch, the nose is more freely running, and some easing or over flowing the stuffed up sinus bags and passages. One more modified thought over the questionable presents of pain. Hayfever is a curse for there is no damaging cause to bring such an affliction upon and individual at any age, particularly in innocent children. I thought I had finally out grown it and now it would appear I’ll take it to my grave with me.
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I tinkered some with my old lawn tractor. The abuse that poor tractor has been dealt it’s a wonder, believe me. I primed the carburetor and it started up and ran beautifully. One very big strike again-it mice had gotten into it three-four years ago and had chewed all the insulation off the longest sparkplug wire coming out of the coil. Why it runs is beyond me. Some oil, some, grease, some WD40, all these fluid skirted, dabbed, or pumped are loosening the machines joints up so it’ll be able to run on its own by the weekend. Bro’ even volunteered to straighten sharpen and balance the blades. All the paint havin’ fallen off, I’m seriously afraid to paint it. It may not be able to stand it!
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Went back to the very field I had mown yesterday it took me two and one half times the time to bale it as it did to cut it. That’s including getting all the way up to three MPH a couple times. Was slow going if I wanted to stay on the tractor. I still got home in time to see the sun go down. I’m bushed. BGKC.
Fernan

Thinking on Pains…

Before I say to much about my thinking or my reporting upon that which has been suggested a stretch of anyone’s imagination I maybe capable of I have to make one wee comment upon something I’ve read written from one of our friends. May I say this quote was the climatic end to one of her most delightful tales. In misery, it was said, “If nothing else, it's a nice place for bugs and mice to get out of the weather.” ROFLMAO ((((((Donna)))))) I’ll let my reads find the tale this line goes with… };^)).
Back to my McThinkin’. Pain is something a body endures for an injury. Okay I’ve been injured a countless number of times working the trades in my younger more youthful days. Pain was just a minor inconvenience that went along with the occupations essentials: a piece lumber over the head, walking off a scaffold plank, hitting the wrong nail one of them on a thumb, a swung plank on the arse, and some many more serious incontinences. So, so many of the good old fun days seam to be catching up with me. Broken bones; a diagonally broken leg surgically shortened with rod, nuts and bolts; elastic wrapped cracked ribs; job site broken fingers splinted wrapped in electrical tape. And how about sheet metal cuts, solder/lead burns, electrical pokes from live wires.
I may now venture to guess I haven’t yet finished enjoying all those fun years remarkably experiencing headaches for old injuries pain I had come to ignore as job bonuses. Sitting straight, sitting upon my custom notched cushions, a long forgotten sacrum-iliac manipulated back into place once more now supported by a sacroiliac brace. The ability to walk a straight line unlike a drunken sailor. Ninety percent my headache causes are now accounted for and their solutions all so simple.
One drawback. That brace strapped about my middle isn’t to unlike a corset and oh so good to get out of evenings to re-let my chest down.
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An almost totally sleepless night. So bad I wrote the immediate preceding because no way could I drift back off. Or so I thought, Once I had emptied my mind, having nothing left, becoming totally bored with myself, the yawns set in I laid myself down even though I were only a few moments away from my rattler time. I slept for two hours waking up late. Throwing my feet over the side I was up and at it, hauling water, packing ice, sitting myself down on my customly notched home made cushion to wait out my hour‘s wait to eat after the rattlers and time for my ice to do its thing.
Leaving house I took up temporary fence around the bale wrapper. I’d have started it if the battery weren’t so flat. If I’ve got to jump it jumping can wait until tomorrow to run it for everthing, the move and the wrapping.
Four miles out I cut another field for supposed hay. What a sorry field that is/was. More weeds than grasses and clover combined. If the ladies will eat it fine if not, oh well. That was so rough it took awhile to mow it, and now that I am writing this I now realized what had done my system in about 2:00PM this afternoon. All that tractor’s jarring my spine had me laid out somewhere shortly after lunch. Laying down looking to escape the head and body (back) aches I slept for two hours. Handy had called waking me out of my afternoon snooze. Waking at right hany time I took my rattlers. Handy wanted a ride over to the crossroads for a few things. I needed petrol anyway. Was a good way to get two things done at once. Frieda also wanted ride to our daughter’s for a laundry bash. Don’t ask me what that means other than I need to fix daughter’s dryer. If I hadn’t been feeling so rotten today I’d been a good time to have looked into it. We’ll see where we’re at in a couple days? Meanwhile my head caving in again I‘ve got to lay it out. Sleep seems to be my easiest drug free pain reliever going for me. BGKC.
Fernan

up all nite

Yup, up all nite. My punishment for enjoying the easy life. I had to set up all nite listening to the growls having brought on that association with the old pot bellied kettle. Lets see, two days rest isolated another one my lower back pains. The left side my sciatica is out, likely the cause my left leg’s sciatic nerve pinched occasionally wanting to let me down.
Looks like Ugly’s use is going to get a workout this morning. Supposed to keep a Tuesday morning PT appointment, first in three weeks. I need to pickup my medications this trip. After these things are taken care of I’m going to find me a chiropractor for a realignment. Frieda thinks I had gotten to much sun yesterday, I may have also suffering a bit of sunstroke.
So, while that was yesterday………..
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……this is today.
We kept our first PT appointments for first time in three weeks. Frieda says her PT is helping her. I still feel as thought mine continues to be waist of time. I like pretty girl’s hands on treatments. They feels so good.
Next stop our druggist. Frieda’s insurance is fowled up. Her account active she deprived medication payments until August first. I’ve got to call them and see what this about. Therapy doing nothing for putting my sacroiliac back in place I did something about it.
Almost another mile up the road I wheeled into a place where my last chiropractor had snuck of to a couple years or so ago dodging a ton of rent owed that place‘s landlord. A new Practitioner man had taken over a shakened practice, after the previously mentioned crook-a-practor had dodge an even bigger bundle of unpaid rents. This gentleman taking over last May is trying to make something of it. He took good care of me putting my sacroiliac square with my body.
Next stop home, ice pack strapped on my back, half hour’s rest, followed by sacroiliac brace strapped on to hold bones in place, then I re-faced the world. What came after this? A small lunch keeping in mind my boyish figure and charming good looks.
Lastly I checked weather reports to get an idea where I could look good sluffing off next.
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Its more than late afternoon my coming in. I had put in some sorry shop time. Worst part was getting a fill in project of my own past my Bro’s homesteading. Moments later Bro’ found the mig welder had been fouled. I fixed it last some ten years ago. That was when I could still see well enough to weld. This time I’s treated I didn’t know nothin’. So be it!
He going his way to have it looked at, wonderful, I closed up shop and came home. First thing I got Her Mostess to take her re-powered wheel chair for a spin. Once she got on it she started to get with it.
Left alone me and Holly, I locked her up and went about what needed doing here. I had to fence closed the one remaining side the hay-yard. Checked the rest that pasture’s fence and turned these ladies out. Let me not forget I hayed the ladies dry pasture just down the road.
Not only all the afore mentioned, bit I also looked after the laundry a moment here and there through out the day.
Coming in I was way past rattler time. I was given glass of milk to tied me over until supper. Meanwhile My body feels like it had been run over by a half tract. And still needed to bottle calf and put Cushman away. It’d be until 8:00PM before the last of the day’d be my own. I wish I could find the words to describe dog tired? BGKC.
Fernan

What a day

Been a long day. Somebody finally called to tell me I needed to grind. Dummies!
So it was definitely the time to clean the wheat out of the green gravity box. First things first the Cushman had to come out of the barn first. Then to grind the Leland and grinder-mixer had to come out next. It was blocking the wheat. The green wagon behind ugly we headed down to the other farm to park this wagon on the compost pile. There I may have saved about six bushels wheat seed. I also put an equal amount damaged wheat on the compost pile. Then had to load it on Ugly’s back. The seed first saved in 200 pound tubs I had to empty them up into tubs on Ugly. Wagon emptied I was on the road again for home. Ate on the run. Had to call Tom for his help. Keith had jammed the supply wagon’s gate so cussed tight I needed Tom for one and have him bring a couple wreaking bars and hammers for a yet unplanned panic attack upon that gates forced opening and quick closing before five tons of shelled corn comes pouring out to flood my drive way.
Tom’s help invaluable we got the grain ground dually supplemented off the Cushman. Nearing delivery I parked today’s ground grain wagon in front the shop. Here we bolted down plates fore and aft the gravity box. To these we added a couple plywood sheets cut out in the shape of a gable ends. Inside the gables top we nailed in a yellow-pine ridge board. Lastly we rubber strapped a plastic tarp over the loaded wagon. Tom went home. Weather protected I spot parked the latest conjured up feed wagon.
Home I had to unload wheat I’d put the grain in to heavy to move. I again baled the grain from Ugly’s tubs into pails I pour yet into some other tubs. While I did this I passed by a ground hog who’d got itself caught up in the trap what I moved when it was empty this same day’s morning. All this done it was time to put the Leland away. Darn it, it failed to start. As much as I disliked doing it I called Bro’ he knew this tractor better than I did. He got it going shorting the terminals on the starter solenoid. Bro’s hoping it a bad wire rather than an ignition switch. Finally I backed the equipment down into the barn. I opened the gates letting the cow and calf have their freedom of my yard. Made milk for calf, the calf near running me down for it. The trash gotten out I made it in the house owing myself some early to bed time, but it isn’t going to be tonight. BGKC.
Fernan

Catch up day

Likely poking my nose in where it don‘t belong I read this. In my mind it read to me like a child‘s observance’s the adult world. “I'm waiting for them to catch up with me someday. When we talk about once a year we always vow to get together when it gets cooler. Maybe we will this time but we probably won't.” Printed here in a optimistic look at pessimism‘s promise. ROFLMAO ((((((Paula))))))
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Passing through misery my mind jarred I’m reminded my mom putting up 200 quarts tomatoes every year, year after year. I can’t remember a day we didn’t have tomatoes in one fashion or another either canned or fresh out of the garden. Icy cold out of the frig with sugar for dessert, heated and ladled over warm buttered bread seasoned with salt for another. There was her chili, goulash, tomato soup cut with Jersey cream (was better‘an Campbell’s) . or beef stew the potted lake held potatoes and carrots out of a sand pit. There were green fried tomatoes having swam in milk dried I flour or cornmeal or both. Those were the best eating days I can remember everything home grown including ham, beef, and if it didn’t lay an egg, chicken. We had jersey milk, fresh churned butter, cottage cheese what had hung over the bathtub when nobody was using it, and hand turned ice-cream made with hand with real vanilla added to skimmed cream, using chopped ice with salt on it to make a near as prettier and tasty a treat frozen cream as colorful.
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I wonder whatever has happened to Alice, Loopy has gone fishing, and I’m wishing we could go for a drive up thru the thumb.
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A Southern Bell continues making diaper bags.
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An Orgamic lady’s already making with thanksgiving’s prayers. She worries me pushing the seasons? Have I missed that much summer? Have I missed turning the months over on my calendar. Gosh? What’ll I put on my Christmas want list besides wanting world peace and all our boys and girls back home?
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Again, I’m just as tired as if I had put in a full wet day. I swear every time I stuck my neck out the door I got soaked to the skin. Lazy morning getting out for calf’s bottle it started raining. Then coming back in it quit raining. I head out down to the barn with a sack cat food it started raining. Then coming back in it quit raining. I go down to the barn o tidy up and it started raining. Then coming back in it quit raining. Sitting it out a spell I go out to move hay down the road to those ladies, that was my best soaking. Then coming back in it quit raining. Still later somebody suggested I go cut hay. I looked at sky and told him, “More rain’s coming.” well wait awhile. I had found fence what needed fixing. So, waiting going nowhere I headed out with Ollie and 1435 Roto-mower in tow. On arrival the hat field it started raining. A I/2” rain likely came down before a lucky ride came along. I mean Lucky. Given ride back to my Ugly waiting for me for drive home. Then coming back in it quit raining. I waited awhile before feeding calf, and when I did it rained again. Then coming back in it quit raining. I’m tired. Of what I’m not sure of? BGKC.
Fernan
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Food for thought
A pessimist is an optimist with experience.

continued wet

Been little improvement in the wet rainy weather, I’d guess, I’d acknowledge there’s been no rhyme nor reason for the weather’s being as crazy as it is. The usual beat of the weather crossing our lands has been counted on by our ancestors followed a simple rule. Good weather lasted four day, bad weather lasted three days. What has ever happened to that cycle in the weather as I had seen it growing up? Has it been gored?
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Some years ago myself aged somewhere around 12/13 years of age the whole family out in the backyard, I was passing under a big stately maple tree with two wide mouthed water buckets in my hands for my start of the afternoon/evening chores. When I had started out for the barn I hadn’t seen Mom about to go in the back door, nor Dad carrying a couple bags of groceries toward the house. Most importantly I hadn’t paid any attention to Bro’ on heel spinning in place holding out a garden rake or such some hand implement for a counter balancing weight. Evidently Dad thinking Bro’s play a bit hazardous to all our health’s, he oh so loudly hollered out, “Hey stupid!”
So startled was I, I had thought Dad had had-cause to holler at me again. In my startled bewilderment as to what I might or mightn’t done, I dropped both buckets spinning on the ball my left foot, my right foot lifted, and as I turned I set it squarely down into a cold wet bucket of water and answered back, “Who! Me!”
Frieda looking at this, her eyes watering, as I write this. From over my shoulder she’s laughing her arse off as hard as my Dad had way back when. So hard did he laugh himself silly, he had forgotten who and what he had hollered for. Needless to say it had taken me over twenty some years from that day on to live it down. And, to this day Bro’ still credits me for having saved him a tanning.
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Now for all I did today. Be prepared to keep up now. Here I go with all the gory details. Ready? For one thing I did chores. Then graduated onto doing nothing’ save napping. Tomorrow I shall pay for having lazily laid around all day. I wrote, read, and napped. Ate a fine supper. And the worst of all felt guilty for my absence. BGKC
Fernan